The E-cot

“Jamie, remember to adjust the temperature in the E-cot,” Sarah called out as she set the table for dinner.
“Oh, and look at the food levels too,” she added.
“Will do,” her husband replied. He looked up from the E-cot over to the dining area where his wife was busy placing cutlery and crockery on the table.
They were having a night in. A rarity these days. Their little boy Thomas was already fed, washed and in bed. The two of them planned to enjoy a nice Australian red wine to go with the casserole Sarah had prepared. It was the eve of the delivery of their second child.

Shortly after Thomas’ fifth birthday, they had decided to bite the bullet and have another child. Thomas was excited by the thought of a little brother or sister to play with. The E-cot technology had been out for a couple of years already and after the initial glitches, both the public and government had approved its use. It was even better than the E-crib from four years back. The E-crib was now dated and was no longer being manufactured.

The beauty of the E-cot lay in the fact that the whole process of having a baby was simplified and custom-designed. The E-cot was speedier, safer, and had style in spades. It came in a range of designs to go with different decors. Theirs was as sleek as the entertainment centre in their living room and had pride of place right below the mantelpiece.

They joked about how Thomas was their natural baby and Kathleen would be their designer baby. Everyone had a designer baby these days. They had had to go through all the options and permutations. Going through the list and selecting the sex, skin tone, hair colour, eye colour, maximum height and bone structure. Given that Thomas was creative, they opted for scientific skills when they were going through the mental and psychological profile.

Tomorrow would be the birth of Kathleen, exactly 9 weeks to the day of conception. As they refilled their classes and settled on the sofa in front of the E-cot, they reminisced about the night she was conceived. Their combined body samples, previously collected by their specialist, Dr. Mason, had been put into the E-cot sample receptor. Dr. Mason had then talked them through the procedure. What temperature should be maintained in the day and at night and the quantity of nutrients to be administered and when. Then they had pressed the appropriate buttons for the characteristics they had decided on and stood back, tears of joy in their eyes while the doctor made his way out.

“Do you remember how little she was at first?” Jamie was saying.
“I was so worried! She seemed so fragile and unreal,” Sarah agreed.
“I bet you haven’t missed the morning sickness and the stretch marks though!”
“I hope she feels loved. You know, not having grown up inside my belly.”
“We talk to her and communicate with her all the time. And Dr. Mason says our air samples which she receives every other day keep her connected to us.”
“Robert and Linda’s baby has turned out just fine. She’s perfect, better than perfect!”
“See, there’s nothing to worry about,” Jamie concluded.

In the sleek E-cot, a beautiful child calmly respired in the transparent casing. Her tiny heart beat could be heard if one pushed on the volume button. Her parents already knew who she was going to be and what things she would be good at. She would not be ill, at least not from any known diseases from which she was already protected.
In a room upstairs, her brother dreamt of the baby sister he would have the next day. He would finally be able to see her outside the apparatus. She was what they were all waiting for.