his sister's home and begins caring for her family. Thank you to everyone who
commented on the first installment. I do love knowing that you are all well and
hearing from you. I appreciate your support. A word or warning, though - I do try
to explore the feelings, emotions and motivations of my characters and that
requires using words.
Author's Note: I am hoping that you are enjoying my stories so far. If you find yourself liking
this one, please consider leaving me a review? Honest, I love reading them! ~Clara.
This version of An Anomoly: 2 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.
Chapter 2
"You saw Stevie naked?" Kate half laughed.
"Yeah, he walked out of the shower naked. It wasn't on purpose. That's not the point, though. The point is... when was the last time you saw his chest?"
Kate shrugged. "I have no idea. Why?"
He looked towards the stairs to be sure that Stevie wasn't coming into the kitchen. "Honey, I think Stevie needs to see a doctor."
Being the health conscious person that she was, this really caught Kate's attention, "A doctor? Why?"
He paused. "Look, honey... he doesn't have breasts, per se, but... he has big nipples and the area around them... Katie, they're really big. Like a girl's. And honey... there's something not right... down there, too. He really needs to see someone."
Now, Katie looked towards the staircase. When she spoke, she spoke quietly. "What do you mean 'something wrong down there?' I changed his diaper when he was a baby. He was normal down there."
He sat back and shook his head. "Look, honey, I'm not a doctor and I certainly didn't stare at it or anything, but... it doesn't look... right... I mean... normal... I mean... Geez, honey... I want him to go see a doctor, is all I'm saying."
Katie shook her head. "And I suppose you want ME to be the one who brings this up, right?"
He shrugged. "It would probably be less embarrassing than having me say something to him. I mean... I will if you want, but..."
"No," Kate sighed. "I should be me, but... what do I say?"
"I don't know." Then a thought occurred to Derrick. "Does he even have insurance?"
She shrugged.
Derrick pointed at the table, as if pointing at a document. "Well, there's a good start to a conversation. Ask him if he has health insurance. Then maybe talk about finding a GP if he doesn't have one. Etc..."
They both heard movement on the stairs. Katie gave her husband a look of warning. "Ok, I'll talk to him, but not tonight. Whatever it is, it'll wait until tomorrow. I'll talk to him when you're not around. He's had a hard day already. Ok?"
Derrick nodded. "Agreed." He stood and busied himself with warming the soups.
"Hey," Stevie said as he entered the kitchen, tentatively.
"Hi," Katie smiled, moving Alice to her shoulder to burp her. "I hear that you and Derrick shared a moment upstairs." She made light of what she knew was an embarrassing moment for both men.
"Yeah," Stevie laughed. "Sorry."
"My fault," Derrick said without turning away from the stove. "It's your room, Stevie, and I shouldn't have gone in without your permission. I'm sorry."
"No, problem," Stevie said, still embarrassed by the encounter. "Thank you for setting up the TV. I appreciate it."
"No problem," Derrick still didn't turn around to face his brother-in-law.
"Can I set the table?" Stevie asked, wanting not only to feel useful, but to divert attention away from the awkward event.
"That would be great," Katie smiled.
"I'll help," Olivia entered the kitchen from the living room where she'd been watching TV, and joined her uncle as he opened the silverware drawer.
Katie watched her brother and daughter as they worked. She took note of the fact that her brother was wearing a pair of Hello Kitty lounge pants that she'd worn when she was in high school. Granted, his choices were limited, but these were a pretty girly choice. His top was a soft blue, scoop necked top with cap sleeves. Again, maybe his choices were limited, but... Also, his hair looked as if he'd spent some time on it. That was commendable, but it did look... female.
Kate decided that all of this needed addressing, but in private. She also spent a lot of meal time scrutinizing the material of Stevie's top, particularly in the area of his chest, looking for signs of his nipples and she had to admit... she could detect impressions of nipples through the cloth. Not big nipples, but nipples. Derrick was not imagining things, but come on... men have nipples, right? No... his did look bigger than one might expect a man's to be.
Soon, they were all enjoying a warm meal of good soup and hearty bread from the farm-fresh store that Kate and Derrick frequented.
After dinner, Stevie got his first lesson in bathing his nieces. First, Alice was bathed in the kitchen sink with Katie giving instructions regarding how the baby liked to have the water poured onto her. Alice actually loved her baths and, according to Katie, loved the heated pool they had in the back yard, too.
After Alice was washed and snuggled into a warm onesie and set into her crib, Stevie got a tutorial on bathing Olivia in the tub. That was a wholly different operation. Livy also enjoyed her baths, but her bath time included toys and playing and games - which meant - splashing. Within five minutes, Stevie's top was soaked, but he was still laughing and playing with his niece, regardless.
"You must be uncomfortable in that wet shirt," Katie said. "You can take it off it you'd rather. I frequently bathe Livy topless."
"Oh, it doesn't bother me," Stevie laughed. "A little water never hurt Uncle Stevie."
"Auntie Stevie," Olivia insisted. "Auntie Stevie."
Stevie just laughed it off as he pushed a yellow boat around the tub as part of Olivia's game.
