Another Switcher
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2019 Melanie Brown

Roy should have picked a different place to have lunch

This is a "side-quell" to Switcher as the story takes place simultaneously with Switcher. It helps to read Switcher first -- Ed

 

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“This way!”

“Don’t let him get inside that bank!”

I heard all this commotion happening outside the McDonald’s where I was having lunch. I got up to see what all the shouting was about. Just as I reached the door, I saw a young woman running hell bent towards the door. Three men in suits were chasing her.

One of the men shouted, “Don’t open that door!”

Wondering what kind of crime this woman could have committed, I none-the-less started to brace my shoulder against the glass door so it wouldn’t open. Before I could lean into the door, the woman slammed hard against the glass door, pushing it into me knocking me off balance.

The woman’s hand brushed against my arm.

Suddenly I felt as if I was punched in the gut and I was blinded by a brilliant flash of light. I was hit with the worst headache I’ve ever had. I couldn’t breathe and blacked out.

I must have been out only a few seconds. When I came to, I was on the ground. What I saw wasn’t possible. I saw myself get up off the ground and start to run. Two the men in suits ran past me with guns drawn.

“Take the shot!” shouted one of the men.

I watched in horror as one of the men aimed his Glock 9mm at what impossibly seemed to be my back and fired off a couple rounds. I saw a red mist of blood spray from “my” arm. A man in a suit approached “me” quickly. McDonalds customers went running and screaming from the building.

With a stream of blood running down his arm, the person who seemed to be me leaped and knocked his body against the man in the suit. Both the suit guy and “me” looked disoriented. I saw my body fall to the floor writhing in pain.

The suit guy, aiming his weapon turned and laughed. “Dumbass!” He fired his weapon at the other suit guy. I heard him grunt as he took a couple hits in the chest and then fell.

The third suit guy had knelt beside me during all this. He fired a round at the fleeing suit guy. His shot went wild and hit a wall.

The guy next to me pulled a walkie talkie type device from his coat pocket. “Agent Peterson. We have two agents down. Suspect last seen using Agent Carlos’ body. Send an ambulance and the bus. We have another civilian victim, these coordinates.”

Over the walkie talkie an oddly expressionless voice said, “Acknowledged. Moving to attempt intercept. Give us a quick sit-rep on the two casualties. Hold the civilian until the bus arrives.”

“Roger that,” the agent said into the radio. To me as he put a hand on my shoulder, “Try to stay calm, miss and wait for bus to arrive.”

For the first time I noticed I had long dark brown hair falling across my face. I wasn’t wearing my clothes. In fact, I was dressed like the girl who was being chased. I didn’t feel right. I looked at my hands. They weren’t my hands. I know the back of my hand like I know…

“What the fuck is going on here!” I shouted in a very feminine voice. “I’m not waiting for shit. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m out of here!”

The man grabbed my arm. He held fast. I couldn’t pull away.

“Sorry, girl. But you need to stay put.”

I tugged against his grip. “Let me go! And I’m not a girl.”

Frowning deeply at me as he moved to examine one of the fallen agents, he said, “That’s why you need to wait for the bus. We can’t have you running around loose.” Using his free hand, he felt for a pulse from the agent lying prone on the floor of the McDonalds in a pool of blood. “Shit. He’s dead.”

My old body groaned. Until then he had been quiet and I kind of forget he was there. I pointed at my body who was bleeding profusely from the arm wound. “Why am I lying there? Why am I not in my own body?”

The agent turned to me. “I need to stop his bleeding. If I let go of your arm, will you stay here?”

“Of course,” I lied. I tensed my leg muscles so I could sprint away.

Frowning again and sensing my deception, the agent took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed me to the counter top. He then turned to the man who was me but not me, tore open the shirt and started to make a make-shift tourniquet.

As paramedics started to run into the McDonalds, a voice over the radio said, “Suspect escaped. Two more victims.”

The paramedics started to load the man who is in my body somehow, onto a gurney. Two people I assumed were agents ran up to me. A man in a dark suit and a woman in a dark skirt. The woman pointed at me. “Is that the victim?” The agent who cuffed me nodded. To me, she said, “Come with us, miss. We’ll try to explain what’s going on to the best of our knowledge.”

The agent who had cuffed me said, “Better secure this one. She’s a run risk.” The woman nodded and put her own cuffs on me.

I was led to a large van with a lot of confused and angry people inside. The woman pointed at an unused seat. “Please have seat there, miss.” When I hesitated, she added, “I’ll sedate you if I have to.” Sitting next to the empty seat was a teen girl who was out cold. I frowned and sat down.

*          *          *

I was sitting in a small, featureless room, with only a small desk and two chairs. I was brought in by a soldier after listening to a briefing about what the government thinks is going on. I was in a woman’s body all because some asshole figured out how to swap bodies with people and was now running amok.

I hadn’t been able to see myself, so I had no idea what I looked like. If I had to guess I was pretty, because I kept seeing some of the soldiers around me staring at me. That really disturbed me.

The door opened and a frazzled looking man wearing glasses and a frumpy suit entered. He set a laptop computer on the small table and lifted the display.

Looking over his glasses, he said, “Good evening miss. I’m the counselor assigned to your case. We’ll need your name and social security number and your home address so we can know who you are so we can get things moving towards a resolution for you. Relatively speaking, you’re one of the lucky ones. The person you used to be and the woman you are now seem to be close in age. We’ll know more after some digging. But since you both are over the age of majority, assigning you a new life should be fairly straight forward.”

“New life?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”

The man sighed. “Similar to a witness protection program, you get a new identity to match your new physical body. We can’t find where the woman’s mind wound up, but we have her identity from her purse. So, please tell me your name, social, and so on.”

I folded my arms and glared at him. “Fuck you.”

Sighing again the man shook his head. “That’s not helpful, miss. Your cooperation will help this go smoothly to a resolution. I’m really sorry to tell you this miss, but as you heard earlier, this is who you are for the rest of your life. We can’t give you your life back. But what we can do is to try to make this transition to a new life as easy as possible. We’ll issue you a new identity. All past debts and responsibilities will be erased. And if you want it, before you leave this facility, we’ll even offer you counseling on living as a female.”

I sighed. Given my situation, all those things would be helpful. I have no idea how to be a girl. I’ve certainly dated plenty of them to get what I wanted from them and discarded them for the next one. But I never knew or cared what made a girl tick.

“You win. My name is Roy Hinkley. I had just started to work at the bank next door to that McDonalds. I wish I had gone somewhere else for lunch.” I then gave him my address and social security number.

The man smiled and nodded at me. “Thank you, miss. You’ll need to spend the night here while your court appointed attorney presents your case to our three judge panel deciding these cases.”

He knocked on the door. When the soldier opened it, the man stood up. “If you will follow this soldier, he’ll take you to a dorm room where you’ll spend tonight and possibly tomorrow while we get you straightened out. Thank you for your cooperation.” He stood to one side to let me pass.

I felt really uncomfortable as I stepped into the hall. The soldier I was to follow gave me a look that said pretty clearly, I want to fuck you. The soldiers standing guard outside doors similar to the room I was in, all would turn to stare at me. I still had no idea what I looked like.

We finally came to a closed door. The soldier knocked and I heard a lock turn. The door opened to reveal a woman officer. She smiled at me.

“Welcome to the women’s dormitory, miss. I am Captain Sturgis, officer in charge of this room.” She looked at the soldier. “Thank you corporal. You’re dismissed.” The soldier nodded and turned away, but not before giving me another long look.

I have to admit, I felt more at ease being in a room filled with other women. Even the soldiers in the room were women. Having men stare at me was really unsettling.

Captain Sturgis smiled again. “Let’s find you a place to sleep for the night miss. There’re some clothes we ask that you change into. I understand that you were a man before. So if you have trouble with the bra or using the restroom, let us know and we’ll assist you. Let us know right away if you start to have your period. You missed the evening call for dinner, but there should still be something to eat left in the adjoining room.”

