The Greatest Miracle Of Life, Chapter Six free porn video

So much for the 'sex cures morning sickness' theory, I thought, as I woke up with a start the next morning. I ran to the bathroom and barely made the toilet before it came up. My body was still relaxed from the amazing night before, but this was a bit of a reality shock that I didn't need first thing. Especially not today. I got sick several times, and then slowly felt the nausea subside. As I sat there, I heard Pete's concerned voice from the other side of the door. "Honey? You OK?" "Yeah," I said back weakly, "I'm alright, I guess." "OK, sweetie. I'll go downstairs and make you some tea. That'll help your stomach." I felt a wave of appreciation for Peter. He was such a great guy and took care of me. I'm really a lucky girl to have him. That last thought gave me pause. Did I just think of myself as a 'lucky girl'? Pete gave me my space as I sipped my tea and wandered throughout the house that morning. I missed the post-sex euphoria of the night before, and wondered silently what made today different. Oh well, no time, I had too much to do. I forced myself to go back upstairs and get ready. No shower for me today, as I was heading to the salon. Instead, I put on a light application of makeup, threw on some comfy sweats and sneakers, and grabbed my purse. Walking to the door, I called out to Pete, "Hey sweetie! I'll be back later. I have to run some errands for tonight." Pete grunted, already lost in ESPN Sportscenter. I shut the door behind me and got in my car. Beauty salons are normally foreign territory for men, for good reason. They are intimidating. There are women everywhere, doing things to other women that a man just wouldn't want done for them. Jessica always called it 'pampering', which was something that I just didn't understand, although I had vague memories of it from Stephanie and I definitely felt a tug of excited anticipation over what I was about to do. "Oh well," I thought, "No need to be nervous now. This is my house." I was smiling as I stepped inside the salon and was greeted by the receptionist. "Hey Steph, you ready for today? Looks like you're getting the works!" "Yep, I am. I have a big dinner party tonight and I need to impress." I smiled even more broadly. "All right. Well, Missy is going to take care of you. Why don't you hop in the chair?" Without thought, I wandered over to a salon chair in the corner and watched as Missy walked up, chattering about how good it was to see me and how much fun we were going to have today. We made some small talk for a few minutes and then she asked me to stand up. "Time for your massage?" "Massage?" I said in return. "Yeah. On us. Sam's waiting for you in the back." Three minutes later I was laying on my stomach, on a cot, experiencing what had to only be second to sex in terms of ecstasy. Sam's hands were working up and down my body with a heated oil, taking all the knots out of my muscles and generally relaxing my body into a deep trance. 'Jeez, Amy was right', I thought idly, 'If this keeps up, I'm not going to want to change back!' Sam's massage went on for thirty minutes, and I think I may have slept through ten of it. By the end, I felt great ? there was no feeling of morning sickness or headaches or sore breasts or anything else. I slid back to Missy's chair and sighed. "That good, huh?" "Yeah," I said dreamily. She laughed. "OK, let's get going. You don't have all day, after all." For the next forty minutes, Missy worked on my hair, adding chemicals, wrapping it in tinfoil, trimming slightly, curling. Finally, my hair was wrapped up tightly and placed under a dryer. Missy and I chatted idly the whole time, and I really enjoyed the mindless banter, still relaxed from my massage. Missy told me about her boyfriend and his crazy antics, about a debacle with her landlord, and about a fun party she was going to tonight. I told her about work, about Peter, and about our dinner party. I didn't tell her about the baby ? yet. Once I was under the dryer, Linda, a petite Asian woman with the most beautiful black hair I had ever seen, starting working on my fingers and toes. She started with a small finger soak and massage that was enhanced by the holdover from Sam's massage, and then went to work filing and shaping. It really did feel nice to sit there and worry about nothing while others cared for you ? Missy even brought me tea to sip as I sat there ? and let my hair set. Linda selected a bold red color for my nails that she said would look spectacular with my dress, and I walked away from the chair with a spectacular, sexy new set of nails on my hands and a clean pedicure on my newly brushed feet. Moving back to the chair, Missy started working on my face, shaping my brows and even applying some wax (wow, that hurts!) to get rid of some unwanted hair. She then applied a facial mask that helped to cleanse and exfoliate my skin. With my hair in a wrap and my face covered in green goop, I looked like some kind of demented monster, but the cool feeling of the wrap did feel good. Missy and I continued to chat. Finally, she removed the wrap and we both marveled at my newly cleansed face and shaped brows. Finally, the finishing touch ? Missy unraveled my head wrap and styled my hair. Wow, I was truly going to look spectacular tonight! I found myself anxiously anticipating Pete's reaction, and I realized I had just spent three hours in the salon to make myself beautiful for him. This time, though, instead of feeling unnatural, the thought instead brought a slightly pleasant tingle to my crotch. I drove home. Fortunately, Pete was responsible for the grocery shopping, and he was out at the store when I got home. I snuck upstairs and looked at myself in the mirror, thrilled with what Missy was able to do with my hair. The menu was simple, and didn't require much in the way of pre-prep, so I quickly started cleaning the