II- What to Do?

"So… what are you going to do?" Jimmy asked me.

I glanced up at him. I had cleaned up the pregnancy kit and now we were in my room. I had been staring dumbly at the pregnancy test that had come out positive.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know Pete. You took a pregnancy test and it came out positive. What do you think I mean?" he snapped.

"It has to be a false positive… right?" I had asked, gulping as I stared at him

"Well… I read somewhere that it's happened…" Jimmy said, his eyes downcast.

"Wh-what?" I asked.

"That a dude that was once a chick can still get pregnant… Are you sure you're 100% male?"

"Yes…" I sighed, trying to convince myself that Jimmy wouldn't tease me at a time like this.

Jimmy glared at me, or it appeared he glared. With all that squinting it's hard to tell sometimes.

"What?" I muttered.

"Look, I'm sure we can figure this out on our own, man."

There was silence for a while as we thought about what could have caused the pregnancy test to come out positive… besides the obvious, I mean.

"Was it damaged?" Jimmy asked suddenly.

"No- wait, I threw it against the door…"

"Well there you go then. That's all there is to it, Petey."

He looked pleased with himself.

"Jimmy… Will you do me a favor?" I asked, standing from my bed.

"For you, anything." Jimmy said.

I smiled at his eagerness.

"I need you to go get me more of these." I said, waving the P.T. in his face.

"What?" Jimmy asked, eagerness gone.

"Just to be sure. Two should do."

I handed him some money and saw him roll his eyes.

"Aw man… this is fucked up." He muttered as he left my room.

-Later-

I was in the bathroom again. It was like, three in the morning or something. I'm not sure. All I knew was that earlier that day Jimmy had returned with a pack of three pregnancy tests. And after I checked the expiration date on the box, I had thanked him and he had left. I don't blame him. I would have liked to leave the situation too.

But, I waited until I had to pee again to take the next one. And it came out positive, like the first one. I was starting to panic now. One coming out positive wasn't a big deal (seeing as it had been "damaged"), but two? I had gone back to my room to think things through. Was it possible? No. Was it probable? Hell no. Was it actually happening? Maybe. God, how I didn't want to believe it then.

I sat at my desk, my laptop open. My fingers were poised over the keys, ready to type into the Internet search bar. And I was telling myself how damn stupid it was. But I typed it in anyway. Male Pregnancy. I looked through the results, finally deciding on Wikipedia. After reading a short paragraph about seahorses, I found what I was looking for.

And I was scared shitless by the end of the second paragraph.

'Robert Winston, a pioneer of in-vitro fertilization, told London's Sunday Times that "male pregnancy would certainly be possible." Ectopic implantation of the embryo along the abdominal wall, and resulting placenta growth would, however, be very dangerous and potentially fatal for the host, and is therefore unlikely to be studied in humans. Gillian Lockwood, medical director of Midland Fertility Services, a British fertility clinic, noted that the abdomen is not designed to separate from the placenta during delivery, hence the danger of an ectopic pregnancy. The question is not 'Can a man do it?' " Says bioethicist Glenn McGee. "It's 'If a man does have a successful pregnancy, can he survive it?' "

I remember that I felt light headed, and had to lay my head on the desk for a bit. If I was pregnant… was I going to die? I needed… I needed a doctor. That was all there was to it. I had to make an appointment to go to a hospital, and find out for certain through a blood test.

'And what if you really are pregnant?' I asked myself. 'In that highly unlikely situation, what will you do?'

I sat up and placed my hand on my stomach. 'Are you willing to die for this… this child that might be growing inside you?'

I swallowed. God, I didn't want to think about it.

Wait, why was I thinking about it? How stupid. I was a boy, therefore, not pregnant. The end. No more thoughts on the subject.

But then, how could I be sure? While I was trying to convince myself that such things just simply didn't happen, there was that feeling… A little feeling of dread that told me it was true…

So, I made an appointment to go see my doctor. My mother signed me in, then left for a lunch meeting at work. I sat in the waiting room, trying to distract myself from being bored, when something occurred to me: Should I tell Gary?

Well, yes, obviously I should. But would I? I ran my hand through my hair. I couldn't… What would he say? Or do? He was so unpredictable, there was no way to tell.

If I was pregnant, would he believe me? Probably not. I couldn't even believe it at the time, because that's just what I had always been told. Only girls get pregnant. Only girls can support a fetus. Only women go through child birth…

A shiver ran up my spine. I hadn't even thought about that. How the hell was the kid going to get out of my body? I looked up at the ceiling as all kinds of horrific images came to mind.

I almost started crying, I couldn't deal with things like that.

Soon though, my name was called and I blinked back my tears as I followed the nurse into an examination room.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" the nurse finally asked after taking my height, weight, and blood pressure.

"I've been vomiting for the past three weeks. I haven't been running a fever. And I really don't know what could be wrong with me…" I trailed off, nervous.