I stopped following her. I asked, “Did you say period? I’m going to have that?” That was always annoying when the girl I was dating at the time was on the rag.

The captain gave me a smirk. “Welcome to being a woman, miss.”

The captain handed me some clothes neatly folded. “You can change in the latrine over there, miss.”

I took the clothes and looked at them. It was some kind of cloth, pull over dress, a sports bra and cotton panties. I frowned at them. “Why can’t I just wear what I already have on?”

Captain Sturgis smiled patiently at me. “We have to send them off to a lab for examination. Sorry.” I looked around at my fellow inmates and they were all wearing this same dress.

I went into the indicated restroom. There were two toilets in stalls with no doors and no urinals. There was a mirror over the sinks. I moved quickly to look into the mirror. I gasped when I saw my reflection. Holy shit! I was a knock out! I wanted to do me right there on the restroom floor. No wonder all the men were staring at me. I was gorgeous, with big tits and a small waist, tight ass and legs that went all the way up. Was this girl a movie star or something? She should have been.

After staring at myself for several minutes, Captain Sturgis called through the door, “Miss? Do you need assistance?”

Still staring at my image, I said, “No. I’m fine.” Mighty fine actually.

I took off my shirt and looked at the mirror again. I muttered, “Holy shit!” I had two huge tits nestled in a satin, black, lacy bra. If I still had my Johnson, I’d be getting pretty hard about now. I pulled my jeans down and saw I was wearing matching black panties. This girl was hot. I guess now I’m hot. I shook my head in disbelief. Where have I been all my life?

Pulling the panties down revealed a somewhat bushy pussy. You’d think a girl this hot would wax or something. After a few minutes I had the new clothes on. The new bra and panties were definitely a mood killer.

I came out of the latrine carrying my old clothes. The captain pointed to a panel on the wall that looked kinda like a doggy door. “Put all your clothes in there.” I pushed the clothes against the panel and they disappeared inside.

Captain Sturgis pointed at a cot. “This is your bed for tonight. Feel free to get something to eat or mingle with the other ladies here. Just don’t try to leave this room.”

I looked around again. “Why are the windows painted over? I can’t tell if it’s day or night outside.”

The captain looked at me and grinned. “Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, miss.” Her tone seemed condescending. She turned and walked away.

The ages of the other women in the room varied widely from around my age to very elderly. Most seemed to be thirty-something. The two oldest women just sat on their cots, crying. I learned that girls nineteen and under were housed in a different dorm.

In the adjoining room were a few things to eat. It had been picked over pretty well. There were a few bowls of pre-made salad, The sandwiches were wrapped in plastic. There was ham and cheese and few roast beef. I sighed and grabbed a couple of the roast beef ones. I was starving.

*          *          *

While I was eating a girl looking a bit younger than me came up and sat beside me. She had a ham and cheese sandwich. She looked over at me. “Whatcha in for, girlie?” She giggled.

I looked over at her, annoyed because I wanted to sit in peace. “Being stupid enough to have lunch in McDonalds today.”

The girl laughed. “That’s a dumb idea no matter what day it is.” She put her hand out for a shake. “My name’s Maggie. And you?”

I shrugged. “I don’t have a new identity yet. So for now the name’s Roy.”

Maggie grinned. “Glad to meet you, Roy. I don’t have a new identity either. I was already a woman. I was seventy-five and twisted with arthritis. And I’m lovin’ this. Don’t get me wrong. I do feel terrible for the twenty-one year old woman who swapped with me. Poor thing. My tired old body had a coronary at the moment of the swap and she died. But that’s not going to stop me from enjoying my second chance.”

I nodded. “Wow. That really sucks for her. To have your whole life stolen like that. This girl I am now and my old self are about the same age. I just hate the fact that I’m a girl now. I don’t think they’ve located the girl who got swapped before her body was swapped with me. Listening to that whole swapping shit at the briefing made me dizzy.”

Maggie nodded. “Me too. But let me tell you something Roy. You should embrace your girlness. That’s what I’m doing. And look at you. You are absolutely stunning, girlfriend. You’ll have to beat the guys off with a stick.”

I laughed. “They better not come near me. I’m not having nothing to do with guys. No way.”

Maggie laughed heartily. “Roy, I’ll be honest with you. With your gorgeous looks and inexperience with men, I’d be willing to bet you’ll be pregnant before the end of the month.

I shook my head. “Dream on, lady. Ain’t gonna happen.”

Maggie stood up. “I hope you’re right, girl. Good luck.”

I gave Maggie a nod and a motion like a hat tip with two fingers. She walked away and I finally finished my sandwich in peace.

*          *          *

I waited in the small room for about twenty minutes before a tired looking woman carrying a notebook computer entered the room. I saw the soldier outside close the door and I heard it lock. She sat down at the chair opposite me and opened her notebook.

She tapped a few keys before sighing heavily. “Ms. Hinkley. I was hoping this was going to be cut-and-dried for you. Just have you sign the non-disclosure agreement, then we relocate you, hand you some cash and set you free. But…” her voice trailed away.

After several moments pause, I asked, “But what?”

The woman frowned as she studied her notebook computer. “It’s… well, it’s complicated. Last night when your case was having its hearing, there was a protest lodged against the proceedings.”

I sat up straight. “A protest? Who would protest?”

The woman leaned back in her chair and tapped a pencil on her notebook keyboard. She gave me a long, hard look. “Your husband. Or rather, the man married to your body. He’s lodged a protest against your discharge.”

“Tough shit!” I shouted. “I’m not married to him.”

The woman looked uncomfortable. “That’s what we told him, though a bit more…um politely. But there’s twist to this.”

I narrowed my eyes at the woman. “Twist?”

The woman sighed. “You’re pregnant, Ms. Hinkley. The man protesting is the father.”

I leaned forward. “Again, tough apples, right?”

Nodding, the woman said, “Ordinarily, yes. Following the policies laid out by the EU, pregnancies are generally terminated when a person swaps into a pregnant body. This is a highly controversial policy, but it’s the policy for now, none-the-less.”

I held my stomach as I stood up. “Get this thing out of me! Now! I don’t even want to be a girl, much less a pregnant one!”

The woman just stared at her notebook’s screen. “There’s a complication. Your situation is completely unprecedented and we have no policy on it. Your baby’s father is trying to set the case law for it.”

I sat down, confused. “Unprecedented? How? You even have a policy on pregnant swaps.”

The woman sighed. “This is different. This has never happened before that we know of. When Ron Simon, you remember… the criminal who started all this, swapped with your current body, he didn’t swap with the mother. He swapped with the baby inside her. In the past, he’s always swapped with the mother. But this time, for some reason, he swapped with the baby. The baby, being in close proximity to the mother swapped immediately with the mother. It seems the baby’s undeveloped mental state was swapped with a forty-three year old man. When the baby swapped with the mother, the mother went into the baby’s developing brain, making the mother and the baby the same person.”

I plopped back in chair. “My head hurts.”

The door to the room opened and the soldier stepped in. “They’re waiting for Ms. Hinkley in the courtroom.”

I followed the soldier through a maze of hallways until we finally entered a large room set up as a make-shift courtroom. A three judge panel, made of two Army and one Air Force general sat at a table. All eyes were on me as I walked in.

A man on one side of the table jumped up and shouted, “Deanna!” He started to run towards me. A soldier stepped up to block him.

“Mr. Campbell! Please remain seated,” commanded one of the generals as he banged his gavel. The man meekly sat back down.

The same general, pointing with his gavel said to me. “Miss Hinkley, please be seated.” I sat down next to a man I’ve never seen before.

The middle general looked over the court. “Mr. Sanders, please state your client’s position.”

