 |
|
Chapter Twelve
At The Office
In far too short a time, Lynx was putting his new wife on a jet, savoring her last kiss and a hug that would have to keep him warm for at least three weeks. Cindy held his embrace until the final boarding call. She wished Lynx could be with her for her debut in Paris. Frankly, she wished he could be with her every waking moment, but for now she'd settle for what they could have, holding onto the memories the same way she held onto each day's rose.
Cindy returned to L.A with her parents and Bob, and after a brief stop in London, Ally and Andy followed them. It was Andy's turn to be a guest at Bob's beachfront home and Ally was hoping for the same magic that had given her little sister a ring and a wedding proposal.
Shelly and Janet reluctantly declined Bob's offer of a California holiday, saying their professions required their appearances in New York, as they had already been gone almost too long, but both were quick to ask for a rain check. Jenna decided to stay and share Tess' room with her at the estate until Tess and the band left for Beijing, to help lift Tess' dampened spirits after the elusive Bob left, and just maybe to see if she could add a little fuel to the fire between Rich and herself.
Upon Cindy's return, Coach Thompson was waiting for her, offering her services as she prepared for her pro debut, as well as heartfelt congratulations on her wedding. Cindy graciously accepted both before buckling down to begin the necessary preparation to make her dream of playing professional tennis a reality. She completed one part of the preparations before leaving campus. Three hours visiting her advisor and several professors, set things up so she could take some of her course by correspondence, as long as she could return to school for her mid-term & final exams. She would not have to take them with the other students, but could take them within a week, either way, with her advisor as a monitor.
While it would occasionally mean flying home between tournaments, she might be able to finish half of her senior year over the next two years. The only discouragement she’d run into was one professor who’d added, “ … if you last that long,” referring to whether or not Cindy would make it on the Women’s tour.
Cynthia Fox Oldenburg became a member of the Women's Tennis Association shortly after her return to L.A. There was, of course, plenty of fanfare when her card was issued but no legal problems to delay her debut in Paris. Cindy and her coach pretty much lived at Chez Bob prior to Cindy's first match. It was the only place she could have proper workouts free from the public or the press. By the time she left for Paris, Coach Thompson pronounced Cindy on top of her game and ready to take women's professional tennis by storm.
Her friends and both of her families were there for her debut, save of course for Lynx and Tess, who were performing in Beijing. Cindy was pacing the dressing room waiting for her first round match and so wishing Lynx was here by her side, when there was a knock on her door, and her wish was answered in spirit, if not in person. Ally and Jenna walked in carrying the day's rose from Lynx. It had just been delivered courtside and they thought she could really use it now. The tears in her eyes said they'd guessed right and she hugged them both tightly before heading out to face her opponent and the rest of the world.
After badly double-faulting on her first service, Cindy settled down to form and crushed her first round opponent, 6-2 6-1. She had similar successes in the next two rounds, but sustained her first professional match loss in the fourth round losing a grueling battle 6-4 4-6 7-6 to former Australian and French Open champion Evonne Durham. It was a stinging defeat for Cindy, but hardly a total loss. Her permission to play had been secured in court several years earlier, but her performance against some of the best players in the game removed any doubt in her own mind, as well as that of the tennis world, that she belonged there by talent and determination.
When she reached the semi-finals of her next tournament only to lose to the eventual champion, the press began to consider her a legitimate contender. Her performance in the next tournament proved it beyond doubt.
Lynx and the Kool Kats were preparing to take the stage in Singapore while Cindy was congratulating Ireland’s Maggie O’Malley on defeating her in the semi-finals at the BMW championships in Eastbourne, England. It had been three weeks since Lynx had held his beloved in his arms and he was anxious for an encore of their wedding night duet, but even more so, he just needed to be with her. He knew what it meant to him to have her in the crowd when he performed, and now that she was taking her turn in the spotlight he wanted, no, he needed, to be there to provide the support and inspiration she'd given him. Long before he knew the outcome of Cindy's match or took his first encore that night, he knew he had to be with the woman he loved and if that meant never stepping on the stage again, so be it.
Realistically and legally, he knew he still had both record and concert commitments for quite some time, and personally he knew he still had songs within him that he needed to write, but it was no longer the driving force in his life, and in reality, hadn't been for over a year now. His passion and his life had become Cindy and he HAD to set aside time for her and for them. He was truly looking forward to being in the audience for once and watching her work the stage.
After the show that night, he called and offered her what comfort he could at her loss, putting a wicked smile on her face when he said he'd be home the next night to massage her sore muscles and anything else he could get his hands on. He then made the homecoming even sweeter when he told her that Shelly had been able to clear the band’s calendar for a bit and he would be in the audience for her next tournament. “Oh, and from now on, we’ll be looking at the Tennis Tournament schedules before we schedule any new concerts. Not that we can schedule around all of them, but you can tell us which ones are most important to you.”
Cindy couldn't have been happier and Lynx couldn't have picked a better one for his audience debut. Her next match was the crown jewel of all tennis tournaments: Wimbledon. When Cindy stepped on to tennis' most hallowed ground she was fulfilling a life-long dream. When she stepped off of it at the tournament's conclusion, the true dream began.
When Cindy arrived in London the next morning following her loss at Eastbourne, Ally and Andy, along with a few fans and reporters were there to greet her arrival. She was pleasantly surprised to see such a small reception committee and was tempted to believe that perhaps her birth defect and recent marriage to Lynx was no longer top news material. Nothing would have pleased her more than for Elvis sightings and alien abductions to make her and Lynx into yesterday’s news.
Whatever delusions of anonymity she had were quickly dismissed when it came close to time for Lynx and Tess' plane to arrive from Singapore. Cindy had left the airport with Ally and Andy that morning, but by the time she returned to greet her husband and sister-in-law at their 5:30 pm flight, the airport was swelling with press and public. It appeared that at least at this juncture, the princess alone wasn't so much newsworthy copy anymore, but together with her prince, they were front page all over again.
Airport security did their best to create an open corridor for Cindy to reach Lynx when he exited customs, but had they not, she would have flown to him on wings of love. Their embrace was captured in a shower of flashes, before they were whisked away to Andy's car by security.
Cindy sat in the back, snuggling on Lynx's arm as she smiled and kissed him "Welcome home", home at this point, being any place they could be together. Ally laid her head on Andy's shoulder as he drove and Tess sighed out the window, the fifth wheel once again, wondering what Bob was doing at that very moment. She really didn't have any idea, but it didn't take much imagination for her to come up with some colorful suggestions involving her participation.
Shelly, to the rescue once again, had made arrangements for the gang to have a spacious country house outside London, complete with tennis courts for their short stay there. It was a week until the openings rounds for Wimbledon and a good measure of Cindy's days would be spent polishing her skills in anticipation.
Lynx had a little polishing of his own to do, working out the lyrics for several songs on the next album. The evenings however were reserved for joint activities of a more traditional nature: romantic dinners, moonlight strolls, sharing of themselves completely, and then while in each others arms, making plans for their life's future, until sleep claimed them both.
One major decision reached during their weeks stay at the cottage was about setting up house. Both of them would be on the road for a good part of the year and sadly not often together. Having a traditional home, considering their anything but traditional lifestyle wouldn’t seem to really be a pressing issue. Home would be any hotel, cottage, or tent for that matter that they could share a bed in. The closest thing they really had to homes were the family estate in Denmark, and Cindy's homes in L.A. with her parents and Bob. More than likely any time the pair didn't have impending engagements they would probably be residing at one of those three places.
Still, even if they were barely ever there, Lynx and Cindy still wanted a place to call home, THEIR home. There was no denying they were a wealthy and famous celebrity couple whose lifestyle would be keeping them on the go and in the news, but beneath all that glamour and media glitz they were very much just your average young couple very much in love, very much wanting a home to call their own and looking forward to spending their lives together there. While Lynx had enjoyed his career and Cindy was just getting hers started, both were prepared to give it all up if it got too much in the way of sharing life with each other.
Lynx had nearly walked away from his career when he was told Cindy's presence jeopardized it, and he'd still set it all aside tomorrow if it stood in the way of their happiness. As it was, he'd already decided to cut back on the workload as soon as possible so he could be by his beloved to support her during HER time in the limelight.
Cindy's dream of becoming a professional tennis player had helped her through the "dark times" as a young teen. Upon reaching her goal of becoming a young woman, tennis still held its place in her life, only now it was simply a love of the game and a desire to be the very best at it. After her first couple of professional tournaments Cindy had more than held her own with the very best in the profession. Now, in one week, she would be stepping on to the stage of the greatest event in tennis, Wimbledon. She was holding her dream in the palm of her right hand, yet just as her beloved Lynx would do the same with his career, she would gladly put down her racket and never serve another volley if it stood in the way of their happiness.
Lynx himself had said it best when he told Cindy all he truly wanted was one good guitar, the ocean nearby, her by his side, and a place to call home. He then gave the ultimate testament to her love by adding that his beloved guitar and ocean were debatable but her presence and a home was not. Before Cindy's first round match, they had mutually agreed to do a little house hunting in both Denmark and California. Ultimately they wanted two houses to call home, because both places were HOME to them.
A nervous and excited young American woman arrived at Wimbledon for her first match. The way she had conducted herself during her courtship with Lynx had gained her the respect of the press and the public. Her demeanor and impressive showings in her previous tournaments had gained her professional respect from her fellow players, as well.
As Cindy walked onto the court, tennis bag in one hand and today’s rose in the other, she smiled at her husband, friends and family. Whether or not she won a single point today, she knew she was already a winner in something far bigger than a tennis game. She blew a gentle kiss to her beloved before putting all her attention and strength into her first serve. It was an ace, and the first of many as Wimbledon and the huge world-wide television audience witnessed the birth of a legend.
Cindy blitzed through the first four rounds and the quarterfinals, before losing a heartbreaking first set in the semi-finals to her nemesis from Eastbourne, Maggie O’Malley. She was down 2-0 in the second set to the feisty Irish girl, when she changed strategy and her destiny.
She quit attacking the net so vigorously, and played back, patiently matching volleys with her cat-quick opponent whose aggressive and “pouncing” style of play had earned her the nickname, “Cheetah”. Cindy’s maneuver was brilliantly successful, as her impatient opponent was unable to adjust to the slowed tempo and Cindy won the next two sets, 6-4 and 6-4, advancing to the finals.
Standing between her and a place in the history books was a woman who had already secured her position there and was tennis’ reigning monarch and media darling, Chrissy Anne Collins. Cindy’s ultimate dream had been to play among the world’s best players, at the world’s most prestigious tournament and then win that tournament by beating the world’s best player. If she could beat Chrissy, she would have accomplished it all in her first year.
When she took the court against the “Queen”, she did something she hadn’t done since her UCLA playing days; she let the crowd unnerve her. Up until this point the crowd had been supportive, or at least respectful, but suddenly she was the TG girl who was daring to challenge the standing of the world’s tennis sweetheart. There were only a few hecklers, and they were removed by the end of the first game, but combined with playing in tennis’ biggest fishbowl and across the net from her idol, Cindy’s game fell apart in a 6-0 trouncing by Chrissy.
Then another one of those things that changed Cindy’s destiny happened, and as in the match before, fortunately for the better. While Cindy was taking water and trying to pick up the shambles of her lost game, Chrissy walked over to her and flashed a friendly smile.
“Cindy, you’re a damn good tennis player and a heck of a lady. You deserve to be here on both accounts and to blazes with anyone who thinks otherwise. You’re playing at the greatest tennis tournament in the world, so for God’s sake put all that other crap out of your head and ENJOY it, because it doesn’t get any better than this. Now let’s just go out and give them their money’s worth, okay?”
Cindy smiled at Chrissy, nodding and then adding the only words she could find, “thank you”. She returned to the court shortly after Chrissy did, with an even greater respect for tennis’ reigning queen and finally ready for the chance to steal her crown.
Cindy settled herself into the second game and when she won her first point, she realized that the woman across from her might be the number one player in women’s tennis, but she wasn’t a goddess. She was just another woman after the same thing Cindy was, and it was simply a matter of who wanted it most.
Then Cindy did something no other woman had done for the last three tournaments, she took a set from Miss Chrissy Anne Collins 6-4, setting the stage for the third set, a winner take all finale.
The third set between Chrissy and Cindy has been considered one of the finest displays of skill and tenacity in tennis. Many tennis enthusiasts look back on that match as the defining moment in Cindy’s career and the day the crown was passed to a new princess, or at least shared.
Chrissy took a quick lead, as she had in the first two sets, which established a pattern between these two for all of their future match ups. Chrissy would normally take the lead, Cindy would come charging back and then the battle was on.
Chrissy was serving up 2-0 when Cindy broke her serve and eventually tied the match at 2-2. The crowd, which had been firmly behind their media darling, began to shift, very much like the match, and was soon equally divided as the women headed down the stretch.
Fittingly, the match went into a tie-breaker, and not once, not twice, but three times Chrissy had Cindy at match point, but each time she pulled herself up off the grass and battled back. The grimace Chrissy gave as her opponent refused to die was the ultimate showing of respect for her.
Both women were fast losing the strength to put forth serves with any real power on them, and each had lost several steps due to heat and pure exhaustion. It came down to just pure determination and the will to win. Those were Cindy’s strong points. They had made Cindy the woman she was today and they would carry her to her first Wimbledon title.
Cindy’s hand was trembling as she served her first match point. If she was going to win it, it was now or never. She summoned all her strength, putting it into one final shot; hoping for an ace, but those hopes were thwarted when Chrissy struggled, but returned it.
Her return volley was in bounds, but she’d left herself out of position and Cindy seized the opening, dropping a perfect shot down the line just out of the reach of her diving opponent, to win the match. She’d captured tennis’ crown jewel at her first go!
Cindy would face Chrissy a number of times over her career, including twice more in the finals at Wimbledon, but like a first kiss, none would ever be more special to her than this time.
After the conclusion of the tournament, Chrissy was asked repeatedly what she had said to Cindy after their first game. Chris would never give a direct quote but often quipped that her words must have been life giving because they sure brought her opponent back from the dead.
“Sunshine Superstar,” as the British press nicknamed the California sun worshipper, captured Wimbledon and the hearts of the public with her inspired performance. What few doubters she may have had after winning Wimbledon were quickly silenced as she promptly made it two in a row by winning the Canadian Open and then her second grand slam event, by defeating Tracy Ashburn at the U.S. Open in New York. By the conclusion the tennis season, she had won six tournaments, two of them grand slams, and had elevated her status to the second ranked player in the world.
In the evenings, where some of the players at least occasionally went out, Cindy stayed in her hotel room and studied. She was not only doing her course work for UCLA, but she’d also made the acquaintance of Carin Kiersted, one of two Danish women on the tour. She helped Carin, and the sister who was traveling with her to work on their English, in return for help in learning to speak Dansk, her husband’s birth tongue.