house. Our guests were arriving early, 4pm, as they were taking advantage of being downtown to catch a show at the Buell Theater. I didn't mind, because it limited the amount of time I needed to be "on stage" with Peter's bosses. Boy, I didn't realize how much responsibility the woman has when entertaining. While Pete just had to worry about the grocery list, I was worried about the condition of the house, from the cleanliness to the appearance, and the entire meal. I asked Pete to get a new centerpiece for the table and pulled out some candles that were stashed away in the dining room hutch. I polished the silver, a chore in itself, and organized the crystal. I set the table, making sure it was perfect. Finally, at about 3pm, I went upstairs to get ready. Pete was home, but he was down in the basement watching ? you guessed it ? a basketball game. Some college thingy. For the next forty-five minutes I showered, being careful not to mess up my hair, worked on my makeup, which was lighter than normal following my facial this morning, and donned my new dress. It was spectacular, and I felt very confident and very pretty. I slid on my heels, wiggled my butt in the mirror for good measure, and stepped downstairs. I immediately got the reaction I was looking for. Pete's jaw literally dropped, and I immediately was flush with pride. He stuttered briefly. "Wow. You..." I raised my arms and twirled on my heels, allowing the dress to flare out slightly. "You like?" "Like? Oh my God, I love it. You look positively gorgeous, Steph!" He came in close to kiss me, but I blocked him with my hand. "Uh, uh,uh...don't mess up the makeup. I worked way too hard up there." "Whatever," Pete said, shrugging. He gave me a peck on my check. He then walked upstairs to shower and get dressed himself. It was 3:50. I felt that pang of envy again, but boy, it was fun looking this pretty. I started on dinner. Our guests were fashionably late, showing up at 4:15pm. Immediately, the pressure was on, and even more than before I gained a remarkable appreciation for how much responsibility falls on the woman when it comes to entertaining in the home. While Peter took care of the drinks, I was putting together the appetizers, watching the main course, lighting the candles, and further organizing the table. At the same time I was entertaining the wives, and I felt their slightly judgmental looks every time I turned my back. They were both older than me by at least fifteen years ? I would guess early forties ? and while they were pretty in their own right, you could start to see signs of age. Peter's boss's boss's wife, Cindy, was a little overweight, although she apparently refused to recognize that fact given the tight sequined dress she elected to wear that night. Appropriate wasn't the word that came to mind. While I felt the undertone of their continued glances around the house and at me, smugly (as terrible as this is to admit), I took it a bit in stride, knowing I looked much hotter than they did and knowing I was stealing the attentions of their husbands. I worked hard to ignore the glances and the leers from the men, but I knew that the two other women weren't missing any of it, and that made it all the better. Geez, are women always this catty? Oh well, it sure is fun. I decided to do some fun flirting with the men, keeping it appropriate but making my point nonetheless. 'Hey, if they're going to judge me, then they deserve it', I thought. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed the evening. It was stressful and tense for me, although outwardly I was all smiles and compliments. The appetizers were well received, and the main course ? lamb chops with a lime demi-glaze ? were a hit. Although it looked impressive, it was actually an easy recipe. I served it with roasted russet potatoes and asparagus. At dinner the conversation mostly revolved around Peter's work, with the two wives and I politely acknowledging comments about their business that we didn't understand. We also talked about the show that they were attending tonight, and we talked a little about their kids, who were all grade school age. They sounded like a cute bunch, and for the first time I saw actual warmth come out of Cindy as she talked about her 8 year old boy and 6 year old girl. I asked plenty of questions and feigned genuine interest, and she started to warm to me a bit. I found myself constantly in motion, caring for the food, the dishes, and everything else. Cindy and Peter's boss's wife, Marilyn, politely helped me to stack the dishes in the sink. We also worked together to prepare the coffee and dessert. The men sat at the table and continue to talk work, while I described to Cindy and Marilyn some things that I had hoped to do to the kitchen (again, memories just kept popping in my head, fortunately at convenient times). They both provided ideas and input, and overall my vision seemed to meet with their approval. As cold as they were to start with, I realized that they were actually pretty nice women. Looking at the quality of their clothes and the size of the rocks on their hands, I knew they had some money too. I bet their houses were spectacular. 'Must be nice', I thought idly. We had coffee and dessert relatively quickly, and they politely excused themselves at about 6:15. I exchanged hugs with everyone and light kisses on the cheek with the women. We spoke idly about getting together again at one of their houses and I told them that I thought that'd be great. Peter was beaming ? I knew that he was pleased with how the evening went ? and I felt a huge wave of relief. I just survived my first dinner party as a woman, and damn, that was stressful! After the guests left and Pete told me what a great night it was, he wandered downstairs and I heard the TV in the basement come on. More sports. He had a vodka drink in hand. I looked at the kitchen and sighed. 