Chapter 13

"Stop ... don't." Erin put her fingers to Hugh's lips, stopping him in mid-song. She sat up, pushed away the covers from the bed, and turned on the light.

"What's the matter?" Hugh sat up, looking at Erin.

Erin was in tears. "Please. Stop."

Everything had happened far too quickly.

Erin had arranged for his (new) mother-in-law, Mrs. Johnson, to take care of Janet. "It'll be a pleasure!" she had replied. With all of the laundry, instructions for the baby, packing, canceling of business appointments, they barely had had time to talk, and by the time they landed at Shannon airport after flying the red-eye, they were simply too exhausted to do much more than sleep all day in the hotel room. And now, here they were, with midnight and a full moon.

Hugh pulled Erin into a hug, "What's the matter? Are you OK?"

Something was terribly wrong. "I can't ... I don't..." Erin's heaving sobs caused her to stutter and gasp. She looked to Hugh. "I don't want to change back. Please don't make me! I don't want to go back to being Hugh!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Erin looked up at Hugh, hopefully. "I love being Erin. I love taking care of you. I love Janet, and I want to be her Mother. Dammit, I suffered through childbirth to have her, I deserve to enjoy being her mother!"

Hugh smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not going to make you do anything."

"No? But, don't you want to be Erin again?"

"What? You think I don't like having someone love me and take care of me? You think I want to change diapers 8 times a day? You think I hate being the esteemed president of a successful software company?"

"Oh Hugh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Erin leaped forward and hugged Hugh with delight and kissed him on the cheek. "But hey!" She stopped for a second. "But then, why the rush to come to Ireland and try and switch? Why were you in such a hurry?"

"Well," Hugh paused, "it was true that this is the full moon, and so, if you wanted to change, I thought we should catch this one rather than wait another 28 days. Also, I thought that you wanted to switch, and so I just wanted to get it over with, but really..."

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to know, once and for all ... who you really are. Are you Erin, or Hugh?"

Erin pouted at him, in mock anger. "So, this was some kind of test?"

"I guess so."

"Well, let me just tell you, sir. I know who I am. I am your wife, Erin, contented and happy. And I will love, honor, and obey my husband until death do us part."

"And I am your husband, Hugh. Who will love, honor, and obey you, until death do us part."

They kissed again, this time slowly and comfortably.

"Now," Hugh got up, "Let's get out of here. I don't want us to accidentally switch back."

"Amen! Once was perfect."