Soon enough, Olivia was in her nightgown. She'd chosen a Hello Kitty gown to match Stevie, and cuddled on the couch between Stevie and Katie, watching an episode of My Pretty Pony before going to bed. Stevie had changed out of the wet tee shirt and put on the tee shirt that matched his lounge pants, so both he and his niece were covered in images of Hello Kitty.
"When you wake up tomorrow morning, Auntie Stevie will still be here," Katie explained to the girl.
"I know," Olivia said. "Auntie Stevie lives here now."
"That's right. Does that make you happy?"
"Yes." The little girl's attention barely shifted from the TV screen.
"It makes me happy too," Katie said, looking at her little brother.
"Thanks," Stevie smiled. "I'm happy to be here." He thought for a moment. "Where's Derrick?"
"I think he's in the garage," Katie sighed. "A couple of our neighbors are cops, too. They sometimes sit in the open garage on nice nights. They sit and talk sports and have a few beers. You can join them if things are too girly in here for you."
Stevie laughed. "Sports and beer. Two things I know nothing about."
"Oh, and you know so much about girls?" Katie teased.
He shrugged. "More than most guys, I suppose. I had to take care of Grandma, after all. At the end, that included bathing her and changing her diapers, too. Just like I'm doing now."
Katie's head turned to face him. "Not really?"
He nodded, surprised that she was surprised. "Yeah. Of course. Why?"
"Well... we had that nursing service coming to the house everyday. Didn't they take care of all of that?"
Stevie laughed. "Katie... they came for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. Grandma didn't wait around for them to show up to have an accident. She went when she went and I dealt with it. What did you think I was doing all day and night with her?"
In fact, a part of Kate had kind of felt that her brother had used their grandmother's infirmity as an excuse to dropout of high school and not go to college. She'd really never considered that he'd had to deal with the intimate maintenance of the sick old woman.
"I didn't think you had to do things like that," Kate said, quietly. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I assumed you knew," he said, dismissively. "What difference did it make? You had a family and career to deal with. I didn't. Grandma needed help... end of story."
Kate reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry, Stevie. I guess I should have been more involved."
Stevie looked at her, a little baffled by her attitude. "Why? I didn't mind. She took care of me until she couldn't... Then I took care of her. That's just how life works. Right?"
The show ended at that point, diverting Katie's attention. "Ok, Livy, it's time for bed."
"Ok," the girl half bounced to her feet. "Come on, Auntie Stevie. I want you to read me a story."
"A short story," Kate insisted, "and I'm coming too to make sure you don't take advantage of your uncle."
"Auntie!" Olivia insisted as she dragged Stevie down the hallway.
It was a short story, but Stevie acted out all of the character voices and turned a six or seven minute story into a twenty minute extravaganza, much to the delight of the little girl. Finally, he tucked her into bed and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, Auntie Stevie," Olivia whispered, already starting to get drowsy.
"I love you, too, Livy," Stevie whispered back, feeling more loved than ever at that moment.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Katie asked, quietly, as they stepped out into the hallway.
"What?"
"Being a mom."
Stevie chuckled. "I'll settle for being an uncle."
Katie let it go, but the way that Stevie behaved with the girls... there was a mommy somewhere inside of him. She could feel it.
It was almost three hours later that Derrick and Kate were laying in bed together, Katie's head resting on Derrick's chest, that she asked her husband if he could explain why he'd been concerned about Stevie's genitals.
"Like I said, honey, I'm not a doctor. Let's just get Stevie to a doctor and make sure he's ok. Alright?"
"Agreed, but can you give a little more information? I mean... you know how I am about illness, Derrick. What did you think was wrong?"
"Please, Kate, let's just leave it..."
"I'm not going to get any sleep unless I know what you think is wrong." Kate sat up.
Derrick let out a frustrated huff and pulled himself up so his back was against the bed's headboard. "Alright, look... his... thing... his dick... is like... it's like a boy's. Ok?"
That made Katie chuckle a bit. "Ok, but not every guy has a big penis, Derrick. I mean, just because you and you testosterone driven cop friends are always comparing the size of yours doesn't mean that every guy has a monster between his legs. Stevie's a little guy. Little guys have little penises, right?"
Derrick shook his head and looked at the ceiling in frustration. "It's not just little, Kate. It's... underdeveloped... if you know what I mean."
Kate shook her head. "I don't."
He sighed. "Kate... I shower with guys every day of the week and there's no way to avoid seeing their junk. Some guys are big and some guys are small, but we all have the same parts. Stevie... doesn't."
This made Kate sit up straighter. "Meaning... what?"
"Now... I only saw him naked for a couple of seconds, Kate, but I'm pretty sure that Stevie - man this sounds weird to say..." he took a breath, "...doesn't have any testicles."
"What?" Kate half laughed, but her laugh was from nervousness. "That's crazy. Of course he has testicles."
"Does he?" Derrick looked at his wife. "When was the last time he saw a doctor, honey? I bet it was before your mom died, and that was before he would have entered puberty."
"No, no," Katie was pondering the absurdity of what she'd just been told. "He's a grown man. If he had a problem like that, he would have seen someone about it."
"I don't know, Kate. I mean... think about it. Catholic school - no health or anatomy classes, right? No man in the house. No male friends. No brothers or male cousins. I think he might not know that he's missing something down there."
Katie jumped out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Her husband asked.
