Chapter 14

AFTER the light dissipated, it was morning. Clara and Calpurnia found themselves flying the limousine over the first limousine that had just arrived. Clara steered the car to an isolated part of the field and set it down. Then, the two time travelers got out and approached the first limousine. As they did, the Beatles got out causing the two to hide behind some trees. Then, as the four were conversing among themselves, the two time travelers rushed in on them and sleep induced them. And then, they put them back into the first limousine and then went back to their own limo and back through the time barrier.

When the light dissipated, it was night, moments before the Beatles left for 1824. Clara steered the car towards in isolated part of the parking lot near the stadium and landed the car. Then, with help from Calpurnia, she got the Beatles out and lay them next to some boxes. And then, lifted the car off the ground and hovered over them while the first Beatles were seen fleeing the throng of infatuated girls chasing them. There it was! The first limo. Clara picked up the remote for the limo and aimed it at the first one pushing the cloak button. The car vanished. The Beatles found themselves startled as the girls started to catch up with them. However, so did the security, and the four were being led away to another limo. And then, Calpurnia spoke up.

“Clara look.”

Clara did. Down below where the Beatles were left off was nothing but boxes now. Then, they looked down at themselves and saw that now they were wearing the clothes they wore when they first entered 1965.

“What does this mean, Clara?” asked Calpurnia.

“It means that we’re now in a reality in which the Beatles have never gotten into our car.” said Clara.

“That’s good.” said Calpurnia. But there was some sadness in her voice.

“Calpurnia.” asked Clara, “What is it?”

“Jacqueline.” said Calpurnia, “It means we never had the chance to rescue Jacqueline or her family. And if they are my descendants…”

“Calpurnia.” said Clara, “We’re not even sure you’re pregnant. Tell you what, Monday we’ll arrange for you to see a doctor. After a few tests, we’ll know whether or not you’re having a baby.”

“And if I am…” said Calpurnia.

“Then, Emmett will have to speed things up on repairing the DeLorean and be done with it before you start to show.” said Clara, “But first, I would like to show you something.”

Immediately, she steered the car towards Manhattan to show her passenger how far civilization had grown. She showed her the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Central Park, the Metropolitan Opera House, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yankee Stadium. And then, she steered the car towards the Upper New York Bay. There on Liberty Island was this huge statue of like the Colossus of Rhodes but standing straight up and wearing more clothes that the Colossus. A closer examination told Calpurnia that this statue was that of a woman.

“Clara.” exclaimed Calpurnia, “What is this?”

“That is the Statue of Liberty.” said Clara, “It was built and donated by the French in 1886 as a show of friendship and recognition to the United States of which over a century early they took part in helping the Americans gain their independence from Britain.”

“The French?” asked Calpurnia.

“Yes, for France.” said Clara, “Gaul in your time.”

“I see.” said Calpurnia.

Clara set the time circuits for March 19, 1986 7:30 p.m. and the place Hill Valley.

Turning to Calpurnia, she asked “Are you ready to go home?”

Calpurnia gave Clara a started stare.

“Back to Rome?” she asked, “I thought…”

“No.” said Clara, “Let me rephrase this: Are you ready to go back to the future?”

Calpurnia sat back disappointed. Then she said “Yes.”

Activating the time circuits, Clara put her foot down on the accelerator until it got up to 88 mph and through the time barrier.

Both Clara and Calpurnia were barely gone when once again the sound of two sonic booms accompanied by flashes of light were heard overhead. The two women had returned from their trip to 1965. The sound of the limousine landing was accompanied by a breeze blowing in the lab. And then, the car materialized as it made it’s final landing. Once done, Doc went over to help Clara out of the car. They were both hugging and kissing as Calpurnia got out.

“I gather that you two had the time travel of you lives.” said Doc.

“We sure did.” said Clara. Then, turning to Calpurnia, she said to Doc “Emmett, Calpurnia has something to say.”

