You wait until your father returns.

In the end you decided to wait, figuring that perhaps it might be somewhat easier seeing your mom again, like that, with someone else there to support you (even if your dad was kind of losing it a bit at the moment, he was still your dad). So, trying not too think too much about the impending meeting, not wanting to build up anymore anxiety in yourself than was really necessary, you spent the next twenty minutes or so amusing yourself by counting dots on the ceiling, before the door to your room swung open again and you watched your dad walk back in.

"Hey son, sorry I was so long," he said, looking thankfully slightly calmer now, "How you feeling now? Those **** wearing off any?"

"Yeah, I think so," you told him, glad of his return, "I actually feel pretty good now. Pretty sure I could get up and walk."

"That's good. So uh, I guess...I guess you wanna go see your mom now?"

"Yeah. I think I better should."

"No use putting it off, huh?" he sort of half jokingly replied, before quickly dismissing himself. "I mean, uh, she'll be...she'll be pleased to see you."

Once again feeling sorry for his predicament but not knowing quite what to say, you simply nodded at this and gave your father a comforting little smile.

"Alright then, I guess we'd better get you out of bed," he then told you, clapping his hands together assertively and making his way towards your bed, asking as you began to shuffle around beneath the covers, "You need a hand?"

"Nah, it's okay. I think I've got it," you said, pulling the bed sheet off yourself and swinging your legs out over the end of the bed, finding that although they did feel slightly heavy from laying in bed for so long, you could actually move them fine, and a couple of seconds later you were up and standing.

Though your dad had brought you some clothes that he pointed out sitting in a bag in the corner, you decided it was probably best not to wear them just yet, not being entirely sure how much longer you were gonna be stuck in here and not wanting to have to go through the hassle of changing in and out of them, when the hospital gown you were wearing would do just fine.

"Okay, lets go see your mom then," you dad said, grabbing the door for you and placing his hand on your back to lead you through. Navigating the hospital corridor, he then led you down a path you vaguely sort of remembered Saunders and Kerry having taken you before, your mother's room not actually being all that far away from your own. "Just remember now son, she's been through a lot," you father informed you as he paused before going in, "so try and keep it together and just treat her the same as you always would." (these words once again sounding almost like they for both of your benefit and not just yours).

Gently tapping first on the door, your dad then pushed it open and let you go first, entering the room rather gingerly to find the woman who was now your mother sitting up on the bed, with her knees up and a book resting upon them, looking over at you with a smile.

"Tim!" she beamed, her voice a familiar soft purr that you recognized instantly from your computer, but not in the last way recognizable as your mother's, as Amber Knights incredibly sexy, porn star face lit up with joy, "Oh my Goodness, it's so good to see you! I was worried sick when they told me what had happened."

Obviously taken aback seeing her like this again, no matter how much you'd prepared yourself, you almost sort of froze and awkwardly stuttered in response, "Huh-Hi mom..." as your dad then entered the room behind you. Flashing you a smile that kind of said it all, expressing her understanding and sympathy over how difficult this must all seem for you, she then glanced up at your dad and acknowledged his presence, "Hi, Paul."

"Hey, Jen, how are you doing?" he asked, placing a hand onto your shoulder, "Sorry I haven't been in since yesterday, but I thought bringing Tim in to see you might make up for that."

"It's okay," she responded softly looking up at him with a smile, "and it does.", before looking again at you. " I'm so happy to see that you're okay, sweetheart. You gave us quite a scare back there."

"I'm...I'm sorry mom. I kind of freaked out."

"That's okay. I don't blame you. I practically did something similar myself when the doctors first showed me a mirror. This isn't exactly an easy thing to get used to."

"You're...you're okay though, right?" you asked her, remembering what Saunders has said, but wanting to hear it for yourself.

"Yes, I'm fine. Better than fine actually. This new body might be...well, strange, but Stephanie was far fitter and healthier than I ever was. The poor girl." Her voice dipped slightly as she said this, bringing to mind something that you really hadn't given much thought too; and that was the fact that Amber (or Stephanie) was actually dead, something that it was obvious your mother had clearly been thinking about a lot, a deep sympathy evident in her (now) electric blue eyes. "It might be a bit of an uphill struggle getting used to everything, but at least I'm alive," she then continued, breaking again into a smile, "At least I've still got you guys. Things could have been much, much worse."

This was very true, and although you were more relieved than anything that this hadn't happened, it didn't exactly make things any less weird.

"How about you?" she then asked, sensing this fact, as she peered into your eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," you replied, remembering what your father had said, but needing to tell her the truth, "It's just kind of strange I guess...seeing you like this."

"I know, sweetheart, and of course it is. But we'll get through this together, as a family. My body might have changed, but I haven't. I still love you all just the same."

"I love you too, mom," you told her, feeling a lump forming in your throat, the strangeness of it all, adding to hearing your mother tell you that causing you to slightly well up (even if it did seem like, for all intensive purposes, it was somebody else entirely saying it to you).

Thankfully before either you or your mom got too choked up, your Dad stepped in, saying a little awkwardly from behind, "Uhm, Jen...I uh, I spoke to Dr. Saunders a little while ago and he said that they'd probably be able to release you this afternoon after one more visit from the neurologist.", this information causing both you and your mother to smile, before quickly adding, "And Tim as well...once he signs the paperwork."

Slightly confused by this, not entirely sure what he was referring to, you quickly spun around and looked at your father, asking, "Wait, what paperwork?"

"You haven't told him yet?" your mother asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"I thought it might be best if he heard it from you," was your father's response, as they both ignored the fact that you were standing right there.

Not enjoying being left in the dark, realizing that from the sound of it this was something important, you asked, louder now, "Told me what?" grabbing both of their attention.

Letting out a long sigh, your mother beckoned you closer towards her, "Come here, sweetheart," and somewhat nervously you did; still admittedly quite intimidated by the sight of this gorgeous looking porn star, even though you knew inside it was your mother, having fantasized and masturbated over this body many a time; a fact that made you feel all the more awkward and guilty as you approached. Stopping in front of her bed, trying to ignore the two huge lumps that were sticking dramatically out from her chest, she then took your hand in hers and began to softly explain, "Now as terrible and tragic as this accident was, Tim, and as truly unfortunate as it was that the young woman who's body I'm now in had to die, the simple fact of the matter is that I should be dead. The operation Dr. Kerry performed on me was highly experimental and not properly sanctioned by the hospital. Which means that as far as everyone else is concerned, I died on that operating theater, and it was Stephanie who lived."

"Buh-but she didn't," you mumbled, not entirely sure where she was going with this, "You did!"

"Well I know that and you know that, and the doctors know that. But as for everyone else, they have no idea what Dr. Kerry did. They don't know that he put my brain inside her body; the other doctors and nurses, they simply saw my body die and Stephanie Burke's somehow miraculously awake. And that's why we've all decided," she told you, glancing towards your dad, "...your father and I, as well as David and Tabitha, that that's exactly what we're going to continue to let everyone think."