Maggie heard them speaking one day, and soon joined them, saying, “I think it would be neat to have a secret language that not that many people can speak.” Before he end of the year, Maren, Carin’s sister told her, “I thin
k you are ready to surprise your husband and his parents next time you see them all,” Which pleased Cindy no end, especially when Carin seconded the opinion.
The year ended well for everyone. Cindy was on her way to being one of the best to ever pick up a tennis racquet, while Lynx and the Kool Kats latest album, “Wembley Live” had already gone double platinum and was being heralded as the groups crowning achievement.
For Christmas that year Lynx gave his young wife one of the things they both cherished most, a place to call a home. With a little help from Bob and Shelly, he was able to surprise her with a red Christmas rose and a lovely beachfront townhouse not twenty minutes from where they’d first met.
Cindy’s sister Ally finished off the year in royal fashion as well. Having practically emigrated to England, she savored the magical power of the flower, wedding bouquet flowers that is, as Andy proposed to her on Christmas Eve. She accepted long before the bearded fat man in the red suit started making deliveries.
Rich and Jenna spent the Christmas visiting Rich’s other relatives in Canada, and the lovely lass received the same warm welcome she’d gotten while visiting the main branch of his cold weather family. Rich still hadn’t taken to one knee yet, but like snow fall in Vancouver; you could count on it coming sooner or later.
Tess joined Lynx and Cindy for Christmas in California, enjoying a short holiday with her second family before heading back to Denmark to be with her first. While out and about with Cindy, a few nice beach boys caught her eye, but still there was only one “man” whose presence could make her purr, and sadly, Santa didn’t stuff Bob in her Christmas stocking. Tess, however had learned a valuable lesson from watching her sister play tennis. Patience and persistence is often the key to winning, so Miss Kitty played cool cat, biding her time before pouncing again.
Cindy opened her first full season in tennis in the same fashion she had closed it the year before. She won the season opening tournament in Oakland by defeating her nemesis from the year before, Maggie O’Malley. The victory proved to be a landmark win for two reasons: one, it elevated Cindy to the number one ranking in women’s tennis, a lofty position she would incredibly hold for the next three and a half seasons; and two, one of the most prolific doubles team in the history of women’s tennis was formed shortly after that tournament.
Maggie, firmly subscribing to the old theory that says “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”, did just that as she asked the talented and likeable Yank to buddy up with her for the next tournament. The Sunshine Superstar and the Irish Cheetah became fast friends and an even faster doubles success by winning their first tournament as a team. It would be the first of many over Cindy’s storied career.
Lynx had been unable to attend Cindy’s victory in California due to a concert in Madrid. He couldn’t very well turn down a chance to give back something to the city that had unknowingly figured so prominently in the elaborate misdirection that allowed him and Cindy to have a somewhat normal wedding in an anything but normal life.
Lynx was, however, able to personally hand deliver Cindy’s daily pre-match rose for all four of her grand slam tournaments and a good measure of the others that season, as he and all of the band members had arrived at a momentous decision. It was time for Lynx and his Kool Kats to begin stepping off the stage so they all could start getting on with more normal lives.
Still holding the music world in their hands, most groups would have milked the money and the limelight until someone dragged them off stage, but Lynx and the Kool Kats were never “most groups”. Their philosophy on life was as original as their brand of music, and perhaps more than anything else, explained the magic they made on stage and in the studio.
First and foremost, they loved making music. Pure and simple, it was fun! No matter how many command performances to sold out stadiums they did, they were still very much the same four kids who used to practice at the boathouse and drive Lynx and Tess’s parent’s crazy with the noise. They all told themselves when the band started to take off, that if they ever started to “grow up,” or if it ever quit being fun, they would walk away.
After five years of spending more time on stage and in a recording studio than any place resembling home, they were all getting tired. Having to nearly close down Disneyland just to go spend some quality time with Mickey was really starting to take the fun out of being a music celebrity, but perhaps most of all, their lives and loves were growing up around them, and they didn’t want to miss out.
Rich and Jenna were about as close as two people could be without getting married, and while their relationship hadn’t drawn nearly the press and public attention that Cindy and Lynx’s had, they both were looking forward to their eventual union and a little private stork hunting in the Danish or Canadian woods.
Tess still enjoyed performing and making people happy with the music, but after touring the world several times, she discovered the people who most needed happiness in their lives were rarely the ones who could afford to buy the group’s albums or attend their concerts. She’d been deeply touched by the poor and the sick she’d met on tour, and of course, none touched her heart deeper than the children.
It wasn’t long before the press dubbed Miss Kitty, the Singing Angel, as she began spending more and more time visiting hospitals and orphanages, bringing smiles to young faces who had so little to be happy about. She desperately wanted more time to become involved, even if it meant stepping down from the stage forever.
Of course, there was also the game of “Kitty cat and mouse” she had going with Bob. Tess was determined to get her paws on that handsome catch, but it was going to take more time and persistence to do it.
Lynx was getting road weary as well. Like everyone else in the band he’d enjoyed the ride, but more and more he found himself wanting to get back to things he loved most. As much as he loved playing, he loved to write and compose even more, and he found himself being drawn more and more to writing the songs, than performing them. He also missed his home country and the beautiful lady whose waves caressed the coast there, calling to him to sail with her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been out for a long sail and that meant it was way too long. Most of all, he wanted to be with the person he’d pledged his life and love.
With Cindy’s incredible splash into women’s tennis, it was obvious to Lynx, she was heading into the same limelight that he and the Kool Kats had enjoyed. They both knew that was a possibility when she started her career, and that at least for a while, their lives would be like two love trains, always passing in the night.
She’d make what concerts and recording sessions of his she could, and he’d make what matches of hers that he could. Hopefully, between the public, the press, the practices and the performing they might share their bodies and some brief stolen moments of “real life”.
Both knew that the careers in music and sports were often the most short-lived of any, and in a very short time they’d both be old news AND happy about it. Lynx, though, had already had his time in the sun, and for him it was becoming much more important to be able to step out of the light, so he could be there to enjoy Cindy’s time in it. He knew she was living one of her dreams and he wanted to share it with her as much as he could.
When the group went to Shelly and told her it was time for her to begin planning their unofficial farewell tour, she was heartbroken, but never more proud of her friends then she was right now. She understood, accepted and believed in their reasons for what they were doing. She began quietly scaling back concert dates and album production. The world didn’t know it yet, but Lynx and the Kool Kats were going astray.
Cindy was a bit saddened to see the world deprived of the magical music Lynx and the Kool Kats performed, but also selfishly happy to be able to see Lynx in the stands for her matches and to be able to spend more time with him when she was off court. Of course few things could match having her daily rose delivered by the most handsome delivery man in the world (that being subjective, as Ally might have a word or two to the contrary on that account).
As always, Lynx’s presence brought out the best in Cindy, and her game blossomed, just as her love for Lynx had earlier. For three seasons Cindy took women’s tennis by storm. By the end of her fourth year on the tour, she’d amassed some pretty gaudy numbers having won 44 singles titles,10 of them grand slams, and she’d won 29 doubles titles with the Irish Cheetah, including a streak of 109 consecutive match wins, but none were more impressive than her record four consecutive singles titles at Wimbledon. The Sunshine Superstar was Wonder Woman at Wimbledon, and the world was beginning to wonder if she could ever be beaten there.
Lynx and the Kool Kats were still loved and appreciated by their music faithful, but during the three years after deciding it was time to start winding down, they had only released one album. Those tours of seven concerts in ten days had also gone by the wayside, as their short concert schedule was becoming more and more, performances for special events and charity than for profit and promotion.
Lynx never regretted one moment of his lightened work load as he was able to devote his time more to writing songs for up and coming young artists to perform, sailing off the coasts of two oceans as they had bought their second home outside of Oldenburg and best of all, sharing Cindy’s successes and loving her every chance he had.
Tess was splitting her free time between chasing down donations and assistance for her many chosen charities and chasing the ever-elusive Bob. Her efforts in fundraising and aid had been very fruitful, and while she hadn’t enjoyed equal success with Bob, both Cindy and Ally carefully noted she seemed to be gaining ground on the confirmed bachelor.
Ally, having all but legally emigrated to England, used the power of the flower to finally make an honest man out of Andy. Having caught the bouquet at Cindy’s wedding, she kept the tradition alive two years later by marrying her handsome blue-eyed babe at a lovely wedding in Devonshire, England.
When Jenna caught that particular bouquet, she walked up to Rich, smiling devilishly, “You wanna get married in my country or yours?”
Rich shook his head and laughed, “How ’bout we split the difference and get married in Canada?”
Shortly before Christmas at the end of Cindy’s forth season on the tour, Rich made good his offer and married his beloved and ever patient Jenna in a lovely ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia. Rich called the area God’s country, or Denmark West, and with the breathtakingly beautiful lakes and unspoiled forests, not one person in attendance could cast a dissenting vote.
With unmarried women becoming an endangered species, Tess nearly caught the bouquet by default. Still, figuring time was on her side, she played it cat cool by smiling impishly at Bob, adding a playful wink for good measure. Bob shook his head and smiled back. He couldn’t believe a beautiful young woman like Tess, could be remotely interested in a man twenty years her senior. Yet, after nearly five years, it was obvious she was, and he found that fact and his own budding interest in her getting harder and harder to deny.
Cindy and Lynx, like most married couples were always caught in the dreaded holiday dilemma with two sets of parents to please. After spending four beautiful but very cold days in Vancouver for Jenna’s wedding, Cindy was glad it was her parent’s turn to host Christmas. Los Angeles never sounded so good, or as warm as it did after leaving wind chill factors of 20 below zero.
That Christmas was another one of those magic moments to remember. It was a holiday that everyone in the family would look back on and say it was one of the most special ever. Ally and Andy flew in from Vancouver with Cindy and Lynx, which made Kim and Bill a pair of proud parents to have both their daughters and their adopted sons home for Christmas.
Kim had her girls to help her again, and the three ladies soon had the kitchen filled with happy chatter and the house filled with delicious smells. The men had all piled into the living room to watch sports and tell the new dirty jokes they’d heard. It was a scene right out of some old home Christmas movie, complete with the surprise guest.
A knock on the door found the men staring at a tall pile of gifts with two long shapely legs beneath them. It turned out to be a very lovely and well-known young lady who owned said legs.
Tess, grinning from ear to ear, shouted Merry Christmas and stole hugs from her pleasantly surprised family. Lynx was as happy as anyone to see his twin sister, but also at a loss to explain her presence, as she was supposed to be in Denmark consoling their parents on the absence of their son and daughter-in-law.
Tess quickly solved the mystery with two words, “Queen’s Request”. Both she and Lynx knew those words all too well, but quickly explained their significance to the non-Danish. Queen’s Request meant that her parent’s had been summoned, at the “Queen’s Request,” to spend Christmas at the royal castle. It was a so-called honor bestowed upon Dukes and Duchesses at the holidays.
While attendance at this stuffed shirt affair was mandatory, good food and genuine fun were usually no shows. Lynx and Tess had sat and starved their way through several of those growing up, so when Tess’ parents called her and told her they’d been drafted, she quickly became a draft dodger and opted for California instead.
Her father laughed and said she was being a coward. Her mother laughed and said she was being smart. Either way, she was crashing this Christmas party if they’d have her. Kim drew in her third daughter, holding her tightly as she welcomed her properly, “Grab an apron and peel some more potatoes!” Tess laughed, “Thanks Mom”.
The dinner was a belt-loosening success and even Cindy, seemingly forever in training, had seconds on all of her childhood favorites. At the belt loosening point, point the men were ready to return to the living room with healthy slices of pie to watch more sports, play with any gadgets i.e. power tools that Santa might have left them, or to tell the rest of the dirty jokes they knew. And the women, saying they couldn’t possibly eat a bite of pie, started to clear the table and so they could retire to the kitchen to soak dishes and eat their pie while hopefully hiding from their husbands and the calories.
Before things could more than start moving in that direction, Ally and Andy stood up. “May I have everyone’s attention?” Andy spoke loudly enough to get it. “We have an announcement to make.” Ally laced her arm in Andy’s and smiled like the cat that had caught the canary, signaling to all, that at least it was good news.
Andy looked lovingly at his wife, and took a deep breath before starting. “Everyone, I … well actually that is … Ally and I … have something to tell you. Well actually I guess it’s more Ally than really me, but …”
Ally giggled as she looked up at her floundering husband. Finally, mercifully, she rescued her brave knight. “Oh for heaven’s sakes! I’m pregnant, everyone. We’re gonna have a baby!”
Snuggling close to her beloved, she added playfully, “I was going to let Andy make the announcement but I only have six months left before I give birth.”
Andy laughed, hugging his princess tightly. They were joined seconds later by the rest of the surprised and extremely happy family in a group hug. Congratulatory handshakes, warm embraces, and happy tears followed for quite some time. Here, on the anniversary of perhaps the most blessed birth ever, came the news of another child entering the world. Obviously, with a lot less fanfare but loved every bit as much by the family waiting to welcome it.
Everyone was happy and looking forward to the roles they’d play as parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle to the family’s new addition. Everyone was also aware of something else, something that was the only dark cloud on a beautiful sunshiny Christmas. No one said it, but in trying so hard not to say it, it nearly screamed silently.
As joyous as this moment was for all, especially Ally, it was also incredibly painful for Ally’s little sister, who could never make the same announcement with Lynx at her side. Cindy felt the pain, the anger and the jealousy, as they were old adversaries. At times she’d given into them, but this wasn’t going to be one of those times. She was genuinely happy for the big sister she loved endlessly, and she wasn’t about to ruin this moment for her.
Cindy, however, was aware that her family was aware, and when she saw Ally hesitate a bit when describing the plans for the nursery, she hugged her tightly to silently let her know she was all right, and then immediately proposed plans for throwing her sister a baby shower.
Lynx watched his beloved as she chatted away happily with her mother and sister about plans for the new arrival. He had loved her from the day they first met on the beach. He had respected her for the journey she’d taken to be able to live as the woman she truly was. He’d been proud of her performance in every tennis match she played, including winning Wimbledon four times, but never had he felt so much love, respect and pride for her as he did watching her share her sister’s joy, while her own heart had to be breaking. He knew though, that the sad tears would follow the happy ones later, and all he could do now, as well as then, was just be there.
The drive home from Cindy’s parents place was a short one, but a quiet one. Cindy snuggled silently with Lynx as he eased her cherished Mustang up the winding coastal road. He knew his beloved well enough to know, she would come to him when she was ready.
When they got home Lynx put on a pot of coffee, wondering if this was going to be a long night and then set the kettle for Cindy knowing she’d prefer one of her special blends of flavored teas. When Cindy walked out of the bedroom she saw her beloved staring out the kitchen window, watching the rise and fall of the waves. She smiled lovingly, seeing the kettle on and her teas out. She didn’t know what she had ever done to be lucky enough to have a man like Lynx, but she hoped her luck would never run out.