"I'm getting my iPad."
"Great," Derrick muttered under his breath.
Moments later, she was Googling reasons for testicles to not descend in a pubescent males and becoming more stressed out by the minute.
"Honey, come on. WebMD isn't going to tell you what the problem is," Derrick said, trying to calm her down. "Monday morning we'll make an appointment for Stevie to see a doctor and we'll take it from there."
"That's easy for you to say," Kate snapped in a frenzy of concern, "he's not your brother. I should have been taking care of him this whole time. God Almighty, I left a kid alone to take care of an old lady! He had to change her diapers, for crips' sake, Derrick. She didn't even take him to see a doctor! Do you know how many of these possible diagnoses involve cancers? My God, Derrick..."
"Ok, ok, ok," Derick put his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her close. "First off, yes, we BOTH should have been more involved with your grandmother, but Stevie never told us how difficult it was for him, so we didn't know. Now, we'll make it up to him. Second, I know how you feel about health and how much cancer scares you. That's exactly why we need to get Stevie to a doctor. If he doesn't have insurance, we'll get him onto public health assistance right away. Whatever is wrong with him - and it probably ISN'T cancer - we will deal with it with a real life doctor - not an iPad. And finally... you're wrong. Stevie IS my brother. I'm not going to say that I love him like a brother, exactly, but he's important to me because he's important to you. So, please, don't ever think that I'm not concerned. I am. And if we need to dig a little deeper to find a little more money to help him through this then... well, we can tap into our 401K if we need to. Whatever Stevie needs, WE are going to provide. Ok?"
Finally, she relaxed against his chest. "Ok." She took a few breaths. "Thank you, Derrick."
"Never thank me for being a part of my own family, babe." He kissed her and shut off the bed-stand lamp.
The next morning started bright and early. It was a Sunday, but Derrick had to work, so the house was bustling early. Stevie came down stairs holding onto Olivia's hand.
Katie saw him and not only thought that he looked adorable in his Hello Kitty pjs, but that he and Olivia, still in her Hello Kitty nightgown, made a perfect picture. They looked more like sisters than Uncle and niece, though. Like a fourteen or fifteen year old girl taking care of her four year old sister.
"Well, look at you!" Katie squealed at her daughter. "Did Stevie brush your hair already?"
Olivia smiled and nodded. "We brushed each other's hair." She said proudly.
"Really," Katie smiled. "Well, you both look beautiful." She kissed her daughter's forehead, and then did the same to her brother. "And you look so sweet in your matching pjs."
"Haha," Stevie said, accepting the ribbing.
"Seriously, Livy's hair looks great. She always fights me when I try to brush it."
Stevie lifted his niece into a booster seat and pushed the chair into the table. "Well, she didn't fight with me, did you, Livy?"
"Nope!" The girl said with pride. "I brushed Auntie Stevie's hair then she brushed mine."
"He," Stevie corrected. "I'm a boy."
The little girl just giggled.
"I'm making Derrick an omelette," Kate said. "I hate it when he has to work on Sundays. Can I make you one?"
Stevie shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not a big breakfast person. I'll just make myself some toast and tea if that's ok."
"Sure." She handed him a small plate with scrambled eggs on it for Olivia and a small cup of orange juice.
Stevie placed the food on the table and made sure that Olivia was all set before he stepped away, intending to make some tea. Instead, the kitchen came to a stand still with sound of the baby's cry coming through the monitor on the counter next to Katie.
"Perfect timing," Katie said with a frustrated laugh. "I was just about to start Derrick's breakfast."
"That's ok," Stevie said with a smile. "I'll take care of the baby."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," he laughed. "I have to start earning my keep, right?"
He hustled up the stairs and into the nursery where Alice was fussing in her crib.
"Hi, Angel," he cooed to her. "Good morning. Are you looking for mommy? Let me get you changed and we'll go downstairs, ok?" He took the baby to the changing table and undid her onesie. Then removed her sodden diaper and, following his sister's instructions from yesterday, neatly cleaned her, prepped her, re-diapered her and closed up her onesie again. "There you go, Princess. All ready to go see mommy."
As he took her down the stairs, he marveled at the child. Ten perfect fingers, ten perfect toes. Bright eyes. Everything about a child this young was just so miraculous. He was happy to be a part of this one's life - and Olivia's too, of course.
When he reached the kitchen, Derrick was in full uniform and seated at the table eating his omelette. He smiled and held up a hand of welcome to Stevie. After he'd swallowed, he said, "Morning. Did you sleep ok?"
Stevie nodded, always a little uncertain as to how to act around Derrick. "I did. Thanks."
"Good," Derrick smiled again, nodded and returned to his breakfast.
Stevie walked over to the stove expecting his sister to take Alice from him, but instead she handed him a warm bottle. "Would you mind feeding her? I heated the bottle up while you were upstairs. I'll make you your toast and tea."
"Oh... ok," Stevie sputtered a little surprised. Katie had stated quite clearly that she was going to miss breast feeding Alice when she returned to work, so he'd just assumed that she'd want to breast her that morning.