Doc looked at Calpurnia and asked “Like what?”

“Doctor Brown.” said Calpurnia, “I think I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Doc exclaimed in shock, “But that can’t be.”

“Everything about me says I am.,” said Calpurnia, “The room’s hot, I feel light headed, my stomach feels nauseas and I’ve got a craving for pickles.”

“Great Scott.” said Doc, “Even so, how could you arrive a such a hasty conclusion?”

Clara put her hand on her husband’s shoulder and said “Emmett, I’d think you’d better sit down for this.”

Doc took a seat and said “Alright fire away. What made you both think that Calpurnia is pregnant?”

“Emmett, you’re not going to like this.” said Clara.

Doc began to feel a little anger when he asked “What did you do?”

“After the concert we were ready to come back here when the Beatles got into limousine thinking that it was theirs.”

“The Beatles?” asked Doc, “What does this have to do with Calpurnia’s pregnancy?”

“We’re getting to that Emmett.” said Clara, “When we realize who it was, we went into shock and passed out. When we came too, we were in 1824 Austria.”

“1824 Austria?” exclaimed Doc, “Are you two trying to say that the Beatles went back in time with you?”

“Yes.” said Clara, “And after reviewing the video we had to track them down. Followed them into Vienna, Calpurnia found them going into this house and she went in herself. There she ran into somebody who looked just like her.”

“Great Scott.” said Doc.

“And there’s more.” said Clara, “The look-alike had a brother and who turns out to be none other that Beethoven.”

“Beethoven?” asked Doc, “As in Ludwig Von?”

“The very same.” said Clara, “Emmett you must hurry up and get the DeLorean fixed so Calpurnia could go back to her own time before she starts to show.”

“Clara.” said Doc, “First of all, we don’t know whether or not she’s pregnant. And secondly, I don’t have the replacement parts for the time circuits. Alright, I’ll call…no, they’re closed. I call tomorrow. No! Tomorrow’s Sunday. They don’t’ open on Sunday. I’ll call Monday. Meanwhile, Calpurnia’s to take it easy. Nothing strenuous.”

“That sounds good.” said Calpurnia who began to feel sick again.

“Meanwhile, we’ll arrange a doctor’s appointment for Calpurnia.” said Doc, “It’s the least that we could do in a time like this.”

Clara and Calpurnia could not disagree.

Before the two women left the lab, Doc asked “Did you do anything else why you were back in the past?”

The two women looked at each other before Clara said “Emmett, I’ll tell you everything when we’re in bed tonight.”

“I have a feeling that this is going to be fascinating stuff.” said Doc as he followed the two ladies out of the lab.

There was no problem fitting Calpurnia into the doctor’s schedule. She went with Doc in the morning since the office was in the same hospital that Marty and Jennifer were staying in. Doc wanted to see how those two were doing. Jennifer was getting better all the time now but Marty was still in a coma from his sword wound. In the afternoon when the test results came in, it was Clara who brought her back. Sitting in the waiting room, they were reading magazines when they hear a baby cry. Looking up, they saw a mother holding an infant and singing to it.

Hush you bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little horses.
Blacks, and bays, dapples and grays,
Coach and six-a-little horses

Both women listened to this mother very intently. There was something familiar about that voice. Then, the mother looked up. To the amazement of Clara and Calpurnia, they’ve seen that face before.

“Jacqueline?”

The mother looked at the two women and asked “Beg your pardon?”

“I’m sorry.” said Clara, “You look like someone we knew, uh, a long time ago. She even sang like you.”

“Well, I had a great-great grandmother who sang like that.” said the mother, “Her was Jacqueline.” Clara and Calpurnia looked at each other as the mother went onto say “She was the niece of one of the greatest composers of all time: Ludwig Von Beethoven.”

Clara and Calpurnia were startled at this. They had met Beethoven and his niece but this mother is the great-great granddaughter of that girl.

