Right to Life: The Brain Donor

Chapter 3 - Progress.

After another couple months, my progress had reached the point where I was moved out of the hospital, and to a rehabilitation and recovery house. I could type now, not like 60WPM, or anything, but well enough that I could use a computer with speech software to communicate. My upper body was getting stronger. I could lift myself into a wheel chair, and into bed… Although both were rather difficult to do. The plus side of that though was that I no longer needed the colostomy bag and the catheter. I was on soft foods, and feeling stronger. I was still trying to adjust. Peeing sitting down was a difficult thing for me to master, at first.

I sat on the couch, my wheelchair next to it. Heidi was coming over soon for my physical therapy. Speech therapy was difficult, I could make noises, but I was nowhere near being able to talk. A typical session would be me laying down on the floor, as Heidi worked with my legs, stretching them and bending them. It wouldn’t help me at all if the muscles tightened or atrophied. As she manipulated my legs, I ran through a vocal exercise meant to keep my vocal cords limber.

With time left in our session, we headed out to the park. Sometimes Heidi would push my chair, but more and more she made me wheel myself. It was sunny and warm, as August had just arrived. I had on a light tee, and to my dismay, a training bra. I hadn’t started puberty, but Heidi thought that it was a good idea to get me accustomed to wearing one. The very thought of what faced me scared the ever living crap out of me. To think that in a year, maybe two, I’d have tits starting, and I’d be bleeding out of an opening I shouldn’t have. That caused me some night terrors. In addition to my physical therapy, they had me attending regular meetings with a psychiatrist. I accepted that I was given a second chance, but the fact that I was having to live as a pre-teen girl was still causing me emotional issues.

I often woke up crying, and these new emotions were more intense. The doctors explained that since I had a female body now, my hormone levels were those of a girl, and I could expect to feel things in a stronger way.

After wheeling myself around the park a couple times, I was tired. These little girl arms weren’t all that muscular, and even though I didn’t weigh much, the effort exhausted me. Heidi took me home, and we concentrated on sensory observation. I would close my eyes, and she would gently poke a toe, or my arch. Sometimes she would hit my knee with a reflex hammer. After therapy, she took me into the bathroom and helped me with a bath. It was relaxing, and I had to admit, I was getting used to baths. As a guy, I had been more of a quick shower sort. Get in, get done, get out. But there was something relaxing and peaceful about a long soak in the tub, I really couldn’t explain it.

October came, and saw me able to walk with crutches. Admittedly, not for very long, or for very far. Still, it was progress. My speech therapy was also progressing. I was able to speak a little, though I sounded like someone with cerebral palsy, and speaking was hard. I had to be slow and deliberate, or I would be totally unintelligible. Still, all things being equal it was better than being dead.

I did get a rather unexpected surprise. It was Halloween, and I hadn’t been expecting anything. I sat in my room, the on-call nurse had just been by with my medications. There was a knock on the door, and it was Heidi. She wasn’t expected, but she came.
With a twinkle in her eye, and minimal explanation, I found myself in a makeshift Halloween costume. My chair was done up like one of those Dr. Who aliens, the Daleks. With my costume on, I was ushered into a van and taken to the children’s ward back at the hospital. A wonderful time was had. I joined the children as movies were shown, and candy given out. I had to stick to the softer candies, of course. Still it was an awesome time.

After the party, I sat in the dark and thought long and hard. Heidi had gone as a sexy witch. Her cleavage was visible, but still acceptable. The short dress accented her legs. If I had been the old me, I would have had my own ‘magic wand’ rather prominent. But as it is, nothing. I had thought about this on occasion, but now it was really hammered home. I had lost my sex drive and had to wonder. Would I get it back? Would I be a straight girl? Would I become a lesbian? The thought of some dude sticking his dick in me did nothing for me but give me a nauseous feeling. I sighed and re-focused on the party.

Thanksgiving came and went, with nobody to celebrate with. I sat in my room and watched football alone. By then though I was more mobile. I was walking on my own, needing just a cane. My speech was coming along too, I was mostly understandable, although I had a heavy lisp. Heidi and I were working on my expected transition out of the therapy house, prioritizing my language skills and working on writing. Although I had use of my hands, my penmanship was terrible. I had tremors that caused my hands to shake, meaning my writing was very sloppy.

