Not gonna say it. Not even gonna think about "I can't..STOP!"
The nurse showed us into the usual looking doctors room. Table with the leg things that I'm not entirely sure what they are used for. She pulled the paper over the top while Sam did her best to read a cosmo one handed. Dad paced back and forth while mom sat beside me on the thinly cushioned fake leather bench.
The walls of the room were plain white with a 4 in black rubber baseboard around the edge while the floor itself was speckle patterned tile with metal lines. In other words this was one of the OLD exam rooms. The shelves in the cabinet had lots of different stuff piled almost to the top through the glass sliders. Some of it probably dated back to the 1980's. In place of the normal desk with a flatscreen monitor was an archaic looking monitor and keyboard. I didn't see a tower or desktop computer anywhere.
The only new looking item in the room was the chair itself. Even the old no flipping weight scales were old. The new ones can flip between metric and standard but these, there was two of them, were only standard. One at least seemed accurate. The other was at its min setting and was pointing down. The wait for Doctor Brown, no his name isn't Emmett, was longer than I would have expected.
He did come in and click off the button on the wall for a patient waiting and hit the other one say in with patient. Before he sat down at the desk and unloaded the folder onto it. He examined the folder for a few minutes before he looked at me and Sam. He motioned Sam forward and gently took of her shoe before pulling out a small hammer with a pick on one side. He used the pick on each of her toes and did the whole "Can you feel this?" thing. Sam has ticklish feet so she was giggling almost steady as he did it. He even smiled and did a small quick tickle to her foot which caused her to laugh before he had her squeeze his hand.
"Good good Samantha seems we might be able to switch your arm cast to a light cast and give you crutches soon. Your leg is going to take a bit longer to heal though. Lets give it another week and an xray to check the fracture on your arm first." He then turned to me. He did the Spock eyebrow at the way I was dressed. He like does it so perfect it's scary. Mom on the other hand has to put her hand to her mouth each time he does it. There is this book mom says were someone says to Spock "Don't point that thing at me it might be loaded" or something. While its kinda funny she finds it really hilarious.
"Well young la... uhh.. Bill can you take off your coat and shirt please." Its a blazer and blouse you ...why am I arguing? Mom helps me with the blazer and I unbutton the blouse while mom pulls it out of the skirt for me. She neatly folds each of them onto her lap. The doctor then motions for me to remove the bra. Dad has already turned his back on me once I started to unbutton the blouse. I understand as it's that whole I look like a girl thing.
I hand my bra to mom, gods I never thought I would think that, and he takes his cold fingers to my left nipple. He does some prodding that doesn't really hurt but it's still cold so I flinch at first. He continues poking and then he squeezes in a few places asking how it feels. I say its fine till he gives the area behind the nipple a gentle squeeze. That one I felt and it hurt as I jerk back and cover my breast with a hand.
"Interesting" and there goes the eyebrow again. Mom stifles a giggle but just barely. It makes it really hard to not laugh at mom's antics. Doc Brown looks at me from side to side as he has me turn this way and that before motioning me to get dressed again. I was never so happy to put back on the blouse, mom gave me the bra first which I reluctantly put on then the blouse. I didn't tuck it into the skirt though. I sat back down when most of the buttons were done up and I put on the blazer to get warmed up. I was cold!
"So?" Dad's a man of few words.
"So I would like to send Bill for an upper and lower body scan. The blood test came back with some anomalies. His testosterone level is low but in the normal range for a boy of his age." He stopped as he was writing something into some notes.
"And! Oh sorry!" Sam covered her mouth with her hand. I guess she is just as impatient as me.
"His estrogen level was much higher than it should be. Not enough to cause breast growth by itself."
Mom gets this look on her face and so does dad before they both say "And"" simultaneously.
"I wish to run a few tests to identify the source of the estrogen level before I can proceed with a treatment. If the cause is from his body producing it then I can issue a blocker. If the source is a growth the regular blocker wont work. The third is that he may be ingesting estrogen of one form that a blocker would not work on."
"Are you saying my son is taking medications behind our backs!" mom is getting really upset at that.
"Quite the contrary actually. You are vegetarians are you not?"
"Well yes but that should have no effect on..."
"Some of the products vegetarians use can cause an increase in estrogen levels in the body. Soy for example has an amount of phytoestrogens that a regular blocker would not work on. The best way to reduce them is by using a low dose form of regular estrogen for a short time. However if Bill has something producing estrogen already this could cause him to have a higher than current level and may produce breast growth."