As the kettle’s whistle drew their attention, they both turned to fetch it. Lynx and Cindy reached to grab the handle at the same time. Their hands touched and then both smiled at each other, each backing up at the same time giving the other permission. Cindy laughed, but then the pain she’d been battling since Ally and Andy’s announcement seized her and sad tears began to fall. Lynx turned off the kettle and pulled Cindy to him as the dam finally burst and her body shook as she sobbed.
Lynx held her in his arms, rocking her and cooing softly in her ears as if she were a child, a child very much like the one the barren woman was now crying for. During the course of their marriage, most of the nights their busy schedules would allow them to spend together, had usually been happy times that ended up with them holding each other. Some of those times were passion-filled dances of love, while others were simply gentle caresses until sleep overtook them both. Tonight, it would be Lynx holding Cindy, comforting her as best he could until the new day dawned.
Chapter Thirteen
Planning
Lynx held Cindy until the raging storm downgraded to a gentle mist. Only then did he gently ease her into a kitchen chair, leaving her only long enough to fetch their coffee and tea. As he went to fill their mugs Cindy asked, Would you use the big travel ones? I feel like a walk on the beach if you’re game.”
Her handsome husband smiled, “I’m always game for a moonlight stroll with a certain beautiful girl.” He was relieved to hear her getting her spirit back at least that much.
It might be Southern California, but it was late December, and close to midnight, so the pair of young lovers bundled up, and grabbed their choice of hot beverages before they left hand in hand to spend some time with the grand lady who’d been their companion and chaperone for some of the most important and magical moments of their life.
They walked, talked and sipped as the ocean waves crashed along the moonlit shore. Finally, they found a spot very much resembling the one where they’d first met, and settled in. They spent most of the night, chatting, cuddling and admiring each other’s beauty and that of the ocean before them.
The conversation was a continuation of one they had started the morning Cindy accepted Lynx’s proposal. It had been rehashed over many sleepless nights before being brought to the forefront again by Ally’s happy news. There was absolutely no doubt that they wanted children in their life. Like most women, Cindy had a strong maternal instinct, and at a time when most of her friends and opponents on the tour were missing all or part of a season to have their first or second child, Cindy hadn’t missed a match from the day she started but her heart was aching to break her perfect attendance record if it could be for that reason.
The paternal instinct doesn’t get near the publicity or recognition as the maternal one, and Lynx would be the first one to admit that for the first nine months women carry the LOAD of responsibility, but after that, he wanted to be as involved in every aspect of his children’s lives as he could be, and he couldn’t imagine any good father who wouldn’t want the same. His love for children and his desire to have one or more in his life paralleled that of Cindy’s, so he not only sympathized with her pain; he understood it, because it was his own.
For most married couples there are two ways of becoming parents: plan B and plan A. Now we list plan B here first, rather than A, because B is by far the most common, and traditionally easier to do. In fact, parents often subscribe to this method without planning or preparation for it. The B of course stands for ‘Birth”. It is the way all children enter this world and it is the way most couples acquire the children they have. Cindy and Lynx would have been more than happy to subscribe to plan B, but because of Cindy’s birth defect, having a child by birth wasn’t possible.
This left them with plan A, better known as ”Adoption”. Unfortunately, Cindy would miss out on carrying a life within her, but both she and Lynx could still care for a child already born; one that was just as loveable, and just as much in need of love. The many who had subscribed to plan A and made it work were living proof that you didn’t have to be a father or mother to be a mommy or a daddy.
Cindy, in her own way felt a bond with children in orphanages and foster homes. She had been born a woman unable to have children, and they were children, who had born, but at the moment, unable to have parents. The thought of filling the emptiness in their life by filling one in her own made plan A something Cindy felt she would have considered even if she had been able to subscribe to plan B.
Yet, despite having as much desire to hear the pitter patter of little feet as any other young couple, they had yet to do anything more than talk about adoption in over three years of marriage. In their defense there had been heavy issues that stood between them and any child they adopted, and as prospective parents they owed it to themselves and the child to resolve them.
During Cindy’s lifetime, her birth defect had caused her to have to defend her right to be considered a woman to doctors, school districts, tennis commissions, world governments and the general public. She’d had to do it in court, on television, and against tabloid journalists like Abby Phillips, but in order to adopt she would have to be prepared to face her toughest critics yet.
Considering the precious commodity they are responsible for, adoption agencies are absolutely ruthless when it comes to screening prospective parents. The fact that Cindy was a transsexual woman would be taken into consideration when determining if she was a suitable parent, and along with Lynx, could provide a proper home atmosphere. Cindy was in a far better chance than most of her other gender challenged sisters, due to her financial situation and celebrity status, but there were those who still harbored a lot of prejudice and still would not recognize her status a woman, and certainly wouldn’t condone her becoming a mother. All it would take would be one closed minded person on the board to ruin the young couple’s chances.
Lynx and Cindy also knew that as soon as they applied to adopt a child, they were looking at another media frenzy. They were both old hands at being tailed by news vans, and needing to do their grocery shopping at 3 a.m. to avoid starting a riot, but since Cindy’s rise to the top of women’s tennis, most of the press and public had been friendly. There was, however, a very good chance that news of a pending adoption could stir up all the hate mongers and right wing religious groups again. Lynx and Cindy had to be sure they were ready to face this, and more importantly, were they ready to bring a child into that kind of environment.
There was also a matter of timing, as well. Neither Cindy nor Lynx wanted to bring a child into their lives until their lives were both such that they could give that child all the love and attention the child deserved. All parents struggle with the issue of finding enough time for their children, especially in homes where both parents work. Lynx and Cindy both worked, but the extreme nature of their jobs often made it difficult to see each other for weeks at a time. The lifestyle had been extremely tough on their marriage at times, but for both of them it would be a totally unacceptable situation if they embraced parenthood.
Lynx was already stepping back from the limelight in order to have more time to be a part of Cindy’s success. As far as he was concerned, he’d turn down a chance to play for all the royalty in the world, just to sing one lullaby to his own child.
Lynx was 29 and he’d been atop the music world for ten years. Some would say he’d had his time in the sun, and it was easier for him to step away from it but for Cindy and her tennis career the day was still dawning. At 24, Cindy was the dominant woman tennis player in the world, and if she could stay healthy, could easily play another ten years. By the end of her career, she could might very well rewrite every record in women’s tennis.
Of course, there was no reason why Cindy couldn’t have both her career and her child. In fact, she had an “advantage” over most of the plan B subscribers on the circuit. She wouldn’t need any down time to recuperate. With any luck, she might not even have to miss a tournament.
Cindy however didn’t look at that as an “advantage” and more importantly she didn’t like the thought of Lynx alone, or some nanny raising her child while she was chasing tennis balls someplace else halfway round the world. Cindy might be a modern woman in many ways, but her feelings about child rearing were as traditional as they come. She wanted to be home with her child, especially if they were able to adopt an infant. She couldn’t have those first nine months of mother and child bonding while she carried her baby, but at least she could have the rest and she wasn’t about to miss one minute of it, either. From first words, to first steps, to first kiss and beyond, Cindy wanted and needed to be there for her child. For her, motherhood meant retirement from professional tennis. That wasn’t debatable.
Finally, along with timing, was time itself. Lynx and Cindy had met, became engaged and then married in little more than a year, which some would consider to be moving pretty fast. During the course of that year, they’d spent precious little time together due to Cindy’s college and Lynx’s career. When they were together, they’d been either hiding from, running from or dealing with the press and public, and finally, but perhaps most importantly, Lynx was not only Cindy’s first love, but also first legitimate boyfriend. Purely and simply, they had both needed some time to find out if having, was as good as wanting. They had really needed to get to know each other beyond just the love they shared. They had to see if their commitment to each other would truly last before making a joint commitment to raise a child.
That night after Christmas, they discussed each of those concerns again, in great detail and by dawn the next morning reached some well thought conclusions. There was absolutely nothing they could do about Cindy’s birth defect. She’d overcome it as much as any other woman could, and in the course of her life she’d proved herself a woman more times than any woman should have to. She was confident she could be a good mother and confident she could convince an open-minded adoption agency of the same. Most of all, they both were confident they were ready.
They knew once it became public knowledge that they were adopting they would have a fight on their hands. As far as Cindy was concerned she’d been fighting all her life. The opponents and challenges had changed over her lifetime, but nonetheless, it seemed as though she’d been battling from the day she was born. She was a tough, skilled fighter, with heart and purpose. She was ready to take on anything and anyone who would stand between her and her right to be a mother. With Lynx by her side she knew they couldn’t be defeated.
Walking away from her career was the easiest decision of all. She’d already accomplished more than she’d ever dreamed possible. She hadn’t just earned the right to be among the best women’s tennis players in the world, she’d become the best. If she never tossed another serve at Wimbledon she would not feel cheated, but if she missed any more time being a mother, she knew she would.
They’d now been married over three years, and even though they hadn’t always been able to spend as much time together as most married couples, they had found that having each other was even better than wanting. They had gotten to know each other beyond that first level of love they shared and had found that the more they shared, the more their love grew.
Finally, after four and a half years, Cindy had received and gladly accepted 1642 roses from Lynx. It was this daily declaration of the love and magic they shared that removed any doubts that they were forever and always committed to each other and more than ready to commit to another life.
Cindy and Lynx walked back toward their house that morning, hand in hand, enjoying the beauty of the ocean and more importantly, each other. They were in dire need of hot drinks and a soft bed, but they felt far better now than they had the night before. Without doubt or hesitation they’d made the decision to go for plan A, changing their lives and the life of at least one lucky child, forever.
After a long sleep and a long shower together, the prospective parents were eager to get things rolling, but unsure as to the best way to go at it. Lynx suggested they turn to the lovely lady whose special magic had been such a help to them so many times already. If anyone could help them pull a baby out the hat, it would be Shelly.
Shelly was quick to wish them a happy Hanukah, and even quicker to congratulate them on their decision. Of course, she knew this meant that Lynx would want to spend even less time recording and touring than he did now, but she knew parenthood was the ultimate calling. If she were going to lose her best client ever, she’d rather lose it to a blessed bundle of joy than anything else. Shelly assured them she’d start making some very discreet inquiries into finding them a reputable adoption agency that would be sympathetic to special situations like their own.
“If you want, I’ll start this week, but I doubt I’ll get anybody high enough as it’s the week between Christmas and New Years. Remember, to keep this quiet, I’ll need to start at the top. The less people who know about it, the less likelihood there will be a leak. I don’t expect to make any real progress right away, she told them.
“I’ll do everything I can to help, I’m looking forward to being Auntie Shelly.” Those final words pleased the young couple no end.
Before she hung up though, Shelly stated the obvious. Some of the smuttier press and certain religious groups would have a field day once it became news that Cindy and Lynx were trying to adopt. Shelly was relatively sure at least one reporter would be gunning for them, as Abby Phillips of Liberated Women was still a laughing stock in journalism circles after the “Debacle in the Desert”, and she’d love a chance to get even. Sooner or later it was going to come out, as it would become a matter of public record, but in the meantime Shelly would do her best to keep it all quiet. It was up to Lynx and Cindy to decide who they wanted to confide in and when.
The young couple spent the next three days sitting on their decision while debating the pros and cons of sharing it with their families. There was no doubt they wanted to share this wonderful news with them, knowing their families would be as happy for them as they were themselves, but as always, things were complicated. It might take them quite awhile to be able to adopt and they had to brace themselves for some failed efforts before their dreams came true. Did they really want to drag their family along on that roller coaster or should they wait a bit until they had found a child and had very good chance of being able to adopt him or her? This was going to be a rough time for both of them and they weren’t sure they wanted to drag their loved ones down should things really go sour.
In the end, they decided to tell them right away. They really didn’t want their family to find out when they picked up a newspaper, or by having a reporter push a microphone in their face and ask their opinion of Lynx and Cindy wanting to adopt a child. They owed them far better, but even more than that, they were FAMILY, in the truest sense of the word.
Cindy and Lynx’s family had been there for them in the good times and bad. Bringing a new life into the world or at least to the family was the very best of times, and they wanted to share their decision to love another soul with the people who had taught them the meaning of love.
Once settled on their second big decision of the week, they found the next one much easier to make. Saturday night was New Years Eve and they’d planned to host a small New Years Eve party at their house. It would be the same cast of characters from Christmas dinner, plus hopefully four more as Lynx’s parents were flying in from Denmark and Rich and Jenna said they would try to make it, if they got back from their honeymoon in Hawaii by then. It all seemed strangely fitting that on an occasion dedicated to celebrating the welcoming of a new year, Lynx and Cindy would announce their decision to welcome another life into their hearts.
Lynx’s parents arrived Thursday evening, but Rich and Jenna overstayed their short honeymoon by an extra day and didn’t arrive until Saturday morning. When Cindy saw Jenna, she was quick to comment on the new bride’s lack of a tan, despite spending almost a week in a sunshine paradise. Jenna blushed and giggled. “You’re right, I didn’t spend much time sunbathing. We rarely left the hotel room.” Cindy returned the giggle, as she understood all too well.
The party got started about six o’clock, giving everyone plenty of time to chat and graze the beautiful pitch-in buffet. Cindy and Lynx supplied the main entrees while everyone else contributed the side dishes and desserts. It was an all world feast fit for a king and queen, and definitely enjoyed by the Duke and Duchess.
By eleven o’clock that night, everyone gathered round the big screen television like most Americans, to watch Dick Clark ring in the coming year. At 11:30, Lynx and Cindy surprised everyone. “We have an announcement,” they said in unison. by saying they had an announcement to make. Cindy deferred the opening honor to Lynx but each would have their own lines to speak.
“Friends, family … Cindy and I have reached a decision, but before we share this, we’d like to say thank you to some very special people.”
Lynx and Cindy turned toward their parents and Bob, as Lynx continued. “To our parents and God-parents, we’d like to thank you for bringing us into this world and raising us in a loving, supportive environment that allowed us to reach for what we wanted most, and to do it without fear, because we knew we could never be failures in your eyes. YOU inspired us to make this decision.”
Cindy then took her turn as she addressed the others in attendance. “To our sister’s and brother’s by blood or by friendship, we’d like to thank you for being our playmates and best friends throughout life. We’ve grown into adults together and learned to share. It’s our love for each of you and knowing that sharing this decision will bring you as much joy as it does us, that makes something so wonderful even better.”
The proud father-to-be delivered the final lines, as tears began welling in his beloved’s eyes. “Everyone …We … that is … Cindy and I … have decided to adopt a child and we wanted to share this news with the people we love the most.”
Everyone showed their love and support very much the same way they had for Andy and Ally a week earlier. Happy tears, hearty handshakes, and warm hugs went all around until the noise on the television drew their attention to Dick Clark and the final countdown. The couples paired up to celebrate the good news and the coming year with a kiss.
Tess and Bob found themselves drawn together as the only singles in attendance. Tess smiled hungrily at the prey she’d stalked for five years, knowing she had the long awaited kiss nearly on her lips, but then realizing this was what she wanted, but perhaps not the way she wanted it, pulled back.
