Chapter 2

Amy kept scouring the contents of the shelves for things to keep her occupied. This was her defense mechanism. When something was completely out of her hands, her mind did whatever had to do to blot it out. She yanked a bottle of shampoo off the shelf and gripped it tight. Though the bottle read "XL", in her large hands it more closely resembled a travel bottle from a hotel bath. She started reading the small print on the side of the bottle and suddenly froze.

"I'm not wearing my glasses." Amy announced, as though this was a great revelation.

Nolan cocked an eyebrow. "Um, no, you're not. They got ruined with everything else you were wearing. Frankly, I was impressed you got all the way here without falling flat on your face. I know how difficult it is for you to see without them."

"That's the thing; I CAN see! Everything looks crystal clear! How can my vision magically fix itself? That's impossible!"

"As opposed to the other things that have happened to you today?"

"...Yeah, I guess. But hey, I'm okay with this change! I've been stuck with glasses since I was three! I HATE the darn things! They make me look like even more of a nerd than I am...and that's saying a lot."

Nolan's response was interrupted by the metallic grinding of the shutters opening and then quickly closing again. Unsure of who exactly had come in, they braced themselves for the worst-case scenario of an entire police squad with guns drawn. Megan popped her head around the corner and smiled.

"We've got visitors."

She gestured behind her and a surprisingly small group of newcomers paraded in: a doctor, a nurse, and a single police officer who was having a rather animated conversation on his phone. Judging by his hat and the number of adornments on his uniform, Amy guessed he was probably the chief of police.

"That's it?" Amy asked with a tilt of her head. "I figured there'd be a whole mob trying to get in here..."

"There was," Megan groaned. "Trust me, there was. But the doctor here didn't want to deal with all the commotion and the cops took care of it."

"Honestly, it wouldn't have bothered me," the doctor said. "But I figured the young lady didn't want cameras filming her right now."

"Oh gosh, yes, thank you. I would be happy to never be filmed again after what happened earlier."

The doctor stepped towards Amy. "Well, we're off to a good start then, aren't we? I'm Doctor Cullen, but you can call me Andrea. I'm guessing you're Amy, huh?"

"Um, yep. Please tell me you aren't going to poke me with stuff."

"I...may need a quick blood sample, but otherwise I just want to take your pulse and other vitals. I need to make sure your body is holding up well. Is that okay?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Amy sighed. "Just be gentle, okay?"

Amy took a deep breath and closed her eyes while Andrea examined her. She tried to keep her mind on other things, but the icy touch of the stethoscope and Andrea's relatively small clammy hands made that next to impossible; the only thought she managed was about why doctors always had such frigid hands.

"Can you lay back for me, Amy? I need to get an exact measurement of your height."

Andrea pulled out a tape measure and handed one end to her nurse. Amy felt rather embarrassed as she heard it continue to stretch longer.

"Incredible," Andrea marveled as she scribbled away on her clipboard. "Nine feet, eight inches."

I'm friggin' enormous. Amy thought. She let out a long sigh and massaged her forehead. That was about the height she'd expected, but hearing the actual number aloud was still jarring.

"Well, your pulse, heart rate, breathing, and everything else is normal. That's quite remarkable. I would have expected your body to be experiencing some stress with its new size."

"I did, too," Amy agreed. "That's why I've been a bit scared. I've learned about people with conditions like gigantism in my biology courses. People that get end up taller than eight feet usually don't end up well."

"But here you are, healthy as an ox. I couldn't begin to imagine what could have caused this to happen, but I'll get this sample analyzed and consult with some of my colleagues. Honestly, every doctor in the world will be curious about this case. There's going to be no shortage of people trying to figure out what happened."

"So can I go home?"

"Are you alright with being monitored? I'd like to check your vitals in the morning and the evening for a few days, just to make sure you're stable."

"That's okay with me. It'd make me feel better, too."

"I suppose that leaves the decision up to you, Chief." Andrea said, turning to the officer.

"I've been speaking with the governor and she's quite sympathetic to Miss Amy's plight. If the doctor says you're okay, you're free to go."

"Wow, really?! I was afraid I'd get handed over to the feds for experimentation or something."

Megan patted Amy on the shoulder. "I told you everything would be okay! The worst we have to worry about is a bunch of idiots with cameras."

"Y-yeah, I guess it worked out."

Megan delved into her pockets and whipped out a keychain. "Heads up, Nol." She chucked it a bit too hard at Nolan and nearly smacked him in the face before he caught it. "Can you go pull my SUV up? I really hope she'll fit in the back. I'm gonna see these folks out. Plus, my manager is on his way and I think I might need to give him a bit of an explanation."

"I suspect I'll be roped into giving some sort of 'press conference' about my findings, too," Andrea groaned. "I'll see you tonight, Amy."

"Sure thing," Amy said with a wave. "Thank you, Doctor!"

A moment later, Amy found herself alone for the first time that day. Crawling on her hands and knees, she made her way over to the other end of the store. Earlier, a full-length mirror had caught her eye and she couldn't resist the temptation to see her new body for herself. She plopped down in front of it and gasped at her reflection and, in particular, her breasts that were pushing against her makeshift dress. There was no way those massive melons were hers! They looked large from her perspective, but from the front they were downright gigantic. She gave one a squeeze and gasped at its sensitivity.

Before she could examine the rest of her body, Nolan honked the horn of Megan's car. The towering blonde rose to her feet, momentarily forgetting her stature and banging her head hard against the ceiling. Cursing to herself, she ignored the stinging pain and hastily made her way to the door which turned out to be much smaller than she had anticipated. She tried to bend over further but simply couldn't squeeze her way through.

"I'm too big to walk through doors," she groaned. "Never thought I'd have that issue."

She finally caved and crawled through to find Nolan standing with next to the open lift gate of Megan's SUV.

"Oh, gosh, I can stand up again," she moaned as she stretched her arms skyward. She heard her bedsheet robe rip a bit as she arched her back, but she didn't care right now. All she wanted was a moment to bask in the warmth of the sun. A moment later, she looked down at Nolan with a long sigh.

"Good to go?" he asked.

"Yeah. Please, God, let me fit in there."

Amy crawled into the back of the SUV on her side. The vehicle rocked rather violently from side to side as she attempted to squeeze her full body inside. Her head nearly reached the dashboard before she was able to curl her legs inside. With a thumbs-up from Amy, Nolan slammed the back door shut and walked around to the driver's seat again.

"Good thing you're not claustrophobic, huh?" he asked.

"It's not as bad as it looks, really. Um, you could probably fit in here if you wanted to, you know."

Nolan chuckled and brushed away a lock of Amy's hair from her eyes. "Sorry, can't. I have to drive back, plus I need to do some errands before it gets too late." He ran his hand across her smooth skin and rested it on her cheek. "I wish I could, trust me."

"Alright, let's go, let's go!" Megan's voice yelled. Before Nolan could even look up, she had jumped in the driver's seat and slammed the door. "You don't wanna know how many news crews are going to be after us. We need to go before they figure out which car is us."

Nolan pecked Amy on the cheek. "Love you, babe. See you tonight?"

"You bet," she smiled. "Love you too."