"There he is!" your father announced, an hour later. Watching as him, your mother and Allison all piled through the door. Grinning from ear to ear over the fact that you were now awake. Your mom especially, overdoing it with the hugs and kisses, much to your discomfort.
It was good to see them again though. The three of them having been extremely worried about you. Visiting in shifts nearly every single day for the last two months, waiting for you to wake.
"The house just hasn't been the same without you," your mother said. Quickly followed after by Allison, "Neither has school. Everyone's been missing you loads."
Everyone? You seriously doubted that. Your small collection of friend's perhaps, but you weren't exactly big man on campus. Though you got why Allison had said that. Having, ever since you'd started going out together, been constantly trying to get you to be a bit more social. Her friends apparently now being 'your friends' too.
One friend you were particularly keen to find out about was obviously Randall. The doctor haven't really revealed too much. Asking the three of them then, "And what about Randall? What's going on with him? I asked Dr. Saunders but all I got was 'he's fine'." This not really being the insight you were after, seeing as he'd been living the last two months of his life in a super hot female body. Pretty sure that there was a lot more too it than that.
Your parents both looked at one another for a moment, before your mother replied, "He is. ...I think." Not sounding all that certain.
"'You think'?"
"Well, to be honest. After the accident, and after we all signed the nondisclosure agreement not to tell anyone about the transplant, we really haven't seen all that much of him. Not since he moved in with Brandi's mom."
"Her mom? Whoa! This was definitely news to you. Randall is living with Brandi's mom? "Why... Why would he do that?"
"It was part of the agreement, son," your father told you. Answering for your mom. "As far as everyone else is concerned, Randall is Brandi now. It was Randall that died in the car crash, not her. Even had his funeral a month and a half back."
Jesus! You really had missed a lot.
"But that... That's crazy!" you said, amazed by this. Amazed that they'd all let this happen. Randall being pretty much like another member of your the family. "You all really agreed to that? ...Randall too?"
The three of them nodded, and you father continued. "We had to. There wasn't any other choice. If anyone found out what had happened to him, his life would be over. He'd be looked at as some kind of freak. You've got to understand, son, that it really was the only possible solution. Otherwise we would have said no."
You couldn't really argue with this, as unfair as it seemed. Your parents having always wanted the best for your friend. They wouldn't have done something like this unless they were left with no other choice. It being preferably anyway to him ending up as some kind of sideshow attraction or something. 'The world's first brain swapped woman' if you will. Still, hearing about his funeral and the fact that he was now seemingly living with an entirely new 'mom' put to mind his own parents. Curious to know what they thought of all this.
"But what about his dad and Alice? They couldn't have exactly been happy about him going off to live with someone else, could they?"
It seems they could. Having apparently all but disowned him after they'd signed. Stepping completely away and just allowing him to get on with it. This really coming as no big surprise. His step-mother especially being super religious. Doubting that she'd want much to do with what she'd no doubt see as an 'abomination of God'. No doubt being glad to be rid of him. Similarly, according to Allison, who had seem him a little more at school, but not by much, he felt kind of the same way. Happy to finally be out from under her thumb. Mrs. Summers, even though still getting over the loss of her daughter, being a lot more chill.
Grilling your girlfriend then, she unfortunately didn't have much more to tell you, other than it was weird knowing that it was "him in there". Brandi still seeming a lot like Brandi. Acting and dressing the same. Hanging around with the same people and doing the same stuff. Almost as if the transplant hadn't actually taken place. From an outside observers point of view, it was like nothing had even changed.
"How though?" you asked. Utterly perplexed by this. "Randall's not a chick! He's... He's... Randall!"
"The doctors did say that their brains being connected may well help him to adapt to everything quicker. Something to do with him being able to access her subconscious mind now or something. If you ask me, it's good. Better that than him feeling like a prisoner who can't get out."
You guessed. It just seemed really weird was all. Randall and Brandi being about as different as you could get. Him, a goofy, not-particularly popular, but extremely funny 16 year old dude, and her a super hot, super popular, super elitist 17 year old babe. How then could he be behaving exactly like her? Unless it was all just an act. A way to fool the rest of the world into thinking he was actually her. You had to find out...
And so, a couple of hours later, after getting up and stretching your legs (as well as getting a final once over from Dr. Saunders), you were given the all clear to check out. Signing the necessary paperwork that everyone else had done, as reticent as you were, and being assured again that it was "for the best", before heading on your way. Glad to be outside and in the car again after more than two months of being laid out on a hospital bed. Even if you were asleep for most of it.
Although Allison had managed to get the afternoon off school to come see you, David and Tabitha weren't quite so lucky, and you had to wait another hour after returning home till they finally appeared. Being similarly glad to see that you were okay, and you them. The rest of the day being pretty much spent with you laying on the couch, catching up on TV while the rest of them waited on you hand on foot. Not really letting you do anything. Every attempt to do so being met by "Sit down, mister! You've got to rest" or "Don't be silly, I can do that. You just take it easy". Even though you were now feeling perfectly okay. In the end, you just gave up and let them continue. Figuring that it probably wouldn't last too much longer, so you might as well take advantage while you could.
As for Randall, the friend who you were anxious to once again see and to talk to, with everyone buzzing around the house, you didn't really get a chance to try and contact him. Having given his new cell phone number (Brandi's) to your parents, the last time he'd visited the hospital, asking them to let him know when you woke up. Which was apparently over a month ago now.
Best leave it till later. Once Allison has gone home, you thought to yourself. When there wasn't so much distraction.
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