Bob smiled, knowing he’d been set free, and also knowing why. Reaching out to the retreating Tess, he offered her his hand, proving the old adage that if you love something enough, then set it free, if it returns, then it was meant to be. Bob wasn’t sure if he and Tess were meant to be, but he was willing to find out, if she was.
Tess’ eyes grew wide, searching Bob’s for permission to take freely what she’d been chasing for so long. Finding permission, and much more, she laced her hand in his and took her place by his side. Tess’ heart pounded to match the final countdown, and when the apple dropped in Times Square, her lips met Bob’s in a soft and gentle kiss. Neither their fingers nor their lips lingered long. But the passion they felt in that brief touch left them both wishing it could have lasted forever.
Cindy came up for air from her kiss with Lynx in time to catch the look that passed between Bob and Tess when their lips broke. She smiled knowingly, as she knew that look well. She’d seen it on Lynx’s face, and felt it within her soul the first time THEY’d kissed. She was tempted to ask Tess for a little help in the kitchen. but both she and Lynx were suddenly too busy answering questions about their plans for adoption. and of course their career plans afterwards.
While everyone continued to offer his or her congratulations and support, Tess and Bob offered their direct assistance. Tess, the “Singing Angel” had used her gifts of love, music and magic to put smiles on the faces of sick, underprivileged, and orphaned children worldwide. She was becoming well known for her efforts in spirit raising and fundraising, which meant she had the ear and the respect of many children’s organizations.
Bob, who’d used his expertise in computers to make him a wealthy man, had also used his compassion and empathy to spread some of that wealth to others less fortunate, and he too, had many contacts in the social service sector.
Both stood ready to use any influence they might have to help Cindy and Lynx find their child. The young couple was deeply touched by their offer and graciously accepted, telling them that Shelly was already at work on it and they should probably contact her to coordinate their efforts. Heartfelt hugs followed immediately before Cindy and Lynx continued circulating the room.
Cindy knew her family would be as excited about their decision as she was, but she was battling a little guilt concerning her sister Ally and the timing of her own announcement. She had wondered if Ally might feel her sister was trying to upstage her a bit by announcing her decision to adopt a child only a week after Ally had announced she was pregnant. A sibling rivalry had been the furthest thing from Cindy’s mind and she just had to be sure her sister knew that.
Pulling Ally aside the first chance she got, she confronted her on it, assuring big sis that she and Lynx had been on the verge of reaching this decision even before Ally and Andy had shared their news. She apologized, in case Ally thought it was poor timing to follow her with an announcement of her own so soon.
Ally listened without interrupting, held out her arms and smiled softly at her sister, who was apologizing where no apology was necessary. As Cindy finished, she put her arms around her younger sibling as she had so many times before while they were growing up.
“Cindy, I love you with all my heart, and I couldn’t be happier that you and Lynx have decided to adopt, and as far as the timing goes, I thinks it’s wonderful that in the course of one week ,we both got to tell Mom and Dad they’re going to be grandparents. As far as I’m concerned this is just one more thing I’m proud to share with my sister.”
Cindy sniffled happy tears as she hugged Ally tightly. Ally held her close, her own eyes misting and then pulled back to give her little sis a devilish smile. “And besides, you’re MY LITTLE SISTER remember? That means you’re SUPPOSED to want to tag along and do exactly what I do. You had the NERVE to go out and find Lynx and then get him to the altar BEFORE I could Andy. As your loving big sister I forgave you for that infraction of sister etiquette, however if you and Lynx would have made your announcement BEFORE Christmas, you and I would of had to take it outside!”
Cindy stared at Ally for a moment trying to keep a straight face, then failing miserably, began howling with laughter. Ally then soon followed. When the giggling twins started turning heads, Cindy wiped tears from her eyes and stopped laughing long enough to say, “It’s a sister thing.”
This of course set Ally off again, and Cindy being the good little sister, followed her, laughter reigning supreme once again.
It was nearly four a.m. before everyone either left or went to bed, save for Lynx and Cindy. Too keyed up to sleep at the moment, they slipped out to their favorite “Open 24 hours, 7 days a week” place, conveniently located a short walk from their back door. Snuggling happily on the beach, they waited to greet the approaching dawn together. Lynx left his beloved for only a moment, but with good reason. returning to give Cindy the day’s rose, and celebrate another day that the magic and the love had lasted.
During the month after Lynx and Cindy told their families about their plans, Cindy cruised to wins in both tournaments and began gearing up for the Australian Open in Melbourne. In a stroke of scheduling good fortune, fortune helped along immensely by their fairy-godmother, Shelly, Lynx and the Kool Kats just happened to be doing a concert there. It would be one of those rare occurrences when Cindy and Lynx could share work and pleasure.
While Jenna, Cindy and the band headed to the land down under, the aforementioned fairy-godmother was still making very discreet inquiries at several of the adoption agencies. She thought she had found a few places she was comfortable with, but was still checking references and such before bringing them to Lynx and Cindy.
Cindy and Lynx both conquered Australia, as Cindy won the year’s first grand slam event and Lynx and the Kool Kats had the kangaroos dancing in the Outback. After both events were over, everyone decided to take a short holiday before commitments had them on the road again.
The Singing Angel resisted the lure of fun in the sun, deciding to stop by a few children’s homes and hospitals to bring sunshine to the little ones who needed it more than she did. While visiting a children’s hospital in Melbourne, Tess heard what seemed like a “tall tale” of gigantic proportions. She’d been chatting with one of the pediatricians there, a Dr. Horatio Bear, affectionately known by his young patients as Dr. Huggybear. He’d been telling her about new treatments and medicine that could help some of the seriously and terminally ill children.
During the course of the conversation, Tess mentioned the pain that women like Cindy went through, being unable to have children and how she wished medical science could do more for them as well. Doctor Bear nearly knocked Tess on her beautiful bum by saying that maybe medical science, or more accurately one particular doctor could help.
Tess listened in stunned amazement as her new friend told her an unbelievable tale about some groundbreaking research being done at a private clinic in New Zealand. It was totally underground stuff, and the only reason he knew anything about it was because he’d been a close friend of the doctor since their days in medical school, but he definitely believed it offered hope to women like Cindy.
When Tess asked if there was anyway at all she, or perhaps her sister-in-law and brother might meet with this miracle-worker, the doctor said, “I can’t make any promises or give any names without permission, but if you will give me a few days, I’ll would see what I can do.”
The next evening, Tess received a surprise phone call. Tess giggled at the opening line, “Greetings, Tess, I’m the BEAR-ER of good news.” She became absolutely ecstatic when he told her he’d been able to get a sort of “consultation” appointment for Cindy and Lynx .
While taking some of the credit for his success, saying he’d called in a few favors with his colleague, he was quick to add that it was Tess’ work as the Singing Angel, and Cindy’s well publicized fight for her own womanhood that had gained the doctor’s respect and empathy.
After Tess ended the call with Dr. Bear she immediately was back on the phone calling the number he’d given her in New Zealand. The receptionist at the private hospital answered, and immediately connected Tess with the miracle worker in question. Tess spent the next twenty minutes confirming the amazing story Dr. Bear had told her and thanking the doctor for agreeing to meet with Lynx and Cindy. Five minutes after ending that call, she was knocking on Lynx and Cindy’s door, bubbling with excitement.
Lynx let his twin sister in and could see she was nearly over the edge. Cindy’s first thought was that Tess had finally snared Bob, but the strawberry-blonde waved off that possibility, and asked them to sit down and hold hands.
After extracting a promise that they both stay silent until she finished, Tess poured out the information she’d gathered over the last two days, praying silently that she wasn’t giving the childless couple false hope.
Cindy and Lynx sat in stunned silence, holding hands as Tess finished her tale by telling them that she had a “good feeling” about this. Be it the gift she’d inherited from her mother, women’s intuition, or her final phone conversation with the doctor, she truly believed this was something - worth checking out.
Lynx felt Cindy’s excitement as she considered that something she’d spent her whole life believing impossible might not be. He shared that excitement, as he had her dream, but he tempered it with caution and concern, because he knew Cindy was in too deep to be objective. He’d dedicated his life to protecting his princess from harm, and as much as he hated to admit it, this had all the makings of a terrible hurt just waiting to happen.
At first, Cindy was afraid to believe what Tess was saying, afraid to give into childhood fantasies and dreams. She had prayed to be able to have a life growing within her from the first day she’d held one of Ally’s baby dolls in her arms. She’d spent countless hours of therapy, and cried an ocean of tears as she worked through the pain to gain acceptance, and now just as she’d subscribed to plan A, she was being told that she might be a candidate for plan B.
After Tess finished, Lynx and Cindy asked questions, most, unfortunately, Tess couldn’t answer, and in the end, it came down to one thing. Were they willing to meet with this doctor and find out the rest, even if it ended up being a wild goose chase? They weighed the pros and cons of pursuing this, and in the end, decided that the pain of not chasing their dream would be far worse than chasing it, and finding it was only an illusion.
After a long family group hug, Cindy got on the phone and cancelled her appearance at the next tournament stating it was for personal reasons, and Lynx called the airlines, canceling their reservations back to the states and setting up a short hop over to New Zealand.
They decided to meet with this doctor, before telling anyone else about the incredible story Tess had told them. Knowing so little about something that seemed so impossible, they saw no reason to raise the hopes of family and friends just yet. Besides, should this doctor truly be able to help them, there would be plenty of time, at least nine months to celebrate the birth of a miracle child.
Tess and the rest of the Kool Kats left on their scheduled flight for Denmark an hour before Lynx and Cindy flew to New Zealand. Tess gave them both warm hugs and left them with prayers for success before boarding the plane. Lynx and Cindy thanked her for what she had done. Regardless of the outcome, her thoughtfulness had touched them both deeply.
A short while later, Lynx and Cindy landed in Wellington. They were pleased to have arrived somewhat incognito, as only a few fans recognized them. After signing some autographs they were whisked away by a driver waiting to take them to the clinic before word of their arrival could spread. They left the city quickly, traveling through a stunningly beautiful wilderness for nearly an hour. Neither Lynx nor Cindy said much on the drive. They just held hands and held hope this doctor could help them.
The clinic was a small complex nestled at the edge of a thick wooded area virtually invisible from the road. Once parked, as they got out of the car, even though they couldn’t see the ocean, Lynx knew it was close, noting the familiar scent of salt in the air. The driver escorted them past three checkpoints in the obviously high security facility before they arrived at the doctor’s office, where they were asked to wait.
Ten minutes later, a young woman dressed in a long white lab coat and carrying several folders walked in to greet them. She was a pretty pixie with big brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. She didn’t appear to be much older than either Lynx or Cindy and when she flashed her wide smile at them, it made her look even younger.
When they first saw her, they naturally assumed that someone so young had to be a junior assistant or a “junior something” and had probably been sent to get some background information before the doctor came. Needless to say they were more than mildly surprised when this lovely little vision extended her hand and said, “Mr. and Mrs. Oldenburg … I’m Dr. Prudence Walker, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The pair exchanged quick glances before shaking the doctors hand and returning her smile, albeit a bit nervously. “Won’t you please sit down?” The doctor motioned to the chairs in front of her desk as she sat down herself.
More accustomed to working in the lab and the operating room, the young physician always felt a bit ill at ease in such situations and was taking a few seconds to choose her best opening statement.
The brief but awkward silence was finally broken by Lynx, whose nerves were starting to fray from the trip and the importance of what was at stake.
“Excuse me, Dr. Walker. I don’t mean to be blunt, but is what my sister said true? Can you really … that is, do you have the power to …”
Cindy squeezed her husband’s hand, cutting off his words, looking pleadingly into the doctor’s big brown eyes as she asked the question Lynx was struggling to find the words for. “Dr. Walker, please tell me … can I really have a baby? I mean, with your help?”
As she looked into the eyes of the young couple she could see the love they felt for each other and the great need they shared to create a life as the product of that love. She had known of them both by reputation long before she’d agreed to this meeting. She had great respect for them professionally and personally. Her heart had really gone out to Cindy, just as it did to all women who share her tragic birth defect. Knowing the pain these two felt might be alleviated with her help, reminded her of why she’d made this her life’s work. She only wished she was further along in her research, but as things stood now, there was a good chance she might have to send them away hopeless and childless. Taking a deep breath, then releasing it, she first tried to ease a little tension, and give them an honest answer, even if it wasn’t a particularly helpful one.
She smiled, “First of all, may I call you both by your first names?”
Lynx and Cindy nodded immediately, which brought out Dr. Walker’s “A” smile.
“Great! Now you both can just call me Prue; no more of this Dr. Prudence Walker stuff. A name like that sounds so stuffy it should belong to some old gray-haired woman, with eyes glasses on a chain and a permanent scowl on her face.” With a wink, she added, “You know what I’m talking about. The type of woman you both expected to meet when you came in here.”
Lynx and Cindy both smiled, guilty as charged, and then had to laugh when Prue reached down into the front of her lab coat and pulled out a pair of the aforementioned black rimmed glasses, firmly attached to the chain around her neck. Prue laughed along with them, hoping the bit of humor would ease the tension all three of them felt as she prepared to answer the question heavy on all their minds.
Prue sighed, looking from Lynx then to Cindy. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I can help you. I think I might be able to, but a lot of this depends upon you, Cindy.”
Cindy’s eyes misted as she squeezed Lynx’s hand. Her look and her words filled with emotion and determination. “On me? Look, you tell me what I have to do and just give me the chance to do it. Aside from killing someone, I’d do just about anything to be able to feel life growing within me. Anything!”
Chapter Fourteen
Surprises
Cindy trembled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Prue reached across the table, deeply touched by the young woman’s pain and took her free hand.
“Yes, I know you would, but this isn’t something you can do. In fact, it’s already done. What I’m talking about is your chromosomal make-up.”
Cindy sighed heavily, and her strength left her like sails windless on the ocean. Chromosomes, or more accurately the wrong ones, were usually the reason for the defect that most women like Cindy had. Genetic women have XX chromosomes, and genetic males have XY, but normally, women like Cindy who should be born with XX, somehow get the XY and therein lay the defect. If Cindy’s chances for carrying a child were hinging on a pair of X’s, she and Lynx had probably wasted a trip.
Prue knew this was painful for Cindy and for Lynx, but she had no choice but to ask what she needed to. “Cindy, I think you know where I’m going with this, but I have no choice. Do you know if you carry the XX chromosome or the XY?”
Lynx hugged his wife, smiling at her and letting her know his love for her had never been confined or defined by those two letters. Cindy looked up at him feeling his declaration of love for her and sending her own back with a timid smile.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and answered. “Honestly I don’t know. If there were any tests done before I had my SRS, no one ever told me the results. I was never asked for that when I played high school or collegiate tennis, and they couldn’t use the chromosome test to keep me out of women’s professional tennis, because that’s already been though the courts, so I never had to take one when I joined the tour. Truth of the matter is; I never really wanted or needed to know, because it wouldn’t make a difference to me either way. I know I am a woman regardless of how many X’s I carry.”
