Someone turned on the hall light and opened the door. Today was the day and everyone seemed ready to get started. After a couple of injections, I was numb enough below the waist for anyone with a task to perform there to perform that task with no discomfort for me. After the initial prepping, it was time for the general anesthetic. A nurse held a clear plastic mask on my face and told me to breathe deeply. I took a deep breath. Then I heard Amie whisper, “Jamie”, as she gently kissed my face.

I reached up and touched her cheek, “Night-night, sweet lover,” I mumbled.

“Night-night? You’ve been asleep for hours! How long you wanna sleep?”

I was in disbelief. “It’s over? No way!”

“Yes, it’s over. The doctors are in the next room patting each other on the back for their beautiful work!”

“Oh, Amie! I’m so happy!” I’m sure tears would have come to my eyes had I not be so sedated. “Mom!” I grabbed my mom’s neck and hugged tightly.

Mom smiled, “Just a few days and we can go home.”

“I wanna go home now!”

Amie spoke up, “Yeah…I’d like to see you try to even get up…not really…you don’t want to damage your new equipment! You’ll be getting heavy doses of pain killers and antibiotics for a while…then, the unveiling of your new vagina!”

“Amie, do you have to be so graphic?”

“Yep! That’s my Jamie…even under the influence of drugs…always a proper lady!”

“So it’s all done…no more excess material down there?”

“Right! When you heal, you’ll have a perfect vagina to go with your perfectly beautiful female body.”

“I’ll never be able to fully thank everyone who helped me. I’m so deeply in debt I’ll never get out.”

“I don’t need thanks,” my mom asserted. “I guess I’m also in debt to Amie and her parents. Thanks to them, I have a beautiful, happy daughter.”

Amie touched my hand, “You can thank me by being happy and enjoying your new body and your new life. Also, I want us to be friends forever. I’ve never met anyone so sweet and gentle, and I never want to lose you.”

“Well, if I go missing you better come looking for me. What happens now…do I lie here until I’m able to go home?”
Mom shrugged her shoulders. “I guess so. We have your laptop. I don’t think web surfing is too strenuous.”

I thought for a few seconds. “Remember the story about the 5 blind men and the elephant? Each had a different opinion of what the elephant was like based on what part of the elephant they touched. If someone asks me about Thailand, I’ll say, ‘Thailand is like a clean, white ceiling’. That’s about all I’ll see...or care to see. I have nothing against Thailand, but I’ve been homesick since we left the ground in Houston.”

Mom nodded, “I agree. The minute the doctors hint that you’re able to travel, we’ll be headed home.”

Amie smiled, “That apple didn’t fall from the tree.”

I explained, “You know what a Texan says when he’s been somewhere he doesn’t want to visit again? ‘I didn’t leave anything there.’ Well, I’m leaving something here…but it’s not something I’ll ever want to come back for.”

The doctors came into the room. Both were smiling. Dr. Adams spoke, “Well, the patient is going to live.”

“What a relief”, I responded. “The question is, ‘how long does the patient have to live away from home?’”

“You should be able to travel in a matter of days. You may not miss any school at all.” Dr. Adams seemed almost as eager to get home as my mom and me. “Dr. Chet will be coming to Texas for a visit in few weeks. I warned him that once he sees Texas, he might never want to leave.”

“Thank you, Dr. Chet. Thank you, Dr. Adams. The words seem inadequate.”

“You’re welcome, sweet girl. I hope I get to see you when I come to Texas.”

“I’ll make sure of it.” I knew when Dr. Adams said that…I knew I would see Dr. Chet again.

Dr. Adams continued, ”Dr. Chet and I are going to see his patients; Dr. Chet’s wife is going to take the ladies to town for shopping. Jamie, you can get on your laptop or rest. Someone will check on you frequently. OK?”

“OK. Thanks again to both you. Bye now.”

Everyone left the room except Amie. “Want me to stay? There’s nothing out there I want to buy.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”

“OK. Get some rest and do some healing. Bye.” She kissed me on the lips…a real kiss.

“I’m afraid the top half of me is all that’s available right now. But I think that in a few weeks I’m gonna have the other half…and It’s gonna be good.”

“Yes. Very good. Rest now, sweetie.” She kissed me again and left to go shopping for stuff she neither wanted nor needed.