chapter 10

Peter sat uncomfortably on a bench in the doctor’s office. He avoided the chair he would normally sit in, recognizing it was far too small for his increased girth. He sighed, dreading the reaction he knew he was about to receive. He fidgeted with his arms, wondering what position he could sit in that would make him look… less huge?

He’d made this appointment months ago, so he couldn’t defer it – but looking at the clock on the wall, he was reminded that he still had to take his evidence from the previous night’s robbery to the police.

Dr. Lisa Langstaff was already warmly greeting Peter as the door to the office opened. She halted in mid step when her gaze landed on him, and she stood there – stunned – her mouth open, with the sound of, “Good morning, Peter,” trailing off. Her look of shock only lasted a second, but for Peter it felt like an eternity as she took in his massive form.

“Good grief, Peter... Look at you!” she exclaimed.

“Hi Lisa,” Peter said, sheepishly. “I guess you noticed I’ve put on a little weight?”

“Peter,” she said, the tone of her voice revealing her concern, “this isn’t a little weight!” She sat in the chair nearest to him, and placed a hand on his. “You have obviously gained an incredible amount of weight since I last saw you. This is not normal, Peter. What has happened?”

Peter had a hard time meeting her gaze. Her look of concern was so honest and genuine, it made his face flush.

“I – I don’t know,” he said, softly, “I just have this insatiable… need to feel, I don’t know… full.”

“So you’ve been eating to achieve that ‘full’ feeling?”

Peter nodded, feeling his huge double chin wobble sympathetically with the movement. “Yeah, I guess. Even right now – I feel like I need to eat, to get full.” His gaze dropped to the belly that bulged out in front on him, covering much of his lap and hanging between his thick thighs. “To get completely stuffed.”

“Oh Peter, this sounds like it’s a bit beyond the ‘breakup blues,’ which I thought was leading to your weight gain at first.” She squeezed his hand tight, then swiveled her chair to face the a computer terminal on the nearby desk. “Let’s see what the results of your blood work show.”

Knowing that Lisa was on Peter’s side, a friend with truly his best interests at heart, he was able to relax a little. His fingers absentmindedly pinched and squeezed at the soft flab of his sides while she poured over the test data. Peter’s mind wandered, and he started to reflect on how much he had become used to his larger size. He could hardly recall what it felt like to get up from a seat without struggling, or walk normally without his thighs pressed against one another. He knew he waddled now, but it occurred to him that it now seemed… ordinary.

“Well, Peter, the good news is, you’re blood tests show that you are perfectly healthy. I admit, I am a little surprised. With the amount of food you must be eating to have gained so much weight so quickly, the fact that your blood sugar, cholesterol and your blood pressure are in the healthy range is really a blessing!”

“Great,” Peter said, without enthusiasm.

“Your metabolism has slowed even further though, it seems. Have you noticed any other phenomenon since we last talked, aside from your appetite?”

“Well, I think my powers are gone… Or at least diminished.”

Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why do you say that?”

“For example, I went to the gym, to try to get back in shape, and my strength was gone. I don’t have the proportionate strength of a spider anymore, I just have the strength of, well, a weak, out-of-shape fat guy!”

“Hmm, interesting…” Lisa turned back to the computer monitor. “I’m going to have to take a look into how all of this is effecting you at the cellular level, Peter. That will take some time, so you’ll have to come back and see me again in a few weeks.” Lisa typed notes on the computer. “Right now, why don’t you strip down to your underwear, and we’ll see just how much weight you’ve gained.”

Peter sighed, and followed her instructions. Getting undressed was a chore at his size, and Lisa had to help him with his pants, which he had trouble reaching. Finally, flushed and with a sheen of sweat, Peter stood before her with his massive, hanging belly on display. He resisted the urge to cover his large, bulging breasts with his hands, horribly aware that they were far larger than the Doctor’s.

“Ok, Peter, please step on the scale,” Lisa said. Peter couldn’t help but notice her vision was transfixed on his gut. Unclothed it must have appeared even larger than she expected. As he waddled over to the scale, his flesh jiggled with each movement and she couldn’t take her eyes off his his flab.

Peter carefully stepped onto the electronic scale on the floor. He gingerly placed each foot on it, one at a time. He was very careful, not only could he not see it beneath his big body, but also because he could hardly squeeze his fat legs close enough together to get both feet onto the narrow platform.

“Um, Peter, would you mind stepping off for a moment?” Peter did as she asked, while Lisa dropped to the floor, out of his view for a moment, before standing back up and stepping back. “Okay, why don’t you try again, please.”

Once again, Peter stepped onto the scale – even more carefully this time. He could see Lisa looking at the scale beneath him, brow furrowed and arms crossed.

“Alright, let’s get you dressed,” she commanded.

“How bad is it?” Peter asked. “Am I still more than 400 lbs?”

Lisa sighed. She had the pained visage of someone delivering bad news to a friend.

“I’m afraid so, Peter. That scale has a maximum weight of 440 lbs. It gave an error message – so you are heavier than that, I am afraid. But I don’t know exactly how much you weigh.”

Peter swallowed heavily, his hands nervously kneading the fat at his sides. “Oh my,” he whispered.