Lynx leaned over and lightly kissed his love on the cheek to show he concurred completely with her statement. Prue smiled and nodded, clearly acknowledging the woman who sat across from her as a woman, and relieved to know that at least there was still some hope she could help her.
“Cindy”, Prue started as she opened a file folder before her. “I’m going to need to do some blood work on you before we can go any further. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but I do. If you’re not carrying the XX chromosome, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you. Our research has only recently had a breakthrough with women carrying the XX chromosome. Give me another fifteen; maybe twenty years and I think there’s a really good chance we’ll be able to help all transgender women, regardless of their chromosome make-up.”
Cindy’s eyes misted as she felt fate was cruelly teasing her, offering her the promise of forbidden fruit only to take it away when she reached for it. Prue’s heart ached for the childless couple and the last thing she wanted to do was add more pain to a woman’s life that had already known too much.
“Cindy, Lynx … I didn’t mean to bring you here under false pretenses any more than I want to cause either of you grief. Had it not been for Dr. Bear contacting me after talking to your sister Tess, we probably wouldn’t be having this meeting. Actually, I almost called him back and cancelled, but then Tess called me.”
Prue stopped and smiled. “I can tell Tess is as energetic off-stage as she is on. After talking to her for about twenty minutes, I began to feel that if I cancelled this meeting, she would be knocking on my front door ready to sort me out.”
Both Cindy and Lynx smiled and rolled their eyes, knowing full well how persistent and stubborn Tess could be once she went after something. Neither said it but both recalled the image of Bob in their minds, and the fiery young strawberry blonde chasing him across the beach.
Prue smiled, as she could see her suspicions about Tess were well founded. “I decided it was better to just meet with you rather than have her storm the place by force. You know, despite this place looking like some kind of fortress, the only thing we really have around her for defense is our attacked trained fighting sheep.”
This netted laughs from both Lynx and Cindy and a relaxed breath from the doctor before she continued. “Cindy, since you’re not sure about the chromosomes, I’d like to draw some blood and run all the tests. For your privacy and for my own satisfaction, I’ll do them myself tonight. I should have the results sometime in the morning. If it comes out the way we’re hoping, then we can bring you back out here and if you want to, well get things started.”
Prue hesitated before making her final pitch. “So … at this point it’s all up to you. I’ll fully understand if you don’t want to go forward. But, … You are here already …” she left her final argument dangling.
Lynx and Cindy exchanged glances, their eyes making the unspoken communication that soul mate’s share. Lynx nodded his understanding and support of Cindy’s wishes and Cindy found the words to share them.
“I didn’t let fear stop me from living as a girl or a woman, and I won’t let it stop me now, from even the slightest chance at being a mother. I can live with the results either way, but I’d never be able to live with myself if I just walked away not knowing.”
Prue nodded and left the room for a moment. Returning, she produced a needle and several vials, filling them with Cindy’s blood moments later. After labeling the vials, she put them in a container before she returned to try and deal with the questions she knew were coming next.
“I know you both have a lot of questions concerning what happens IF the blood works comes back XX, and I’ll do everything I can to answer every one of them, but it’s your choice whether or not you want to discuss those things now, or just wait till you’ve found out whether or not you’re a candidate.”
Lynx lovingly caressed Cindy’s hand as he spoke. “Prue, it sounds like you won’t be getting much sleep tonight and I know neither Cindy nor I will. Personally, I’d just as soon get this whole thing out in the open now. The less we have to wonder about the better.”
Cindy nodded her agreement and Prue acknowledged it. Informing her potential patients this could take awhile, Prue offered them coffee or tea and box of biscuits she had in her desk drawer. The hostess then apologized ”I’m sorry I don’t at least have some sandwiches, but I haven’t been to the market yet. I’m waiting for the sale coupons to come out.” Cindy and Lynx chuckled, as Prue’s “desk side” manner momentarily eased their tension.
The young couple really liked this good-natured New Zealand pixie practitioner. She was charming and light-hearted, but absolutely honest and straightforward when she had to be. Her desire to help women like Cindy, when many of her colleagues still refused to recognize women like Cindy as women at all, spoke volumes for her caring and compassionate soul. Now all that remained was her capability to do so.
Prue pulled out her charts and diagrams and began translating her research and results into layman’s terms, hoping she could convince them of her capability and praying she’d have the chance to prove it to them.
“I’m sure both of you are aware that we have the ability to transplant certain organs, when those organs are unable to be repaired by surgery or medicine in the host body”. Prue stopped momentarily; as both Lynx and Cindy nodded. They were following so far.
“Unfortunately, I’m sure you also know medical science is very limited as to what organs they have the ability to transplant. There also problems with the host body rejecting the donor organ, and tragically people die every day while on a waiting list to receive a transplant. Myself, and a number of other doctors and researchers believe that transplants are not the long-term answer. We’ve begun research in another direction that we feel is the answer.”
Prue stopped to take a sip of her coffee and then made the big pitch. “Our ultimate goal is to one day be able to get the human body to regenerate, replace or reproduce, every organ, literally every cell within it as needed, making transplants obsolete and increasing man’s life span by a potential further than we dare dream.”
Cindy and Lynx’s eyes both went wide at the far-reaching statement that seemed far more like something from science fiction than true medical science. Prue noted their reaction, seeing that it was the one she’d expected, and rather hoped for. She couldn’t blame them for being skeptical. It did sound like something out of a comic book, but heart transplants were once considered in that same category and they were now very much a reality.
She began again, further defining their mission statement and explaining how they hoped to be able to eventually accomplish it. “Now before you both very quietly try to slip away from the crazy lady you think should be committed to a hospital and not in charge of one, I assure you I’m relatively sane, although my husband might question that five days out of the month, and this research isn’t just a beautiful dream. Granted, we’ve only scratched the surface on our ultimate goal, but two years ago, we took our first big step into making this dream a reality. Depending upon the results from the blood work, and of course, your decision as to whether or not you want to be a part of this, we could be taking another big step.”
Lynx raised his hand meekly like a shy schoolboy and Prue smiled as she acknowledged him. “This all sounds wonderful to me. I mean, I’m for anything that is going to save lives or make them better and we’re both grateful for you giving us at least a chance to have our child, but … by your own words you’ve said you’ve only just scratched the surface, and … well as much as Cindy wants this and I want this, I don’t want to lose her in some experiment trying to get it.”
Cindy squeezed Lynx’s hand and then laid her head on the shoulder of her gallant protector. She knew he wasn’t FORBIDDING her to do this, only expressing his concerns for her IF she did it. If the opportunity for them to proceed was there, it would be decided upon like everything else they did, TOGETHER, and while she’d hadn’t voiced her own concerns, they mirrored those of her soul mate.
Prue’s brown eyes darkened as her features took on a serious look, temporarily hiding her pixie grin. “I haven’t lied or sugar coated anything to you so far, and I’m not about to start now. With any medical procedures, even the simplest there is always the possibility of complications and ultimately death; however, I assure you that I have never put any life at risk for the basis of scientific research and I’m not about to start now. If, after listening to what I have to say, you should doubt that, I encourage you to leave and report me to the proper authorities.”
Lynx sighed, feeling guilty that he’d questioned Prue’s ethics, but considering what was at stake, how could he not? Prue saw his discomfort and again, dished out a little of her “desk side manner”.
“Lynx, Cindy, if I were sitting in your chairs I’d be asking the same questions and a whole lot more. Please, don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is pretty big stuff, and whatever you decide, I want it to be an informed decision that you both can live with. Okay?”
Their twin smiles told the doctor they were willing for her to continue.
“I understand your concern for safety, and it should be priority one. Hopefully, what I’m about to tell you will put you both a little more at ease. The procedure I would like to perform on Cindy has already been performed successfully on two other women, but before I go into that I’d like to give you a little more information on the procedure itself, and our progress so far. I think this will answer some of the questions I know you must have, and hopefully, ease a few fears.”
Seeing no reservations from Lynx or Cindy, Prue started again. “Our research is based on the theory that if we can learn to manipulate cells at their most basic level, we can get the body to reproduce, repair or replace any part. Now, this theory is based on the fact that cells at their most basic level contain the “recipe, or blueprints” for the body. From the time life is first conceived, the body systematically goes about building from those blueprints and this process continues until a person is usually in their mid-twenties. At that point construction ends and destruction slowly begins, but those blueprints are still on file so to speak, stored in the cell memory. If we can learn to read and manipulate those blueprints, it’s conceivable we can get the body to “re-open” construction again in a specified damaged area. If we can get the body to restart the cycle, almost as if it were creating this specific organ or limb for the first time, we believe the results could save and improve millions of lives. No one need die while on a waiting list for a transplant, or fear rejection once they receive it, and anything could be replaced: organs, limbs, skin, almost anything at all.”
Cindy eased her hand up as her husband had earlier. “I’m no research scientist, but I mean, that all sounds pretty logical to me, but what if the blueprint itself is damaged? I guess maybe that’s what happened to me. What if there was some mistake somehow at that basic level that caused me to be born like this, the same as it causes a child to born blind or missing a limb? What I am trying to say is, if the blueprint itself is messed up, won’t getting the body to recreate the damaged area, just get it to make the same mistake twice?”
Prue nodded and smiled. “Yes Cindy, it would, but that’s where we are eventually hoping to take things one step further. We are hoping that if we can manipulate the cells and get them to start selective reconstruction again, we will also be able to get in and do a sort of “re-write” on any blueprints that have errors, and hopefully be able to take care of the problem at the base level so that reconstruction gives us a healthy organ or limb. Unfortunately, rewriting blueprints is much more difficult than simply activating them and it could be quite a few years before we have success in that area.”
Cindy sighed sadly. “So … that’s why you can’t help me if I’m not a genetic or XX woman? If I’m XY you would have to rewrite the blueprints to make me XX and you don’t have the ability to do that.”
Prue nodded and smiled thinly, bringing curious and hopeful smiles from both Lynx and Cindy. “Well … not exactly. In that particular situation it’s not so much a matter of rewriting blueprints, as it is switching to a different set already on file.”
Prue expected the puzzled looks she got, and pushed right ahead offering to explain things a little more in detail. “We really can’t say for sure, maybe because nothing has a more dramatic effect on body construction than gender, or because the sex of the child isn’t determined until some time after conception, but we’ve discovered all of us are born with TWO sets of blueprints on file, at least concerning gender development.”
Then, winking at Lynx added. “Sorry to have to drop this on you Lynx, but all of us start out XX or female. It’s sometime after conception, due to male hormonal influence usually, that there is a switch to plan B, as in B for Boy and the second set of blueprints, or XY chromosome is activated while the XX is deactivated. As a result, a male child is eventually born.”
Cindy giggled. “So much for the theory about Adam’s rib.”
That netted similar chuckles from both Lynx and Prue, and a confession from Lynx, “I’ve known all along I’m the second sex. Cindy has been proving it to me with her strength and courage ever since I met her.” This netted him a soft kiss and a hug from his superior partner and Prue continued.
“Cindy, if your blood work comes back XY, then I believe the most likely cause of your birth defect was that your body somehow mixed blue-prints, probably from an influx of testosterone that should never have been released. Quite often this is the case among mothers who have taken certain fertility drugs, or been exposed to certain harmful chemicals. The result is the creation of a child whose genetic make up may be XX or XY, but has physical characteristics of one sex, sometimes even both sexes, while having the emotional and mental make up of the other sex, or one specific sex. Normally by age four of five, the base or correct gender will begin to assert it self. I don’t think I need to go on much further after that Cindy. You know the pain and frustration of that situation and the limits to what medical science has been able to do to correct it.”
Cindy and Lynx nodded as the pain of Cindy’s struggle and others like her, was well known now to both of them. Prue took a moment to take a sip of her warm coffee before winding up again. “For transsexuals who test XY in the chromosomal make-up, we hope that in maybe fifteen or twenty years, we’ll be far enough along that we can “flip that switch” at the basic cell level, and get the body to regenerate itself as XX to match the emotional and mental make up. Now to give you some idea of the physical transformation that would cause, I can’t think of a better example than you, Lynx, and your twin sister Tess. You and she are two different blueprints but of the same basic structure, or in other words, because Tess is your twin, she is very much what you would have looked like had you been female. Now for instance, had you been transsexual, and we were able to activate the XX blueprint, at the conclusion of the process your body would very closely resemble Tess’. In fact if you two had been identical twins instead of fraternal, you would be as indistinguishable as any set of twins.”
Prue could see the wheels spinning in Cindy’s head and answered her question before she could answer it. “Cindy, in your case, you probably would have come closer to physically resembling your sister Ally and your mother. The estrogen therapy you’ve taken has helped bring out the secondary sexual characteristics which proves that fact, but by being able to make the change at the basic cellular level, you would be able to have the female body you would have had as a normal genetic female your age, including the normal reproductive system.”
Cindy nodded and then sighed, lamenting the loss of what should have been and what couldn’t be, at least not for another twenty years. “So, if you had the ability to umm … “switch blueprints”, then me being XY wouldn’t be a problem?”
Prue did her best Samantha from the Bewitched television series. “Well … being able to make the switch isn’t the problem. In fact, this has already been done semi-successfully in lab animals.”
Lynx gave the doctor a puzzled glance. “Semi-successfully? That kind of sounds like being a little bit pregnant. I mean you’re either pregnant or you’re not, and you’re either successful or not, right?”
Prue’s pixie grin peaked out. “Yes of course, but what I mean is the transformation was a success as the genetically male subjects were completely changed to genetic or XX females, however none of them survived the process. The problem lies in the traumatic stress the body goes through under such a transformation. Remember, we’re talking about a total makeover here, from head to toe which includes loss of body mass as well as major skeletal changes. Until we can find a way to lessen the stress, most likely by having the subject in a special environment, it’s simply not feasible. At this point we aren’t even close to creating that for a lab animal, let alone a human being. Personally, I think eventually we’ll be able to create an environment resembling the womb, only one big enough for an adult human and that will solve the problem.”
Cindy smiled and rubbed her belly. “Now that would be one big baby!”
This got her a few smiles, but she quickly returned to the serious issue at hand. “But…that’s the situation for a male-to-female transsexual who is XY, right? I mean you said if I were XX you would be able to help me?”
Prue nodded but then quickly qualified her affirmation. “I believe I can, but let me explain the rest, including the problems we face even if you are XX.”
The beautiful brunette took a sip of her coffee, wincing as it had now gone from warm to cold before she started again. “Our efforts that have had successful changes at the cellular level have only been effective with genetic females, and only in a few areas. It seems the genetically female systems seems more pliable to change, where as the male system is totally uncooperative. So far we’ve been unable to determine why.”
Cindy giggled. “That’s easy, women have no problem accepting directions, but everyone knows you can’t tell a man anything.”