She nodded, writing stuff on a clip board.

"Anything else?" she asked, looking up at me.

"Yeah… um, I… You see, some of the boys at school locked me in the bathroom in our dorm. I had been sick for a week and a half, and they were just teasing me, but… They wouldn't let me out until I took a… a pregnancy test." I said, feeling my face burn. "And… well… It… it kind of came out positive."

She glanced up at me, her eyes wide.

"I was just wondering if that… should happen?"

"No. This is very serious. Peter, stay here." She said, getting up and leaving.

'Like I was going anywhere?' I thought. But fear settled in my stomach. She had sounded seriously worried.

Not long after, she came back with my doctor, Dr. Cauldwell, and a male doctor I didn't know.

"Peter, how are you?" my doctor asked.

"I'm sick." I answered, starting to feel panicky.

"Peter, Nurse Sparks tells us you took a pregnancy test and it came out positive?"

"Actually, I took four. All positive." I whispered, looking up at Dr. Cauldwell.

Cauldwell's eyes grew worrisome.

"Peter, do you know what that could mean?" he asked me.

I shook my head no.

"It could mean testicular or prostate cancer." He answered.

That was something I hadn't expected. And it hit me like a freight train. I felt numb all over. I had thought my only worry was being pregnant. How wrong I was. The rest of the day passed in a blur. Tests. Blood tests mostly. My parents were called in. I remember my mother cried. We stayed in the hospital that night. And I don't remember being able to feel anything. I went back to Bullworth a few days later. It would be maybe a week until all the results were in.

Meanwhile, though, my parents fretted over me. Jimmy would come see me everyday. I talked, smiled, laughed. But it was all automatic responses. Inside, there was nothing. What should I be feeling? Fear? Sadness? Worry? Instead… simply nothing. I don't remember sleeping at all. Then my mother got the call from the hospital. All the tests came back negative. They wanted to conduct more tests on me.

The hospital again, having my blood taken. And after another week, my doctor finally called us in to meet a specialist who had contacted him. My mother took me. We were seen almost immediately. We sat in an examination room, my mother in a chair and I on the end of the examination table. Dr. Cauldwell came in with a woman. She was thin, tall, and not very old. Early forties. She had long black hair that fell straight down her back. She was smiling pleasantly at me.

"Good morning. I'm Dr. Abernathy. You must be Peter. I'm very excited to meet you." She said, holding out her hand.

I shook it. "Good morning."

She shook my mother's hand and sat down in a chair beside Cauldwell.

Cauldwell cleared his throat. "Well, after extensive testing, it's all come back negative. Nothing was found to suggest that Peter has cancer, of any kind. My medical team and I were stumped as to what could be wrong. Dr. Abernathy contacted us, wanting to meet you…"

"Yes. Peter, I work in a special institute. One that helps people like you through what you're going to go through. Peter, I know what's wrong with you. I've gone through your files, and I'm more than certain that you're pregnant." Dr. Abernathy said, her pleasantness never faltering.

My mother inhaled sharply. "Excuse me?"

With the news that I didn't have cancer, my feeling came back. And what I felt was dread. Yes, I was happy that I was in good health. But my previous worries fell right back into place.

Dr. Abernathy was explaining to my mother.

"Your son is one of the few males of our species who has… evolved in such a way that his body can support the process of bearing young. The institute I work for has documented almost 200 births since it opened some fifty years ago. Peter…" she turned to me. "You know, don't you? Your instincts are telling you that you're pregnant, aren't they?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I… I do have the feeling. But… how is it possible?"

"The human race has been on this planet a long time, Peter. And we do not yet fully know what caused it. If it was radiation, or evolution, we don't know. But we've found that some males of the human species have acquired the ability to become pregnant. They have female organs, a uterus and ovaries, inside them."

I could tell by her tone that she was very passionate about this subject, and I made a face.

"How come I don't have a period then?"

"Your body has evolved beyond that. Your body will only release an egg if it… well, senses sperm. It's a very complicated process, and we've made many new discoveries an-"

"Wait. 'Senses sperm'? Who's sperm?" my mother asked, angry.

Shit.

I buried my head in my hands, trying to control my blush and tears that threatened to overtake me.

"Well, the father's sperm. Peter would traditionally be given the 'Mother' title."

"If, Doctor, what you're saying is true- and I highly doubt it is- where is your proof? Surely we would have heard something of this mutation by now."

"Ms. Kowalski, the families we cater to don't wish to be put in public light. We even request they don't spout to the world what they've been through. The world, as you are very clearly proving, isn't ready for this information to be public knowledge. The institute I work for is a government run health care facility. We are scattered all over the world. While male pregnancy is very rare, it does happen. I came here today to ask you, Ms. Kowalski, to turn Peter's healthcare over to me. But, with or without your permission, it will be."

"What institute are you talking about?" my mother asked.

