It's a Boy er Girl!
"Dad?"
"You're awake, how're you doing?"
"Sore."
"I can guess, the Docs want to do some tests, you lost a lot of blood kiddo."
"How, why?"
"That's what the Doctors want to find out."
"It's because of the er girl bits isn't it."
"It's quite likely kiddo but they want to check before doing anything."
"Why couldn't I be like normal?" I started to blub.
"It'll be okay kiddo."
"But what about England, BC, I won't be able to go now."
"We don't know that, I'll ring Caro later, let them know what's going on."
"I'm scared Dad."
"I know kiddo, I know." Dad pulled me into a hug which at least calmed me down some.
"Jen? Can you talk?"
"Dave? What's happening, how is he? "
"Out of immediate danger."
"Thank heavens, so what was it? George wasn't very specific."
"Well neither was I last night, it seems his um girl bits have 'matured '."
"It was a period ?"
"I should have spotted the symptoms."
"You wouldn't be looking for them Dave, so the blood?"
"It had to go somewhere, it burst into his bowel, the Doctor did say a lot more but they've repaired the damage."
"Why now? Most girls have started in their early teens."
"Late developer? The medics think it was caused by the effort in the sprint, a build up of pressure."
"But he doesn't have..."
"They've inserted a temporary drain."
"My poor baby."
"He should be clear to travel tomorrow so we'll get him home before deciding anything eh."
"I wish I could be there."
"Drew knows the score luv."
"I know but,"
"But you'll be here when he needs you."
"I'll be back in Dernau Monday whatever."
"I'm sure we can use the phone if we need to make any urgent decisions."
"What's going to happen , Dave?"
"I really don't know luv, I really don't know."
"Well, young lady, it seems you have some plumbing that needs sorting out."
Talk about embarrassing. All morning the medics have been using female nomenclature (see I'm not thick!) in respect of me and its darn well getting on my–erm–tits . And now, well now.
"I've spoken with your doctor in Koln who has brought me fully up to speed. It seems that the unlikely has turned into reality, for some reason your apparently benign fallopian system has burst into life, your hormone levels are within the normal parameters for a girl of your age, yesterday's bleeding will be a regular feature from k now on."
Just what I need - not!
"Why now Doctor?" Dad asked the $64000 question.
"Who knows? A change in diet or routine, I think we would have been here sooner but for your sport. It's possible that you've had smaller discharges which have been absorbed internally, this time it was too much."
"So what happens now?"
"The drain we have fitted you with is only temporary, you will need surgery, and soon if we are to prevent any repeat of yesterday - we might not be so lucky a second time."
Sugar with extra sweetener.
"You have several options at this stage, I'm sure your specialist has mentioned them already."
Indeed he has, cut off my manhood or cut out the girl bits, one way I'm sterile, the other I could, potentially become a parent - a female parent. Is there a third option? This whole conundrum comes back to haunt me on a regular basis but now, now I need to make a decision.
"What would be your advice?" Dad asked.
"Personally I'd opt for the vaginoplasty; you have a very beautiful daughter, sort the plumbing to match. But that's just my opinion; you need to do what's right for you eh."
Right for me. What is right for me?
“How are you doing?”
“Okay I guess.”
Well I'm not exactly comfortable, my bum's sore, I've got the drain digging into me every time I move and I've got like this huge sanitary pad strapped between my legs. Oh yeah and I'm wearing a ridiculously frumpy dress that Dad found in one of those terrible Kik Textil places — I might not like wearing dresses an all that but really, I look like a right dork in this.
“You want to stop?”
Read the above!
“Nah I'm okay for now.”
“It's still about two hours to home.” He pointed out.
“'kay.”
Monday was dire, I got prodded, poked and vampired most of the day and when Tali and her rents dropped by I barely got a chance to talk. So Dad went to use the Schmidt's spare bed whilst I got to share a side ward with a selection of old biddies with more complaints and moans than even Jules. A pleasant night it was not.
