It comes late. The appointment isn't till the end of next week

You had to wait a long time unfortunately. Hearing nothing from Randall for the entire weekend. An entire weekend that was spent almost exclusively locked inside your bedroom, ignoring everyone else and resisting the temptation to Google 'babies' or 'fatherhood', or anything at all to do with pregnancy. Well aware that it would only make your current emotional state that much worse.

In the end, you were **** to text him. Asking on the Sunday night what was going on and whether he'd made an appointment yet.

Randall: Sorry, dude. Been tryin. All I get is answer message on Saunder's prvt line.

You: Can't u just call the hospital and leave a message?

Randall: Saunders said not 2 contact them on anything but that number. I'll try again Monday.

Monday?! you said to yourself, That's a whole other day. Which meant that they probably wouldn't be able to see him until the Tuesday, at the earliest. You really didn't think you could wait that long. These last two days had been hell enough as it was. You needed to know what was going to happen, one way or another, now!

Sadly it seemed there really was nothing else you could do until he got a hold of them. Both Dr. Kerry and Dr. Saunders being fancy surgeons, they no doubt had weekends off to go play gold or something like that (at least this was what movies had told you), and the private line was presumably a precaution to limit the number of people who could possibly discover the real nature of Randall's operation, and the transplant. As infuriating as it was, it did make sense if you really thought about it.

And so, with nothing to do but wait, you awoke the next day after very little sleep and got yourself dressed. Texting Randall on the way to school for an update, before thinking better of it and deciding just to pay him a visit instead. Screw anyone spotting us together! Right now, this was way more important than any of that.

"Excuse me, Miss. Card. I couldn't have a word about my essay could I?" you asked on storming into his classroom. Finding Randall sitting there behind his desk, chatting away with Mr. Hanson.

While his initial reaction was once again one of shock, his priorities quickly changed. Turning to Mr. Hanson then and asking, "You couldn't just give me a minute here, could you George?"

"No problem," Mr. Hanson smiled. "See you for coffee at recess?"

Randall nodded at this and Hanson went on his way, giving you a friendly enough glance as he passed, which before might have really rubbed you the wrong way. Back when you were jealous of him and Randall's friendship and were paranoid that he was trying to get into his pants. Now though, none of that really mattered and he no longer seemed like any kind of threat. After all, you were the one who had impregnated Randall. He was currently carrying your child. That fact alone, in a strange sort of way, giving you a slight feeling of superiority.

As soon as Mr. Hanson was gone, Randall's voice instantly changed into a paranoid whisper. Telling you to shut the door as he got up from behind his desk and asked, "What are you doing here? Class starts in like five minutes!"

"Isn't it obvious?" you responded. Like there would be any other reason. "Did you call them? Did you get a hold of Dr. Saunders?"

"Yes, I did. First thing this morning."

"And?"

"And I've got an appointment for Thursday afternoon."

"Thursday!? Couldn't you get anything sooner?" You'd had a hard enough time making it to today.

"I tried, but they're both flying out to some medical conference in Austria today and won't be back till then," Randall explained. "It was the best he can do. That is, unless I want to see a regular doctor."

A regular doctor? You hadn't really thought about this as an option truth be told, but it made sense. If Saunders and Kerry were busy, why not?

"Can't you just do that then?" you asked him.

Randall's reply however was a definitive "Fuck no, dude! I'm not letting some total stranger who doesn't know I'm really a guy feel me up and shit. Plus, what if the brain transplant causes some sort of complications? They won't have a clue what's going on."

He did have a fair point there. As much as it pained you, Dr. Kerry and Dr. Saunders were the only two people you could really go to with this. After all, it wasn't your normal, everyday pregnancy. Who knows what could happen.

"I suppose. Shit," you grimaced. This having not been what you'd been hoping to hear at all.

Just then the bell for first period rang and you realized it was time to leave. Randall hurriedly escorting you out the door and telling you that he'd speak to you after school. Reminding you to keep your interactions to a minimum again, especially now. "The last thing we want is people pinpointing that you're the father. There's enough rumors out there about me already!"