"So now what?" I'm so confused it's not funny.
"We do more tests before I prescribe anything."
"But what about these these ...things!"I'm getting more upset by the second.
"They should go away with time once we know the exact cause."
"But I look like a girl!" Dammit there is even tears forming in my eyes.
"Bill honey the doctor is trying.." mom starts as she tries to hug me. I twist away and stand up.
"This is all your fault! You and your dammed diet and you keep making me being a girl and you you.. Eyah!" I'm so frustrated I'm just yelling at her to hurt her to ohhh nevermind. I walk to the door and open it slamming it against the small grey rubber stop in the wall and storm down the hall and out of the clinic.
I walk till I have blown off enough steam. A convenient bus stop bench soon has my behind sitting on it with my legs spread open a little as my arms are draped over them. I know its not the least bit ladylike at the moment and I really don't care. It does not take too long before I feel a presence beside me that sits down. I do not even have to look up to know its dad. He waits without saying anything.
"Hey dad." once I'm calm enough I mumble out.
"Hey son feel better yet?"
"A little."
"That was a boneheaded thing to say to your mother. She is not to blame."
"I know it's just."
"Go on"
"It's so unfair! It seems like everytime I turn around people only see me or want me to be Belle. And I'm not Belle!"
"Ah that."
"Yes that."
"You know what I think." I hate that question because of course you have to say no.
"I think that your being Belle has in some small way made you a better person. You spent so much energy before trying to fit in with everyone but as Belle you stand out so much that you can't fit in. I think that people see Belle as the real person because you guarded yourself so much before that,to them, Bill was invisible."
"So?"
"You tell me son."
"I guess I should maybe like try not so hard to fit into groups and maybe relax and be myself whoever I am?"
"Sounds good to me but there is a more pressing issue."
"Oh?"
"Yes. And young lady if you do not go and grovel to your mother I will flip that skirt and spank your pantied behind till you can't sit for a week."
"Daaaddd!" I say as I sort of grin at him. He meant it in the nicest way. I should go say I'm sorry to mom and I feel really bad about that. Like really really bad.
Dad offers me his hand and I use it to pull myself up. We start the walk back to the clinic.
"Just to let you know but Samantha had a small issue with keeping her legs apart. Your mother and her had an argument that resulted in Sam wearing a tube top under a long skirt for days."
"Okay and the point is?"
"Unless you want the same treatment young lady I would suggest you never let your mother catch you with your knees apart while in a skirt." That catches me offguard and I look to his face to see a grin there. Message understood. Still..
"Daaadddd!"
The rest of the walk back takes time and we chat about small little things which helps calm me down till we get to the parking lot. In the lot you can see Sam trying to help my mother who is sitting on the car seat with her legs out. I can not only see her shoulders heaving as she cries but hear her too. The sound lets me know just how much pain she is in. It's so much that even I start to cry as I run towards her. At the sound of my feet, stupid shoes, she looks up and sees me. She opens her arms to me and I run into them for a bone crushing hug.
"Mom I'm so sorry I never meant.."
"Can you ever forgive me for being such a horrible.."
"No mom it's all my fault..."
"No honey it's my fault for telling making you take .."
We continue on that vein for awhile each letting out our frustrations and failings while liberally soaking the other with water in the form of tears.
It's a girl thing, and for once it doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Comments
Cliffy hangerish time
So, what is the source of all that estrogen? I guess the glandular tissue was just taking time to develop. So he is 'budding' then. So what direction will Bill take? Like it or not, he will probably find that Belle is an important part of him despite his troubles.
What he will have to decide will be decided based on whether it is an internal or external source. The latter is easy, just cut out the dietary source. I do not think dietary sources is sufficient though to blunt pubescence though. The former will take a lot of thinking because if he is intersexed that makes any decision so much harder.
Kim
Cliffy hangerish time
What another new chapter isnt up yet? :) Glad to see that at least Bill/Belle is starting to get some answers. Now the question of the day is where exactly does this estrogen come from. Perhaps it is glandular, although maybe less mature and has taken time. Good chapter
-Elsbeth
Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.
Broken Irish is better than clever English.
I'm glad mom finally sees
I'm glad mom finally sees what her actions are doing with her son. :--)
I do wonder what's going to happen next though, since it can still go quite a lot of ways.
grtz & hugs,
Sarah xxx
I believe in an earlier chapter we learned Bill Jr" *works*
Though HOW well is to be seen.