“Tell me.” said Calpurnia, “Who did Jacqueline marry?”

“Some secret admire of her.” said the mother, “He sent her a bouquet of flowers after she sang in the choral for her uncle’s 9^th symphony. You know, ‘Ode to Joy’.”

Clara and Calpurnia gave each other a startled stare. How could this be after they made sure that their involvement and the Beatles would be erased from existence?

“What she was famous most was when she exposed Baron Von Tannenhausen for the fraud he was.” the mother went onto say, “One night she was kidnapped and locked in the baron’s bedchamber. There, she found some documents okaying the marriage between her and the baron. But the signatures were forged. She managed to escape and…”

“Mrs. Caesar.”

Both Clara and Calpurnia turned around to see the nurse who said “The doctor will see you now.”

Calpurnia got up and went in. As she did, she said to Clara “Well, it looks like we really had nothing to do with Jacqueline finding those documents, her escape or her being in that choral.”

“Apparently not.” said Clara, “It happened anyway. Good luck Calpurnia.”

“Thanks Clara.” said Calpurnia

After that, she went into the office.

++++++

Doc was on the phone to the supplier. He heard what he didn’t want to hear: The parts necessary for restoring the DeLorean time circuits have been delayed. And the supplier can’t rush the order. It might be a week before Doc would be able to get the time circuits into perfect working order-and perhaps longer. Doc knew, depending on Calpurnia’s test results, that the longer she stays in the 20^th century the less the chance was for her to return to her own time before she started to show.

“Dad. What is it?”

Doc turned to see his son Jules standing there.

“The time circuits to the DeLorean.” said Doc, “The supplier doesn’t have the parts I need for fixing the time circuits.”

“Dad.” said Jules, “I’m sorry to hear about that.”

“Sorry?” asked Doc, “Jules. If you and Verne had stopped Marty instead of participating in his time traveling, the time machine would’ve been fine and Calpurnia would’ve stayed in Rome to have her baby now by now.”

“Dad.” said Jules, “It was Calpurnia who made the choice of coming back with us.”

“It doesn’t matter whether she made the choice or not.” said Doc, “The bottom line is that you should’ve stopped Marty from doing what he was did.”

Just then, the kitchen door to the garage opened and closed. Apparently, Clara and Calpurnia had returned.

“Emmett.” said Clara’s voice, “We’re home.”

“In here, Clara.” said Doc. Turning to Jules, he said “Well, let’s find out whether or not Julius Caesar will have a posthumous son.” As soon as he was finished saying that, Clara and Calpurnia entered the lab. “Well?” asked Doc.

“Go ahead, Calpurnia.” said Clara.

Calpurnia, paused. And then, she said “Doctor Brown…”

“Well.” said Doc, “Spit it out.”

“Doctor Brown.” repeated Calpurnia, “I’m not pregnant.”

Doc felt a sign of relief. Now he didn’t have to hurry to finish fixing the DeLorean so Calpurnia could be taken back to her own time. But there was one burning question left to be answered.

“You’re not?” he asked, “Calpurnia, what about that craving for pickles, and all those other symptoms pertaining to morning sickness?”

“Well the symptoms were a result from eating strudel.” said Calpurnia, “I’m allergic to it. The doctor gave me something to counteract it.”

“Well, that explains that.” said Doc. Then, he noticed a sad look in Calpurnia’s face and asked “Is something wrong, Calpurnia?”

“Yes.” said Calpurnia, “I let Julius down for the last time. When I thought I was pregnant, I thought I would have something to remind me of my late husband but now I’ve got nothing.”

“You’ve got something.” said Jules, “You’ve got a big house with servants back in your time and in our time you’ve got friends.”

“Thanks, Jules.” said Calpurnia as she embraced and kissed the boy.

Right there was a picture of the mother she would’ve been.

The End

Copyright© 2003. Augie's Back to the Future Page
All rights reserved.

This story concludes in "When In Rome"

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