Jon picked up the stone. It was lucky that he found it again. He had thought for a moment that he had lost it and someone else might have found it, but it was just lying there in the hall. Of course he didn't realize it had been through Steve's hands and that it had come full circle.
"There we go," said Jon. "Do you think Steve will be okay?" he wondered. "I told her it was a bad idea to come to school today and she just blew me off. What if she gives birth? We could have a baby in the middle of class!"
"Well," replied Karyn, "you could always make a wish."
"All right, I wish that when Steve gives birth, she'll have her baby safely with no complications. I wish I'll also be allowed to go to the hospital with her."
The ambulance soon came. Jon was called in and came to join Steve, who just scowled at him.
"Steve, is something wrong?"
"Yes, something's wrong," said Steve. "I don't want to see you."
"What? What did I do to tick you off? I thought we had that argument already."
"It's... it's impossible to explain." Of course, Steve didn't know that Jon knew about the stone."
"Hormones," muttered Jon, and said "So you seriously want me to leave?"
"Huh? No, you should be coming with me. How can I keep watch on you otherwise?" Jon did wish, of course, that he'd be allowed to come.
"So what's the matter?"
"I'm a guy!"
"Nobody should say that." Jon was of course familiar with people making fun of Steve for her appearance. She had the breasts and ass and legs of a girl, but her face, arms, and feet, and her torso's shape, were masculine.
"It's a long story."
"I know," said Jon. "Don't worry, I'll be here for you." Steve growled.
They went to the hospital, but Jon had it explained to him that labor could take hours. It took longer than that; Jon had to go home. The next day, Jon asked the stone and Steve was still in labor. Steve was also feeling a lot more pain than normal, and finally the hospital had gotten permission from Steve's parents to give her some drugs despite her refusal.
Jon, meanwhile, was tempted to make some wishes, but decided not to try to shorten the labor. (He didn't know that the wish for it to be long was preventing him from doing anything that might shorten it.) Instead he just waited.
And while in the waiting room, Jon was thinking. Normally for a high school student to have a baby--or for the father, also in high school, to support one--would be a big burden. But with a magic stone, problems like that weren't problems. Maybe while he was at it he could also do something about Steve's sudden attitude. She hadn't been like that even two days ago. Best to start small. "I wish..."