Christmas saw me invited home by Heidi. We sat in her apartment and enjoyed a modest meal that she had cooked herself. Apparently she had no close family or friends, and usually worked on the Holidays. After dinner, we sat on the couch together and listened to carols. It was different, but nice. I was due to be released just after New Years, but there were complications. Legally, I was a nobody. I had no assets, no home, no name. I was a non-person in the eyes of the law. Worse yet, I was a minor AND a non-entity, from a legal standpoint.

I sat in the darkness of my room, it was the day after Christmas. I was walking, talking doing everything expected. I couldn’t run, and I was still having some slight troubles with speaking and writing, but I was okay. I got up and walked to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I saw that same face. The petite girl with the black hair and the sparkling blue eyes. Me. That was me now. A me that didn’t exist to the world.

I knew that the original plan had been for me to quietly be set up in an apartment that was paid for by the Hospital and several other organizations, but apparently that plan had been nixed by the lawyers. Of course it was the lawyers. Probably the same reason that there hadn’t been any news conferences to show me off and to talk about the operation. I couldn’t see somewhere as prestigious as the Mayo Clinic doing something shady and underhanded, but surely there was a reason for all the hush-hush, sweeping under the carpet of the whole affair.

I was resolved to ask Heidi when I saw her next, but other thoughts loomed large. I was out of here in a matter of days. To be thrown out into the Minnesota winter was all but a death sentence. I had less than a week to figure something out.

The day came, and I was out the door. All I had was a sweatsuit and some old sneakers. This was it. It was cold. There was snow falling, and the wind was howling. I walked slowly out the door, facing my second brush with cold and death. I was resigned to my fate, when suddenly I felt a tug on my sweatshirt.

I turned around and was face to face with Heidi. She handed me a key, and told me a cab was on its way. I stood there stunned.

“Whath going on?” I asked, my lisp coming out as I stood there tearing up.

Heidi looked at me and smiled. “You are going to my apartment. I won’t abandon you to the streets.”

I cried and bit at my lower lip as the cab pulled up. Heidi helped me into the back seat and handed me money to pay for the cab. She went over to the driver’s window and gave the address, and I was off.

I sat in the apartment, in a daze. It seemed like hours until Heidi came home. I heard her keys jangle as she came in.

“Thomas? You in here?”, she called. I looked up from the couch and waved her over. We sat there in silence for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words could come out. Heidi spoke instead. “I know things are tough, but I’m not going to abandon you. I could never do that. I’m off tomorrow, and I’m going to call a friend of mine. She’s a lawyer. We will figure out how to help you.”

I slept in Heidi’s bed that night. She took the couch. I had offered to take the couch, but she had refused rather adamantly. I fell asleep quickly that night, surrounded by warmth and optimism.

I sat on the couch in an over-sized tee that draped like a dress on my small frame. I finished my cheerios and turned suddenly at the knocking on the door. Heidi bolted up and ran over, peering through the keyhole. With a relieved sigh, she undid the chain bolt and opened the door.

A tall woman entered, perhaps close to 6 foot. She was wearing a black trench coat and fedora, and carried a briefcase. There was a large bag slung over her shoulder. She put her bag and briefcase down and leaned in and kissed Heidi on the cheek. There was an intimacy and closeness there that I picked up on right away.

Heidi turned toward me and nodded her head at me. “Thomas, meet Rebecca Erikson. Becca, this is Thomas.”

Rebecca looked me over and nodded. “Hello, Heidi told me all about you, and I did some digging. Unfortunately any assets you had have been liquidated, and the money was donated to charity. As for legal status, that’s another sticky wicket. Officially, you are dead. Thomas Kinkaid died that night in the operating room. Furthermore, the records of your body’s identity have been sealed by a judge, and she also is legally dead.”

I sighed and slumped over. “Tho thath’s it. I’m a nobody, and I’m doomed.”

Rebecca looked at me sympathetically, “There is still an option, though you might not want to hear it.”

“I’m lithening”, I said.

“We do have your redacted medical history. With that, we can legally generate a new identity for you, but obviously it would be as a female minor.”, Rebecca said looking at me.

“Meaning I’d be thtuck in the juvenile thysthtem.”, I said with tears starting to form.

Heidi came over and wrapped her arm around my shoulders and drew me into a hug. “Not if someone were to legally adopt you. Of course, you would be considered a minor, so that person would need to assume total guardianship over you and make sure you are provided for. Make sure you go to school, and take care of your emotional and physical well-being. Since I’ve been doing that already, why not make it permanent?”

I looked at her and hugged her tightly. “You would do that for me?” I said, tears still flowing. Ugh… these damn girl hormones.