He took the bottle and sat at the table opposite Derrick. He had actually bottle fed both of his nieces a few times, so this was nothing new, just a bit awkward in front of Derrick. He put that out of his mind, though, got Alice into the proper position in the crook of his arm and teased the nipple on her lips until she accepted it and began to devour Katie's milk from the bottle.
"Look at that," Derrick smiled, "he's a natural."
"I told you," Katie said from the stove. "Stevie's going to make a great mommy someday."
Before Stevie could respond to her jibe, Derrick's phone rang. He glanced at it. "It's the precinct. I'll take it in the mud room."
He stood, took his plate with him and went into the mud room off of the kitchen, closing the door behind him.
Katie sat beside her brother and whispered, "He doesn't take work calls in front of the girls."
Stevie nodded. That made sense. When it came to police work, who knew what might be said over the phone. Better to be sure that the girls didn't hear anything.
Derrick came back into the kitchen in a rush. "There was a bad accident on the cut-off. I'm going directly over there to help divert traffic."
He put his dish in the sink and grabbed his hat and belt before heading towards the door. "I'm sorry I have to rush, honey."
"Don't worry," Kate smiled. "Just be careful."
"I will," he smiled. Then he bent and kissed Olivia's cheek. "Bye, bye, honey. Daddy loves you."
"I love you, too, daddy," the little girl smiled at him.
As he strapped on his gun belt, which had no gun in it, Derrick said, "You be a good girl for mommy and Stevie, ok?"
"Ok, daddy," she smiled at him.
His phone chimed and he glanced at it, reading a text. "Shoot, I have to run."
He hurried to the other side of the table and kissed his wife on the cheek. "Love you."
Then, as if in one practiced movement, he bent and kissed Alice's forehead, then, as he rose to stand, he paused kissed Stevie on the cheek and repeated the same words. "Love you." Then disappeared out the door.
Stevie watched him leave, his mouth agape and his voice unable to make a sound. Finally, he turned and looked at his sister who's face was turning red as she tried to keep from laughing.
"Your husband just kissed me!" He said, shocked.
"I know," Katie said, struggling to keep the giggles controlled.
"Why?"
"I don't know!" The dam finally burst and she laughed uncontrollably.
"I don't want your husband kissing me," Stevie said, half laughing himself.
"Oh, come on, Stevie. He was in a rush, it's usually just the girls and me here... he just wasn't thinking."
"Not thinking? Does he usually kiss men?"
Katie got control over her giggles. "Let's be honest, honey... most men that have visited my house haven't had hair that looks as nice as yours, none have ever sat down at the table to feed our baby and none have ever worn a Hello Kitty pj set while doing it. He just kissed another one of 'his girls' goodbye. And, besides... he does care about you, Stevie. He really does."
"Well, it was weird," Stevie said, returning his attention to the baby. Then a thought occurred to him. "How come Derrick's holster didn't have a gun in it?"
"Because we don't want a gun in the house where it'd be near the girls. He leaves it in a gun safe in the garage. He doesn't leave his belt out there, though, because he says the heat and cold isn't good for the leather."
That made sense.
"Mommy, can we go in the pool today?" Olivia asked, changing the subject.
"Sure, baby," Katie said with a smile. "Why don't we get our chores done this morning and then, after lunch, when it's warmer outside, we'll all go swimming."
"I'll have to take a rain check on that," Stevie said, finishing up with Alice's feeding and putting a cloth diaper over his shoulder before burping her. "I don't have any swim trunks."
"Oh, we'll find you something," Kate said, off handedly.
Soon the baby had brought up some wind, and just a little milk, too, and she was nestled on Stevie's lap while he ate his toast, with the best orange marmalade he'd ever eaten on it, and sipped his tea.
"Can I have some tea, too?" Olivia asked.
"Not yet, sweetheart, but in a few years you can." Katie assured the girl.
"But my dolls drink tea. We have tea parties all the time."
"That's special tea," Katie smiled. "Tea from your imagination. This tea has caffeine and you're still a little young for that. In a year or so I'll let you try some weak tea, baby, but for now, we'll stick to imaginary tea. Ok?"
"Ok," Olivia agreed, but she sounded dejected.
They spent the morning cleaning the downstairs, not typically a Sunday morning activity, but since Katie had not been home for a few mornings, it had to be done. Katie realized quickly that her idea of a clean house and Stevie's idea of a clean house were two very different things. Apparently, all of this time she'd only been going for 'the appearance' of clean, while across town Stevie had been cleaning their grandmother's house from top to bottom and making sure that it was spotless. She marveled at his attention to every inch of woodwork, carpet and hardwood floor. He even cleaned some of the windows before she told him that they were quitting for the day to have a light lunch before going into the pool.
"Ok," Stevie said, slightly disappointed at leaving the windows streaked, "I'll get to those when I clean this room this week."
"Ok," Katie smiled at him. She certainly wasn't going to discourage him if that's what he wanted to do, but she was pretty sure that once he found himself alone with the two little girls to take care of, a few streaks on the windows wouldn't bother him nearly as much.
White bean salad for Katie and Stevie and Cheerios with mixed berries for Olivia made up their lunch menu. Alice was breast fed while Katie snatched a mouthful of salad here and there.
"So, you think you're going to be ok staying here with girls during the day?" Katie asked while they ate.