Which brings us to today. The Doc reckoned I was okay to travel — with some provisos, I get to see the specialist Thursday and I'm stuck with the pipe and nappy for the foreseeable. Joy. But the good news is that I get to go home, what happens next I still don't know.
“Bit of a conundrum eh?”
“Just a bit Dave.” Caroline agreed.
Ever since getting the call from Dave out in Germany she k new that sooner or later she'd be having this conversation with the Director. The whole situation was unprecedented, no doubt the UCI would get involved, certainly the long term performance plan w ould have to be reappraised.
“You mentioned that this all happened after some event in, where was it, Hannover?”
“Hamburg, the Holstein Junior Grand Prix.”
Dave Brailsford raised a brow for her to go on.
“Drew took a close sprint for the win, his Dad says he has an unassailable lead in the German league, the team has bundled the girls and team competitions too. You know they have the Waugh lad riding for them now?”
“The tall Geordie?”
“That's the one.”
“So to recap, the Bond kid has won or placed in every start this season riding against the strongest competition in Europe.”
“Uh huh.” Caro agreed.
“And this … condition means he'll be batting for the other team now?”
“Crudely put, but yeah, essentially he's already there.”
“Bugger!”
‘Indeed' Caro agreed, ‘indeed!'
The Director took a sip of his coffee, “ U rgh, cold! Okay, here's what we do, watching brief , Caroline. Assuming he's fit we proceed as planned, two weeks here at central then the Euro tour, keep a close eye on things and the UCI out of it for now.”
“What about Madrid?”
“Indeed, any ideas?”
“When do we have to name the squad?”
The Boss flicked through his diary, “ L et's see, junior, junior, junior, here we go, junior road events, September second.”
“So we have a week after the Danish tour.”
“Where are you going?”
“We've got the Cavendish lad in the under 23's.”
“Yes.”
“He's showing some promise, if we have to lose Drew we could drop Cavendish into the slot.”
“Possibly, what about Madrid?”
“If we have to , we get him, well her I guess, re registered for the girls.”
“Hmm, let me think on it, we'll have to let John Ward in on developments vi s á vi s Bond junior, hmm, meeting Friday morning?”
“Should be okay, Dave said he'd call Thursday evening so we should have some more information to work with.”
“Nice frock!”
I made a discrete signal with a digit towards my sister.
“Give me a hand Jules, Drew inside.”
“I'm not an invalid.”
“You do look like a right Mary though,” my helpful sister pointed out.
Good enough reason to get indoors I guess.
“Drew? You up for visitors?” Dad called up to my eyrie where I have taken refuge since we got home this afternoon.
“I guess, who is it?”
“I er seem to have a bit of a delegation downstairs.”
“The girls?”
“For the most part I'd say so.”
Shitza.
“Erm, let me get dressed, like five minutes.”
“You need any help?”
“Da-ad! I can dress myself!”
“Five minutes.”
How did the guys know I was back? Jules, it ha d to have been Jules. It's not like I was trying to avoid them or anything but I really could have done without them this evening. Now then, what to wear?
to be continued....
© Maddy Bell 23.10.2011
Comments
Decision time!!!
In my case it would be easy, get my girl bits fixed, but then
I am a post-op myself!! Drew/Gabbie has to decide where they
want to go in their life. It seems to me that her body is more
female then male. But what her/his inner core is makes a big
difference. Which path would she be most happy in. Well
that is for Maddy to decide, she is the author!!
Thanks,
Pamela
What's going to happen with Drew/Gabi?
How she feels inside - indeed. It has been mentioned several times that Drew does not like wearing dresses, though he has been tricked into wearing one type or other of female outer attire more than once. And he has basically presented female for nearly the entire time the family has been in Germany. So what happens now?
If Drew decides to remain Drew, then what happens to Gabi? Does Gabi then continue as she has all along - Drew's alter ego?
And if Drew decides Gabi is the proper way to go, then cycling is out the picture for the foreseeable future while surgery is done, and then there is recuperation and lots of healing to undergo before the Docs even think about letting her on a cycle again.
