“Do you have a moment?’ Syssi poked her head into Bridget’s office.

“For you, always. Come in.”

“How are you holding up with Julian gone?”

Bridget sighed. “I wake up every morning and pray no one goes into transition, and that there will be no altercation with Doomers that I need to patch people up after. Heading the rescue project and working in the clinic is too much.”

“When is he coming back?”

“Monday, thank the merciful Fates.”

The week-long psychic convention Julian had gone to was a long shot, but it wasn’t as if they had any better options for finding new ways to identify Dormants. Every avenue that might give them a clue was worth investigating.

“Did he find anything interesting?”

“I don’t think so. He would’ve called me. But the convention isn’t over yet. He might still stumble upon something.”

“I’m crossing my fingers.” Syssi lifted her hands, both with crossed fingers.

“Yeah, me too. So, what brings you here, Syssi?”

“You know how I’ve been obsessing about having a child lately, right?”

Bridget’s gaze softened, and she reached for Syssi’s hand. “Yes, and I still think you’re being silly. You’re so young. There is plenty of time for that.”

Syssi sighed. That was what everyone was telling her, including her husband and her mother and her brother. Except, it did nothing to lessen the yearning.

“I know that it’s irrational, but I can’t do what all the other immortal females are doing and just wait for it to happen. It’s not like I can expect it in a year or two. Centuries might pass, or even millennia. I’ll go insane waiting.”

Bridget leaned back. “What do you have in mind?”

“Fertility treatment. It helps human females conceive, so why not us? From what I understand, we are built basically the same way. The main differences are our fast regeneration ability and mind control. Although I still haven’t mastered the second one. I guess you need to start as a child to get the hang of it.”

“I’m not very good at it either, even though I started young.” Bridget smirked. “Unlike us, the guys have a powerful motivation to learn how to do it. That might be what makes all the difference.”

Syssi nodded. ”Give a person a strong enough motivation and he or she can move mountains.” She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Bridget. “Just so you know, I’m extremely motivated to get pregnant. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

The doctor sighed. “I understand. But the truth is that I’ve never researched immortal females’ fertility. All I have is human data. A human female is born with all her eggs, between half a million and two million of them, but she starts losing them as soon as she is born and until she reaches puberty at a rate of about eleven thousand a month. Then the rate slows down to about a thousand a month.”

“It sounds like such a waste.”

Bridget shrugged. “It’s the survival of the fittest—in this case of the healthiest eggs. Bottom line, from the onset of puberty and until menopause only three to five hundred eggs will reach maturity. Those are the only ones that can be fertilized, and it’s not many.”

Syssi rubbed her brows. “Then it must be different for immortal females. Otherwise, we would’ve run out of eggs at the same age human females do. I thought we remained fertile longer because we don’t menstruate, but you say that eggs are lost regardless.”

“In human females, yes. No one’s researched it for immortals.”

“Could you?”

“I can look into it. Are you willing to become my test subject?”

Syssi chuckled. “It seems to be my fate. I was Amanda’s test bunny in the neuroscience lab, and now I’m going to be yours. But it’s all good since it’s for a good cause. Is it going to be invasive, though? I don’t mind discomfort, I just don’t want to risk damaging anything.”

“I’ll start with taking an ultrasound of your ovaries and some blood samples. Nothing too bad.”

“Okay, when do we start?”

Bridget lifted a brow. “Do I look like someone that has time for research? Unless you want Julian to do it, it will have to wait until I have more time.”

That sounded like never. But Julian was too young and inexperienced. If Syssi were to be a test bunny, it had to be with someone she felt comfortable with.

“After Julian comes back?” she asked hopefully.

“I wish, but no. This is not something I can do in my spare time. What’s the rush, though? A moment ago we were talking about a centuries-long wait. Now it’s only a few months to a couple of years. I hope that in time I’ll manage to streamline the operation enough so I can go back to research, at least part-time. I miss it.”

“I still haven’t adjusted to the immortal perception of time. I think in human terms.”

Bridget chuckled. “I blame Phoenix. That baby has given you a taste of sweet and you can’t wait to have some for yourself.”

“True. She is so adorable. When I’m with her I’m smiling nonstop. She just makes me happy.”

Bridget cocked a brow. “Also when she screams her head off? Or when she fills her diaper with toxic waste?”

“Even then. Besides, she never screams when she’s with me because I spoil her rotten and give her whatever she wants. That’s the beauty of being an aunt. Still, as much as I enjoy her, I want a child that will be Kian’s and mine.”

“Speaking of Kian, did you discuss it with him?”

“Not yet. I wanted to have your opinion first.”

“Right now all I can tell you is that fertility treatments are not easy and they might not work on our bodies. And even if they do, you might be sacrificing your future ability to conceive by taking out your viable eggs ahead of time. And if the hormonal treatments don’t do the trick and we need to do in vitro then there is the problem of too many fertilized eggs.”

“I read that you can freeze embryos. That could be so cool. Whenever Kian and I want another child, we just unfreeze one. It sounds freaky, but think of the possibilities. If it works for me, it will work for the other females. We could have a village full of children. Wouldn't that be awesome?”