This choice: Randall had us inform them but it didn't go well. It's a very awkward situation. • Go Back...Chapter #9Randall had us inform them but it didn't go well. by: Wassel   "We called Mr. and Mrs. Davis after Randall woke up as per his request, unfortunately they didn't take the news very well..."
"What do you mean?" you asked, the implication not sounding good at all, "What happened?"
Clearing his throat, Doctor Saunders continued, looking rather uncomfortable himself as he nervously explained, "Well, as I'm sure that you're aware, his step-mother is quite a religious woman (this being a bit of an understatement) and it seems that she was of the opinion that what we'd...what Doctor Kerry had done to Randall to save his life was an aberration against God. She basically flat out refused to see him, as did his father, or even acknowledge that he was still their son. Which as you can imagine was quite upsetting for Randall when we told him."
"Oh my God," you croaked, "I can't believe they'd do that to him!" You of course knew that his step-mother, Alice, was a bit of a bitch sometimes (Randall having never really accepted her as his new mother and the two of them getting into constant rows), but hearing that his dad had gone along with it also was just mind blowing. How could he just abandon his own son like when he needed him the most?
"The only good news I suppose, if you could call it that, was that they agreed to sign the waver," Saunders then said, his voice drifting off a little, as if slightly embarrassed, "Though it does appear that they plan to hold a funeral for Randall's body and then leave town with the rather considerable pay out we agreed to give them in return..."
"They're gonna hold his funeral even though he's not dead?! What the hell is wrong with them?"
"People do react to things in different ways, son, don't be too hard on them. This is a very difficult and awkward situation after all."
"Yeah, but not that fucking difficult!" you growled, your anger towards Randall's parents getting the better of you at last.
"Tim, language!" your mother snapped, not being particularly fond of curse words (even in a situation like this it seemed).
"I'm sorry, mom, but if they can just walk away like that then they're not fit to be parents," you told her, turning to face both her and your father, "I mean, if this had happened to me instead of Randall, would you just walk away?"
"Of course not," she immediately reply, your father's expression backing her up on this, your parent's obviously being a damn sight more caring and understanding that the Davis' were. Not that that really matter now, not to Randall, and realizing that becoming angry and frustrated wasn't going to help anyone, you let out a sigh and turned your attention back to Saunders, preferring to hear more about your friend right now than about his lousy parents.
"Anyway how is he?" you asked, calming yourself again, realizing that you hadn't even inquired yet about your friend's mental state, "How's he coping with all this? Is he still the same Randall?"
"Physically he's fine," Saunders said with a smile, glad to be delivering some good news again, "His motor and nervous responses are all excellent. His hand-eye coordination is normal. He's been eating, sleeping, talking and walking around just as normally as you and I would, and the baby is in perfect health also. Really we couldn't have hoped for a better physical outcome to the procedure." This was definitely good news, not knowing a lot about operations and stuff, but having seen enough medical shows over at your girlfriend's to know that tampering with the brain can make pretty much everything go haywire, so to hear that Randall's new body was in perfect working order was a huge relief. His mental condition, and what you'd really been inquiring about, was of course something else entirely, and watching Saunders pause for a second as he furrowed his brow and scratched at his forehead, you got the feeling that this was a entirely different story. "As for mentally, well that is a lot harder to tell," the doctor continued, "He was obviously shocked when he first awoke and has since been, understandably, very quiet and withdraw these past two days and it will take quite some time for this new situation of his to properly sink in. And although the psychiatric evaluations we've run have all shown him to be mentally stable for the moment, and in essence very much the 18 year old boy he always was, the truth is we won't really know the full extent of his condition until he's had a proper chance to accept and come to terms with what's happened, and learn to move on with his new life."
"Shit...", you thought to yourself, not entirely sure what to make of that, but anxious more than ever to see him now. "Can...Can I see him then?"
"Yes of course, he will be glad to see you I'm sure," Saunders replied, moving towards the door and indicating for you all to follow. You however, didn't want everyone with you when you went to see your friend, not only because you assumed it was going to be kind of weird and awkward and didn't exactly want a viewing gallery watching you, but also because you needed space to be able to open up and tell him you were there for him, space that you didn't feel you'd get with your parents and Doctor Saunders there.
"Alone if that's okay?" you asked, looking at him, then back round at your parent's, (your dad) who nodded, "Sure, son. Take all the time you need."
Nodding in agreement at this also, Saunders opened the door for you and directed you were to go, reminding you just before you went to, "Remember Tim, he may look and sound different, but inside he's still very much Randall."
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