Leopard's Baby

Tammy came running out to the basketball court, grabbed the ball out of Diamond’s hands and dunked it. Tammy had a huge grin on her flushed face. She picked up Miranda, her cellmate, whirled her around and hugged her.

“Holy fucking shit!” Diamond exclaimed. “You can dunk! Why the fuck did you claim you couldn’t play for the past fucking year? We coulda used you when we played other cellblocks. What the fuck are you so happy about anyway?”

“I just got the word,” Tammy said as she bounced up and down on her feet. “Straight from the warden’s mouth. I’m being released tomorrow. After almost sixteen months of being locked up. It’s surreal.”

The other women crowded around Tammy, hugging her, patting her on the back, and offering congratulations. Only Miranda seemed upset. Her mouth turned down at the corners, and she was clearly fighting back tears.

“Hey Cortez,” Nia called. “You’re roomie is getting out. We all like it when one of us gets to be a free woman. What’s your problem?”

“I know I should be happy for Tammy,” Miranda said as she wiped her eyes. “It’s just that she’s been protecting me ever since she got here. What’s gonna happen to me now?”

“Miranda, remember the name of the lawyer I gave you,” Tammy said as she put an arm around her cellmate. “I’ll have my mom contact him. He can probably get you out on parole long before your full sentence is served. For all you other girls, stick together. Help each other out. Stand up to the gangs, but don’t go looking for trouble. You’re a big enough group that the rest of the population will be hesitant to start something with you. Listen to Nia. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to Mike if you run into a problem. He’s a good guy. He’ll appreciate your input.”

“You mean we should become stoolies?” an inmate asked. “Fuck that. You didn’t and now you’re free and clear.”

“That would be up to you,” Tammy responded. “I’m just giving you my best advice. What you do with it is up to you. As for me being free and clear, not yet. I have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation first. Now I have to call my mom. The warden’s going to let me use her cell phone, so no recording will be made.”

***

“Just… let me catch… my breath,” Tiffany said. She was in the basement of her home with her mother, Olivia. Tiffany was hunched over, naked, her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped off her. She’d just experienced her first change.

“You did great,” Olivia said. She hugged her younger daughter and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“I thought I was in good shape,” Tiffany said, still taking deep breaths. She picked up a towel and mopped her brow. “I feel like I’ve run a marathon. Right now I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag. I was hoping I’d be a black leopard like Tammy, but I’m not.”

“You are in good shape, Honey,” Olivia said. She gave Tiffany another hug and stroked her hair. “The first time I changed I thought I was going to die. It scared the hell out of me. It was a while before I dared do it again, but it got easier each time. It will for you also. As far as your leopard being black, don’t be disappointed. Most leopards are spotted.”

“What were the circumstances of your first change?” Tiffany asked.

“I was thirteen, the same as you are now. I got into a big fight with my mother. She grounded me for a week. I stormed up to my room, slammed and locked the door, and paced, getting more and more angry. My body started tingling all over. Rather than backing off, it increased my rage. Suddenly I changed. The leopard was terrified, locked in an enclosed space and trussed up with the clothes I’d been wearing. Remember, a leopard can’t reason the way a human can.”

“Wait a minute. You referred to the leopard as if it was a separate creature. Aren’t you and the leopard the same?”

“It’s complicated, honey,” Olivia said, putting her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “We are and we’re not. It’s as if we’re two separate beings occupying the same space and sharing memories.”

“Okay, then what?”

“The first thing the leopard did was rip all my clothes off using her teeth. Then she hunkered down behind the bed waiting for the attack, which never came. After a while she calmed down and recalled me locking the door. She concentrated and changed back. I found myself naked, on my hands and knees, gasping for breath. I wondered if I’d hallucinated the whole thing, but if I did, how did my clothes get all shredded and why was I naked? I instinctively knew I couldn’t tell anyone about this. They’d lock me up as a nutcase.”

“When did you try it again?”

“About a week later. Curiosity got the better of me. I once again locked myself in my room. This time I took my clothes off first. I concentrated and changed.”

“Olivia,” Denise Mitchell, the live-in housekeeper, called down the stairs. “Tammy’s on the phone. She says she has news.”

“Tammy!” Tiffany shrieked. She started to run up the stairs. Olivia grasped her daughter’s arm and pulled her back.

“You can’t go running around like that, young lady,” Olivia said. “Unless you want to put on a show. Put your robe on.”