"Sure," Stevie smiled and watched as Olivia meticulously took one Cheerio or one berry at a time and chewed it thoroughly before taking another. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you've never really done it before, is all, but... you do seem to really have a knack for taking care of them."
That made him smile a bit. "Do I? I like taking care of them. I think I'll be ok."
"I'm sure you will," Katie smiled.
She let a few moments pass before she asked, as casually as she could, "Ummm... Stevie... when was the last time that you had a doctor's exam? You know... a regular check up?"
He thought for a moment or two. "I don't know. I guess I was about nine or ten... It was before mom was really sick because I remember that the doctor who saw me told mom that she looked a little yellow and that's why she went to see her own doctor. Then... well, it turned out she had liver cancer and she was gone a few months later."
"Grandma never brought you to a doctor for a checkup?"
Stevie thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope."
"Do you have health insurance?"
He nodded. "Of course. You have to have it to file taxes. I've never used it, but I have it."
"That's good," Katie gave a relieved sigh. "Look, Stevie, tomorrow, I'm going to call my doctor and see if she can see you sometime, ok? Just to be sure that you're healthy and all, ok?"
"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea," he agreed.
"Why? Are you concerned about something?"
He shrugged again. "Nothing serious. It's just that, sometimes, when I've been working hard, like yesterday, I get this really intense pain right here... like just below my stomach. Other than that, I think I'm good."
"Ok," Katie smiled, but that answer did concern her.
"Mommy, I'm done. Can we go swimming now?" Olivia asked.
"Ok, sweetheart," Katie smiled at her daughter. Then she looked at Stevie. "Livy's swimsuit is in the laundry room. If you get her dressed, I'll take care of Alice and I'll find something for you to wear, too."
"I could wear a pair of those cotton shorts that were in with all of your old clothes, couldn't I?"
Katie shook her head. "'Fraid not. The filter got messed up once because one of Derrick's buddy's wore jean shorts and the fibers got into the filtration system and it cost us a pretty penny to get fixed. Since then we've had a strict 'swimsuits only' policy. Don't worry, I'll find you something."
Soon, Olivia was decked out in a cute, little, aqua one piece bathing suit with a picture of The Little Mermaid on it, and Alice was wearing a similar suit with Sebastian the Crab on hers, with her diaper making the whole suit look that much more adorable.
When Katie entered the nursery wearing a flowered one piece swim suit, Stevie was struck by how good she looked for someone who'd given birth just a few months earlier. "You look amazing!" He said.
"Oh, thanks," Katie smiled, appreciating the compliment. "I have a Peloton bike in the bedroom. Derrick and I both use it. You can too, if you'd like. I'll show you how to sign into classes and all that, but... here." She handed him a white piece of material with blue palm leaves printed on it.
"What's this?"
"It's a high-waisted swimsuit bottom. It should fit you. I wore it in college."
"But... this is for a girl."
"Yeah... and so are all the clothes you're currently wearing, Stevie. They don't make a lot of Hello Kitty pjs for men - and I know you're wearing bikini cut panties under those, too. So, what's the big deal?"
"Well... people will see me outside." He sounded genuinely nervous. "I'll just sit on the patio and..."
"No, no, no," Katie wasn't having it. "The girls both love the pool and as it gets hotter, they're going to want to go in it everyday." She sighed. "Tell you what... I have a tankini top that will go with that. Yes, it's made for a girl, obviously, but with your hair done like that, at least you'll look normal. I mean... you won't draw attention. Besides, the poll is all fenced in and no one can see us. Does that work for you?"
"I guess..."
"Ok. Put that on. I'll be right back."
He stepped into his own room for just a moment, slipped off the pj bottoms and panties beneath them and pulled on the high-waisted swimsuit bottoms. They fit just fine and were tight enough to hide what little package he had down there.
"Here," Katie said, opening the not quite closed door and handing him the tankini top. It was the same color blue as the high-waisted bottom. Basically just a circle of material with two spaghetti straps, a smocked area around the bust that continued to the arm pit, then smoothed out for the back, and a ruffled area below that.
"It's pretty... girlish, isn't it?"
"Well, I'm sorry, Rambo, but I didn't have time to go buy a butch tankini before you came over. What difference does it make? No one knows you, you'll look fine and we'll get you some men's swim trunks when we can. Alright?"
He shrugged. "Alright."
For a few moments, the two of them just stood there.
"Well?" Katie finally asked.
"Aren't you leaving?"
"Have you ever worn a suit like that before?"
"No. Of course not."
"Then let me help you put it on. I don't want you to rip off one of the straps."
Stevie huffed and took a step back into the room to allow his sister in. He pulled the Hello Kitty pajama top over his head, being careful of his hair and turned to face Kate.
Thank goodness Derrick had given her a warning about Stevie's chest, or Kate would have let out a shocked gasp. Derrick had been correct. As much as Stevie looked like a high school freshman girl when wearing Kate's old clothes, when shirtless, he looked like an eleven year old girl. Puffy breasts with wide, darker areolae and prominent nipples. How could he not be aware of how wrong this was!?
She glanced down at the front of the swimsuit bottom and could barely discern the outline of a very small penis. That disturbed her as much as what she saw on his chest. Derrick was right - Stevie needed to see a doctor and soon.