'Jeez, this is going to take me two hours', I thought, as I dug into the first dish. I stayed upstairs, tinkering in the kitchen and dining room all night, while Pete hung out in the basement. That didn't seem fair, but I didn't complain vocally. Finally, we wandered to bed. No sex that night, but that was OK with me. I was exhausted. For the next two weeks my life fell into a routine. To a certain degree I became Stephanie, as I became more and more comfortable living her life. Some days were better than others. Some days I forgot about being Scott altogether. Other days I still felt dramatically and completely off-balance. Fortunately, overall I knew it was temporary, and I started to enjoy the thought and experience of being a woman and being pregnant. As I said the night prior to this entire adventure starting, this really was a miraculous event, and I actually started to feel blessed that I had a chance to experience it. Amy kept me updated on Scott, and it sounded like he had regrets about his decision. He was missing being Stephanie, and found being a guy, in Amy's words, "dull". I smiled at that ? having now seen life from both sides, albeit only briefly, I certainly had to agree that the woman's world was certainly more colorful and interesting. However, all it took was a brief attack of morning sickness to make me wonder what the hell I was thinking that first, fateful Saturday night. I thought more about Scott and thought about how oddly selfish he was about all this. After all, I was beginning to feel an attachment to the baby ? it was small but it was there ? and it saddened me to think that I would only get to know this child as an uncle. As close as the four of us are, I'd be on the outside looking in, and wouldn't have the relationship with the child that a mother deserves. I spoke with some women in my office with children, and they explained the bond that would develop over the next several months as the baby develops in my womb. I actually started to dread the idea of actually giving birth to the baby, fearing the loss that I would feel once we actually switched back. That was silly, though, as I was definitely anticipating the return of my manhood...wasn't I? I suspected that that's why Scott continued to push Jessica to get pregnant as well. Jess thought it was because Scott wanted the two of us to be pregnant together, but I thought otherwise. I think he feels badly that I won't have a child to love by the time this all ends. Peter and I grew closer by the day. The sex continued to be spectacular, and it didn't take long before we started to experiment in a variety of ways. We tried different positions, and even some role playing. We also tried different locations, including an ill-advised tryst in the back seat of the car. There's a reason why that's more fun to talk about than actually do! Overall, however, the enhanced sex was, without a doubt, the best piece of the spell. I also got to know Jessica in a way that I never had before, understanding her inner thoughts and feelings as only a close girlfriend could. She was a much deeper and multifaceted person that I had ever realized before, and I was enjoying this side of her as much as I enjoyed being with her as Scott. We met often for lunch, for walks through Washington Park, and, on the weekends, for pizza and sparkling cider (Jessica stopped drinking to help support me, which was so kind). Scott and I both tried to push the limits of the spell when we were together, particularly when Pete and Jessica stepped away. Our attempts were obvious to the two of us, but the spell kept us from exposing anything more than a bit of a strained expression. We would talk, but it was always about superficial topics that mirrored what I would have talked to Stephanie about back when I was Scott. That was OK, however, for as I mentioned we were able to communicate through Amy when required. Yes, things started to really get into a rhythm. Them the floor fell out. It was actually a Thursday, four and a half weeks after this whole adventure started, that catastrophe struck. I had just reached a point when I would wake up each morning and not think of myself as Scott ? I was definitely Stephanie now. Scott's memories were still there, but they were fainter as they were replaced by Stephanie's opportunistic memories. I was still suffering from morning sickness, but either it was fading or I was adjusting to it, because it didn't seem so bad. I had also hit my stride at work, and I was going to have a good quarter. Everything was going well, and the morning started like any other. Until, at about 10am, I started to feel like even worse than normal. Cramps. They started mild but rapidly strengthened, forcing me to the bathroom. Unfortunately, when I got to the bathroom, I didn't have to go. It was frustrating, and it grew more and more painful. Suddenly, I realized that these cramps weren't from diarrhea. They were period cramps. Stephanie certainly remembered what those felt like. 'Why would I be getting period cramps?' I thought as a tingle of fear ran up my spine. I knew that wasn't normal, and I knew that wasn't a good sign, but neither my Scott nor Stephanie memories were able to call up an explanation, other than a realization that that wasn't good. I rushed to the ladies room once again and locked myself in a stall. I slowly pulled down my pants, afraid to look. Sure enough, there were little spots of blood. Nothing significant ? just very small spots. However, the cramps were getting more severe, and sharper. I started to panic. Rushing back to my desk, I grabbed my purse and ran out of the office without telling anyone where I was going. I called my OB, who I didn't even know but somehow I did, and told the nurse what was happening. My hand was shaking as I spoke into the cell. "Hmm, I don't think it's anything to worry about," the nurse said in a soothing voice, "but