Randall had taken the bus to his Lamaze class. When he walked in, he looked for the girls. He was nervous about talking to them. He did spot them in the farthest corner. He slowly went over to talk to them.
"Hi, girls." He said cautiously. He was going to keep a distance.
Lisa, Fiona, Sadie, and Iona all looked sternly at him.
"How could you get Rhoda sent to prison and our brothers killed?!" Fiona sobbed angrily.
He was taken aback. "Rhoda had joined them to try to bring back that scream extractor and was working with my ex boss. They were going to be causing trouble. They kidnapped me and forced me to work on it. Killing was not the intent on my part. I just wanted to destroy the machine. They just didn't get out in time." Randall tried to explain. "They got caught in the blast. It was an accident."
"Do us a favor, Randall. Just stay away from us." Lisa said as she held onto her friend. "We'll take care of your kids, but from now on, just stay away."
They turned their backs on him, even Sadie.
Randall sadly turned and went to go take a place on the other side of the room. He caught others looking at him as if he had done something evil all over again. Some had heard their conversation.
Luckily, today didn't involve partners for the class. After it was over, the coach called him over and said it might be best that he didn't come anymore, for his own good. But she said that if he could get some Lamaze videos, he could continue learning that way, or if he found another place to go.
Randall knew he didn't have any other option. He didn't want to be around others who despised him so much. He was just trying to get on with his life after what happened. But it was all just a shock too. He might have meant more to stop Waternoose and the machine, but the four boys helping him were a problem too, since Graf had raped him and the others had been nothing but mean to him from the moment they met.
He was on his own now in this. He felt so alone.
When his own doctor heard what had happened, he called him in for an appointment to check on the baby.
The baby was fine and moving about as ever. Randall had needed a break after the incident.
He asked about if he knew where he could take a Lamaze class. They had one up in the maternity ward every Wednesday evening. He was welcome to join it. Randall said he would join it. He might make some new friends there.
….
That weekend, Randall's old bed was moved out and would be taken to the junkyard. He would keep his table and chairs, for when he found a new apartment to live. He would use Fungus's bed now. His bedside table and shelves were taken to Fungus's too.
Randall hadn't had much in the apartment, no more than what the basic stuff was. But he was glad to have moved out now and he gave his landlord the key back.
He hoped he could find a place to live and soon, before the baby came. He was looking for a two bedroom apartment.
After what he had faced at the Lamaze class, he was sure he wouldn't have to associate with the girls again. He might have fathered their kids, but now they wanted nothing to do with him. But it didn't mean he would miss out on the experience of having a kid.
Randall couldn't stand the fact that the father of his child was one of those men associated with Waternoose. But he was gone now, and this child was all he had.
….
Randall signed up for that class at the hospital. He began taking it.
Then he began making a list from the baby book that he had of what he needed to buy for his baby. He was also looking daily at the ads for apartments for a cheap two bedroom. He did want the baby to have his or her own room.
Randall approached his new coach from the class on second time he attended her class.
She was a tall girl that was nearly reptilian like herself, though she had fur. She had four arms and four legs like Randall. She was pinkish in color, and had a thicker amount of hair on her head. Her name was Sondra O'Malley.
"Sondra?" Randall said.
"Yes, Randall." She replied.
"I have to say, that I'm a single guy and with my own child coming as you know, I need to shop for my child's supplies and I have no one to help me get it prepared. I don't have any family, and though I am living currently with a co-worker, and am looking for my own place, he doesn't know anything about kids, and I need some help shopping for my baby's supplies."
Sondra smiled at him. He blushed.
"I'm a mother myself and single as well. I'd be happy to help. My own child is 14 and is a hand full. But I wouldn't give it up for the world." She said. "Even better, I still have my daughter's baby supplies. I can give you the crib, but I'll help you shop for clothing when it's needed and the bedding, and food and other things you'll need. Babies need a lot. They are a lot more fragile than older kids and adults." Sondra said.
"Yeah. I should know. I was a delicate child myself." Randall said.
Sondra got out a piece of paper and wrote her number down. "Here's my number, Randall. You can call me when you want to go shopping. Or if you just want someone to talk to."
"Thanks. I'll let you know. And here's mine. Well, it's my co-worker's number at the time, but he won't mind." Randall said.
"Thank you. You're a nice guy, Randall." Sondra said.
In his mind, he told himself that she had no idea who he used to be. But he didn't want to turn back to that ever again. He had to keep up his new self if he was going to keep and raise this child.
"You're really nice too, Sondra." He said.
He went back to Fungus's, a slightly new feeling on his mind. She was definitely more comfortable to be around.