**** to wait it out then for another three days, time seemed to move extra slowly, and you found yourself practically sleepwalking through class after class. Barely paying attention to anything. Not your teachers, not Sean, not even Gretchen Collins (who you'd basically ended up snubbing a few times in the hall). Your mind being exclusively focused on the baby inside Randall's stomach and your impending fatherhood. Wondering to yourself, that if push came to shove and you really did have to have the baby, could you be a good dad?

I guess I could give it a shot, you told yourself, trying to be as positive as you could. My dad was pretty great growing up, so at least I have a strong foundation to work from. You certainly wouldn't do what Randall's father had done and run at the first sign of trouble that's for sure. Shit. Randall's dad, you suddenly realized, He's gonna be a grandfather. ...Kind of. Though technically they wouldn't be blood related, in a sense they'd be grandfather and grandchild. Mentally at least. Would Randall tell him? Would he need his support? Would he even come back into his life if he did? So much to fucking think about...

There was indeed, and you were admittedly still thinking about it when Thursday finally arrived. Receiving a text from Randall before school, telling you the appointment was indeed a go and that he'd pick you up after school, in front of Rudie's Grill, so that it didn't look suspicious. Rudie's being burger joint about five minutes walk from the school gate, and somewhere that you'd be less likely to get spotted getting into Randall's car.

With the appointment at the hospital impending then, making it through the school day was even harder than the last. Your brain being all abuzz with what might happen. Almost losing it at one point during 5th period Government when you'd heard yet another couple of girls quietly giggling about how Mr. Hanson had gotten Randall "knocked up". Wanting to turn round and punch them square in the face. You didn't though, managing to keep your cool. Instead focusing, as you had been for the rest of the lesson, on Randall as he explained the various different political systems that have been in place throughout the ages. Still somehow managing to carry on teaching away like everything was normal, even with all the stuff that was weighing heavily on his mind as well. I really wish I could be that calm.

After the bell rang and sixth period was over, you couldn't get out of the building fast enough. Brushing off an offer to hang with Sean and hurrying towards Rudie's. Not wanting to keep Randall waiting a second later for his appointment than he had to.

"You all ready? How'd you feel?" you asked him as you climbed in the car.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Randall replied. Looking a lot more nervous now than you'd seen him back in class, but still not quite as nervous as you currently were. "You?"

"As good as I'm ever gonna be given the situation." This basically being your way of saying you were shitting bricks. Seeing how this would be where you get the real information. The test may have told you he was pregnant, but that was just part of the story. There was so much else to know and to find out. The most important being whether Randall was actually going to keep it or not. Still being in two minds about which one you'd actually prefer.

Neither of you talked about this though. Nor did you make mention of college and what he had said about not letting this "fuck up your life" on the Friday. This presumably also being something you would need to discuss further, once you'd seen the doctors.

You did however, ask him at one point during the drive, "You uh, you felt it moving or kicking or anything? You know... the baby?" Becoming rather curious about this as you gazed down at his stomach. It being more pronounced while he was sitting.

"Seriously, dude?" Randall was quick to mock. "It'll be like two, three months old at the most. The size of a fucking golf ball or something. There's no way it'll be kicking."

You admittedly didn't really know a hell of a lot about babies in the womb, so the mocking was probably warranted. Still, with the size of Randall's belly, you really thought it would have been a little bigger than that.

You'd find all this out soon enough though, arriving at the hospital ten minutes later and giving one another a last little look of assurance, before stepping out of the car and heading then towards the hospital entrance. You, still with your backpack slung over your shoulders and Randall, still in his high heels, pencil skirt and blouse. To everyone else's eyes, a teacher and her student. Or possibly an adult and her nephew. But to yourselves you knew, you were much more than that. You were two best friends... equals even, that soon enough, would have a new title. A mother and a father.