Mr. Sanders looked over some notes in front of him. He stood up and looked at the panel of generals. “If it pleases the court, I’d like to state for the record that my client, Miss Hinkley was forced into a pregnancy against her will when she was forced to swap bodies by Mr. Simon. Miss Hinkley has no desire to be pregnant at this time having only seen the father for the first time in this court. Under U.S. Code for forced swapped individuals, based on policy formed by the European Union for such cases, Miss Hinkley has the right to have the pregnancy terminated without regard to the interests of a third party. We feel this hearing is unnecessary and that my client, Miss Hinkley should be allowed under standard policy to terminate the unwanted pregnancy so she may be properly re-inserted into society unburdened by a choice that was not hers.”

I just sat there in silence wondering if I’d have to say anything. The father, Mr. Campbell, looked to be on the edge of tears. I felt sorry for him. It was my understanding that these hearings are adjudicated in the absence of any of the interested parties to avoid undue influence either way or emotional turmoil.

The same general nodded to the other attorney present. “Mr. Burr. Please state your position.”

Mr. Burr stood up. “If it pleases the court, I’d like to present Mr. Campbell’s position. Mr. Campbell and his wife, the um, body now inhabited by Miss Hinkley, decided months ago it was time to start growing their family. After trying unsuccessfully for a few months, Ms. Campbell finally became pregnant a mere ten weeks ago. You can imagine the joy the Campbell’s felt at this news…”

My lawyer stood up. “Objection. Relevancy.”

“Sustained,” said the general. “May I remind the counselors that this is a hearing on how to dispose of the pregnancy issue for Miss Hinkley, not a trial. Mr. Burr, please get to your point.”

Mr. Burr nodded. “Yes, of course. My client has been, of course, briefed on the laws concerning pregnancies of this sort and how the laws are applied. And although this has never happened in human history before, there are exceptions and an appeal process. Mr. Campbell is claiming a right of the father and on behalf of the mother who can no longer speak to this issue, that the baby be allowed to continue to full term since it’s not just the baby’s existence at stake, but his wife’s mental state as well.” Mr. Burr sat back down.

Mr. Sanders stood up and addressed the three generals. “As noted, a transference of this kind is unprecedented – an adult’s mind transferred to such an undeveloped brain surviving until birth and even then beyond that is highly unlikely. We all feel for Mr. Campbell, but the odds of him ever seeing any evidence of his wife after the baby is delivered is extremely remote. The forty-three year old man who received the mental state of an undeveloped fetus is in serious condition.”

Mr. Burr stood up. “May I remind this court that the alleged Mr. Simon’s mental state was briefly transferred to the unborn child before transferring to Deanna Campbell. He didn’t appear to be mentally diminished as a result. While no one can be completely sure, from the doctors we have consulted, there’s a very good chance Ms. Campbell’s mental state is intact.”

The judge looked to me. “Miss Hinkley. Would you like to say something?”

I hesitantly stood up. “I… while I do feel sorry for Mr. Campbell, I have to say I’m just as much a victim as he is. I didn’t ask to be in his wife’s body. I didn’t ask to be pregnant. In all honesty, I have no desire to be pregnant or even a woman. I really don’t think I should be burdened with being pregnant while trying to figure out how to live as a woman.”

Mr. Campbell stood up. “May I address the court?”

The middle general nodded. “Of course, Mr. Campbell.”

Looking nervous, Mr. Campbell rested his eyes on me. “I can certainly appreciate Miss Hinkley’s position. God only knows how I’d react to find myself not only a beautiful woman, but pregnant to boot. But that’s my baby inside Miss Hinkley and my wife inside the baby.” He started to get choked up. “I would be losing not one, but the two most precious things in my life. I understand that sadly, men lose their wives and children all through history. But this is not something any man has ever faced before and the loss is preventable.

“I have a deal I’d like to propose to Miss Hinkley. One that I think would be fair to all parties involved.”

The third general leaned forward in his seat. “And just what do you propose, Mr. Campbell?”

Mr. Campbell cleared his throat. Still looking at me he stated, “Firstly, I’d like to ask Miss Hinkley take the pregnancy to full term. Wait. Hear me out. After delivery of the baby, Miss Hinkley would be free of all motherly obligations. She can just walk away. The only other thing I’d like to add, is that Miss Hinkley marry me, so the baby will have my name. I understand Miss Hinkley hasn’t officially been given a new identity. After that has been done, we can wed and she can live in my house in Deanna’s place until the baby is born. We then get the marriage annulled, I pay her ten thousand dollars for her trouble and we part ways.”

Mr. Burr stood up. “We have devised a cover story that Mr. Campbell’s wife suffered from amnesia to explain why she doesn’t remember her mother and other family members.”

The first general looked to me. “And what do you say to this offer, Miss Hinkley? This is your decision to make. Your counsel will advise you, but we’re here only to make your decision official.”

I stood up, completely aghast. “I… I… this is insane! Y… you not only are asking me to remain pregnant, but to marry you as well? That’s crazy.”

Mr. Burr looked at me without expression. “Naturally, you will not be required to perform any wifely duties. It’s merely to continue the appearance of a normal family life and to give Mr. Campbell the legal right to the child.”

Mr. Sanders turned to me. “Miss Hinkley, you have every right to refuse this offer. You are under no obligation. But if you decide to accept this offer, you will sign a contract with Mr. Campbell stating your intent to marry him, live as his wife until the baby is delivered. At that point, Mr. Campbell will agree to pay you and the contract is terminated.”

I violently shook my head. “No. No way. This is crazy. I don’t want to marry a man and have his baby. No. I reject the offer.”

Mr. Campbell’s eyes bored into me. “I’ll pay you twenty thousand.”

I just stared at Mr. Campbell in disbelief. Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money. Right now I have no place to live, no money, no job, my degree is gone and all my personal history. Roy Hinkley is officially deceased.

I sat down and looked at the three judge panel, then back to Mr. Sanders. “If I don’t take that offer and we go the standard route, what happens to me exactly?”

Mr. Sanders shrugged. “You get a new identity. You are relocated, and you are given one thousand dollars cash. You’re too old for foster care, so we provide you with a list of potential employers who must hire you based on your current job skills. As the new you, you have no job history, academic history or family history. The military is also required to take you if you choose to enlist.”

I grunted a laugh. “So just a big fuck you?”

Mr. Sanders shook his head. “We get you started. We can’t hold your hand forever. And we provide free counseling services.”

Mr. Campbell took a few steps towards me. “In exchange for taking my baby full term, I’m offering you the security of a home, the love of a family and at the end, a generous payment.”

Campbell’s offer is looking better all the time. How hard can being pregnant be anyway? My mom did it three times. That one girl I beat the paternity suit on managed to do it. For nine months I get to waddle around, lay in bed and eat ice cream all day. And then after I pop the kid out, I collect twenty grand. Maybe it’s not such a bad gig after all. Marrying a dude was the big drawback though. I can’t imagine how, but that could be my future regardless. The rumor is that after a few months, you go native anyway. And as pretty as I am now, if I was out on my own, guys would be hitting on me left and right.

I sighed heavily. “I hope I don’t regret this, but I think my best chance is to take Mr. Campbell up on his offer.”

Campbell rushed over to me and shook my hand. “Thank you so much, Miss Hinkley. Thank you for saving my family.”

The third judge said, “Let’s wrap this up as quickly as possible. We have a huge load of cases to get through.”

Mr. Sanders turned to me. “Have you picked a name? Roy Hinkley has been declared dead.”

I shrugged. “I guess I have to go with Deanna since that’s his wife’s name. I’ll keep my last name for now.”

Mr. Sanders typed some things into his notebook. A moment later a printer in the room spit out a sheet. Mr. Sanders retrieved it and brought it to our table.

“Just sign here as Deanna Hinkley and your identity change is complete.” Mr. Sanders looked tired. “All your paperwork has already been submitted and completed. Now, sign this contract with Mr. Campbell.”