you should definitely come in right away. I'll open up an appointment. How far away are you?" I told her that I was about fifteen minutes from her office. She said that the OB would see me right away. I called Pete, tears filling my eyes. I don't know how I knew, but I knew something was wrong. It shouldn't hurt this bad. I got his voice mail and left a frantic message. My next call was to Jessica. After a minute of hysterics, I explained what was happening. She said she'd meet there right away. I didn't even try to talk her out of it. I was far too freaked out. I just thanked her and hung up. I wasn't in the waiting room for more than two minutes, sitting nervously in an uncomfortable chair and trying to ignore the painful cramping, when Jessica burst through the door. She ran up to me. "Steph! There you are. How are you? How do you feel?" She wrapped her arms around me and I hugged her back. "I don't know. Not good," I said, feeling the ebbs and flows of the cramps. "I'm still spotting, I think, and it hurts. The nurse said the doc wants to see me right away. Do you think..." I didn't finish the question, because I was interrupted by the nurse calling my name. I was shuttled into an exam room, with Jessica right behind me. The exam room was pretty normal, with a table, a couple of chairs, and some medical stuff. There was a sink in the corner. At the nurse's request, I took off my clothes ? I didn't feel at all bashful stripping in front of Jess ? and put on the poor fitting gown. Jessica sat down on a circular stool that was on wheels. We looked at my panties and confirmed that I was definitely still spotting, although it didn't seem to be heavy. Maybe that was a good thing. After a surprisingly short wait, less than five minutes for sure, a good looking, dark skinned, taller man came in, wearing a white coat. The name Dr. Scolini, MD, was written in blue script across his left pocket. I realized that Stephanie found him to be very good looking, and immediately started wondering how such a tall, good looking, successful man could be single. I blocked the thought out of my mind, realizing that given what he was about to do, that thought was actually pretty gross. Behind him was another nurse who Stephanie recognized but who's name couldn't be recalled. She was wheeling a big beige machine that was on a wheeled cart. It had a small monitor and some dials and switches. I looked at it curiously. Dr. Scolini looked at me with sympathetic but not necessarily concerned eyes, asking how bad the cramping was. I told him that it wasn't horrible, but that it was getting worse. I couldn't stop tears from welling up, and he grabbed my hand. His gaze remained steadily at my face, which I appreciated given that the gown left me more than half- naked. However, this was normal, I knew, and just part of being a woman. Dr. Scolini nodded. "Mmm hmm. OK." He looked at my panties, analyzing the spotting. He didn't say anything, just set the panties back down. He looked at the nurse, again expressionless, and then back at me. "Steph, this is most likely nothing. Cramping and spotting at this point in the pregnancy is actually quite normal. However, you are still in the danger zone, so I want to run some tests." His voice was deep and soothing. He oozed credibility and calm. However, I couldn't relax. "Danger zone? What do you mean?" I looked at Jessica, who reached out to my hand and squeezed it. Her palm was sweaty, her eyes were nervous. Dr. Scolini explained. "Well, Steph, the first trimester has the highest probability of issue by far, and you're at nine-and-a-half weeks. I need to make sure that the baby is OK. Fortunately, a simple ultrasound will let us see the heartbeat." "Um, OK," I said, looking at the big machine. I had never had an ultrasound before. I was nervous. "Will it hurt?" The doctor and nurse laughed together. This time the nurse, a heavyset black woman with wisps of grey in her hair, responded. "No, honey, it won't hurt." She held up a wand that looked like a large microphone with a flat top. "We're just going to rub this on your belly and look at your baby and see that beautiful heart beating away. It's easy, and it doesn't hurt the baby." The nurse stood up and walked over to me. Jessica stepped back, standing in the corner, trying to be strong for me but it was obvious that she was scared. I really appreciated her support, as I couldn't imagine being here alone right now. Where was Pete? I watched in silence as the nurse moved my gown to expose my belly and spread a gel across my belly button. It was cold. I winced. "I should have warned you that it was cold. Sorry," the nurse said kindly. "OK, here we go. Doctor?" Dr. Scolini walked up, holding the wand. He placed it on my belly, rolling it back and forth slowly. Strange, undecipherable images were appearing on the screen, a montage of blacks, whites, and grays swirling, straightening, and rounding. To me, it looked like garbage, but I was frantic. Making matters worse, the doctor and the nurse weren't saying much, other than the occasional comment like "Look at this" and "Move over to the right". There was no "aha!" or "eureka!" that I was hoping to hear when they found the baby's heartbeat. The doctor started to move further and further to my sides, eventually rubbing the wand across my hips. Every once in a while the nurse would press a button or move a dial. Finally, Dr. Scolini stopped. "Hmm," he said, the first sign of a shadow crossing his face. I didn't see the heartbeat there, Steph. However..." I cut him off with a gasp and a light cry. Jessica covered her nose and mouth with her hands, tears welling up. He ignored us and continued in his smooth, deep voice. "However, that doesn't mean the worst. Let's see if the baby is ectopic or hiding on us. That happens quite a bit, after all." I was numb. Tears continued to stream down my face. Jessica was again next to the bed, opposite the doctor. She was holding my hand tightly, and she was also crying. Our eyes met, and we both knew the truth, even though I couldn't form the thought in my mind. The doctor moved the wand further up towards my ribs, explaining that he was looking for the baby in a fallopian tube. I thought of my anatomy class and tried to remember what we were talking about ? ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus. Honestly, I hadn't paid all that much attention and apparently neither did Stephanie. He suddenly stopped the wand, frowning at the screen. The nurse looked perplexed. "Huh. What is that?" she said. I looked over at the screen, hopeful. "Is it...is it...the baby?" I stuttered. All I saw on the screen were the swirls of black, white, and gray. "Um, no," Dr. Scolini said. "Miss Jennings, can you take a picture of that?" "Of course, doctor," the nurse replied. More buttons. A whirring sound. A photograph came spitting out, looking like something from an amusement park photo booth. The doctor continued to focus on my upper left area. "Hmm," was all he'd say. He then worked the right side, with similar result. Finally, he pulled the wand away, and again put it in the center of my abdomen. I watched him as he nodded slowly at the nurse. She took another picture from the screen. More black, white, and gray. No excitement. I was sobbing by this point. Dr. Scolini looked sad for the first time. "Stephanie, I'm so, so sorry." He started to say something else, but stopped for a moment. I sobbed loudly. Jessica hugged me from behind. I just couldn't believe it. The nurse held the second photograph up weakly. She had a pained expression on her face. "Steph," the doctor said quietly, "this is the fetus. I was hoping it wasn't the case, but I'm certain. There's no heartbeat. Likely, it never attached." More sobs from me. How could this be happening? "This happens from time to time in early pregnancies." Dr. Scolini continued. "Your cramping and your spotting is the first stage of a miscarriage." There it was. The word. I sobbed even more loudly. Jessica stopped hugging me and sat down, putting her face in her hands. I couldn't believe how badly this hurt emotionally. I didn't even notice the cramps any more. "Um, there's one more thing," Dr. Scolini said. He paused, studying the other photograph for a moment. "Something up near your ovary. I'd like to take some further pictures." I looked up, my face moist with tears, my eyes swollen. "What? What are you talking about?" "Again, I'm sure it's nothing," Dr. Scolini said, "but I want to get a better look. I'd like to take a MRI of the area. Now that we know that the..." he paused and looked down. "The...um...fetus can't be harmed, I'd like to get some better pictures of it." "Whatever," I said, not caring what he did at this point. Did it really matter? Did anything? How did this happen? Guilt started creeping into my mind, and I started blaming myself for not focusing on the baby, for not embracing Stephanie's body more, for not doing this, for not doing that. Within the hour I was shuffled into another room and asked to lay on a table. I was slid into a tube. There were bright lights beaming from the ceiling and several machines beeping and whirring around me. The MRI machine itself was very loud, making clanging sounds as it took its pictures. I didn't care ? in fact, it was the furthest thing from my mind. I just went through the motions, my mind wandering through a dark forest of guilt, anger, and sadness. I couldn't imagine what Pete was going to think. Or Scott ? oh, God, Scott! I hadn't even thought about that. He'll never forgive me! Fresh tears started to fall. When I got back to the room, Jess was waiting for me and we sat in silence for about fifteen minutes. Finally, Pete came rushing in and, upon seeing us, knew immediately what had happened. He hung his head low and wept as well. He hugged me deeply, told me he loved me, and said that we'd get through this together. 'No, we actually won't,' I thought numbly. 'You and Stephanie will get through this, as my tour of duty is almost over'. Just then, Dr. Scolini came back in the room, with the dutiful nurse (Miss Jennings, I recalled) behind him. He introduced himself to Peter, and explained the circumstance. Pete was doing his best to remain stoic in front of the doctor, but the tears were welling in his eyes. After a moment, he turned to me. The nurse handed him a file. "Stephanie, this is all preliminary," he began, opening the file. "These are quick images taken from our equipment, but it's enough to get started." "Get started with...?" I prompted. "Um, well, Steph, I saw something on your ovary. Near it actually. It doesn't look too too serious, but it's enough to have me concerned." The worst thought in the world shot through my mind. "Oh my God, is it cancer? Did you find a tumor?" My voice was high pitched and belied my panic. "No, I don't think so, although we'll need a biopsy to be sure. The shape and size of the mass point to a very specific kind of benign growth that is common on ovaries. However, we will need to get in there and remove it." I thought for a second. With everything that had happened over the past hour, my brain wasn't working at full capacity. "Get in there? You mean...surgery?" "Yes, I'm afraid so," Dr. Scolini said. "This type of growth isn't dangerous at this stage, but it can spread and spread quickly. While not cancerous, it can draw on other resources, like your ovaries, and effectively kill them. This can lead to infections and other complications. It's not a good idea." I felt like I had been sledge hammered in the gut after being punched in the face. This was way too much to process. I shut down, literally, closing my eyes and ignoring the sounds around me. Pete continued to talk to the doctor, and got details on what this all meant. Eventually, he and Dr. Scolini stepped