"The Kazoku Institute, Ms. Kowalski. We are a world secret. Our patients and their families, and the world governments are the only people who know of us. Now, do I have your permission to take over Peter's health care?" Dr. Abernathy asked.

My mother was silent for a moment before turning to me. Her expression was soft.

"Peter… I highly doubt what she's saying is true. But, if it is… who's the baby's father?"

God, I would have given anything for the floor to swallow me up.

We went home that night with questions swimming in our heads. Dr. Abernathy had invited us to tour the facility if my mom still had doubts about her sincerity to the situation I had found myself in. We would be leaving in a week. My mom would then either give them permission to take care of me, or they would take me regardless. But now that my suspicions had been confirmed, I had this odd feeling.

My mom had explained everything to my father. It was going to take some time for him to come to terms with the fact that his sixteen year old son was pregnant.

I was sitting on the window seat, staring outside. Every now and then I would put my hand on my stomach. Why? That was my only question. What the rest of this question was I didn't know.

Jimmy interrupted my thoughts, opening the door to my room.

"Hey, Pete." He said, giving me a small smile.

"Hey Jimmy."

"So… what did the doctor say?" Jimmy asked, sitting down beside me.

"I don't have cancer."

Jimmy sighed, relieved. "That's great!"

"Yeah." I said, smiling sadly.

"Okay, what's wrong?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"They figured out what was wrong with me."

Jimmy frowned, worried. "What is it?"

"I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you." I answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can you keep a secret?" I asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, I won't tell anyone Petey." Jimmy said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

" I'm… I'm pregnant."

The words didn't come easy, and they made me feel ashamed. What had I done? What was I going to do? And… could I? Could I take care of the kid?

Jimmy gaped. "What?"

I stood, crossing my arms. "I'm pregnant."

"How?"

"I… The same way a girl gets pregnant." I answered, feeling my face begin to burn.

There was silence. I couldn't bring myself to say anything, or turn around. I didn't want to have to explain to Jimmy how I had gotten pregnant. How could I explain that the boy my best friend most hated had taken my God damn virginity, and gotten me pregnant? Jimmy probably didn't believe me anyway… I mean my mom still didn't completely believe me.

Jimmy sighed. "Pete… You're being stupid. You can't be pregnant. You're a boy."

"That's not what the doctor told me." I answered, turning to face him.

"What kind of doctor are you going to?" Jimmy asked, glaring at anything but me.

"Well, up till now I had been going to a normal doctor. But, now, thanks to Ga- I mean… I'm going to a… you know… special doctor now." I finished, rubbing the back of my neck.

He actually glared at me now. "What were you going to say? Thanks to who?"

"It's nothing. Forget it. I… I'm hungry. You want food?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

Jimmy stood up, ready to follow me into the kitchen. The kitchen was empty because my parents were upstairs, talking in their room with the door shut. That didn't make me feel better about this. You know if your parents have to talk in private about you it's not something you should be proud of.

I found some left over brownies and some fruit salad among the contents of the fridge and put them on the counter. I got us some bowls and spoons before hopping up to sit on the counter. Jimmy was busy filling the bowls with fruit, so I grabbed a brownie out of the container and started eating. For some reason it didn't taste right. I sniffed it. It smelled fine.

"Taste these." I said, sliding the container over to Jimmy.

"Why?" he asked, picking one up to examine it.

"They don't taste right to me. Tell me what you think."

He took a bite, chewed, and swallowed.

"Tastes fine to me." He said, shrugging.

I hopped off the counter and went to open the fridge. What sounded good? Cheese… and… sour cream. That sounded good… really good, to be honest. And I wasn't really aware of what I was doing until I took another bite out of the brownie. It tasted fine now. I hopped back onto the counter, eating my cheese and sour cream brownie, unaware Jimmy was staring at me until he spoke.

"Uh, Pete? What… did you do to that brownie?"

"I put sour cream and cheese on it. Why?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"That's disgusting." He said, going back to his fruit salad.

"It tastes fine now!" I exclaimed.

He made no reply, just shook his head.

I had like three more of those brownies. It did take me awhile to figure out that the brownies were the start of my cravings, but at the time I didn't think much of it. I had other things on my mind. Like the trip to the place I would reside for my pregnancy and… well, telling Gary. Even if he wasn't going to believe me, I was going to tell him. He did, after all, have a right to know. Going to that place to see him though, scared me. I didn't want to take unnecessary risks. And with the Asylum being so dirty and disease ridden, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to go.

I finally came to the decision to talk to Dr. Abernathy about it. She would be able to figure it out, I was sure.

-End Ch. 2-

Okay… so it took a long time. I mean a really, really long looooooooong time, but it's done. And that's all I care about. Okay that's not true. I do care about how long it takes me to finish writing something, and I'm sorry! Okay, so… all reviews are appreciated, and I hope I can make this story enjoyable for ALL my readers, even those who don't particularly like this genre… But, yes… reviews (especially constructive criticism) are win.