Prue howled at that one, and even Lynx rolled his eyes and laughed before Prue returned to the issue at hand. “As I was saying, our initial successes have been with genetic women, and predominately in one specific area: the reproductive system. To date we have taken two women both who have had complete hysterectomies and in just two months have been able to re-grow egg producing ovaries and a fully functional uterus. Our efforts in trying to re-grow a lost kidney, or a severed finger have not been so successful, but we’re confident that will come over the next few years.”
Cindy’s thoughts were on a particular part of what Prue had just shared with them and she called her on it. “You say two women have already been given ovaries and a uterus. Has either one conceived a child yet?”
Prue sighed, wishing she had a better answer, but she owed Cindy and Lynx at least an honest one. “Yes, but our first subject suffered a miscarriage four months into her pregnancy. However, it was due to an auto accident and had nothing to do with our procedure. Our second subject decided to drop out of the program at the insistence of her family.
“They had some concerns, and valid ones, about the type and amount of publicity she would receive by having the first child born under this process. At that point we would have to make the results public if we were to make our work available to rest of the world, and of course the child and parent’s life would be anything but normal.”
Lynx picked up where Prue was leading. “And considering our lives are already anything, BUT normal, being center stage with the media already, it would be old hat to us. Even if we adopt, it’s going to front-page news, so any child we bring into our life is going to be raised in a high-profile environment, no matter what.”
Prue sighed. “Yes, I’m sorry to say so, but yes. I did take that in to consideration when I agreed to meet you, and if I’m taking advantage of your situation as a result, I apologize. The last thing I want to do is exploit your celebrity status, or inability to have children.”
Cindy shook her head and smiled at Prue. “No … you don’t have anything to be sorry for. We both entered into our careers willingly, knowing that if we achieved the success we reached for, there was a price to pay, and our privacy is part of that. As for my celebrity status as being a woman with a birth defect, I accepted that the first day I went to my high school living as Cindy. I knew then it was either live as a “famous” girl, or die as an invisible girl trapped in boy’s body. There really wasn’t any choice.”
Prue, deeply touched by Cindy’s words, got up from behind the desk and told her how much she respected her with a warm hug, then pulled in Lynx as well.
When the moment passed and Prue was able to find her voice, she finished her tale. “Cindy,” she sat down on the edge of her desk. “I told you though there were problems. Obviously the publicity you’ll receive is a small one; the other ones however are much bigger. The other two women originally had functioning reproductive systems removed through surgery. You, however, had at least part of a male reproductive system. Whether or not it was ever functional is irrelevant. What concerns me, is the difficulties the ovaries and uterus might have developing in an area that was not originally designed to have them. There may also be difficulties concerning the man-made vagina you now have courtesy of your SRS, and any scar tissue from the surgery. The pelvic area may not widen sufficiently enough to allow a normal birth should you be able to conceive, however I anticipate no problems with a cesarean one.
Finally, and this is the one that bothers me most of all, if you are XX, obviously there was some abnormal reason why you developed the male body. Hopefully, we’ll be able to isolate that reason when we do your blood work and then correct it. If we can’t, I’m afraid you won’t be a viable candidate for the procedure.”
Cindy sighed and rubbed her forehead, as the stress was beginning to manifest itself in the form of a headache. “Prue, if I understand you correctly, even if I am XX, this is still anything but a sure bet because I still might not be a candidate anyway?”
“Yes, I’m afraid that’s a possibility”, but the young woman quickly added, “But if I didn’t think you had a good chance, I never would have consented to meet you. The last thing I would ever want to do is make your life any more difficult by giving you false hope. I think you two have had it tough enough already.”
After exchanging warm hugs, the question and answer session was ended at least for today. Then Prue surprised the young couple by offering them her beachfront home for their overnight stay as opposed to long drive back to Wellington to find lodging. A quiet night at a new friend’s home sounded far more inviting than looking for a hotel while they played and hide and seek with the public and the press.
Prue smiled, adding additional incentive as she said that her hubby was out of town on business so they’d have complete privacy. Foreseeing this situation when setting up the meeting, Prue already had Chez Walker ready and waiting should they take her up on the offer. Champagne was chilling in the fridge and her famous, or at least famous among the hospital staff, spaghetti bolognaise, was also there ready for them to heat and eat. Finally, she suggested that they take advantage of the hot tub, as she highly recommended it after a long day. When she saw the young couple blush, she added with a sly grin. “Hot tub therapy is doctor’s orders.”
Cindy and Lynx hated to impose on the doctor’s generosity, but some quiet time alone by the beach and a good soak in the hot tub sure sounded like good medicine to them. After they’d gratefully accepted Prue’s kind offer, the cute Kiwi walked them out to where the limousine was waiting to whisk them away. She hugged Cindy before she got in.
She gave another to Lynx, quietly whispering in his ear, “You will find a lovely red rose bush out back, just in case you were worrying about keeping that streak of yours alive. And yes … even us doctors glued to our microscopes know the legend of your daily rose.”
Lynx smiled, touched by this specials lady’s generosity, and also wondering if there was anyone in the free world who didn’t know about the rose he gave to Cindy each day. Thanking her for that special gift and for everything else, he slipped in next to his love.
As the car pulled away, they waved at the pixie practitioner with the magical smile before snuggling together, looking forward to a quiet evening alone. Each was silently praying that come tomorrow, plan B would suddenly become an option.
Prue’s place was as warm and as charming as the little Kiwi queen who lived there. Lynx and Cindy smiled, sighing happily as they breathed in the ocean air and looked out over the beautiful water just a short distance from the house. Once they were settled in, they availed themselves of first the beach, then the spaghetti, which was every bit as good as its billing, and finally, the champagne and the hot tub. Lynx gently eased his beloved into the churning waters and then presented her with the day’s rose and several soulful kisses.
There was very little conversation that night concerning their meeting with Prue and the blood work she was currently working on. If Cindy wasn’t a candidate there would be nothing more to say other than it was back to plan A. If she were a candidate, then Prue would fill them in on the rest at that time. Tonight wasn’t a time for words; it was a time for finding comfort in each other’s arms during the long quiet night.
Cindy woke early the next morning; disappointed to find herself alone in bed. The smell of fresh brewing coffee told the tale of where her hubby had disappeared to. She joined him shortly afterwards where the day’s rose and a mug of steaming hot tea greeted her. They then walked hand in hand out to the beach and watched the sun come up New Zealand style.
It was ten o’clock when Prue rang them as promised. Lynx answered the phone and then put it on speaker so Cindy could hear. Prue’s sweet voice, albeit a bit tired from the all-nighter she’d pulled, greeted them.
“Kids, I’ve just gotten the results back, and the limo should be there in about thirty minutes to pick you up so we can talk. If you need a little more time to get ready, don’t worry, they’ll wait until you come out.”
Prue hesitated then, debating just how to word this, as she knew she had to give them something. “I would prefer to wait until you get here to discuss the results in detail, but I do want you to know there is hope. It’s going to be, well … a little more difficult then I’d envisioned, but there is hope.”
Prue’s eyes misted as she heard Cindy crying happy tears in the background and Lynx’s joyous shout. Cindy sniffled back tears and quipped, “Hey if it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be me.”
Prue giggled happily, telling them she’d see them back at her office when they returned. Before hanging up, she did add, “I hope you enjoyed yourselves last night.”
Lynx got the final word, “The ocean view was beautiful, the spaghetti was delicious and having Cindy in the hot tub was both.”
Prue grinned as she put down the receiver, sure she’d heard Lynx say, “Owww”, no doubt from the punch in the arm his embarrassed beloved had probably just given him.
An hour later the three were meeting once again in Prue’s office, and the young doctor went at it right away, not wishing to tax the patience of the young couple.
“Cindy, I know you’ve spent a good part of your life justifying to the world your right to be called a woman. Well, I know you haven’t needed to know this for yourself, or for those who know and love you, but you now have physical proof that you’re truly a member of the girl’s club. In fact, you’re actually MORE woman than most who claim the title, including this little double X genetic gal that stands before you.”
Cindy and Lynx were both a mixture of stunned surprise and overwhelming joy, as they were pretty sure this meant Cindy was a candidate for the procedure, but they hadn’t a clue as to how she could be more woman than most.
Prue didn’t leave them hanging as she quickly added the rest. “Cindy I told you there were two options to your blood work results; that you were either XX or XY. Well I’ll be darned if you didn’t beat the test by adding your own option. You, my dear, have three X’s and a Y! Like I said, you just had to be difficult, didn’t you?” Prue favored them with her pixie grin.
Lynx hugged his stunned beloved, their happiness evident by the smiles on their face, but still a bit reserved as they pondered questions silently, wondering, ‘Is three X’s is really better than two, and what about the Y she’s carrying carried, and WHY is she carrying it?’
Prue knew the questions they were thinking and gave them the best answers she could before they could find the words to ask them. As for the why or the how she became an XXXY girl, Prue didn’t know for sure. “I have to admit, I wasn’t being entirely honest when I said that XX and XY were the only chromosome pairings possible. There actually are many variations on the two basic combinations, but they tend to be quite rare, and Cindy’s XXXY is about as rare as it comes. As to how you could have gotten such a pairing, remember what I said yesterday; how certain commonly prescribed fertility drugs often caused an influx of testosterone in the fetus, incorrectly switching the chromosome make up from XX to XY. In even rarer occasions like Cindy’s, it can cause some combination of the basic two types. My best professional guess is that when the Y appeared, your unborn body tried to correct the mistake by overpowering the Y with an additional X, but obviously, it was not entirely successful.”
As Cindy considered Prue’s hypothesis, she wondered if her mother might have taken fertility drugs during the pregnancy. Her mother did say she’d had difficulties getting pregnant after Ally. Cindy decided against asking her about the possibility, realizing it no longer mattered, and would only serve to give her mother more guilt than she already carried.
As for three X’s being better or worse than two X’s, Prue told them any variation, (she refrained from using mutation, as she simply hated the negative connotation most people gave the term), from the base form is potentially a bit more unstable to work with.
“In all honesty, I don’t know if having that third x would be a hindrance or a help in the process, but I don’t like playing with wild cards; however, there is no doubt that the offending Y chromosome is a problem. It mucked up the works when you were born and it’s standing in our way now.
This obviously was the difficult part that Prue had spoken of when she called them that morning. The focus of the discussion quickly turned to Cindy’s chromosomal abnormality and what Prue planned to do about it.
“The bad news, of course, is that you have the extra X and Y chromosome,” Prue stated, “but the good news is that Y is a sickly little thing, that is basically dangling off the end of three very healthy X’s and I BELIEVE with a little Antwerp diamond cutting skill, I can lop both that nasty little Y and your third X right off.”
Prue swung her hand down, wielding an imaginary knife to prove her point. Both she and Cindy giggled as they noted Lynx’s face went a bit pale and he winced slightly, imagining the Y losing its head so to speak, on the doctor’s guillotine.
All that out of the way, Prue gave them the comforting words they had come to hopefully hear. “If I can successfully remove the unwanted chromosomes, then you would be an XX female at the choromosomal level and then YES, I think we can go forward with an excellent chance of success! However, If I can’t do the slice and dice, I do have one other option to try, but for now, let’s just hope the first works.”
Chapter Fifteen
New Plans
Cindy managed a quick thank you before falling onto Lynx’s chest. Her happy tears flowed freely, as did Prue’s as she was reminded once again why she had chosen this work over herding sheep.
Lynx held his beloved tightly until the shaking ceased. When she finally was able to smile at him with tear stained cheeks, he returned it lovingly, finally trusting his own voice, “Plan B?”
She nodded. “Plan B!” she confirmed.
Once the initial celebration ended, Prue filled them on what happened next. “I’ll need to draw more blood from you Cindy, so I can perform my genetic manipulation magic and create the cells that will remove the the third X and offending Y from your entire body. It will be a bit tricky, but subtraction is infinitely easier than addition, which is still years away. Once the Y and extra X are removed, it will be a comparatively simple matter to do the basic cell work we’ve already done twice before on the previous subjects. After that we’ll inject this “new and improved” cell structure back into Cindy’s bloodstream, which will basically “jump start” the construction of a female reproductive system.”
She looked at the suddenly expectant potential father, “Considering Cindy’s youth and exceptional good health, it is possible she could be fully functional within sixty days after the process begins, and could expect her first period anytime thereafter.” Prue gave a sympathetic look to the young couple, ”However, I recommend that there be no sexual relations during at least the sixty-day period, and that you wait until after her first cycle before attempting to conceive. I want no chance of a pregnancy before the new system is prepared to handle one.
Cindy had intended to walk away from professional tennis when they adopted, and of course now, with the hope of being able to conceive naturally, she was prepared to do the same. The only question remaining now, was when. “Prue, if I can’t pick up another tennis racket the moment I walk out of here, or I’ll have to remain under observation here in New Zealand until it is safe for me to leave, I’ll have no regrets.”
She looked at Lynx, who added, “And as for me, I’m ready to give up my touring to be with her. We got along without that degree of intimacy until we were married. I’m sure we can get along without it for a few months for something as important as this.”
Cindy nodded he agreement. We will still have each other. We’ve wanted a child so much we said we’d do almost anything. This is ‘anything’, isn’t it dear?”
It was Lynx’s turn to nod.
Prue pleasantly surprised her by saying, “Not only can you continue to play until you’re pregnant, I highly recommend it. Your chances for success are better if your body is in peak condition. However, as soon as you find you are pregnant, or as soon as possible thereafter, you will need to quit playing, at least for the duration of the pregnancy. After you have the child, the decision whether to continue will be the same as for any other woman who has to choose between career and family.”
Remember too, I’m a doctor, and I’ll make house, or even "court" or "stage" calls as necessary.” She suggested and Cindy and Lynx heartily approved, that she become Cindy's personal physician. “That will be much easier and far less conspicuous than your making frequent trips to New Zealand.
Prue's plan was to join them after she'd completed her work on the blood, make the injection and then be close by to monitor the progress and be ready should any problem arise. “I’ll need to do lab work on your blood from time to time over the sixty day period as well as some medical scans, but I’m confident we can arrange for the appropriate tests at the closest hospital. If pressed by the media about my presence, Cindy can say that I’m treating a minor back problem, something many of the women in your family have.” (In fact, the forms Cindy had filled out had revealed that this was an actual curse that most of the women in her family carried, something that could be checked on their medical records, which further strengthened the alibi.)
Prue was quick to add in a very no nonsense voice that at the first sign of abnormality or trouble, it was straight back to New Zealand and that was not debatable. Neither Lynx nor Cindy offered any hint of argument on the last provision.
Lynx asked the last big question, but certainly not the least. “Publicity? Who can we tell? How much can we tell and if the press doesn’t find out sooner, when will the world be informed?”