She slipped the top over his arms and shoulders, settling it onto his small breasts. Unfortunately, the smocked design of the front of the top did nothing to minimize her brother's breast development.
A thought occurred to her and she needed to ask a question. "Stevie... you never took any medication that wasn't meant for you, did you?"
He looked up and shook his head. "This barely reaches the waistband of the bottoms."
"Yeah, that's how it's supposed to fit," Katie confirmed. "What I'm asking is... You never took any... female... medication did you?"
Stevie looked up at his sister, confused. "No. Why?"
She sighed and walked him to the mirror. "Look at yourself, honey. You kind of look like..."
"Yeah, I know... like a girl. So what. You keep telling me that I'll out grow it." He looked at himself more closely and shrugged. "Maybe I SHOULD cut my hair, huh?"
"That's not what I'm talking about, Stevie." Katie didn't want to push things too far too quickly so she just asked, "Do you shave, Stevie?"
"Nope," he said, almost proudly.
"Never?"
"Nope."
"Well, see, that's what I'm talking about, honey. At your age, you should. And you should have hair on your arms and legs and... See, this is why I want you to see my doctor. I think she might be able to kickstart some of that for you."
"Yeah? You think that might be able to make me grow a couple of inches, too?"
Katie smiled. "Who knows, Stevie. Maybe."
"Moooooommmmmmmyyyyyyyy, I want to go swimming!" Olivia whined from the hallway door.
"Ok, sweetheart," Kate replied. "We're coming."
She turned to leave, but Stevie asked a question. "Katie... I don't look stupid in this, do I?"
Kate looked at her twenty year old brother who looked more like her fourteen year old sister at the moment and she told the truth. "No, Stevie. You look adorable in that. As cute as a button."
He really did, but the truth was that he was scaring her to distraction as well. What the heck could cause a full grown male to look like this and how is it possible that she hadn't even noticed that he was so under developed - or at least so under developed as a male. God, this was concerning.
They spent almost three hours in the pool with Olivia showing off everything she knew how to do. How to dog-paddle, how to dive from a kneeling position, how to hold her breath and touch the bottom in the shallow end, how to swim from one side to the other with her head above water, and, of course, how to climb onto Stevie pretty much constantly. That was ok, though. For Stevie, it was nice to feel special.
"What time does Derrick get home?" Stevie finally asked as he sat drying on a lounge chair. "Should I be thinking about getting dinner ready?"
"You?" Katie laughed. "I haven't gone back to work yet. I should probably be thinking about getting dinner ready, but the truth is, I'm just not that interested. I know it's not the right thing for a mother of two to say, but I really don't love cooking meals every night."
"I'll do it then," Stevie said, brightly. "Honestly, making dinner for Grandma and me was always the high point of my day. When she got to the point that she couldn't eat the meals I was making, I had to simplify. I miss cooking. I'm looking forward to cooking for you guys."
Katie squeezed his hand. "Oh, you're a Godsend, Stevie. Sunday evenings are usually leftover time, but since we've had a lot of take out this week, there are no leftovers. I don't want to make you work hard, or anything, but if you want to take a look in the fridge and see what's there, you're welcome to take a peek."
"I think I will," he said, popping out of the chair. "Do you need help with the girls?"
"Not if you're making dinner, I don't."
It was almost five thirty when Olivia shouted, "Hi, daddy!" from the island counter where she was standing on a chair.
"Hi, baby. What are you doing?" Derrick asked.
"I'm helping Auntie Stevie. I'm putting these berry tomatoes into the salads."
"Wow! I think those are cherry tomatoes, honey, but you're doing a great job."
"Oh, yeah," she said, but kept working.
Derrick looked at his brother-in-law working at the stove and wondered what his wife had been thinking dressing him in a woman's two piece bathing suit and putting him to work as a cook. He'd discuss that with her later, though. But for now... nonchalance.
"Gee, something sure smells good," he said, coming up beside Stevie.
"It's Chicken Tikka Masala," Stevie said, stirring the rice in rice maker. "Nothing fancy."
"Nothing fancy?" Derrick laughed. "It sure smells fancy."
"That's the ginger and garlic." Stevie inhaled deeply. "Smells delicious, doesn't it. I hope it tastes as good as it it smells."
"I bet it will," Derrick chuckled.
"You know, supper won't be ready for about twenty minutes. You could change or even shower if you want. I can keep it warm for ten or fifteen minutes after it's ready if you need more time."
He smiled. "That's very nice of you, Stevie. Actually, I showered at the precinct, but I would like to get changed. I'll go do that. Where's Kate?"
"Upstairs nursing Alice."
"Great. We'll be down in twenty minutes."
Derrick bounded up the stairs, as he always did, and found his wife in their bedroom, Alice attached to her breast. "Well," he smiled and kissed her cheek, "you'll never guess what I just saw."
"Stevie making dinner?"
He sighed. "Stevie making dinner in a women's bathing suit that he looked a little too damned good in if you were to ask me. Now, why would he be wearing that?"
"Because we were in the pool with the girls and he needed a suit. That one fit."
He nodded, then quietly asked, "Did you see his chest?"
"I did. I'm calling Jane O'Leary tomorrow to see if she'll see him this week."
He nodded. "That suit makes it look worse."