Well done, Maddy! What a mess you have us .. um Drew/Gabi .. in this time!
Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?
Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm
Drew/Gaby
I noticed something with Gaby/Drew ... The words and body language don't really match. Drew says he hates dresses, but Gaby is happier than Drew. And once the dress or other assorted girl items is on, Gaby forgets that they are wear them. I believe that Drew said once that all his good memories happen while Gaby.
I agree
A lot of people are passive and in many ways Drew is portrayed as a very passive individual (except at biking). Of course this is fiction so the author doesn't need to paint our hero in a totally realistic way. Still Drew's friends are female. In Germany his activities are almost all female oriented. Drew seems well adjusted and happy. He does seem to miss the idea of boyhood.
Drew Bond has some hard
choices to make about the future. Seeing which choice is made, only Maddy Bell knows.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Nature's course
Good story Maddy, Nature takes its course in its time. A hard decision that Drew has put off is forcing a decision to be made. It is Drew's decision but Drew or Gabby people have consistently seen Gabby, the opposite hasn't been true.
There's a depth to being Gabby that hasn't been explored. I eagerly await to see where the story goes.
Hugs, JessieC
Jessica E. Connors
Jessica Connors
Is reading ahead
Cheating? Well, anyway, things can be handled, biking and gender-wise. Even to scheduling surgery, which has to happen either way. If Drew goes female the surgery is actually easier.
But make no mistake: Drew IS Gaby. Sooner or later he has to decide how he integrates the two halfs of his personality. Drew has options and they haven't been closed out by this. Just keep reading. ;-)
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Oh Myyy!
(Okay, I stole the subject, but it's appropriate!)
So you push things, again... and STILL don't tell us the decision. Either way, could still be an issue. Drew's been finding it more work to beat the guys, but still managing. Though, a lot of credit goes to folks with the kid (not all, by any stretch).
I can recall a time or two I hoped the docs would find some "extra" bits down there, when doing abdominal scans... No such luck.
From what I've read to date, this is a decision Drew really didn't want to make and one the kid feels is being made by the body, without consulting.
Stress CAN cause the body to do stuff... I've seen that, first hand.
Thanks,
Annette
The decision has to be made ...
on the basis of what's between Drew/Gaby's ears. There's no other criteria as I see it.. I only hope Drew/Gaby can arrive at a conclusive solution. It's shit being an 'inbetweenie!' Having a foot in both camps makes you feel like an imposter in either gender and makes you feel vulnerable to assault from all sides.
I hope Drew/Gabby can make a clear decision.
Bevs.
Biking was more important
Drew's physical condition should have been delt with the minute the doctor discovered the female organs in Drew. That discovery should have signaled the need to consult a specialist as soon as possible, and not worry about the next bike race.
But two things kept a specialist consultation from taking place. Dave and Jenny left the decision up to Drew, instead of being parents in charge. Then there was race after race coming before a much needed medical opinion by a specialist. The needed decision may have been on Drew's mind, but it was behind the next race.
Now, because a medical decision was put off, Drew had to have surgery to repair the bowel. Had they delt with this when first discovered, the needed surgery would have been done and Drew's period would have been handled in the normal way.
Drew has to face facts, whether they are favorable or not. He has never been a he. Herbert is not a Herbert, regardless what everyone thinks. If the female organs are removed, he'll have to take hormones the rest of his life. But which ones, they don't know because they lack that information. Plus, Drew will be sterile.
On the other hand, Drew is seen as female by all who see her. S/he looks like a girl, a beautiful girl, has the body of a girl at that age, and finds girl clothing fits better than boy clothing.
Right now though, Drew needs to heel. Dave, Jenny, and Drew need to meet with the specialist quickly rather than soon, her life now depends on making a well informed decision. And a decision the will let her live a normal girl life. A life where Drew won't be sterile the rest of her life.
Others have feelings too.