Prue impressed them with her answer. “Those decision are ultimately yours, since this is your life and eventually the life of your unborn child. I’m prepared to go at this in whatever way you are most comfortable. However, since I’m going to be on staff for the duration, I’ll need to know who is "in the know" and who isn't. And if either of you need any help fielding questions with your friends and loved ones, I’ll be glad to sit in and explain anything you have difficulty with.”
“As for when the rest of the world will be let in on the secret? Well ... if there are no leaks or complication, they could probably be able to keep it a secret at least until Cindy finds out she is pregnant. The number one player in tennis dropping off the tour is going to be headlines on the sports page. If the press finds out the real reason why, it's going to be front-page news. How much you’re willing to hide, and ultimately lie, will determine whether the world finds out she is pregnant shortly after she conceives, or when you carry your new born baby home to meet his or her grandparents.”
Prue didn't mention that once the word finally did get out, "all hell would break loose". She didn't have to; the three of them knew that aspect all too well. In the end, neither Cindy nor Lynx commented on how and when they wanted to go public, realizing there was much that had to happen before that issue could or would come to the front and they were confident that if and when it did, they would know what to do and when to do it.
Once all the questions anyone could come up with had been answered or at least addressed, Prue drew more blood from Cindy and the process officially began. At that point there was nothing for Cindy and Lynx to do but return home and play the waiting game while Prue went to work. There were warm hugs and tears of joy as Prue led Cindy and Lynx out to the limousine.
They gave Prue their direct cell phone numbers so she could reach them immediately and Prue did the same, saying she would update them as things progressed. With any kind of luck they could be meeting again in as little as two weeks.
When Cindy said her goodbye, she again thanked Prue for giving her hope for a dream she'd thought could never come true. Prue blushed under the praise but quickly pointed out that nothing was a given yet. All they really had was the hope.
Cindy smiled as she hugged the pixie kiwi tight, adding, "All we need is hope. God will do the rest."
Prue nodded and kissed her on the cheek before Cindy slid into the car. Lynx thanked her again for everything including the hospitality and the roses. Prue grinned, full well knowing the power and promise of love. The last thing she saw as they drove off was Cindy holding the latest rose and Lynx holding her. Their incredible love reminded her of her own and she smiled lovingly as she thought about hubby's homecoming in a few days. She would definitely have to schedule some hot tub time in between the 12-hour shifts she'd be working at the hospital. Believing God truly does help those best that help themselves, she headed back into to give the big guy a hand, and hopefully, a chance for plan B for Cindy and Lynx.
Cindy and Lynx returned to L.A. where Cindy felt the best medicine for waiting was an old remedy, so she pounded bucket after bucket of balls into the asphalt at Bob’s, trying to stay focused for the tournament in Dallas, which was just over two weeks away. Lynx retreated into his own comfort zone, spending his share of hours on the beach serenading the grand lady with his latest lyrics.
When not losing themselves in their work and each other, they began making the first phone calls to those they wanted and needed to be there with them on this journey. The list wasn’t long but included the family and friends (second family) that had been with them through everything else. At this point their explanations were short, giving a bare bones report of what had happened in New Zealand and asking for their prayers and their silence, while promising to keep them updated as soon as they knew more.
Most contacts, save for the ones with Cindy’s parents and Bob were made over the phone, but all ended in happy tears and offers to help in any way they could. Ally, Jenna, and Tess rang Cindy on a conference call and said they were already planning the baby shower for her. Cindy laughed as she told them they were getting the “cart before the horse”, which made Jenna giggle and quip naughtily that it worked better for her when her “cart” was before his “horse”. Ally and Tess did their best “whinny” leaving them all laughing until they cried. Calls like that helped the both of them get through the waiting time, especially when it was extended as Prue called about a week after they’d left the land of the Kiwis to inform them it would be closer to a month than the two weeks she’d originally told them. She had to be sure she had it absolutely right and considering what was at stake, neither would argue with the brilliant doctor.
Cindy went into the Dallas tournament, trying to stay focused on her game and continue her five tournament winning streak, but she wasn’t able to do either as she failed to make the finals in either the singles or the doubles tournament for the first time in over a year. After the uncharacteristically early exit in the quarterfinals for Sunshine Superstar and the Irish Cheetah, one reporter asked Cindy if she was concerned about her game.
Cindy, normally good for a smile and soft words, left him with a short and sharp reply, “There are more important things in life than tennis!” She picked up the day’s rose before joining her husband and exiting the court.
After she’d left, she chastised herself for her poor on and off-court performance. She knew it was the waiting that was stealing her patience. She’d never liked waiting, but she’d learned that valuable lesson in her early battles with her long time double’s partner Maggie. Fortunately for both she and Lynx, their patience wouldn’t be taxed much longer as Prue arrived to meet them in L.A. two days before the start of the tournament there.
If everything went as they hoped, Prue would be traveling with Cindy while on the tournament circuit, so the young couple insisted that Prue stay with them as a guest in their home whenever they weren’t on the road. They added it would give them the chance to return Prue’s hospitality while they were in New Zealand. With Cindy’s offer of “Spaghetti ala Cindy” and Lynx’s offer of sailing and song aboard his boat, the doctor couldn’t dream of refusing.
Once Prue was settled in she wasted no time in getting to the heart of the matter. She opened her special insulated traveling case to produce several vials of Cindy’s new and improved blood.
“As you know I had been hoping to remove the additional X and damaged Y chromosome during that two weeks, but after long hours of exhaustive work, I still had not been entirely successful. I had been focusing my efforts primarly on removing the Y but the filthy little bugger just wouldn’t die, so I changed strategies and decided to go after the third X and then come back to work on the Y. Well…all I can say is that a near miracle happened. Once I began working on the additional X, it not only responded immediately to the gene splicing but took that damn Y along with it!”
Prue shook her head, “In all honesty, I can’t really say why that worked, only that it did. Personally, I think there was some kind of “molecular monkey business” going on between that third x and the bad boy Y, but I may never had the answer. Still I insisted on doing a second round of work and then the additional time to check the results. That’s why I’m running a bit late. But everything checked out. I’m still not sure I believe it and I am not sure just how much credit I can take for it, but it everything checked out.”
As the good doctor filled the needle, she looked from Cindy to Lynx. “This is the point of no return (Prue was silently hoping they had good sex the night before because they were in for a minimum 60 day dry spell).
Cindy looked at Lynx with, “speak now or forever hold your piece” in her eyes. Seeing nothing, but love and support, she smiled at the needle-wielding pixie and offered her arm.
Prue, who had been keeping a journal since her initial meeting with Lynx and Cindy, entered that Cindy received her injection on March 15th and was in excellent health and spirits. Cindy decided to keep a journal of her own; less technical and more personal than the one Prue was preparing for medical science. This would be something just for her and Lynx, and hopefully one day to sit down and share with her child when he or she would ask the question all children do, “Mommy, where did I come from?”
Cindy’s first entry read, March 15
“I’ve just taken Dr. Prue’s injection, and that means at this very moment my blood cells are beginning a construction project that we hope will ultimately give Lynx and me the ability to create a life.”
Two days later Cindy was back on the court, and back on her game as she returned with a vengeance, crushing Chrissy Anne in the finals. For good measure she helped notch another doubles championship for the Sunshine Superstar and the Irish Cheetah. The win though, was bittersweet for Cindy, as Lynx had to leave right after the finals to go to Denmark and cut a few songs for their next album as well as spend a few days with his parents.
Considering what was going on, he was more than half tempted to call Shelly to see if she could get the recording company to postpone for a bit, but the way the group had cut back on production over the last few years he could hardly put this one off.
Cindy reluctantly told him to take care of business, give her love to their parents, and hurry home when he could. When he still hesitated to leave, she reminded him that Prue would be with her 24-7, and she’d call him at the first hint of trouble. Having been left no choice, the prince caught a jet the next morning, leaving his beloved with a kiss, a promise to return soon, and, of course, a rose.
Cindy’s journal for that day read, March 25th
“Lynx left for Denmark today. It was all I could do to talk him into going, and yet it took even more courage not to beg him to stay. It’s not so much I’m scared, as it is I just want him to be here to experience this with me. Granted, Prue says there really won’t be much physical sensation for me, especially in the first month but I swear I can feel ME growing inside ME. It kind of makes me want to put Lynx’s hand over my stomach so he can feel it too. Oh well, if all goes well, he’ll get that chance six months or so from now. Maybe I am scared. Scared of how I’ll handle it, and how Lynx will handle it, if this doesn’t work and we don’t get that chance to feel a baby kick. I have a feeling the further this goes, the hardest it’s going to be to turn back to plan A, if plan B don’t work. God, I pray this works.”
During the time that Lynx was gone, Prue became Cindy’s non-tennis doubles partner, as the women were inseparable. Cindy became Prue’s personal American travel guide as they headed to the east coast for her next string of tournaments. In return, Prue thrilled Cindy with tales of her wild and exciting life in the New Zealand wilderness, (although Prue’s stories about her wild life in the hot tub with hubby seemed to make the ones about the attack trained sheep seem rather tame).
Cindy gave Prue a few free tennis lessons. Prue treated Cindy’s taste buds to some fine New Zealand cooking, and they discovered that when it came to shopping, they were “sales sisters” as they both enjoyed a good mall hop when they could squeeze one in. In short, it wasn’t long before the two women became far more than a caring physician and her patient; they became close friends.
Cindy had this journal entry on April 5th
“Just came back from my first trip to the hospital under the guise of my “sore back”. I hate lying about why I’m going, but honestly, I am so full of happiness and hope right now, that I just want to cherish these feelings and not have them praised or condemned on the six o’clock news. If all this works out, there’ll be plenty of time for media frenzy later. The good news is that Prue said everything looks really good, and my construction project is right on schedule. The bad news is, I had to call Lynx and tell him that over the phone, rather than be able to tell him in person. I have today’s rose here to hold, but at this moment, I’d rather he was here to hold me.”
Thirty days after the process began things were going as smoothly as they could hope. Thirty roses had been delivered, which tickled and touched Prue each day she saw one arrive. Cindy won the Washington D.C. tournament and Lynx had returned triumphantly from his recording sessions, to deliver that 30th rose. Even better, And Ally and Andy had popped over for a short holiday. Ally was now over six months along and starting to show quite a bit. Everyone in the know had their fingers crossed hoping Cindy would enjoy the same fate one day soon.
Cindy’s new reproductive system was also faring well at the halfway point. The latest blood work and x-rays performed under the guise of Cindy’s genetic back condition had shown the beginnings of a healthy uterus and ovaries. Cindy had only experienced mild stomach discomfort so far, and Prue was convinced that was more from nerves and the chili surprise they concocted one night than from any abnormalities.
Cindy’s Journal - April 15th
“So far it seems like the luck of the Irish has been with me both on and off the court. On the court, Maggie and I won the doubles tournament last weekend, but most of the credit went to Maggie, the Irish Cheetah as she pounced on anything that got near her. Off the court, Prue said that after examining me and going over all the test results, everything looks healthy and right on schedule at the midway point! I have no words to do justice to the joy I feel knowing my dream is getting one step closer to reality each day that I wake up. Got a really nice surprise when Ally and Andy dropped in to spend a few days with the family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ally happier or more beautiful than when we met her at the airport and she hugged me in all her swollen pregnant glory. She and I have shared so much growing up. I know she wants this for me as much as I do, just so we can have this one more special thing to share.”
Over the next thirty days, Lynx stayed close to home, attending Cindy’s next two tournaments, as she won them both despite several flare ups from her suddenly “delicate back”. Prue also got the chance to meet most of the rest of the cast of characters that comprised Lynx and Cindy’s inner circle. She found them to be as deeply caring and good humored as her charming hosts, and very easy to talk to as she helped Cindy and Lynx explain the changes that Cindy’s body was now going through and their hopes for the future. The friendship’s Prue forged there helped ease at least some of the pain of being separated for so long from her incredibly beautiful and incredibly understanding husband. The rest of the pain would be dealt with upon her return and no doubt in the fast-becoming-famous hot tub.
Cindy’s Journal - April 23rd
“Been a nervous wreck this week and probably will be the same all of next few weeks. May 14th marks the end of the sixty-day growth period, but Prue’s already made it clear “repeatedly” that the sixty days was just an approximate figure and could vary by as much as another two to three weeks. I have written quite a bit about how much I am grateful for Prue’s brilliant research making this all possible, but I don’t think I’ve said near enough about Prue, the woman, and what her companionship has meant to me during this time. I can honestly say her presence here has at least saved my sanity, if not my life, especially when Lynx is gone. She is really a caring and compassionate soul with a sense of humor as offbeat as my own. We barely knew each other when she moved in, which is usually a recipe for domestic disaster, but now after two months, she’s become friend and family. I admired and respected the doctor the day we met, and now after forty-five days I love the woman.”
May 3rd came, and Cindy was like the girl in the backseat on a long trip constantly hollering “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” only for her it was all she could do to keep from tugging on Prue’s sleeve and asking her, “Am I done yet? Am I done yet?” Prue had been the good mother all along and usually answered from her plane seat while heading to tournaments or from her side of the couch while they were eating ice cream and watching movies, “Not yet dear, but almost.”
Prue and Cindy were going to have to milk that temperamental bad back of hers a little more this time, saying it was going to cause her to miss the next tournament. At this point, Prue could no longer get by on external examinations and what blood work and x-rays she could run at the various private hospitals she’d been using. “I need to run a complete diagnostic on your new reproductive system. I need to monitor it closely for at least two weeks. And the only place I can do that to my satisfaction is back in New Zealand.”
When Cindy put up a mock fuss about how she hated to let Chrissy Anne walk away with the next tournament, Prue promised her to have her back in plenty of time to avenge last year’s loss to her favorite foe at the French Open, pulling a cute pixie pout as she added that it’d been sixty days since she’d seen her own husband, “And even prisoners are entitled to a conjugal visit after that long.”
Lynx rolled his eyes and blushed beet red before joining the two women in a hearty laugh that had Cindy in tears. Prue had meant it as joke and it had been taken as one, but to both Lynx and Cindy it was just another example of Prue’s deep caring commitment to her work and to them. They knew the pain of being a far apart, and they were nearly as happy at the prospect of Prue being reunited with her soul mate as she was.
Cindy’s Journal - May 15th
“Since arriving in New Zealand, I have been in and out of the hospital now for nearly two weeks. I’ve been poked, prodded, pushed and pricked in places where no probe has been before. I’ve been tested, retested, scanned, scoped, examined, x-rayed, and a half a dozen other procedures that I can’t even remember or pronounce. I’ve had enough blood drawn from me to consider this an official oil change and answered more questions than the accused at the Spanish Inquisition, but as long as I have Lynx by my side and the hope of our dream come true, I can take anything they can dish out (or put in).