I signed both documents with my new ID. I really hoped this wasn’t a mistake. I’m not sure where he came from, but a preacher was standing with Campbell and his lawyer.

Mr. Burr waved to me. “Sorry to rush this but we really need to clear the courtroom. Mr. Simon has been very busy.”

Campbell was grinning at me. The preacher looked at both of us and then Mr. Burr nodded to him.

The preacher cleared his throat. “We’ll dispense with the all the mumbo-jumbo and cut to the chase. Do you, Deanna Hinkley take this man in holy matrimony through sickness and in health until death do you part?”

I hesitated a second and turned to whisper to Mr. Sanders. “I thought the contract had a nine month term?”

Mr. Sanders waved his hand dismissively. “Just a formality. It’s part of the script. Don’t worry about it.”

I hesitated another moment, then forced a smile. “I do.” Holy shit. What am I doing?

Mr Burr handed the preacher a ring. “Here’s her wedding ring. It was removed when she was first brought in.”

The preacher looked to Campbell. “And do you Lawrence Campbell take this woman in holy matrimony in sickness and in health until death do you part?”

Without skipping a beat, Campbell said, “I do!”

The preacher handed Campbell the ring. “Put this on her finger and say, ‘With this ring I thee wed.’”

He took my hand and I watched, in actual horror as he slid the ring on my finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

The preacher looked relived to end his duty. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Campbell was still holding my hand. Before I could react, he leaned in and kissed me. Oh my God! I just got kissed by a dude! I wanted to spit, but that probably would look bad.

At first I wondered why Campbell didn’t flinch at kissing me. But then it dawned on me that he’s been kissing these lips for some time now. He’s kissing a woman, not a guy. I’m not sure if I can handle this.

Still holding my hand, Campbell, my husband, said, “Come on honey, let’s get you home.”

*          *          *

Before we left, I had to be processed out. A female assistant had to instruct me on how to properly wear a bra and to use various feminine hygiene products. A nurse covered many of things I needed to know when my period started back up again. By then I’m sure I will have forgotten what she said. She gave me a brief course on being pregnant and suggested I take a new mom-to-be class. So far, everything about being a girl sucked.

I was still wearing what I called my prison dress as we left the facility. We were placed in the back of a truck with no windows and were driven for several hours before being dropped off at my husband’s home. Husband. That’s going to take a helluvalot to get used to. Most of the drive was in silence. Every second I was regretting my decision, but I also had no idea what I’d be doing anyway.

The truck drove away immediately after we climbed out and stood on the sidewalk.

Larry, who I learned is how I should address Campbell pointed at the house in front of us and grinned. “There it is, baby. Your, I mean our, home.” He looked over at me and smiled broadly. “I was afraid I was never going to see your gorgeous face again. I love you so much!” He pulled me close to him and kissed me.

I took a step back. “Hold on, cowboy. Remember I’m the new girl here. I’m not your lover.”

He took my hand. “Sorry. It’s hard to remember there’s someone else inside there. But I don’t know why kissing seems to bother you so much.”

I frowned at him. “Because you’re a guy. I’ve never kissed guys before.”

Larry laughed. “Well, you’re a woman. And my wife. It may take some getting used to, but expect to be kissed. A lot.”

I sighed. “Twenty thousand might not be enough.”

Larry laughed.

Larry took my hand. “Let me show you the house, Mrs. Campbell.”

I rolled my eyes. “Lead the way.”

It was a nice house in what looked to be a decent, quiet neighborhood. Actually, it was a lot nicer than the house I grew up in.

Larry opened the front door then stopped me from walking inside. “Don’t forget tradition.” He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and carried me over the threshold. When he had carried me into the house, he gently set me down. And then kissed me. Surely even for girls this much kissing gets old.

I looked around at my surroundings. “You have a nice house, Larry,” I said sincerely.

Larry smiled. “You mean we have a nice house. And thank you.”

Hanging prominently on the wall was a big screen TV. Larry then led me through a doorway. “And here’s the kitchen. Deanna loved this kitchen. She really loved to cook.” It was large with a lot of counter space. There was even had an island in the middle of the floor.

“Too bad I don’t know how to cook,” I said as I opened the oven door and peeked inside.

Larry folded his arms. “Well, that’s one of the things you should probably learn how to do.”

I looked back at him and folded my arms as well. “Hey, the contract said no wifely duties are required.”

Larry rolled his eyes. “That just meant sex. You don’t want to eat?”

I shook my head. “Where is it written that only wives can cook? Can’t you cook?”

Larry frowned. “It’s just that Deanna loved to cook.”

I slapped the counter top on the island counter. “Listen pal. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not Deanna.”

Larry shook his head sadly. “Be that as it may, let me show you the bed room.”

The bedroom was large with a big king sized bed. There was a large master bath and two walk-in closets. There was another big screen TV on the bedroom wall.

I looked around the room nodding. “So where is your room?”

Larry pointed his finger around the room. “This is *our* room, honey.”

I knitted my brow. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

Larry scowled. “You’re my wife.”

I pointed towards the wall. “I saw another room just down the hall.”

Larry folded his arms. “That’s going to be the nursery.”

I waved my arm at Larry. “No way in hell am I sleeping with you.”

Larry started to sputter. “Look, there’s room…” We heard the front door open and slam shut.

I looked towards the door, suddenly worried. “Burglers?”

Larry shook his head. “Dollars to donuts it’s your mother and sister. They never knock. Here’s where we tell them about your amnesia and the baby.” As he walked past me to exit the room he hissed, “Try not to be a dick, okay?”

As we walked towards the living room, I said, “I’d forgotten I had amnesia.”

Upon entering the living room, I noticed two women, one a fairly attractive older woman about mid-forties. The other woman was a less than attractive woman who looked a few years older than me.

The older woman gave me a broad smile. “Deanna! You said a few days ago you needed to talk to us about something and then you just disappeared.” She then stepped up to give me a hug. I reacted to her hug in much the same way I used to react to hugs from my cousin Julia with the stubble on her upper lip.

The woman stepped back from me when I didn’t really hug her back. “What’s wrong?”

Larry stepped up and put his arm around my waist. “We have two things to announce today. One is very hard to talk about. I’m not sure what we’re going to do.”

The woman looked from Larry to me and back to Larry. Her face switched to a sudden mask of worry. “What is it? Is it about Deanna?”

Larry nodded sadly. “Devastating news. Just devastating. The doctor doesn’t know how it happened, but Deanna is afflicted with a serious case of amnesia. Whole sections of her memory seems to be gone.”

The woman put her hand to her mouth as she looked horrified towards me. “Does she remember anything? Honey, do you know me?” Tears were welling up in her eyes.

I just shrugged and said honestly, “I don’t know you. Sorry.”

The woman burst into tears and she threw her arms around me. “Oh my poor child!” She took a few steps back and then pointed at herself and said with a dramatic flair, “I’m your mother. And that’s your sister Susan over there.”

Susan walked over and looked at me as if I was from Mars. “Oh my God, Mom. She doesn’t remember us!”

I said, “Well, I know you now. I’m happy to know who you are.” Well, happy might be a stretch.

Larry looked very sad. He should probably win an award, unless he’s talking about his actual wife he’s lost. “There’s so much she doesn’t remember. She wasn’t even sure we were married. She doesn’t even remember little things like how to cook.”

Mom snickered. “We’ll fix that. Looks like I’m going to have to be spending a lot of time over here re-educating Deanna.” Mom looked to the floor and shook her head. “Oh baby, it’s almost like you died.” Tears streaked down her cheeks.

Susan shook her head at me. “I just can’t believe this shit.”

After a few minutes, Mom was able to compose herself. She sniffled. “You said you had two announcements. I hope the other is better than this one.”

Larry smiled. “We’re pregnant.”