He didn't have plans to get with another girl anytime soon, but he was willing to be friends with her. Anything that developed would happen in it's own time.
….
As it turned out, Randall couldn't keep his mind off of Sondra. He called her up on Friday and asked if she had this weekend free to go shopping.
She said she had Saturday free, as her daughter was going to spend the weekend at one of her friends' place for a sleepover.
Randall was pleased. Tomorrow he would spend the day with her. He told himself this was not a date. Just friends shopping together, helping him get ready for his baby.
He was at 23 weeks now and he was only halfway there, or was he? He didn't know when he could have it so he needed to get these supplies like now.
The next day, Sondra made her way to Fungus's apartment with the crib she had used years ago. It had been taken apart to make it easier to transport or store in a closet.
Randall saw it in a tote as Sondra lugged it in. He had told Fungus they were getting a guest that was going to take him shopping. The crib was taken to Randall's room. While he stayed here, that would be where the baby stayed.
After the crib was in the room, Randall and Sondra left. She had a car and would drive.
Randall was nervous about being around his coach, but he needed help with all this. He had a big, black shirt on when he left. He just didn't like exposing himself like this.
At the store, they went to the baby section of the supermarket.
Randall thought a lot of the things were real cute. Sondra saw why. He might have been a male, but being pregnant was making him act more like a pregnant female instead.
They talked about themselves to each other while they were shopping, though Randall left out what he did or almost did three years ago. But he did tell her what had happened that got him pregnant in the first place.
Sondra accepted that he was going to have his secrets. She had hers too. She wouldn't push him to tell those secrets if he wasn't comfortable with it. But she noticed something seemed to be bothering him that he didn't want her to know about.
They bought bedding, to not emphasize if it was male or female specifically, toys, a radio, CDs, reading books and a name book. Some clothing for the winter time, blankets. They would worry about diapers and food another time.
They had lunch together with their shopping cart sitting nearby. As they were sitting across from one another, Randall couldn't help feeling like he was on a date. Sondra somewhat had that feeling too. She had been single for so long, but so had Randall, and he was only just becoming a parent.
After lunch and the supplies were paid for, they went back to Fungus's apartment, where they took the supplies by elevator up to the floor and to the home and left the things in the living room for now.
Then they went into Randall's room together, where he took off his shirt and threw it on the bed and he and Sondra started putting the crib together. And the changing table. Randall was surprised at what he had needed for his little one.
They started laughing at each other's jokes at one point and then Randall felt at one time, a good hard kick in his stomach. "Oh!" He panted and put a hand on his belly where he felt it.
"What is it?" Sondra asked.
"I just felt it kick me." He said.
"It'll do that. Believe me, when the baby is born, you will be thrilled it'll finally be in your arms, but when you got so used to feeling it inside you for so long, it takes a long time to get used to not feeling it kicking you anymore. But by the time the final days and weeks are upon you, you want the baby to be out the most, when you've waited for so long to meet them and because your belly will be so big you're going to feel so uncomfortable. I know from experience." Sondra explained.
"Any advice to help me feel more prepared will help." Randall said. He continued rubbing his swollen belly.
"I'll tell what I can." She said.
Soon, they had it all put together and she said she needed to go home. It had been fun, but she still had some chores to do at home before her daughter came home tomorrow.
They said goodbye. Randall gently closed the door after he thanked her for helping him. He had a big grin on his face.
Fungus noticed. He hadn't seen his friend that truly happy in a long time. "You wondering if she might turn out to be the one for you?" Fungus asked him.
"Huh? I don't know. She's my class coach and I just needed her help getting the baby's things, which I knew not much about getting." Randall said. "We're just friends."
Fungus knew that could change. "Hey, it's fine. But it could always change. She's single, you're single. You both could use someone special to make your life complete. A soul mate."
"I don't know. I'm still getting over what happened to me with the other females and the rape. This was never supposed to happen, but I can't change this. I'm having this baby no matter what, Fungus. I'll worry about finding someone later. I'm just not ready for full on dating and the other lovey stuff yet." Randall said.
"Well, just work on keeping her as your friend and things can quickly improve. But she will need to know what you almost did eventually."
"I'll make sure she fully trusts me before I ever tell her that. I don't even want to remember what I almost did to that kid. And now that I'm having one of my own, it makes it harder that I ever did that."
"I understand. But for now, just way to go on the new friendship, Sir." Fungus said.
"Thanks. I hope I can keep her as a friend. Working up to something more is going to take time. I don't want a one night stand kind of thing anymore. I'm willing to commit to this child, and willing to have a committed relationship with a girl as long as she's not using me." Randall said, "But not yet."
So what do you readers think the baby is going to be, boy or girl?
