Surfacing

Chapter 2

Earth 2

May 1st, 2001 (Time moves differently on Earth 2)

On Earth 2 Toni and Janet have been married for ten years. They have two wonderful children, Jaylen (7) and Tera (4), and another on the way. They are still both famous entertainers and are Earth 2's entertainment power couple like Earth 1's Jay-Z and Beyonce (Jay and Bey are not together on Earth 2, she never took him back after Lemonade.) They couple had just come from a doctor's appointment and running some errands.

Toni and Janet had just made it home before the sky decided to open and pour. Janet was tired, the baby she was carrying was draining all her energy. All she wanted to do was sleep. She sat on the couch while Toni made them a quick lunch, she looked out the window at the rain hitting the water. It was something peaceful and refreshing about the rain.

Toni observes her wife and noticed that she was staring at the rain again. It was something Janet always did. Toni had made them grilled vegetable wraps with Asian fusion BBQ sauce. The sauce was for Janet, since being pregnant she put it on everything. She even put it on ice cream, pregnancy cravings are weird as hell. They ate their food quietly and Janet cleaned up their plates and cups. By now she was super tired, and the rain wasn't helping either.

"Hey baby, can you come take a nap with me?" She asked Toni while standing in the doorway to their family room.

"Yeah I will today because I'm actually kinda sleepy." They had been up and out early doing some things.

Toni joined her wife at the door and grabbed her hand. They walked up the stairs to their bedroom and got in the bed. Toni was spooning Janet with her hands resting on Janet's little baby bump. The couple had only been asleep for about an hour when Toni suddenly jerks awake. Janet quickly awakes and looks at Toni. Toni's eyes seemed different.

"Where am I? Why are we in bed together?"

"Tone, what are you talking about. We're home."

"No this isn't my house. Where is Kenny?" She began to hear Janet speaking to her in her head but not the Janet sitting in front of her. "How are you in my head and why do I need to wake-up?"

"Kenny doesn't live here. I don't understand what you're saying. Can you explain it?"

"You are talking to me but it not you, this you sounds slightly different. She keeps telling me to get better and to wake-up."

"Okay now I'm hella confused." Janet thought about what Toni was saying. She started asking Toni questions.

"What's today's date?"

"August 28th, 2001."

"Uh, Toni it's May 1st, 2001." Janet asked another question. "When is our anniversary?"

"Umm. April 21st." Toni just said a random date.

"Right month wrong day. It's April 19th." Janet kept questioning her. "What's our son's name?"

"We have a son?"

"Toni we have two kids and one on the way." She said pointing to her baby bump.

For the first time since waking up Toni takes in her surroundings. She is in a bedroom that looks very much like her best friend Janet's bedroom but there are major differences. The bedroom is decorated in white with natural wood colors throughout. The bed is a king sized and has a canopy with sheer curtains tied to each post. It faces a huge sliding door that accesses the deck looking out at the water. On the wall to her left is a large picture of her and Janet but Toni is clearly pregnant. Then there's another picture with the same pose but Janet is pregnant and her stomach looks way bigger than it is now.

She continues to look around the room there is a dog bed in the corner that's white and matches the rest of the room's décor. She noticed a framed wedding picture on the side table. Opposite the pictures of their pregnancies is a large sitting area with a sectional white and tan sofa with black accents. She then notices little small accents of black through the room. She looks back at Janet who's giving her this confused look.

"When you woke up why did you ask where you were?" Janet asks still looking confused.

"The last thing I remember is grabbing my father's arm about to walk down the aisle to marry Kenny. Then I woke up here."

"I think I know what's going on." Janet knew that sometimes the subconsciouses of the different earth beings could be switched if something happened to their brain. She just had never seen it before. "Let me make a phone call."

She grabs her phone off the bedside table. She dials her therapists Dr. Greenleaf, "Grace, hey, how are you?"

"Is something wrong Janet? You voice sounds a little off."

"Yes there is. I think Toni's subconscious somehow switched with another on a different earth."

"Why do you think that? Tell me what's going on."

"We came home about two hours ago after running some errands. Toni fixed us lunch and we ate. Then I said I was tired and wanted to take a nap about twenty minutes ago Toni startled me out of my sleep asking where was she."

"What did you after that?"

"I asked her some questions that she should know, but her answers were all wrong. She doesn't seem to be in her right mind."

"Can you think of anything else that she may have said?"

"Yeah I almost forgot. Pregnancy brain, she said that while I was talking to her she heard my voice in her head but she said it was different and I was telling her to wake-up but she's already awake."

"It does sound very much like the subconsciouses have switched this is not my field of expertise. I am going to send you the information for a Dr. E Badu, they say she's the best when dealing with these types of things."

Grace sent Janet the information. She looked worriedly at Toni because she now started to pace the room. Janet was unsure what to do and was a little scared. She called Dr. Badu.

"Dr. Badu's office, how may I help you?"

Janet told the receptionist about what thinks may have happened to her wife.

"That is definitely urgent. I'll patch you right through to Dr. Badu." The phone went silent for about 30 seconds them Dr. Badu picked up.

"Dr. Badu speaking, Janet right?"

"My receptionist Kelly told me you think the subconsciousness of your wife and another earth's being may have switched?"

"Yes and it's really freaking me out."

"Could you come to see me now?"

"Sure, we'll be there in 20 minutes."

Janet called Joey to drive them, she could have drove them, but her nerves were frazzled. Toni was no better, she didn't know this Janet nor did she trust what she was saying. She greeted Joey and jumped in the SUV.

"Hey Joey." Joey looked at her a little weird. Toni never called him Joey. She always called him Bear. Janet mouthed I'll tell you later.