This choice: Randall appears pretty much like his old self, only slightly more subdued. • Go Back...Chapter #10Randall appears pretty much like his old self. by: Wassel   Heeding the doctors words, you gave him a quick nod back before heading down the corridor towards Randall's room, taking a deep breath as you reached the door and heading on in.
Once inside you found the same pretty, 31 year old woman you'd seen days before, only this time she was sitting up on the bed with her huge, pregnant belly resting in her lap, staring up at a small television attached to the wall, with a blank, almost zombie like expression painted across her face.
Having seemingly failed to notice you enter, you stood there awkwardly for a moment, feeling a lump growing in your throat, unsure exactly what to do or say, before finally deciding to pluck up the courage and make your presence known. "Hey man..." you softly said, watching as Randall's eyes left the TV screen and spotted you.
"Well it's about damn time..." he said, sounding rather subdued as a little smirk forced its way out from the corner of his mouth, "Here I was thinking that this freaking baby was already gonna be born before you finally showed your face."
Thrown by the unfamiliar sound of his new, soft feminine voice (as well as the pretty face that was now conversing with you), your brain still having trouble accepting this was actually your friend, you rather nervously and perhaps somewhat foolishly replied, "Sorry, I was just...I was just uh, thinking up as many fat jokes as I could to hit you with before I came in," regretting it almost as soon as you'd spoke.
Thankfully, Randall's smirk grew wider, turning into a full blown smile as he laughed, "Screw you!" appreciating an injection of humor (something that he presumably hadn't experienced in a while). Glad that he hadn't taken offense and that inside it appeared he was indeed still the same old Randall, you chuckled a little yourself, feeling a tiny bit more relaxed now knowing that the two of you could still behave in the same way around one another.
Batting a long brown lock that had fallen over his eyes, his face then turned a great deal more sincere as he told you, "Nah, seriously, it's good to see you, dude. Things have got seriously fucked up."
Nodding silently, knowing that there wasn't really much else to say to this, you moved further into the room and asked, "How...how you doing?"
"Kind of hard to say if I'm honest, Tim," he said, shifting his body a little on the bed (a feat that appeared a whole lot more difficult with the basketball sized bump sticking out from his belly). "On the one hand I'm alive I guess, and on the other I'm a soon to be 31 year old mother who's parents have basically disowned me, and I've got to pretend like I'm an entirely different person. It's a bit of a mixed bag really."
"Yeah, I heard about your folks, I'm really sorry, man. I can't believe they did that."
"I can," your friend snarled, a response you weren't expecting. "That crazy religo-nut, Alice, has been wanting rid of me since day one. Seems like she finally got her wish."
"Well we're still here for you; me and my family," you assured him, "We'll help you in any way we can."
This seemed to diffuse his anger again as he dipped his head for a moment and replied, "Thanks, dude," before letting out an amused and slightly awkward chuckle. "I guess on the plus side though," he smiled, looking back up and placing his hands beneath the two rather large swells in his gown, "I've finally got a pair of tits to play with."
This too made you chuckle, Randall being a total breast man but never really having had much luck when it came to the ladies, instead spending a great deal of your conversation in the past talking about various members of the opposite sex's breasts and what he'd like to do with them if he ever got the chance. Your laughter didn't last for long however, as once again the weirdness of this whole thing crept it's way back in, not really being sure how to reply now that your friend actually did have breasts. The fact that he was in a woman's body still seemed really wrong and almost impossible, no matter if the evidence (which was right there talking to you) suggested otherwise.
"So, uh, how's...how's, y'know..." you awkwardly began to ask, your eyes drifting down from his chest, down towards the large round bump beneath, not being able to just come out and say it.
"The baby?" Randall replied, filling in the blank for you,and placing a hand down onto his swollen belly. "Yeah, it's kinda weird...and I mean really weird. I can feel it moving and shit inside me, kinda like having bad gas or something. It's freaky as hell. Though Doc says it's healthy and stuff which is good I suppose.""
"Do you like know what you're gonna do with it?"
"Not really. There was like a nurse who came round to explain all the pregnancy stuff earlier and she mentioned the birth and about like maybe adoption and things, but right now I don't really want to think about it if I'm honest," he told you, looking a little uncomfortable even just talking about it, "It's hard enough finding out you've lost 13 years of your life and been transformed into a woman never mind having to worry about becoming a mom."
"Yeah, I'll bet," you agreed, in no way being able to imagine what the hell was going through his mind right now, having enough difficulties of your own with this whole situation and having the far better end of the stick too. Deciding to move away from that topic then, seeing how uneasy it made your friend as he again shifted his body, seemingly having difficulty getting his pregnant form in a comfortable position on the bed, you instead asked, "What about pretending to be her...to be Natalie? Are you really gonna go along with that?"
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Tim, and tell you that it was the easiest decision I've ever made; giving up my home, my friend's, my very identity," came his honest and somewhat reluctant reply, "but it does make sense. I can hardly turn up in 3rd period gym class looking like this now can I?"
Though you had been against this when the doctors had first told you after the crash, feeling that it would be robbing him of his life, looking at him sitting there in front of you; pregnant and female, you could see now why it was the right decision. Forgetting all the stuff about the media attention and the legal ramifications and stuff, just mentally it would be soul destroying for him. What with everyone knowing who he was, thinking him some sort of freak of nature or something (much like his parents did it seemed) and no doubt teasing and tormenting him and making his life a living hell. "No, I suppose not," you told him, gently shaking your head.
Looking on the positive side though and flashing you a thankful smile, Randall then said, "At least I still got you and your folks, that's something. And it's not like my life was ever that great to begin with. I was never really the brains at school and my love life was pretty much non existent...", looking down at himself as he thought about this for a moment, "Though I suppose now it's gonna be even more non existent, what with being the wrong gender and all. But still...I'm alive at least. Beats being a mangled corpse sitting in the morgue."
Replying with a gulp, "Yeah...", realizing that you hadn't really thought about this, about the fact that Randall's former body was most likely lying dead somewhere in this hospital right now, you couldn't help but feel kind of freaked out by that fact. Sure Randall was alive and sitting right there in front of you (perhaps not as you remembered him, but still), but his old body was dead, it had died after the crash, as had the poor expectant mother whose body he now possessed. This was something that you doubted anyone involved was going to get over quickly.
Not wanting to dwell on this fact, wanting to remain strong and positive for your friend, you recalled what Doctor Saunders had told you after you'd woken up and asked him, "So, uh, they tell you they're planning on sending you home?"
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