And everyone waited. And waited. And waited some more, while Scott was feeling pains that no teenage boy should feel. Aunt Sharon did tell him it was okay for him to eat, so he eagerly ate what he could.
Scott tried to watch some television, but once again, he found it hard to get his mind off of what was happening.
"Aunt Sharon?" he asked. "Mom? Anyone?"
"Yes?" she replied.
"I'm scared...."
Scott's parents helped clear a large section of the living room floor and cover it with plastic. They also carried in a crib that Sharon had brought--luckily she had one available. It was cheap plastic, but it would finally get some use.
"It really hurts, Aunt Sharon," said Scott.
"Like it's constantly hurting?"
"Yeah."
"I can give you some gas to help a little... This is the worst part, but you can get through it! It should hurt a little less when you can finally push."
The whole thing was very confusing for Scott. Unlike a regular pregnant woman, he'd had absolutely no preparation. He had no idea what was going to happen and could do nothing other than follow Sharon's suggestions. Scott accepted the gas and it did help. Then, it came time. It was all Scott could do to push and push. Cries of "It's coming" and "I can see the head" made him feel strange.
Then someone yelled "Ow."
"What?" said Scott. "Is that the baby?"
"No, it's me. You kicked me!" said Sharon. "Susan, help me with this, please." His mother quickly pulled off Scott's slippers and tossed them aside.
Finally, Scott pushed one last time and the baby was out. Sharon clamped and cut the cord, which Scott knew about only from having hastily had it explained to him just an hour before. Then he heard a baby's cry.
"It's a boy!" said Sharon, as she brought the baby forward where Scott could see it.
"I knew that," replied Scott weakly. "How about we name him 'Scott'?" He smiled.
It wasn't quite over, since the afterbirth had to come out, but soon Scott was really finished. His mother helped him to the couch, where she had put a towel so he could sit. Sharon put the baby in his arms and he spent the next few moments just staring at it. He brought it to its chest and with Sharon's help, guided it to suck at his breast, though he didn't feel there was a lot of milk coming yet. And Scott noticed a small red birthmark on the baby's left leg--a mark identical to one that Scott himself normally had.
"I really don't know what to do," said Scott. "And I'm still dizzy from the gas... It's hard to think. I was going to use the medallion."
"Do you want our suggestions?" asked his mother. "Understand, we have to let you make your own decision, but...."
"I got it, Mom," he said. "You need to be supportive. Aunt Sharon, Mom, let me wait a while, okay? I feel so sore. And Dad, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, son. Just a little... surprised at all this."
Scott spent the next few hours with the baby, mostly talking to it, while his family cleaned up. "You're going to be just like me," he said. "Once I'm myself again. But you don't understand me. You just know your mother's here. Sort of...."
It went on like this for a while, until the baby began to fall asleep. Then, Scott put the new Scott down in the crib and said "Okay. I'm going to do it." This time his father let him have the medallion back.
Scott could just become a guy again and leave it at that, but there were lots of other things he could do--he could even transform the baby somehow. Finally he said, "Aunt Sharon, to do this transformation, I need...."