Mom looked like she was going to faint. “Oh my God! Oh my God! That’s wonderful! How long have you known?”

Larry looked over at me. “We just found out today actually. The shock might have triggered her amnesia. The docs don’t know. But we do know she’s ten weeks along.” Larry lied. They had known for several days, but hadn’t had a chance to announce it. Larry had wanted to make a big deal of the announcement.

Mom shook her head and started crying again. “Ain’t this just a fine how-do-you-do? My daughter is going to have a baby and then she doesn’t remember anything! How can this both the best day and the worst?” It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Hey, that’s kinda catchy.

Larry kissed my cheek. “The doc said to give her lots of love and attention.”

Mom stepped back up to me and put her arms around my shoulders in a giant bear hug. “Oh, she’ll get plenty of that!” Susan joined into the hug.

I regretted signing the agreement.

*          *          *

Later that night, Larry and I were sitting at the end of the bed. Mom and Susan had left only twenty minutes earlier. Larry stared at the wall. “I guess that went as well as to be expected. They took the amnesia story in stride.”

I grunted. “I think they were overwhelmed by the baby announcement.”

Larry nodded. “True. You might not remember your whole life, but at least you’re not dead.”

I shook my head. “I beg to differ. For all intents and purposes, your wife is dead and gone.”

Larry looked at me with a cold stare. “You’re my wife. Try to remember that. And the original Deanna is inside you.”

I screwed up my face. “That sounds perverted when you say it that way. There’s no way to say if her mental state is saved.”

“Hope is all I have to cling to, honey.” Larry looked back at the wall again.

I shrugged. “Don’t set yourself up for disappointment. To change the subject, how are we doing sleeping arrangements? I get the bed, your get the couch?”

Larry frowned. “We’re married. I want to sleep with my wife.”

“I don’t want to sleep with a man. Even if I’m married to him.” I stared at the wall too.

I looked over at Larry. “Which side was her’s?”

Larry patted the sheets. “The left side.” He then pointed at a chest of drawers. “She kept her nighties in that dresser.”

“I was just going to sleep naked,” I said with a sigh.

Larry grinned. “Works for me.”

I got up. “Let me find a nightie.” Larry laughed.

*          *          *

I was awakened by a kiss on my cheek.

“Good-bye, honey,” said Larry from the middle of the bedroom. I looked over at him and he was pulling up his pants. “I need to get back to work today. I’ll see you this afternoon. By the way, what’s for dinner?”

I lifted myself on my elbow and glared at Larry. “You’re shitting me, right? I doubt even your previous wife would know what was for dinner the moment she woke up. And I told you. I don’t cook.”

Larry grinned at me. “Deanna planned her meals ahead of time and then went to the store to get what she needed.”

I frowned. “Pick up whatever you like from Burger King. That’s what’s for dinner.”

Larry continued to grin. “Well, beautiful. Your mother is coming over to help you regain your culinary skills. So surprise me.”

I sat up in bed, putting my feet on the floor. “How does grilled cheese sound? Why don’t you cook something? These are modern times.”

Larry chuckled. “I know how to cook. But Deanna loved to cook. It was one of her joys in life.”

Irritation in my voice, I said, “I’m not her, remember?” I stood up. “This is why this was a mistake! You wanted a fantasy that your wife is still alive. I’m not your wife and never will be. You’re deluding yourself. You should have let me go my way and removed this thing from inside me.”

Larry stormed angrily back into the room. I flinched thinking at first he was going to hit me. He pointed at my stomach. “That’s not a thing. That’s our child and Deanna’s essence. We’re all victims here. Trust me. I’m much rather have Deanna here than you. And after you deliver, please leave as you’d make a piss-poor mother. You don’t have the balls to be a mother!” He spun on his heel and hurriedly left the room. I heard the front door slam as he left.

I just stood there for a few moments, shaking in fear and anger. I shouted at the door, “Don’t tell me I don’t have the balls to be a mother!” I patted my stomach. I was just barely starting to show. Tears welled up in my eyes and I threw myself onto the bed. In a small voice I cried, “I don’t want to be a mother! Oh God, this scares me…” I cried myself back to sleep.

*          *          *

I finally got out of bed to get dressed. This girl certainly had a lot of panties. I picked some plain white ones to wear and to hell with the bra. I had to pee real bad too. I stood in front of the toilet for a few moments and uselessly tried to grab something that wasn’t there. I sighed and turned around to sit down. Sitting down isn’t the issue. It’s the loss of my manhood that pissed me off. Peeing as a woman felt different somehow.

A random thought hit me as I relieved myself. What if I ever have to use a public toilet? More than once I’ve had to go into a stall because all the urinals were in use and was very thankful I didn’t have to sit on that pee spattered seat. I surmised it shouldn’t be an issue as I was sure the women’s restrooms were always kept spotless. Women are neat and clean, right?

As I washed my hands, I took inventory of myself in the bathroom mirror. My hair was a wild, disheveled mess. I grinned when it reminded me of that freshly fucked look many of the girls I fucked had. One of the straps of my nightie had slipped off my shoulder and I have to admit that it was a really sexy look. I poked my tit. I couldn’t believe that I was the owner of this truly magnificent rack. I sighed. Larry was one lucky mother to get to fuck this every night. Whoa. Backup. What am I thinking here?

I looked at the dizzying number of cosmetics lying on the bathroom counter. I might as well toss all this junk. I have no desire to wear make-up.

I finally got dressed, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. If found some bread and jam in the kitchen and decided to make some toast. At first I was hesitant to just using things in the kitchen. This was like a stranger’s house. I took a deep breath, tossed my shoulders back and said aloud, “You live here, girl.” Did I just refer to myself as “girl”? I poked my tit again. Well, I can’t really deny it.

I brought my toast into the living room and set the plate down as I examined Larry’s entertainment system. He has some nice stuff. I never thought to ask him what he does for a living. Must pay pretty good if his wife doesn’t have to work to help out paying for all this stuff. I was surprised at the number of porn videos in his Blu-Ray collection. Why so many when he has a wife like me?

While I was musing over the video collection, I heard a jingle of keys at the front door and then heard it open. I turned around to see Mom and Susan enter the house. What’s up with that anyway? I didn’t give the keys to my apartment to my parents when I moved out.

“Deanna!” exclaimed Mom. “I’m glad you’re up.” It was ten-thirty, which I admit used to seem early to me before I got my job in IT at the bank.

I gave Mom a hesitant smile. “Hey, Mom. What brings you here?”

Mom laughed. “Susan did.” Susan rolled her eyes. “I thought we’d go get lunch so we can chat and get re-aquainted.

Mom looked at me for several moments. “You don’t remember how to wear make-up, do you? You used to take the time to always look beautiful even if you weren’t planning on going anywhere. Let’s fix your face and then we’ll go get some lunch.” Let’s not and say we did.

Mom started walking towards the bathroom. She stopped, turned around and waved. “Well, come on, Deanna.” I sighed and followed her.

Susan walked over to the sixty inch TV. “Can I watch TV while you’re doing that?”

“Sure, hon,” yelled Mom from the bathroom. I looked over at Susan as she was rummaging through Larry’s porn collection.

As I entered the restroom, Mom was checking out the cosmetics scattered on the counter top. She looked up at me. “Do you remember anything about wearing make-up?”

I shook my head. She looked at me and shook her head as well. “That amnesia sure is selective. You don’t remember how to cook or wear make-up, or anything about growing up with me and your sister or even your own husband. But you remember everything else.”

I just shrugged. I wanted to say, Sorry. Until this week I was very happy as a boy living my own life.

Mom picked up a small bottle. “This is foundation. We’ll just cover some basics because I’m hungry and want to go to lunch. Bringing you back into the family is more important.”