out into the hall and finished the conversation there while Miss Jennings and Jessica helped me to dress. Things moved surprisingly quickly after that. Dr. Scolini's office was a satellite to a local hospital in Denver, and he recommended that we complete the procedure as quickly as possible, as he also needed to complete a D&C to remove the fetus. A surgeon was consulted, and I was shuffled to another doctor's office along with Pete and Dr. Scolini. There was quite a bit of discussion and evaluation of the MRI, the ultrasound, and of me. I didn't care ? I just wanted to get this over with. Jessica headed home, as she needed to meet Scott, but she gave me one more hug and a warm kiss on the cheek. As all this was happening, my mind began to work through the entire turn of events, and for the first time I started to truly recognize that I would be back as Scott, much quicker than I had thought. I began noticing the feelings of being Stephanie once again ? the feeling of my breasts, the tickling of my hair, and the general balance of this body. I thought about Pete, and wondered how I'd ever be able to look him in the eye after what we've done together over these last four weeks. I thought of Jessica, and wondered the same thing. I couldn't think of Scott, as I feared that this might break up our friendship. After all Scott (Stephanie, now, I guess) would blame me for this. How could she not? Although I was excited about the idea of again being my normal, male self, a part of me...a growing part of me...was going to miss being Stephanie. That led to double depression, as I thought about what I was going to miss out on and about my lost baby. I couldn't handle the emotion, and luckily Pete was strong and I was able to cling to him. After two hours with the surgeon, I was again shuffled off, this time to hospital admissions. They had decided that there was no reason to wait, and scheduled surgery for the following morning. The balance of the afternoon was filled with more tests, more scans, and more consultations. I was comfortably set up in a hospital room, and Pete was by my side the entire time. Jessica came back, with Scott in tow, and both Peter and Jessica were shocked at how emotional Scott was about all this. He was a wreck, and had to leave the hospital room twice during their visit. 'If they only knew,' I thought, as I watched Scott struggle to break the spell. He wanted to talk so badly. I hoped that he'd think to go to Amy so that he could unload his emotions. 'He's going to hate me,' I thought sadly. The rest of the day passed quickly as we prepared for the next day's events. As if I didn't have enough guilt, I thought about how Stephanie would have to suffer through the recovery from surgery, which was bound to be painful. The doctor, Pete, and Jessica kept telling me that I was lucky that this all happened, as without the miscarriage, we wouldn't have found the mass, but I didn't feel lucky. Scott didn't say anything, and that was far worse. The next morning I was woken at 5am to prepare for surgery. I was nervous, naturally, both because I'd never experienced surgery before and because I was about to go through a major transition back to Scott. I didn't know what to expect. The sadness had lightened, perhaps because they had already started a protocol of relaxants in my IV that would prepare me for the general anesthesia provided with the surgery. I tried to focus on the tactile experiences, such as the feeling of the sheets against my breasts and the weight of my rear against the mattress, knowing that in four hours I'd never again feel the female form in this way. 'I'm ready', I thought. 'Let's get this going.' Pete, Scott, and Jessica were there that morning. They all kept a brave face, but I could read the sympathy in their eyes. I could see that Pete was nervous, and I grabbed his hand, telling him that everything was going to be fine. Scott's face was strangest of all, and, as hard as I tried, I couldn't read his emotions. I thought that it hovered between anger and nervousness, but looking at it, it was more a combination of confusion and disbelief. I'm sure it was the relaxants. When I was finally wheeled to the OR, I was already half out of it, and cognitive thoughts were disappearing. I could see the bright lights and the faces of several doctors and nurses, including my surgeon, Doctor something-or-other. I could hear machines beeping as they taped little stickers with wires to my body. I could feel air-conditioned breezes on my face. The anesthesiologist put the mask on my face and told me to count back from one hundred. 'This is it,', I thought . 'Everything will be back to normal.' I didn't make it past ninety-nine before I passed out. Next thing I knew I was waking up out of a deep slumber, disoriented and dizzy. I could hear voices mumbling in the background, but couldn't make them out. I could sense that it was bright, but kept my eyes shut. My head hurt, and the my throat burned. I laid there, immobile, for about a minute, trying to remember what was going on. I could hear a constant beeping sound in the background, but couldn't register what it was. An alarm? Was it time to wake up? Slowly it dawned on me, like a thought coming out of a fog. 'I switched back', I thought dumbly. This is it. I opened my eyes, and was met with a blur of color and bright lights. I closed them again and leaned back. 'Wow, it hit me harder this time'. A woman's voice could be heard from across the room. "She's coming out of it, doctor. She's waking up." OK, so I was still in the hospital. That made sense, because Scott was in the hospital when I went in for surgery. I thought for a second longer, finding cognitive thoughts difficult to put together. 