DNA

By Donna and Abs

Terrance Shepherd was, generally speaking, very happy in Edan.  He loved Ancelin and the baby, and though the working conditions were primitive, there was ample room for improvement and development.  His brain was almost always working, thinking of ways to improve their situation, medically.

He had once mentioned, in passing, to Alex Taylor, that they could probably arrange DNA testing technology, if they could only find that enzyme critical to the tests.  Since it came from hot springs, and there were such things in Edan, he thought it theoretically possible.  Of course, the young doctor had missed the "theoretically" and had come to Shepherd, openly wondering when the DNA tests would be ready.  Not that he wanted to use it, he said, but how exciting would it be, to have such technology, here!  Right, thought Shepherd, and from that moment on he thought of little else.

Kasumi, the very attractive Oriental girl, utilized the hot springs in her bathhouse, but of course, those springs were not nearly hot enough!  If you could go into them without being scalded, they were not going to be hot enough to breed the enzyme.  But it was worth a shot.

He found Kasumi cleaning the bathhouse, getting it ready for the crowd that usually showed up at night to use it. "Good afternoon, Shepherd-san," she said politely, bowing slightly. "Do you need something from my Kitchen?"

"No, thank you.  Not today.  I do have a question to ask of you," he went on. "Do you know the source of your hot springs?"

She looked thoughtful. "I am not sure. But behind the bathhouse in my garden, it bubbles up amongst the rocks."

"It is very, very hot?" he asked.

She nodded. "Steam comes out of the rocks and it makes them very hot to the touch. It also smells bad. Like rotten eggs."

"Excellent!" he said, growing excited.  "Do I have your permission to test the water?"

"Of course, Shepherd-san," she told him. She was curious, but too polite to ask why.

He was very pleased.  So pleased he impulsively grabbed her and kissed her cheek!  This was very out of character for him, but DNA technology would be a boon to the whole community!

She looked at him oddly, but said nothing. All the men that frequented her bathhouse knew that she kept anything she heard to herself, and appreciated her for that.

Not that this was a big secret.  But it would be something everyone could appreciate.  Or so Shepherd thought.

After leaving Kasumi, he went to the spot she had described, so he could take samples.  Then he returned to his chambers, to test them in peace.

For a long time after that, Terrance Shepherd was rarely seen outside his own room, and the workshop within.  People were understandably curious, especially anyone who lived or worked at the clinic!

One of them was Sarah Jo, of course.

The nurse was very curious. If he was working on what she thought he was, then perhaps he would be able to a long last determine who the father of Doireann was. Perhaps her own son Joshua had a half sister!

The question Shepherd did not take into consideration was, would the mothers want to know, or was ignorance bliss? 

It was a hard question to answer. Especially in one case! No one knew about Prudence's experience with Grisham prior to her being taken by him, but in her mind, and also in Clay Mosby's, and Doc Adams', it was never completely forgotten that little MacKenzie might have come from that source!

Finally, Sarah Jo couldn't stand it anymore. Tapping quietly on the door of his little lab room, she came inside. "Dr Shepherd? Anything I can get you?"

He looked up, a little wildly. "No, no I'm all right . . . Yes!" he said, suddenly seeing the results of his latest test.

She stepped in closer. "Does it work then?"

"Yes, yes it does," said Shepherd, wondering a little how Sarah Jo knew what he was doing.  Wasn't she from a time well before DNA testing?

She shook her head. "I still don't really understand this stuff. It's way over my head. About the time I finally figured out how your blood typing works, you come up with something even more complex!"

"Well, this helps narrow it down even further than typing or grouping.  Everyone has individual characteristics that show up in their DNA.  We can see them more clearly now.  This is very advanced for here!" he told her excitedly.

Sarah Jo frowned, trying to understand. She really was a bright girl, well able to grasp most medical things if put before her in a clear manner. "So, will you be able to tell for sure who fathered Kat's baby now?" she asked.

"Yes," said Shepherd.  "I could not tell if it were between, say, Methos and myself, but I could tell between Methos and Duncan.  The question is, does Kat want to know?"

Sarah Jo frowned again and shook her head. "As it is right now, she has four daddies. And they all spoil her rotten."

"Though I should like to know, for . . . genetic purposes," Shepherd told her. “There is every chance she could fall in love with her own brother one day."

Sarah Jo nodded. "That would be the only reason she would want to know, I think."

"I can do the test and keep it confidential in my records until such time as it is needed."

It was on Sarah Jo's tongue to ask if she could know, but her professionalism overcame her curiosity. "I'll let her know that it is on file then, if you like."

"Well, I need some of the baby's blood, so she will have to consent to the test."

"Are you going to be testing anyone else?" she asked.

"I'll test whoever requests it," he said.  "Some children are not under question. At least I hope not," he said, smiling.  His own daughter, for example.

"Kat is coming into town later on today," Sarah Jo said. "We can ask her then if you are ready."

"I would love to test it on someone other than myself!" he laughed. "Oh, and you."  He grinned, winking over their shared joke.  He was always taking blood from her.

She just laughed and blew him a kiss. It was one of the hazards of working in the medical profession. They tended to use each other for guinea pigs a good part of the time. Sarah Jo turned and left him alone with his lab research.

Time passed, and a soft knock on the door interrupted him once more. "Doctor Shepherd?" Sarah Jo called out. "Mission successful!"

"You have her consent?" he asked, coming to the door.

"I do. It took a little convincing, but I talked her into it."

"Is she bringing the baby in, or did you take it while you were asking?"  He looked hopeful when he said the latter.

She took her hand from behind her back, revealing a tiny tube of blood. "Little Doireann is not happy with me right now, but she will get over it."

Shepherd certainly *was* happy with her, and the hug and kiss he gave her was sure proof of it! Taking the vial, he went into his lab with a whoop!