Mom scolded me a few times about making faces as she applied the make-up. I really didn’t like the way it felt. It seemed like a lot of extra trouble to go through every morning. But when she finished, holy shit! The results were amazing. While I can hardly take any credit for it, I have to say I thought I was pretty before. I couldn’t believe how beautiful I was now. A random thought flowed through my mind that I couldn’t wait for Larry to see how I looked. I frowned. Why should I care?

Mom grinned at me. “Just gorgeous! Okay. Let’s go eat.”

I’ve never seen anyone eject a disc from a video player as fast as Susan did when we came back into the living room.

“Are you okay?” Mom asked Susan. “You seem kinda jumpy and your face is red.”

Holding the disc behind her back, Susan said, “I’m fine. Seriously.” She glanced over at me and I just chuckled.

As we headed towards the door, Mom turned to me. “Aren’t you forgetting your purse? You might need your keys at least.”

I blushed. “You’re right. I don’t know where my head is these days.” I looked around the room.

Mom laughed. “You don’t know where your purse is either. I saw it in the kitchen.”

I walked into the kitchen and saw a bag lying on the counter. I picked it up and looked inside to see house keys, a driver’s license, a cell phone, a lipstick and other random items. As I picked up the purse, I thought briefly of Morty Sherman back in middle school when I mocked him by asking “What are you going to do? Hit me with your purse?” and laughing. I looked at the purse in my hands and frowned. And now I’m carrying one.

After about a ten minute drive, we arrived at Gladstone’s, a classy restaurant, but has a relatively inexpensive lunch menu. I’ve taken girls here on dates more than once. I looked around the dining room and men kept glancing over at us. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to having men ogle me.

After we were seated, a rather cute waiter walked up to our table and smiled. “Good afternoon, ladies. What can we get you started with?” He then listed several drinks, some alcoholic that we could choose. I wanted to ask for a beer, but asked for iced tea instead.

After the waiter took our meal order, Mom took a tablet computer out of her purse and laid it on the table in front of me. She scooted her chair to be closer to me.

“Since you don’t remember anything about your own family,” said Mom as she turned on the tablet. “I thought I’d bring some pictures to look at while we had lunch.”

The first picture displayed was of a child. “That’s you!” exclaimed Mom. “When you were just a little girl. Aren’t you just adorable?”

The next picture was of a baby being held by a little girl. “That’s Susan holding you when you were just a baby.” Mom pointed at the baby in the picture.

We went through a few dozen childhood pictures, some taken on vacations.

Most of the pictures were of just me, sometimes with Mom or Susan. One picture had a man standing behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “Who’s this guy?” I asked, pointing at the man.

Mom’s smile turned to a scowl. “How did that picture get in there? That’s your worthless piece of shit father. It’s good you don’t remember him. He used to beat you.”

I studied the picture for a moment. He looked just like any normal guy and was smiling. “Why would he do that?”

Mom frowned as she shook her head. “He thought he was correcting your behavior. He didn’t like you flirting and dating so many boys.”

Susan grinned as she looked at me. “Yeah. You were quite the little slut.”

Mom turned angrily to Susan. “Susan! Don’t talk like that about your sister!”

Susan spread her arms out. “Well, it’s true! She had dozens of boyfriends and I can’t even get one!” What a little bitch, I thought to myself. Jealous much?

Mom shook her head. “I knew I should have left you at home.”

I looked up from the tablet and looked at Susan. “Well, you’d be pretty if you smiled and wore a little make-up.”

Susan glared at me. “I honestly can’t believe you just said that!”

I spread my arms. “Well, it’s true!”

Through clenched teeth, Mom growled, “Girls! Girls! Stop this now. You’re both adults now. Act like it!”

I chuckled while Susan sat there seething.

Mom slid the next picture over on the tablet. “Let’s get back to the pictures.”

Mom smiled broadly when a picture of me in a prom dress and around high school age. I was holding a grinning boy’s arm. He was certainly very cute. “Oh I wish you remembered this. This was your prom night.”

Resting her head on her hand, Susan, in a voice heavy with sarcasm said, “I’m surprised her date wasn’t the whole football team.”

Mom pointed her finger at Susan and growled, “You’re not too old for me to spank, young lady. Knock it off. Now!”

Susan rolled her eyes and turned to continue eating her lunch.

Under her breath, Mom said, “I thought we were over this crap.”

We went through a dozen more pictures until we got to one in particular. Mom sighed. “Oh I so wish you remembered this. It’s your wedding day. You made such a beautiful bride.” Mom cast a quick glance over to Susan, but she was busy eating.

I shocked myself when I touched the screen and said, “Oh wow. That’s such a beautiful dress!” I never cared about what dresses looked like except for how they looked on the floor in the bedroom. But I was really taken in seeing me in that wedding dress.

I took longer looking at these pictures. After scrolling over a few times, I stopped at one picture. I pointed. “Oh my God! Is that Larry? He looks so handsome in that tux! I never really thought about it until then, but Larry is a very nice looking man. He was definitely a good catch.

Mom beamed. “You two made a really cute couple. You were so happy that day.”

I did look happy. My smile was actually dazzling. The dress was beautiful, my make-up was perfect and Larry was gorgeous. The wedding in these pictures were definitely of a better wedding than the one Larry and I had before we left that holding facility.

Mom and I hugged good-bye after we finally left Gladstone’s and she brought me back home.

I stood alone in the living room. I guess I can say my living room. I just stood there for a long time in the silence of the empty house. For the first time I noticed a picture on the wall. It was Larry and I on our wedding day. The girl in the picture was beautiful. The girl was me. But not me.

I walked into our bedroom and on a whim opened the closet. Hanging in the closet, covered by a plastic bag was the wedding dress. I pulled it out and laid it on the bed and stared at it for a few moments. I then removed it from the bag and holding the dress up, stood in front of the full length mirror on the closet door.

On impulse, I quickly undressed and carefully and slowly slid into the wedding dress. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection for several long moments. Then I went back into the closet, found the shoes I had seen in the photos and slipped them on. I opened the jewelry box on top of my dresser and found the earrings Deanna had worn along with the necklace and put them on.

I stared at the image of the beautiful bride in the mirror, posing this way and that. Suddenly overcome with emotion, I collapsed on the bed and cried.

*          *          *

I heard the front door open and close. A moment later, Larry called out, “Honey, I’m home.” I didn’t reply back. I heard Larry doing something in the living room for several minutes before I heard him approach our bedroom.

He stopped at the doorframe and was silent for a moment before he chuckled, “You’re wearing your wedding dress?” He took a few steps into the bedroom. “You’ve been crying! Honey. What’s wrong?” He sat next to me on the bed.

I’m sure my face was a mess so it wasn’t hard to tell I had been crying. I looked down and studied my hands clasped in front of me. I didn’t reply. I just sniffled a bit.

Larry gently took my hands. “Honey, what’s wrong. Please tell me.”

I looked over at Larry as I felt a new tear roll down my cheek. “I’m a lie, Larry. Today I saw our…your wedding pictures. And then I found a video of the wedding. You and HER were so happy. It was so very obvious just how much in love with HER you were. And how much SHE was in love with you. And then I come along and murder your wife. And take her body. Why don’t you hate me? I’m not her. I can never replace her. And I’m sorry Larry, I don’t want to be her. No matter how much you want it, I can’t be her.”

Larry lifted my hands up and kissed my fingers. “Deanna, I could never hate you. This wasn’t your fault. I know you had plans for your life and being a woman wasn’t part of that. But here we are. I truly believe that the woman in those pictures is still alive in some manner inside you.”

I looked at the floor. “Even the experts aren’t sure about that. But the bottom line is, that when you look at me, you see her. You expect me to be her. You’re in love with her. You don’t love me. And to be honest here, I’m not sure if I can ever love you, not just the way she did, but in any way. Until a couple of weeks ago, having any relationship with a man wasn’t even on the radar. I know I’m a woman for the rest of my life. I’m still not sure how to deal with that.”