'I must have passed out in the hospital and they put me in a bed.' Yes, that made sense. Then I felt a hand touching my arm. It was soft and gentle. Jessica? I opened my eyes again, and slowly my vision came back to me. Yes, I was in a hospital bed. There were doctors and nurses walking around, all looking like they had something very important to do. There were machines everywhere, and the bright caustic lights of a medical room. I was laying prone, with a big sheet and a blanket covering me. Oh yeah, and I felt like shit. I blinked a few times and looked to my left. There, standing with a very concerned and caring expression, was... "Pete?" I said, my voice a hoarse whisper. "Yes, babe. I'm right here." Pete said back in a low voice. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. My heart started to pound. "What? What's going on?" I started to look around more, noticing the mound protruding from my chest under the blankets, nothing my slender hands and still well manicured fingernails. "Why...why am I here?" The same woman's voice, now behind me, responded to Pete. "She's still disoriented. This is very common when first waking from anesthesia, plus we have her on a heavy dose of morphine for the pain." My head whipped around to her, causing my headache to increase dramatically. "Who? What? This shouldn't..." I couldn't think. I wasn't supposed to be in this body. The baby ? was the baby still in me? Didn't they do the surgery? Suddenly, a loud beeping came from the monitor directly behind me. "OK, hon, you need to calm down a bit," said the nurse, pressing a button that I later learned released measured doses of the morphine. Looking at Pete, she said, "This is all normal." 'No it's not!" was the last thought I had before passing out again. I woke up sometime later ? I couldn't say when ? and discovered that I was out of the main hospital area and in a private hospital room. Pete was there this time, as was my surgeon, Dr. Scolini, and two nurses. They were all chatting in the corner when they heard me stir. "Ah, Ms. Thomas, you're awake," the surgeon said, with a smile on his face. How do you feel? "I...I...I'm still tired," was all I could manage. 'Why am I still Stephanie?' is what I wanted to shout, but the spell was still there, front of center, preventing exactly that type of outburst. "I can imagine. That's to be expected," the surgeon said soothingly. Like Dr. Scolini, he had a deep voice that oozed intelligent and credibility. He stepped up to the bed, followed by the other four. Pete held my hand but didn't say a word. "So, let me tell you what's going on. I have some good news," he paused with a wan smile, "and some bad news. I'd like to give you both if you're up for it." "Sure," I managed, my mind reeling. "First, the good news. The surgery was a complete success, and you're going to be fine. We did a biopsy on the mass in your reproductive system, and it was benign, although it showed signs of being pre- cancerous. It could have easily metastasized into something far more serious. We're very lucky we caught it when we did." I didn't understand exactly what he said, but it sounded good, and Pete seemed pleased. I nodded. "Now the bad news." He stopped for a moment, looking at Pete. Pete sighed. My heart rate increased again. "The mass itself had spread, as can happen in rare cases. Yours was particularly aggressive, and had wrapped itself around both ovaries and was starting to crawl down your fallopian tubes, almost like an ivy. Honestly, I hadn't seen anything like it." I didn't know where he was going, so I simply nodded. Did they not do the surgery? "We tried to remove it, but it was too ingrained. It had fused with your healthy cells. After an in-surgery consult with our chief of surgery, who's one of the best in the nation, we decided that we had no choice but to complete a full hysterectomy." I shook the remaining fog from my mind. "A...a what?" I said, my pulse quickening per the monitor. "What are you saying?" Dr. Scolini stepped forward. "Stephanie, they had no choice. If they left your uterus and ovaries in your body, it could have led to a severe form of cancer. They had to remove them. When you feel better, we'll discuss what this means and some options available to you, like hormone therapy and counseling." "But...but..." I couldn't figure out what this meant. Dr. Scolini looked at the rest of the medical staff. "We'll leave the two of you alone for a bit. There's plenty of time to talk, after you rest." They slowly walked out of the room, a solemn procession. Pete sat down next to the bed, holding my hand tightly. "Steph, I'm so sorry. They didn't have any options." "I know, but what does that mean?" "I don't know. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're OK." He kissed me on the cheek. Suddenly we both heard voices from outside the door. Familiar voices. It was Jessica. I heard her ask if she could come in, and heard the nurse answer in the affirmative. Jessica came in, with Scott in tow. Jessica was smiling, but Scott looked absolutely devastated. It was obvious he'd been crying. Jessica came over and gave me a hug. "I'm so glad you're feeling OK." I hugged her back but I looked over her shoulder at Scott. He held my gaze and, although he struggled, he managed to mouth the words 'I am so so sorry.' Apparently that wasn't in violation of the spell. 