"Please don't say that to him, Derrick."
"Of course not. I'm just... I'm just sharing my concerns with you. That's all. The truth is, he looks great. He just doesn't look like a guy and I find that concerning."
"Me too," Katie said as she stood. "Let's see what Jane has to say."
Monday was a stressful day for Katie. She knew she'd be leaving her girls in good hands on Tuesday, but she'd still be leaving and that made her feel terrible. She loved her job, but she loved her girls, too. The thing was, though, she needed the money from her job to create a secure life for her girls. So - End of story.
And then there was Stevie.
Around eight thirty that morning she called her college friend, and now her general practitioner, Dr Jane O'Leary, and left a voice mail on her cell phone. "Hi, Jane. It's Katie. I feel odd calling on your cell, but my brother needs to see a doctor. He hasn't seen anyone in like ten years and I'm worried. Can you see him sometime soon? I know that's a big favor to ask, but he's my little brother, you know? Give me a call when you can."
It was less than ten minutes before Jane called back and confirmed that she'd definitely see him and she had an opening on Thursday at one pm. She also asked about Katie's concerns.
Katie found it hard to be blunt for some reason. "I think he may have had some developmental problems during puberty that no one noticed." That was the best she could do.
"Such as?"
"Well, he's very petite - not just small... petite. He's got some traits that seem rather feminine to me..."
"Such as?"
"You know what," Kate finally decided, "I think it would be best if you just saw him. Maybe I'm imagining things. I do t want to sound like a hysterical sister. You'll know better than I, anyway."
"Ok," Jane said with a small chuckle. "Can you have him come by the lab in the lobby of my building on Tuesday at anytime to have some blood drawn? I'll do a complete panel of tests and I should have the results back by the time I see him on Thursday."
"Oh, ok," Kate said, figuring out her schedule. "I'll bring him by during my lunch, I guess."
"Great. Talk to you soon. Bye."
That morning, while Katie spent as much time with the girls as she could, Stevie did the laundry, washed the windows he'd been dissuaded from doing the day before, and even changed the sheets on all the beds.
"Are you crazy?" Katie asked when she saw him adding the sheets to his already heavy laundry load.
"It's Monday," he shrugged. "I always changed the sheets at home on Monday."
"Stevie, I do appreciate your help, but you're not an indentured servant or something. You don't have to work this hard all the time."
"I'm not working hard," he laughed. "I like a clean house and I like cooking. That's ok, isn't it?'
Kate shook her head. She liked a 'clean' house, but she tended to change the sheets when it occurred to her to do so, she washed the windows when they annoyed her and she cooked when she had to. Her brother was ten times the homemaker she'd ever be.
The day warmed up quite a bit and afternoon was spent in and by the pool again. Everyone's swimsuit had been washed, of course, but the sun was a lot more oppressive than it had been the day before. Katie insisted on sunscreen for everyone and coverup's when not in the pool.
"Here," she smiled and handed a soft cotton garment to Stevie when he'd dried off. "Now, before you complain, I know it's a bit girly, but it's just a coverup to keep the sun off of you. You can get cancer from the sun, you know. So, just put it on and wear it out here. We're completely fenced in. No one will see you."
"Ok," Stevie said, without much resistance. It was a just a very loose fitting, sheath-type coverup. Sleeveless, low scoop neck, a kind of natural looking white-ish, with no decoration except for a border of a cutout lace pattern around the hem that ran around his mid calf. Except for that last detail, it looked like an oversized version of a men's tank-top shirt.
"Not too bad, right?" Katie smiled. "It actually looks really nice on you."
He shrugged, a little embarrassed, but the truth was, he enjoyed trying on these female clothes and wanted to experiment with some of the many dresses and skirts that had been hung in his closet. That wasn't really a possibly at the moment, though. "I guess it's ok."
Katie suspected he thought it was better than ok.
"I was able to set up an appointment for you with my doctor on Thursday." She said, out of the blue, not knowing how to introduce the topic any other way. "It's at one. I'll work it out with my coworkers to take a little time off and take you. I'll make up the time by going in a little early that morning or Friday, whatever works best for them."
"That was quick," Stevie said, inviting Olivia onto his lap so he could brush her damp hair out.
"Yeah, well, the doctor is an old college friend. Also, you're going to need to have some blood work done before you go see her, so tomorrow I'll come by during my lunch hour and pick you up. I'll keep the girls in the van and you can just run into the lab and have the blood drawn. It only takes a few minutes. Ok?"
He brushed his niece's hair gently for a few moments, then asked, "Will it hurt?"
"What? The blood work? No. It's just a little pinch. That's all. I have it done a couple of times a year."
He nodded, but he still looked a little pale to Katie. "Livy, when you got your shot last month did it hurt?"
"Just a little," the child said. "Like a mosquito bite."
Katie snickered. "See, Stevie. Like a mosquito bite."
He nodded and sighed. "I hate mosquito bites."
To change the subject, Katie said, "Livy, why don't you go get your hair clips and Stevie can put some in your hair for you."
"Ok," the little girl said, and she climbed down off of her uncle's lap and disappeared into the house, returning minutes later with a small basket overflowing with small plastic bows, butterflies, bees, kittens, etc.