I looked over at Larry. His eyes were reddening and getting watery. He nodded. “I was selfish. The baby is my only connection to the woman I loved with all my heart. I know I had no right to push you into a marriage with no love. I just didn’t want to lose the baby.”

I looked back at the floor. “I didn’t think it would be this hard emotionally. I was never this emotional before. In fact, I was usually indifferent, almost callous towards the girls I had sex with. Maybe this is my comeuppance.”

Larry smiled slightly. “Who knows, right?” He placed his palm on my belly. “She was so excited when she learned she was pregnant. She was really looking forward to being a mom.”

I frowned at him. “Giving the knife a twist?”

He shook his head slowly. With his free hand he placed one of my hands on his hand that was holding my belly and pressed my hand on his. “This is our baby. Ours. And I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I’m sure you’re going to be a great mom.”

I smiled weakly. My emotions were bouncing all over the place. I took my hand away from my belly and clasped them in front of me again, as tears well up again.

“Larry, I’m scared. I don’t know how to be a woman. I don’t know how to be a mother. I don’t know how to be your wife. I’m not her, Larry. I feel so alone. Isolated from everything I ever knew. I… I’m really scared.” Honestly, this whole having a baby shit scared the crap out of me.

Larry gently brushed my hair from my face and slid it behind my ear. He leaned in close to where I felt his breath on my cheek. “Deanna, trust me. You are definitely a woman.” He slid his fingers softly down my cheek. “So beautiful.”

He leaned in and I felt his lips press into mine. I lifted my face up to his and pressed my lips more into his. I felt his passion flow through his kiss. I slid my fingers into his hair and drew him closer to me. Both our passions intensified. He gently started to remove my wedding dress, probably much the same way as he did on that wedding night several years ago.

When I was down to my panties, he gently pushed me back onto the bed. He pulled his shirt over his head and then lay on top of me, kissing me passionately. He fondled one of my breasts as he sucked on the nipple of the other. I never felt anything like this before. He kissed my neck as he fondled both breasts. He pulled his hands away and I heard him loosen his belt. He kicked his pants away.

We held each other close, both of us just wearing underwear. Feeling his skin against mine was pushing my desire to ever higher levels. I was being kissed and fondled by a man and God help me I was loving every second of it.

Finally my panties were pulled away and I felt his finger start to fondle my clit. My clit. I had to think about that. I never felt such pleasure in my life. As he drove me wild with pleasure and with my breathing heavy I felt him slide his cock inside of me. I was moaning and gasping for breath as I felt him start to pump my vagina with his cock. Oh my God, I have a man inside of me! Never in my life have I felt anything like this before. In the back of my mind, I wished I had always been female. Sex from the woman’s side is so much better.

With one final hard thrust and a squeal from me, Larry shot his seed inside me. He stayed inside me as he grew limp. At least I didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant. Hah. His efforts seem to exhaust him. After a moan and putting an arm around me, he fell asleep. I was hoping for another round, but the sound of his heavy breathing from sleeping suggested that wasn’t going to happen. I laid there for a long time just looking at my sleeping man. Finally I fell asleep.

*          *          *

When I woke up, I just laid in bed, not wanting to get up. Larry had managed to get up and get dressed and left for work without waking me. I was sore where I’ve never been sore before. I sat up, irritated that my vagina hurt. Girl, I thought, you had sex with a man last night. I remembered a few of the girls I had sex with had complained of soreness because I rushed them into sex before they were wet. I think Larry probably did the same thing.

I sat there for a moment wondering how I should feel about the fact that a man had stuck his dick inside of me. I can’t deny that I enjoyed it. In fact, I wanted it. Sex with a man was never on my RADAR before and I would have been horrified at the idea. But now I’m looking forward to that next time. But with more lubrication.

I stumbled into the bathroom and almost stumbled right back out. I looked absolutely frightful. My face was a mess, having slept in my make-up. And my hair was a total disaster. After sitting down and relieving myself, I reached into the shower and opened the facets. As soon as it was hot, I stepped inside.

I just stood there for a long time and let the hot water run over me. It felt so good. I felt almost as if I was washing my past away. I no longer resented being a woman. I no longer hated being pregnant. I still wasn’t exactly overjoyed; I accepted the reality of it. And my feelings about being with a man was slowly changing. If I was being honest with myself, if I hadn’t been rushed into marriage with Larry, I’d probably be looking at men to date. And that thought didn’t bother me.

As I got dressed, I wondered if there’s a job I should be going to. Larry’s never said anything to me about it. So I guess not. He makes good money as a software engineer so I guess he lets me stay at home. That’ll get old after awhile. Surely the old Deanna had friends she hung out with. But no one has called or come by. I wouldn’t have a clue who they were though.

I started exploring the house. I had been too wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself to bother before. Stupid, I know.

I discovered I have a lot of clothes and way too many shoes. I know some girls who would say there’s no such thing, but I couldn’t figure out how I could have any use for so many. The house has a nice; private backyard with a flowerbed that’s in need of tending. I guess that’s my job. I discovered we have a second car in the garage. I guess that’s mine. Only then did I realize that the government never declared Deanna dead like they did the old me. Her drivers’ license is still good apparently. At least I’m not stuck at the house then.

In the kitchen, I found a cookbook that had several items circled and a couple with stars on the pages. I had to assume these marked Larry’s favorite items. I looked through the book trying to decide if there was anything I could try making for my husband.

*          *          *

I was in the kitchen when I heard the front door open. Mom had come over earlier in the afternoon and we went grocery shopping together looking for the items I needed to make dinner for the next few nights. She spent about an hour going over the finer points on making great meals.

“Oh, there you are,” said Larry as he entered the kitchen. I had my back towards the kitchen entrance. He stepped up behind me, pulled my hair back from my neck and kissed the back of my neck. I felt a tingle. “Whatcha making?”

I turned around to face him. I put my arms around his neck. “Your favorite.”

He looked at me quizzically. “Chicken fried steak?”

I smiled at him. “You guessed it! Just be nice though. This is my first time to try to make it.”

He bent down and kissed me. “I’m sure it’ll be great.” He kissed me again. He looked into my eyes. “I love you.”

I bit my lower lip and held his gaze. Do I love this man? I looked deep into his eyes, trying to find the answer. I smiled. “I love you too.” He kissed me again.

When I finished cooking and placed his food on the table, Larry cut into it and took a bite. He smiled and pointed at it with his fork. “Honey, this is great. It’s almost as g…um, this is really good.” I could tell he was about to say it’s almost as good as HERS. I really need to stop trying to compete with a dead woman. He liked what I made and that’s all that counts. A week ago, not only would I have not cared if he liked it or not, I wouldn’t have made it for him.

When Larry finished eating and put his fork down, he burped and then said, “Want to go to a movie tonight? There’s a new Tommy Kincaid movie on. I think it’s Bonzai Cowboy.”

I put my arms around his neck from behind him and nibbled his neck. In his ear, I whispered, “I have a better idea.” I stuck my tongue in his ear.

We made love that night. It was even better than the first time.

*          *          *

Over the next few months, my life as a married mom-to-be, normalized. I got better at cooking and actually came to enjoy it. The old Deanna did have a bunch of friends she hung out with. After learning about my “amnesia” they all started coming over to get re-acquainted. My bump got bigger and Larry and I fought constantly over the thermostat. I could never figure out how he could stand to have the house so hot. And while we usually got along, like any other husband and wife in the world, we’d have our arguments. Things got out of hand that one time when he said he couldn’t eat the meal I’d prepared for him because it tasted like shit and I picked up his plate with food on it and threw it at him. Larry spent three nights on the couch.