'Me too,' I mouthed back. I held Jessica hug for several seconds, never taking my eyes off Scott. As I looked at him, I started to understand what happened. You see, Stephanie made a mistake when she made her wish. A huge mistake. She had set it up so that I would remain in her body, with the spell intact, until I heard the cry of my newborn baby. That made sense, assuming that the baby was well. Unfortunately, she didn't think about what would happen if the baby wasn't born. I hugged Jessica more tightly as I realized what this meant. Oh God! Normally, it would have meant that I would have had to get pregnant again and carry the baby to term. Not a big deal, it just would have been a little bit longer than we expected. But now...but... now...what does this mean? I looked at Scott again, and he could see the recognition in my eyes. He nodded slowly, and then looked down. I started to cry. I was stuck. This was my life. Oh God, what was I going to do? EPILOGUE ? One Year Later Looking back, I'm still amazed how well I was able to adjust to all of this. They say it takes two weeks for something to become a habit, which might be true. However, after a year, it becomes reality. In all honesty, now, I simply can't imagine life any other way. That wasn't immediately the case. After I first received that news in the hospital, and understood what it meant, I went into a fairly deep depression. I couldn't handle it. Pete and Jessica both thought it was because of the baby, and the hysterectomy, but only Amy, Scott and I knew the truth. It was a loss far greater than only that of the young child. I stayed in the hospital for about a week, dealing with the pain of post-surgery healing, and then spent another week on bed rest at home before I could finally move around. During that time, Amy was a crutch for me. Our conversations took a very different turn, and this went from an exciting adventure to a nightmare as we discussed what it meant for me to stuck in this position permanently. I was a woman. A wife. A completely different position in the world, in society. I didn't know how I was going to do it, and Amy invested many hours simply listening to me, counseling me. Jessica was incredible as well, although I couldn't be as open with her as I wanted to be. We talked for hours as well. She was shocked at how hard this was hitting Scott, and again, I couldn't explain why, which broke my heart. I didn't want to keep any secrets from my best friend. I knew from Amy that Scott was doubly devastated, both because of what he had done to me and because of what he had lost. I felt badly for him, and continuously asked Amy to remind him that I didn't blame him for what happened. Neither of us ever thought this could possibly happen. I went through formal counseling as well, although that was designed to help me adjust to the fact that I was no longer able to bear children. We discussed other options ? adoption being the main one. Even surrogacy wasn't an option at this point, because we didn't harvest any eggs. I wasn't that interested in discussing children at this point, although it did help to talk to a professional generally. I developed a good relationship with my counselor. I started hormone therapy to make up for what was normally produced by these key parts of my female anatomy. Fortunately, the magic of the spell remained intact, and apparently there was no half-life to the wish. It continued to remain as strong as ever. After about a month of depression, I started to feel better. I started to turn the corner and realize that I had to deal with the situation, whether I wanted to or not. I accepted the fact that I had settled into life as Stephanie, and that it wasn't that bad of a life. After all, Pete and I had a great time together, and, whether the emotions were real or fabricated, I truly loved him. I enjoyed my job, and I started to see that life as a woman, a beautiful woman, was a good life after all. Pete and I continued to enjoy our enhanced sex life, and continued to experiment with ways to spice it up from time to time. This only brought us closer, and boy oh boy, I have to admit that I never once missed sex as a man. If Pete only knew! Jessica and I were closer than ever, and Scott and I settled into our reverse relationship. Scott started to accept his new lot in life, and, by the end of that first month, he started to pull out of his depression as well. I guess we both realized that this was how it was going to be. Amy and I grew much closer too, and I was so honored when she asked me to be the matron of honor at her wedding scheduled for the upcoming summer. We've had a blast working through the wedding plans, and it's going to be a spectacular ceremony up in Aspen, just like Pete and I had. I had never planned a wedding as a woman before, honestly, and had no idea how much fun it was. Pete and I decided not to adopt ? at least not for now. Instead, we continued our life as young social butterflies, enjoying the best that Denver had to offer. We went skiing, hiking, and rafting. We took a spectacular trip to Maui in the spring, and I enjoyed the feeling of sitting on the beach, showing off my spectacular body in a bright string bikini. On the days that Pete went golfing in Hawaii, which was every other day, I spent my time flirting with guys, but every night I was back to Pete. I knew I would never be unfaithful to him, and that our love would continue to grow stronger every day. So now, one year later, I'm back in the hospital and in fact back in the maternity ward. As I said, it's hard to believe that so much time has passed so quickly. I can't even remember what it was like to be Scott ? honestly, I no longer even think about it ? but I sure do know what it means to support a good friend, especially with what she's about to go through. You see, Jessica gave in to Scott's continued requests to try for a baby, and she got pregnant about three months after I had my surgery. I was thrilled for her, and I enjoyed her pregnancy with her every step of the way as we watched her baby, and her body, develop over the nine months. We were so close, working through it every step of the way, that she asked me to be here in the birthing room with her as she goes through labor. So with Scott, his face beaming with pride and joy, on one side of the bed, and me on the other, Jessica had two coaches prompting her to breathe and push. Fortunately, with the epidural firmly in place, the labor pain wasn't that bad. And, at the end of the day, both Scott and I got our wish ? the opportunity to witness the Greatest Miracle of Life!