I mean, what guy wants to admit they ...
Plus what does Bill have to compare with?
I hope NOW he will get some competent help.
Still worry about a mix-up or some well meaning doc or nurse *helping* Belle.
But this feminine or at least androgynous body has been going on for a long time.
A chimera? Tumor? Those stupid vitamins and weird diet mom has had them on for years? Though the doc seemed toi discount that but if Bill had some other medical problem interfering with his male puberty THEN this diet and all is on top of it...
PAIS? But he has low but within the normal range for testosterone. Don't PAIS tend to have normal or even high testosterone but as much of it is not used the body converts it to estrogen?
A childhood injury or illness? What is the condition of his *male* stuff?
Have they genetic tested him yet or only a basic blood panel?
HUGE can of worms opened here. Lord knows where our sugar addicted Jacki AKA tels will take this.
John in Wauwatosa off to the vet later with my sister... with the cats, not for her.
BTW I am still pissed at her parents for continuing to call HIM Belle.
Don't they even care how it hurts him? Minor possible red flag. Why is Sam's recovery seeming to be slow? Or was the extent of her injuries worse than we were first told.
If something is odd with Bill could it be environmental and Sam is at risk too?
Sweet chapter.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Belle of the ball 21
So, according to the doctor[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Brown ]it can be all of the soy products that they are eating, and/or possibly estrogen touted to be a vitamin, and/or his body producing it's own estrogen. as for Spock's using his raised eyebrow as a weapon http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Uhura%27s_Song he was accused by Evan Wilson who earned the name of Tailkinker To Enterprise.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Sounds familiar
When I was growing up I fought my inner girl self!! I did all the boy
things to conform. I even made my high school varsity football team as
a freshman. So where am I today fully transitioned and post-op. I finally
admitted to myself that I was female not male 14 years ago. And it was
like a huge weight was lifted off of me!! Now I am happy with my life!!
I am not saying Bill/Belle is going through the same things, but it
sure sounds like what I went trough. And Bill/Belle has the added
issues of hormonal imbalances!! I am looking forward to getting
more answers about what is going on!!
Pamela
"So I’ve been a boy and I’ve been a girl and, trust me, being a girl is better"
"for once it doesn't bother me in the slightest."
Aww. Sniff, sniff. sob....
Not Plot Related 8)
I thought this was interesting, but it seemed to be worded wrongly:
>> "They should go away with time once we know the exact cause." <<
It sounds like, "They should go away with time" is conditional on "us" knowing the exact cause!
My thoughts (you know... correct or not): If they will go away with time, they will whether "we" know the cause or not.
If the condition is treatable (like, with diet changes and/or medication): They will go away after their cause is properly diagnosed and treated.
If the condition is not treatable (like, without some surgery): They will need to be removed, surgically, and, after some estrogen making tissue (endocrine, maybe) is also removed.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Belle of the Ball
Like other waiting to know the source, thought I heard a clue. Sounds like Bill might be getting over his discomfort
Hugs, JessieC
Jessica E. Connors
Jessica Connors
Oh Tels, Sniffles.......
Taarpa at the sob fest at the end the latest chapter. Doc Brown? Really? Are we zooming off into Bill/Belles future? Ugg, more tests? I still say "it's a conspiracy I Tels-ya" ha ha! Munch, munch, slurp, big sigh. Plain crackers and cola sucks! I miss my popcorn. :( (Hugs) Taarpa
haven't seen
We haven't seen an X flux capacitor attached to any stainless steel skateboards around so no.
Lil Jaci looks at the plain unsalted crackers and sighs as she drinks her cola.
Munch munch slurp.
You have many fine works, Maestro,
but BOTB is becoming your magnum opus.
Here's hoping it's not even half done yet! *sigh*
Sighs are the natural language of the heart.
-Thomas Shadwell
giggles
I am of the opinion that Bill is on his way to being Belle permenantly whether he really wants it or not though his/her mannerisms are way more girl than boy which even the school kids see themselves and yes as Belle he or rather she is much more of a stand out on his/her own individual whereas as Bill he I think kept a below the radar kind of profile. I'd love to see what conclusions the DR comes up with from the tests on Belle/Bill. Have found this story so inbteresting that it's hard to take any kind of break from it