Epilogue

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The morning alarm sounded abruptly, piercing the serene silence of the room. Dr. Jessica Yuri groggily reached out to hit the snooze button, inadvertently knocking her phone off her desk. With a frustrated sigh, she sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. The harsh early morning sun was beaming through the window. Jessica looked around the room. Shit, she must have fallen asleep in her office again. She silently cursed herself for her inability to maintain a proper schedule. Speaking of which where is that damn phone? She thought to herself as she got up scanning the floor. Oh, there it is! Jessica bent down to retrieve her smartphone lying on the floor. Shutting off the alarm she found herself wondering what happened last night.

All she remembered was looking through the results from last nights experiment. Nothing special had come from them. The experimental **** she was hoping could trigger some kind of breakthrough had instead produced only mild brain wave activity. It also made Sam feel awful when James dismounted her. So she guessed she wouldn't be going down that road again. It was so frustrating that she felt like banging her head against the wall. Instead, she decided to take a break and stretch her stiff muscles. Her back ached from hours spent hunched over her desk. Come to think of it, Jessica felt off just in general. Her breasts were sore, and her body felt heavier and more lethargic. Like she hadn't actually slept at all.

Not to mention, her pussy was unusually wet, a serious case of morning dew she thought. The feeling was so present that Jessica could feel the dampness soaking through her panties. Had she orgasmed in her sleep? The question lingered in her mind as she stood up, stretched, and resumed her search for answers. Maybe it was just her period getting ready to start. That would explain the sore breasts. Whatever the case, she needed to get away from this office and go get a shower. Jessica could smell herself and it was obvious that she'd been neglecting her more bodily needs.

A hot shower was definitely in order. Before leaving her office and heading home, she wanted to go ahead and call James. Let him know that it was back to the drawing board on the hopper research. She couldn't be mad at him. James had done everything she'd asked and more. She found herself once again thankful that she'd found a bodyhopper like him. The fact that James was willing to lend a helping hand showed how good of a person he was. Jessica smiled as she dialed James' cell phone number.

"Oh hey, doc. Heh what's going on?" James answered, somewhat hesitantly. Odd, she thought, he's tone a little different from his normal chipper self.

"James," Jessica responded, "I hate to tell you this, but our research results from last night didn't provide any meaningful data. Plus the side effects made Sam feel awful. I think we'll have to switch gears."

"Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that doc," James responded in a much more characteristic way. "How are you doing? You looked like you'd fallen asleep at your desk when I left. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, James. Just a bit drained." Jessica lied, brushing aside her discomfort. "I just need a little bit of rest. Thank you for your concern. Listen, I wanted to say thank you again for all the help with this research. It has been invaluable. I know we haven't had a huge breakthrough but don't let that perturb you."

"You're welcome, Doc. I'm happy to help!" James replied cheerfully. "And don't worry, we'll find something that works!"

"Yes, I'm sure we will. Listen, I'm going to head over to Samantha's to check on her and make sure she's okay. I feel aweful for giving her a **** that made her feel sick." Jessica said.

"Oh actually doc, I'm headed over to Sam's now." James interrupted quickly. "I promised her I'd swing by in the morning to check on her. It's actually me and a buddy. We're brining her a little gift too."

Jessica could only smile on the phone as she thought about how thoughtful James was for bringing Samantha flowers. The gesture spoke volumes about his character. "Okay, then I'll just head home. Give Samantha my best and tell her that I appreciate her patience with this whole thing." Jessica said, smiling softly.

"Alright, Doc. Will do! See you later!" James responded enthusiastically before hanging up.

Jessica smiled as she grabbed her lab coat from the coat rack in the corner of her office. She slid her arms into the sleeves and fastened the buttons at the bottom, feeling comforted by the familiar weight of the coat. As she slipped on her shoes and walked toward the door to her office, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever make the breakthrough she so desperately wanted. With a long sigh, she exited her office, closed the door, and descended the stairs to the lobby.