... nothing happened.
"Just a second. I need to bring someone in who may be able to help," said Dr. Werd.
Dr. Werd left the room and returned a few minutes later with what appeared to be a very nervous young pregnant woman. At least he thought she was pregnant. Her belly bulged beneath her hospital gown, but something just seemed off about her.
"This is Alice, Joe. I think she might be able to help us shed a little light on the situation," said Dr. Werd.
Alice didn't move, refusing to meet Joe's eyes and continued to stare the floor.
"It's okay, Alice. Joe has a similar affliction. If my theory is correct, you may be able to help each other. Go ahead and show him, " said Dr. Werd.
Alice lifted her gown a little and pulled out a long, thin cord. The cord was slick, almost slipping from her grasp, and pulsed rhythmically. It took Joe a second to recognize it - it was an umbilical cord!
Dr. Werd opened Joe's gown, revealing his bare abdomen lacking a belly button. Alice gasped in shock, then quickly covered her mouth, a little embarrassed by her outburst.
Dr. Werd returned to his seat, leaving Joe's belly exposed. He began to write some notes in a chart.
"Now, you both seemed to experience the same phenomena around the same time. I think both of your changes may be related to the same root cause. Can you each tell me exactly what you were doing when....."
The cord suddenly slipped out of Alice's hands. She tried to grasp it, but the slick surface kept it gliding around in her hands. The cord almost seemed to leap forward and Alice fell forward in her seat trying to follow it, landing in Joe's lap. When she pulled herself up, the cord was embedded in Joe's abdomen. The cord continued to pulse. Joe felt something shifting in his belly.
"Fascinating, " said Dr. Werd. He stood up and walked over to Joe, carefully inspecting the cord for some time. Then he reached down and started to tug on it. Both Joe and Alice groaned in pain.
"Stop, it hurts," moaned Alice.
Dr. Werd immediately let go and continued to examine the cord. It continued to pulse and throb. Joe felt a little...odd.
"Amazing. It appears to actually be functioning, transferring blood and other nutrients from mother to child. Well, from one host to another. How does it feel?" asked Dr. Werd.
"A little weird, but it doesn't hurt," said Joe.
"It feels nice, actually, " said Alice. She almost seemed to have a glow about her.
"Well, if you'll excuse me I need to order some more tests. I would like to get some imaging work done, then we can get you two separated again. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes, " said Dr. Werd.
Dr. Werd left the room, leaving Joe and Alice alone. Alice moved over and sat next to Joe. They sat together in nervous silence, both a little uncomfortable. The cord continued to pulse and throb between them. Joe stared up at the clock on the wall of the examining room. It had been over thirty minutes since Dr. Werd had left.
"Should have known better. When a doctor says a minute, he really means an hour," said Joe.
"Honestly, I don't mind the wait. This is kinda nice," said Alice.
"What do you mean?" asked Joe. He was beginning to feel a bit funny, actually. A little light headed.
"I don't know. Just sitting and bonding with you like this. I mean, we are sharing blood, literally becoming a part of one another. I just feel so ... close to you. And I always wanted to have a child, " said Alice.
Joe balked. He was attached to a crazy person. He wanted to detach himself from her right now. Where was that stupid doctor?
"What are you talking about? This is just temporary," said Joe.
"It doesn't have to be. Can't you feel it? We are joining - soon we will be one, " said Alice.
Joe looked up and saw a crooked grin on Alice's face. She was insane. Or this experience had driven her insane. He had to get out of here right now. But that was when he noticed something. He was looking up at Alice - she had been shorter than him when he entered, but now she seemed to tower over him. He jumped to his feet out of the chair and found he was only 3 feet tall! The hospital gown hung around him like a tent.
Joe slipped out of the gown and turned to run. But Alice stood up and held him by the wrists. She easily overpowered him. Joe could feel his strength ebbing as she continued to hold onto him.
"Now, now, little one. Just relax and it will be over soon," said Alice.
She grunted loudly. Joe felt a rush of blood force its way through the umbilical cord and into his body. The room swam around him. He felt dizzy as the room seemed to rapidly expand around him.
"Stop! Whatever you are doing, please stop!" begged Joe, as his voice got softer and higher.
Alice lifted him off the floor, still holding him by the wrists. Joe could not have been more a few feet tall and weighed just a fraction of what he used to. Alice grunted again.
"Just .... a .... little .... longer," said Alice between grunts.
Joe struggled to move, his limbs seeming to have no coordination. He could not resist as Alice lifted her gown and shoved him inside her. Joe felt a moment of pressure as the cervix tightened around him, then he felt a little relief as he found himself in the still tight but roomier uterus. Everything was dark inside. He could not see the amniotic sac that formed around him, trapping him in Alice's womb.
Alice gently rubbed her now full uterus. She stood up, wobbling to the door. She opened it a crack and peaked out. The hallway was lined with nurses and doctors, but no one she recognized. They would all be too busy to notice her. She quietly slipped out of the room, slunk down the hallway and then exited the hospital.
Alice grunted a little as she sat down in her car. It was going to take a little getting used to, being this big, this ...pregnant. But she didn't think she would be pregnant for long. Soon she would give birth a beautiful baby, a baby she would love and adore.
Alice smiled as she drove the car out of the parking lot, eager to begin her new life as a mother.