"Oh, these are pretty," Stevie said with mock excitement as he selected a few to put into his niece's hair.
"Oh, you look so nice," Katie complimented her daughter, as Stevie added a few too many clips.
"Thank you," Olivia smiled. "Let me brush your hair," she bubbled as she took the brush from Stevie and maneuvered herself behind her uncle's back on the lounge chair. She brushed and brushed his damp, thick hair for a good ten minutes or more before reaching for a bright yellow, bow shaped hair clip and attempting to set it into Stevie's hair, but, due to its thickness, she failed.
"Here, let me help you with that," Katie said, sitting up straight and leaning over to help.
Being a good sport for the sake of Olivia, Stevie allowed his sister and niece to clip the small, yellow bow into the hair on his right temple, then he turned his head and they placed a similar pink bow into the hair on his left temple.
"Auntie Stevie looks pretty, too." Olivia giggled with joy.
"Auntie Stevie always looks pretty," Katie said, smiling at her brother.
"Thanks," he smirked.
Katie touched his cheek and smiled, but looked serious at the same time. "It's true, Stevie. You really do look pretty. You always do."
Not knowing how to take any of this, Stevie pulled Olivia back onto his lap and sat back in his chair. "Well, I'll never be as pretty as Livy." He kissed her head.
"Well, that goes without saying," Katie laughed.
At five thirty, Derrick walked into his home and stopped short at the sight of what appeared to be a small, young woman in a short, off white dress with a bathing suit visible through the material busying herself at the stove in his kitchen. Was this getting out of hand, or was this where things were going to need to go? He did wonder.
He glanced at the table and saw that it was set beautifully, with fresh flowers in a small vase at the center. He shook his head at the domestic perfection of the scene and continued into the kitchen to see what to expect for dinner.
"Hi," he said, surprising Stevie.
"Hi!" Stevie laughed. "You startled me."
"Smells good. What's for dinner?"
"Well," Stevie said with some pride, "I am sautéing some vegetables right now, then I'm going to grill up those salmon steaks. Katie ran out and picked them up for me while I watched the girls. I was waiting until you're ready to sit down to do that, though. You go ahead and get changed and give me a five minute warning. I'll have them ready for you when you're ready to sit down."
Derrick shook his head. "You are something, Stevie."
Stevie just smiled.
"Ummm... you look... nice, by the way," Derrick said, uncertain as to what else to say.
"Oh," Stevie laughed. "Blame your wife. She said I needed to cover up outside and this is what she gave me to wear."
Derrick nodded. "I like your hair bows, too."
Stevie's hand shot up to where the bows sat in his hair. "Oh, Geez. I forgot about those. Those are Livy's doing. I put some in her hair, so... turnabout is fair play, I guess."
"I guess," Derrick smiled, then left to get changed.
When he spoke to his wife, Derrick was relieved to hear that Stevie would be seeing Jane O'Leary on Thursday. At least they'd get a handle on why Stevie had developed the way he had and find out if there was anything that could be done to remedy that issue.
Dinner was better than either Derrick or Katie had expected. It was fresh and flavorful and tasted as if it had been prepared by a professional chef. They both complimented Stevie on his great work, something that Stevie really appreciated. His grandmother had also been his cooking instructor, so any compliments were also accompanied by critiques. Derrick and Katie just seemed to like his cooking.
After dinner the dishes were washed and the girls were bathed. Derrick was sitting on their bed watching ESPN and Katie was laying out her clothes for her first day back at the office when there was a quiet knock on their bedroom door.
"Come on in," Derrick said with a little laugh to his voice. He knew it had to be Stevie. Olivia would just burst through the door whenever she had an inclination. "You must be exhausted," Derrick said to his brother-in-law. "I understand you did the laundry, changed the sheets, did a whole lot more, then made us a gourmet meal and cleaned up afterwards. You're going to spoil us, Stevie."
Stevie blushed a little as he stood by the door wearing a peach colored set of pajamas that bore the impression of dozens of pandas all over the top and bottoms. "I'm glad you enjoyed supper. I like cooking for you guys."
"I'm going to have to watch what I eat around here," Derrick continued to tease. "We have periodic, unannounced weigh-ins at work. If I continue to eat like I have for the last two nights, I'll weigh-in at three hundred pounds the next time they call me in."
"Well, you know, everything I've made you is really healthy and you should be able to eat a good amount of it without gaining any weight..."
"Stevie, Stevie," Katie laughed. "He's teasing."
"Oh," he blushed more deeply. "Sorry."
"So..." Katie smiled at him, "what's up?"
"Oh, ummm... can I talk to you in private for a second?"
Kate looked at her husband and raised her eyebrows, then turned to Stevie and said, "Sure. Let's go to your room."
When they were in Stevie's room with the door closed, Katie asked what was wrong.
Stevie held up his phone to display a text. "I got this and I don't know how to respond."
Katie took the phone and read the text. 'HI STEVIE. IT'S TONY THE PIZZA GUY. HOPE YOU'RE DOING GOOD. JUST WONDERING IF MAYBE YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO SOMETHING THIS WEEKEND. LET ME KNOW.'
To Be Continued...
Comments
Tony the Pizza guy
giggles. hopefully, the doctor will be able to help!