I was sitting on the easy chair with a folding table in front of me. Larry had decided to bring something home. I was starting my third trimester and I felt huge and whether lying, sitting or standing I was uncomfortable. I felt like I’d been pregnant forever. And even though it bothered me to see his pained expression when, after throwing up or having to deal with back pain, I’d sometimes say out loud my regret about agreeing to be pregnant. Pregnancy definitely isn’t for sissies.

“Thank you sweetie, for getting dinner,” I smiled at Larry as he set a paper plate with chicken strips on it, on the little table. “I’ve been really tired a lot lately.”

Larry grinned at me. “My pleasure. Though I do get a kick out of watching you waddle around.”

I wadded up one of my napkins and tossed it at him. “Don’t be mean. If men had to be pregnant, the human race would come to an end.” I reached for a chicken strip. “And I have to say…” I stopped. Something happened. Something weird. Something inside me.

I put my palms on my large belly and exclaimed, “I felt the baby move! It kicked!”

Larry rushed over and put his hands on my extended belly. “I felt it!” He laughed. “He kicked again! That’s awesome!” He stood up, bent over me and kissed me; a long sweet kiss.

*          *          *

“Oh! God, Larry,” I groaned. “Quit fartin’ around. I really think this is it.”

Larry clicked off his cell phone and put it in his pocket. “I just talked to your doctor and told her about your contractions and how you’re feeling. She said stay calm and come quickly to the hospital. It’s not an emergency, but it’s definitely time. You’re having a baby tonight. She’s calling ahead so everything will be ready for you.”

I held out my hand. “Help me up, babe.” Larry helped me to my feet. I picked up my purse and took out my cell phone.

Larry looked around at me. “Who are you calling? Honey, we need to go.”

I frowned at Larry. “I’m calling my mom. I think she might like to know she’s going to be a grandmother tonight.”

When Mom picked up, breathing heavy I said, “Hey Mom. Get up to the hospital. Yeah. It’s now. I gotta go. See ya.” I clicked off the call.

I turned to Larry and waved my arms. “Why are you just standing there? Let’s go.”

I followed Larry out to the car. He opened the door for me, but he also spread a towel over the seat. “Just in case.”

I got in the seat and Larry belted me in. He then hurried to the driver’s seat and started the engine. With a chirp of tires, we sped out of the driveway.

“Oh God Larry, hurry,” I said through clenched teeth. The contractions were speeding up.

“I don’t want to get a ticket,” said Larry to me. You’re not having it right this second.”

We were a few blocks from the hospital when I suddenly felt it. “Oh shit. My water just broke.”

Larry glanced over at me. “Are you sure? I don’t see anything.”

I scowled at Larry. “Of course I’m sure. It’s not like it’s going to come gushing out.”

Larry nodded. “Just hang in there, baby. We’re almost there.”

A few minutes later we pulled into the emergency entrance to the hospital. My doctor and a nurse pushing a wheelchair came rushing out to meet us. The doctor and the nurse helped me into the wheelchair. After examining me for a moment my doctor said, “Try to relax, mom. Your contractions are normal. Once we get upstairs, I’ll see how much you’ve dialated.” To Larry she said, “Dad, go park your car. Take your time. Come up to the waiting room. We’ll call you when we’re ready for you.” Larry had asked to be present during delivery.

After stopping in ER to check my weight, blood pressure, pulse, oxygen levels and temperature, I was whisked to the elevator. Soon I was riding up to the Labor and Delivery unit. I was then wheeled into a room.

The doctor pointed to the bed. “Let’s get into the bad, mom, so we can prep you for delivery. We’re going to start your IV and insert your epidural.”

A few minutes later I felt the sting of the epidural needle being inserted. That hurt more than I thought it would. After a few moments I felt relief. I could still feel my contractions, but with lessened pain.

Everything was a whorl from then on. I just wanted it over.

I felt someone take my hand and I looked over to see Larry. He was smiling at me. “I’m not going to leave you, babe. The doc said she’s not expecting a long labor.”

I laid there on my back for over an hour breathing with the contractions. Larry kept looking at me with a worried expression.

They let Mom and Susan in for a bit. Mom held my hand. “Everything is going fine, honey. Everything is going by the book. It’ll be over soon.”

I laughed. “Sound kinda final.”

Mom shook her head. “You’re doing fine.”

The doctor came in. “Dad you can stay. Everyone else has to leave. We’re moving to the delivery room.” She looked over at me and smiled. “The long journey is almost over. Just keep hanging in there.”

A couple assistants helped push my bed out of the room and down the hall to the delivery room. My feet were lifted into stirrups exposing my nether regions to all and sundry.

After taking a look, the doctor said, “Won’t be long now. You’re at eight centimeters.” She saw a group of doctors pass by the door of the delivery room. She said, “Excuse me a moment.” She turned and ran to the door.

A few minutes later, six male doctors approached me. My doctor pointed at me. The sheets covering my legs blocked my view as the doctors approached. I heard my doctor say before she lowered her voice, “I just wanted to get your opinions on this patient’s dilation…”

I was embarrassed to hell and back having all these men staring at my private parts. My voice was a bit raspy and not very loud when I uttered, “Welcome to the party, pals.”

One of them said something to my doctor’s satisfaction. She thanked them and they left.

The nurse stepped up. “You need to push, mom. You’re at ten centimeters. Your baby is ready to come out.”

Larry said to me, “Push, honey. push.”

I turned to him and through gritted teeth said, “Shut up, Larry.”

The nurse said, “Push, mom. Don’t forget to breathe. Push.”

The doctor peeked from around the sheets. “I see the head. Keep pushing, mom.”

I was trying to breathe. I looked over at Larry who was still holding my hand. “I hate you. I wasn’t here when you did this to me, but I still hate you.”

Larry smiled weakly at me. “Just keep pushing, babe. It’s almost over.”

From behind the sheets, the doctor said, “There’s the head. Here come the shoulders.”

A few moments later I heard a baby crying and I felt tremendous relief. The nurse brought a blood covered infant over to me and held it up. “You have a boy, mom.” I started to reach for him, but the nurse turned away and walked off with my baby.

The doctor said to me as she followed the nurse, “We’re going to clean him up and check him out to make sure everything is okay with him.”

Crying, I turned to Larry. “Did you see him? Our baby boy! I want to hold him.”

Larry nodded. “Yes, I saw him. He’s beautiful, like his mother. They’ll let us hold him in a minute.”

A few minutes later, the nurse returned with our baby, wrapped in a little blankie and wearing a small knit cap. the nurse handed me the baby and I held it the way they had taught me in class. I was in awe. I just stared at this little baby that was just a few moments before inside me. I cried. “He’s beautiful. Oh God Larry. It’s our baby. I can’t believe he’s actually here.”

Larry looked at me, and smiled broadly. “You did great, Deanna. You’re a mommy now.”

I kissed my baby’s forehead and then looked over at Larry and smiled. “Yes. I’m a mommy. I so want to be a mom.” I paused for a few moments and then looked hard at Larry. “Do me a favor, honey.”

Larry nodded. “Anything, babe.”

“Tear up my contract,” I said flatly.

Larry looked taken aback. “Maybe you should wait on that decision when you’re less emotional.”

I kissed the baby’s head and grinned as I touched his small nose. “I’m never leaving this little guy. I’m his mom.”

Larry smiled broadly at me and gave me a kiss. “I love you, Deanna.”

I smiled. “I love you too.”

*          *          *

I’m not sure what we were expecting, but in the intervening years, we never saw any evidence that Larry’s early wife existed in our son. Larry was disappointed, but he accepted it.

We were watching TV and eating pizza. We had just found out I was pregnant with my second child. Roy, our six year old entered the living room with a determined expression on his face.

“Mom. Dad. I have something to tell you.”

Larry leaned forward a bit. “What is it son?”

Roy folded his arms. “I’m not a boy. I’m a girl.”

I looked over at Larry. “I think we just found your first wife.”

*          *          *

The End