Tiffany looked down at herself and saw she was naked. She blushed a deep red, took the robe her mother was holding out, and raced up the stairs. She cinched the robe just as she burst into the kitchen, snatched the phone out of Denise’s hand, and yelled into it, “Tammy, guess what! I just changed for the first time! My leopard is spotted. I was hoping she’d be black like yours, but spotted is okay too. Tyler and Mom are both spotted. Their leopards are, that is. I can’t wait until I can go into the woods. It would be so cool if you could go with me. Mom says only one change a day for the first week. That doesn’t seem fair. I wish I could put this on my facebook page but I know I can’t.”

All the while Tiffany was talking Tammy had been trying to break in. Finally the young girl wound down and Tammy was able to get a word in. “That’s great, Tiff. I’m happy for you and I’m glad our family has another leopard. What I called to say is I’ve completed my time in prison. I’ll be going to see the shrinks tomorrow. Let me…”

“You’re getting out!” Tiffany yelled at the top of her lungs. She began dancing around the kitchen. “Fantastic! You can take me out into the woods.”

“When I get a chance I will,” Tammy promised. “Now please let me talk to Mom.”

Reluctantly Tiffany handed the phone to Olivia, but continued to hover, jumping up and down and flapping her hands in excitement. Tammy related her news.

“I’ll be there with Justin first thing in the morning,” Olivia said.

“Why should I need a lawyer?” Tammy asked.

“It’ll be better to have him there and not need him than to wish he was there,” Olivia explained. “I’ll also bring a change of clothes for you so you won’t have to wear one of those jumpsuits. Technically you’re still a prisoner until the psychiatrist says otherwise. You’ll probably still be in shackles while being transported, but I’m sure they’ll let you wear your regular clothes. At the hospital you’ll probably have to wear one of those hospital gowns. I’ll let everyone here know the good news. Can’t wait to see you.”

***

“It’s happening tomorrow, Jennifer,” Merritt Covington said over the phone to Jennifer Roberts. They had special burner phones used sparingly and only for conversations related to the custody of Brendan. Jennifer was a little paranoid and wanted to be able to communicate without fear of their calls being intercepted. “She’ll be going for her psych eval in the morning. It’ll take a few days, but if she passes she’ll be out. Even so, you should be safe provided you stay home. Your house is a fortress.”

“Thanks for the report, Merritt,” Jennifer said. “What’s the likelihood of her passing?”

“In all honesty I have no clue. Call it fifty - fifty. I wish I could deliver better news, but I don’t want to mislead you. It’s hard to pressure doctors unless you have something on them. We haven’t been able to find anything. Still, they’re human. They’re not immune to flattery and influence. I have an idea that may help. They’ve been told Senator Roberts wants this to happen. I’d advise you to sit tight and see what develops.”

“I appreciate your advice, Merritt, but I have to be proactive on this. Locking Brendan and myself in the house is reactive. If I’m in the DC area there’s too many obligations I can’t blow off. Some of which, they’ll want me to bring the baby. Now that he’s walking, running really, he hates being cooped up, and he’s difficult to control. He gets away from his nanny all the time. He likes being outside. If he’s in our yard they might be able to get at him. Especially if there’s a bunch of them.”

“You’ll be completely surrounded by your security team,” Covington argued. “They’re all former mercenaries.”

“I’m taking Karla’s stories seriously. It’s not just her. I remember what my son said Tamara did when three punks tried to mug them. She used to be CIA. She must have incredible skills. I don’t want to underestimate her.”

“She’s not going to shoot a gun with her son around. You can have fifteen, maybe twenty tough men with you. I don’t care what her training is. One girl can’t beat those odds.”

“She won’t be alone, Merritt,” Jennifer pointed out. “Her mother was in the secret service and arranged a rescue in Saudi Arabia against who knows what odds. She has contacts with Mossad! You told me what her brother did when you tried to have him roughed up. Her younger stepsister is a senior in college and is regular army ROTC. Even the little kid is a handful. My best bet is to be gone.”

“We won’t be able to see each other,” Covington lamented.

“I don’t like it any better than you do, but it’s what I have to do to make sure she can’t get my grandson. Tomorrow I’m taking the baby and a cadre of guards and heading out. Only my immediate family will know where I’ll be. I know you’re trustworthy, Merritt, but the fewer people who know my whereabouts, the better. Anybody can let something slip. Should we get fortunate and she’s not released, I’ll head back.”

“If she’s that resourceful, she may be able to find where you’re hiding out,” Covington said, practically begging. “How is that being proactive?”

“I won’t be just hiding out. I’ll be making plans for a counterattack.”