The good news is, Prue says we’re nearly done with the testing and so far it looks like my baby-maker is up to factory specs (YEAH!). I have the rest of the afternoon off from testing and would love a long walk on the beach with Lynx, but after I finish this entry I’ve got to catch up on phone calls to friends and family. Our phones haven’t stopped ringing since we’ve gotten here, and since the hospital gown doesn’t have a place to put my cell phone, poor Lynx has been playing receptionist the whole time. As I finish this entry, we still aren’t sure if we’ve been blessed with the ability to have children, but when I look at the list of calls I need to return, there is no doubt we have been blessed when it comes to having people who love us.”
The next day, Cindy reported for her morning vampire treatment as usual, when much to her surprise she was informed they weren’t doing any testing and, “Oh, by the way, Prue wants to see you and Lynx in the office as soon as you get in.”
Cindy and Lynx walked the short distance to Prue’s office hand-in-hand and with each step they silently agonized over the nature of this impromptu meeting.
Prue was wearing her infamous dark-rimmed glasses, poring over an open lab folder, when Lynx and Cindy walked in. They immediately looked to Prue, hoping to see some hint that she held good news for them, but for once she was “poker-face Prue” as not even the usual pixie grin was evident.
In a soft voice, unlike her usual one, she asked them to sit down. She gave the sort of heavy sigh that so often accompanies bad news, before beginning, “I’ve decided to call off the testing, because frankly there isn’t anything else we can do at this point.”
As she paused just a moment for effect, sunshine began to creep out of a growing pixie grin. “Which means … as far as we can tell you have a fully functional little baby maker inside you, Cindy. Congratulations to both of you!”
The happy couple mobbed the little pixie who had played possum with them and hugged her until she squeaked. After happy tears were dried, and words of praise and thanks were exchanged over the successful completion of this part of the journey, Prue filled them in on the road that still lie ahead.
“Everything looks as good as we could expect. Cindy, you have two healthy egg bearing ovaries, and your uterus is fully developed. You have excellent blood flow into all areas, and there appears to be no complications due to your SRS. My latest chromosome test shows our little Y chromosome and its surplus X partner are gone throughout your body. You couldn’t be in any better shape than you are right now, but … I know that none of us are going to be satisfied until you are holding a healthy baby in your arms, so we still have work to do.”
Cindy and Lynx nodded solemnly as Prue continued. “Basically there are three tests left to pass. The first one is a healthy menstruation, which according to yesterday’s pelvic exam and blood work should be coming any day now in the next two weeks. Cindy, I’m sure you’re familiar with PMS even if it’s only through hearing about it from other women and television commercials. All I can tell you is that the legends are true. You’ll experience bloating, weight gain, abdominal pain, and some amount of flow. For some women it’s “hell week” and for others it’s just the monthly inconvenience. Of course I’ll be monitoring your condition closely, but as long as there is no excessive bleeding, or other complications you should pass the next test within the month.”
Prue stopped at that point and reached into her lab coat to produce two small slips of paper and then handed the first one to Cindy as she smiled. “I’m going to be with you through at least your first period, so I’ll pick some up the first time, but that’s the name of a special blend of tea I have during my time and it helps ease my PMS better than most of the over-the-counter drugs.”
Then turning to Lynx she grinned a little wider and handed him his piece of paper. “Lynx this is from my hubby to you.”
Lynx gave her a puzzled look as he took the paper and read it aloud. “Unlimited Godiva and Fishing?” he asked helplessly.
Prue giggled as she translated. “That means be sure Cindy has all the chocolate, (Godiva being a brand name for some of the world’s finest), she wants and then stay the heck out of her way. Hubby always threatens to go fishing for that week, but never does.”
Laughter reigned supreme until Prue brought them back on track. “After you have your first healthy period Cindy, you and Lynx are free to have relations again, and move on to the second test: conception. I really don’t think I need to trot out the charts on the birds and the bees. You should know your roles by now.”
Lynx chuckled as he grinned at Cindy, “It’s been so long since we’ve had a good roll, I might need a little refresher course.”
Cindy grinned back albeit a bit more evilly. “I don’t mind being the teacher, if you don’t mind being teacher’s pet.”
Prue laughed and then began fanning her hand in front of her, complaining she needed to turn up the air-conditioner if this continued, which had everyone in stitches again.
Before the teacher let her two prize students out for recess, she did add that Cindy could return to her normal activities, like whipping Chrissy Anne at the French Open, and that Prue would could continue to shadow them as she had before but, once they’d passed the second test (conception), things would change dramatically on the way to the third and final test (a healthy birth). Cindy already knew she would HAVE to retire from tennis at least temporarily, though she planned to make it permanently, and of course there was the situation with the press and public. Sooner or later they would have to go public and they knew all too well what to expect from that. Prue left them to ponder that decision as she shooed them off to enjoy a lazy day before they all headed off for Paris and the French Open.
On May 17th, Cindy wrote;
“It’s still dark out, but I can’t sleep, so I might as well write, since we’ll be catching a flight to Paris this afternoon. I’m still buzzing over yesterday’s news! If this is a dream, for heavens sakes, I pray no one wakes me. Prue has told me that she thinks I’m about to have a period and best of all, I can get pregnant. That might not be an earth shattering revelation for most twenty-four-year old women, but considering I was once “living” as boy and praying for a merciful death each night, I’d say it’s the darn Holy Grail!
Sensible Cindy says I shouldn’t get carried away. I should keep things in perspective, as there is still a long journey ahead, but you know what? To blazes with Sensible and Serious Cindy for once. THIS IS WONDERFUL! I’m gonna savor the joy of this beautiful moment and I’m going to wake up Lynx to share it with him, even if it is 4:00 a.m. giggle.”
Prue’s prediction for Cindy’s first period was pardon the pun, “spot on”. Two days after arriving in Paris, she noticed her first sign of flow, and although she experienced only minor PMS, Lynx took half of the advice Prue’s husband offered and bought Cindy the finest chocolates in France, but instead of opting for the suggested fishing trip, he spent every moment he could with his beloved, be it watching her pound balls into the court or walking proudly with her on his arms through the streets of Paris.
Cindy’s diary later that day.
“After our fun and games this morning I took a nap and woke up feeling a little bloated, my stomach was queasy, and I’m leaking blood, but I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been acting like a twelve year old girl entering her Rite of Passage, but so what if I am twice the age, I’m still entitled. I called Mom, Ally and Jenna last night when I first started spotting. They were all so happy for me. Mom started crying saying she wished she could be there so she could take me out for a new dress and a make over just like she did Ally’s first time. When she said that, I started crying too. God, I’m so lucky to have my family, and so lucky to have found my soul mate. Lynx has been so incredibly strong and patient through all of this. In my ever-changing world and with my ever-changing body, he is the one constant in my life. I know that no matter what the future holds he will be there with me to face it, just as I know at some point in each day he will pledge his love to me with a rose. Oh, do I love this man.”
By the 24th Cindy had completed her cycle and Prue was pleased with the results, proclaiming her patient had passed the test successfully. With her sly pixie smile and a wink, she gave the sex-starved couple permission to move on to the second test, or as she put it to the blushing prince. “You may fire when ready, Lynx.”
On the 28th, Cindy was doing some firing of her own as she began her assault on the French Open. Her nearly month long absence from the tour and rumors of back surgery had raised some questions about her conditioning. It didn’t take long for Cindy to answer their questions as she breezed through the opening rounds in impressive fashion. She avenged last year’s loss to Chrissy Anne, beating her convincingly in the semi-finals and won the tournament by downing her double’s partner in a grueling three set affair, 3-6 7-5 7-5.
The frustrated Irish Cheetah, who hadn’t beaten Cindy since their first meeting, congratulated her at the net and quipped with a smile, “Sometimes I think you’re the bloody bionic woman.”
Cindy giggled as she took the opening her good friend had left her, “Well they did have to rebuild me and made me better than I was before.”
Maggie rolled her eyes and laughed with her wonderful friend as they left the court together to a standing ovation. Maggie admired Cindy’s courage to be able to joke about her SRS, as she couldn’t imagine what it must be like to fight for the right just to be you. She did know that Cindy had won many battles in her fight but that medical science had its limitations for those who suffered from Cindy’s defect. As she headed for the shower she deeply lamented the battles she thought Cindy could never win, not knowing just how close she was to winning the war.
Cindy’s diary entry on June 17th, “Well I’m writing again even before light, but I love this quiet time before the dawn comes and I have to start my day by pounding tennis balls into the screen. Don’t get me wrong I love tennis, and I love working out in the morning. I always have. The air is cool and fresh, and when you walk off that court you’re physically exhausted, yet you have this high that powers you the whole day. It’s kind of strange to think about how much my morning routine will be changing if all goes well. Instead of doing morning stretches and blasting little green tennis balls, I’ll be waking up to find our dream come true, the product of our love, our miracle child, smiling at me, needing and loving me as much as I do him or her. Now that’s a REAL high that powers you the whole day. Just think of it, at this very moment that life could be growing within me. ”
Lynx and Cindy continued to avail themselves of every opportunity to better the odds, but by the time they arrived in England for the Eastbourn tournament at Pilkington, they still hadn’t beaten the house. Prue tried her best keep the frustrated parents calm, telling them the line that every impatient person hates to hear, “These things take time.” The last tests that Prue took showed Cindy’s reproductive system was a fertile foundation just waiting for the high bidder in Lynx’s construction crew to get there. She assured them that in no time at all they would be building a baby.
Their lack of fruitful labor had dampened their spirits as they arrived in England, but they soon were soaring again, as Ally and Andy met them at the airport and told them they had a special surprise for them. Once they’d made it through the usual royal reception from press and public, they were whisked off to the English couple’s farm near Devon. On the long drive they all chatted happily, with most of Prue and Cindy’s conversation being dedicated to Ally’s ever expanding tummy as she was now six months along, but not one word could either Lynx or Cindy wheedle out of her or Andy about their “surprise.”
When they pulled into the farm they received said surprise as the most wonderful welcoming committee that either could have ever wish was there to greet them. Both sets of parents, and all the couples, official and unofficial (Bob and Tess), were there along with Shelly and Janet to shout “Surprise!” Hugs, handshakes, and happy tears ensued as the extended family was together for the first time since Lynx and Cindy’s wedding. Prue, who’d stepped back a bit at first to give the kids their moment, was pulled into the group hug by Tess and Bob. Most of the “family” had already met her and those that hadn’t certainly knew of her. She was respected for her work, appreciated for helping Lynx and Cindy realize their dream, and absolutely adored for the caring, compassionate and joyous soul she was. In short, she was family too.
Lynx and Cindy were surprised and happy to see everyone, but curious as how they were able to pull off this little subterfuge without either of them having the slightest inkling anything was afoot. It was truly a feat worthy of a master magician, or perhaps a magical little New Yorker with a heart of gold and a rainbow in her hair. Shelly smiled, guilty as charged, confessing she was the mover and the shaker behind the little get together.
Knowing that Ally and Andy were hosting their stay in England for the two tournaments Cindy had there, she had quietly made all the arrangements to fly everyone in a day or two early for the surprise. The heartfelt hugs she received from Cindy and Lynx were the best thank you they could have offered.
It was a beautiful day for a party and the girls had put together a wonderful outdoor buffet that the men were attacking like a swarm of hungry locust. Cindy was helping Tess replenish a few serving bowls the "locusts" had depleted when she noticed the spark that passed between Bob and Tess as their eyes met across the table. It was the same one she and most everyone else at the New Year's Party had noticed when their lips had met and they'd held the kiss just a bit more passionately and longer than expected.
Since then, Cindy hadn't been around enough or had the chance to have the girl to girl talk with Tess she wanted to, so she really didn't know what was up, and she just didn't feel right going up to her Uncle Bob and asking him what his intentions were. She had discussed it with Lynx and came to a couple of conclusions: First, it wasn't anyone's business but Bob's and Tess'. Second, they loved them both very much and wanted them to be happy, so if their happiness should lie in each others arms, then all the more wonderful. And finally, Tess should have been in the Royal Canadian Mounties, because it sure looked like she’d got her man.
Lynx and Cindy enjoyed being with everyone again, but for Cindy, seeing Lynx’s parents was the most special of all. She had loved them from the first day she’d met them and felt guilty at not having seen them for so long. She hadn’t seen them since shortly after she and Lynx had been presented at court to the Queen two years earlier, a command performance he had not been able to turn down, as a future Duke. She was proud to have them as second parents and knew they would be every bit as wonderful as grandparents. Cindy made sure she spent a little extra time with Caroline, especially to discuss her hopes and Caroline’s son’s, of making her a grandmother as soon she could.
Caroline listened patiently as Cindy explained more of the technical jargon. She was getting so good at it that she rarely had to call Prue in to bail her out anymore. When she finally finished she asked her second mother if she had any questions. Caroline smiled and said no, but then turned the tables on her saying she knew Cindy had one.
When Cindy gave her a puzzled stare, the lovely lady took her hand gently. “You want to know when you will be with child. It doesn’t take any special powers to know that question, every woman wants to know that, but it does take a special touch to give you the answer.”
Cindy glanced down at the soft hand that was now holding hers and wondered if this was the touch she was talking about. She looked back up and saw Caroline’s beautiful blue eyes, they so reminded her of Lynx’s own.
“You … you …” she stammered, a bit shaken by the older woman’s words, “You can tell me when I’m going to … to be pregnant?”
Caroline nodded and smiled lovingly. “Yes I can tell you WHEN, so you need no longer worry so about IF you will get pregnant.”
Both Cindy and Lynx had been worrying about the IF. They believed in Prue and the miracle she was working and everything had been going well, but the closer they’d gotten, the more scared of IF they had gotten. Cindy had passed the point of no return some time ago and feared her sanity IF this didn’t work. Now Caroline was telling her she could put those fears to rest. She wanted to believe her. She needed to believe her, so she asked for more to believe in.
“Can you … will you tell me how long before I'm pregnant?”
The family matriarch nodded and then a grin spread across her face. “My dear you are already with child. I knew as soon as I touched your hand. Tess knew too, as soon as she hugged you, but she didn’t say anything. She knew this was something special I wished to give you.”
Comments
The Rose
Plan A or Plan B is a great plot device Maggie. I love it! Your explanation of how it works had enough detail to be convincing but not so much it seemed unattainable. Well done! I find myself grinning every time I recognize an old friend in your story, but you handle the entire story line like an old Pro.
Hugs!
grover
SMILES!
That says it ALL.
Hugs, Fran
Hugs, Fran
The Rose
This is one story that I have been looking for an update on everytime I log on. It is so moving in every sense of the word. As I read each line, I feel that I am a silent observer watching Cindy and Lynx in what they experience. As if I am there. Plan B, wouldn't that be great for anyone who does not have the capability to create a new life.
Thank you for creating this master-piece.
Steve
Merry Christmas and thank you
Happy Holidays and thanks to all who have stopped into "smell" the Rose. I've received some really nice comments and loads of encouragement. As I said in an earlier post, I'm way out of my element trying to write a romance. My crayons don't usually color such things, but I guess the muse "moose" knows what she's whispering about.
I hope you enjoy the remaining two parts and I will get them posted as soon as possible.
Hugs and love Maggie