Introduction: College is tough, especially in the medical fields. Physically, she’s doing great. She’s adjusting very well. The years pass quickly, and before she knows it she’s graduating. After four years, she sees Mike. It’s not the best of situations. Ashley gets her GCS.

The story is not mine. It is based on a very old tale that might have been part of English/Irish lore, it might be French or German. It might even be Persian in origin. I’ll leave it to you to try to figure out what tale it is. If you think you know, PM me. Don’t spoil it for others.

Although there are characters from other stories who make brief appearances, this is a stand-alone story.

This work is copyrighted by the author and any publication or distribution without the written consent of the author is strictly prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of the characters to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter 4

With the living arrangements taken care of, aunt and niece decided to check out what would be their neighborhood for the next four years. Quite early in their wandering they found that just about everything they would need was within just a few blocks. Ashley called the beauty salon and found that Amber had an opening, so they picked up their pace. She told Amber that she was bringing her Aunt.

Amber was almost over the top with joy and affection when Ashley appeared. “Well, look at you. There’s no boy left is there?” Ashley was wearing a pair of slacks with a light, sleeveless blouse. Her hair was in a ponytail. She had small diamond studs, a gift from her father, in her ears.

“Well, there are a few things that need to be taken care of, but they will come in time.

“Amber, I’d like you to meet my Aunt Caitriona. I think Trina is acceptable. We’re going to be living just a few blocks away from here. I’m going to Columbia University.”

“Trina, it is a pleasure meeting you. I’ve sort of been taking care of Ashley while she was visiting her mother. I made some assumptions when you walked in seeing how Ashley was dressed. She’s not hiding anymore.

“So, has it started?” Amber said, turning to Ashley.

“Yes, I am full time. I started HRT last month, and I feel wonderful. You said you could make me look gorgeous. Do we have time?”

“You bet we do. It won’t take long. We won’t do it all today.”

“I’ll leave you girls alone for a while. I saw a family practice clinic down the street and I think I will see if they need help,” Caitriona said as she turned to leave. “When should I be back?”

“We’re not going to do anything outrageous. After all, Ashley is only eighteen. We’re just going to make her look like your run of the mill gorgeous college freshman. Be back at five.

“Now, Ashley, we get rid of the ponytail. I want you to get used to having your hair down. I know you’re going to be studying to be a nurse, but there is no reason not to look your best when you can let your hair down. We’re going to give you a light perm after I take care of these split ends. While the perm is working, I’m going to get out the machine of agony and take care of a few things. Not much, but we’re going to have to stay on top of things.

“How about your finger nails? I tell you what, I’m going to give you some nice extensions. You can keep them on for the summer. Then we’ll worry about what you need to do when you’re changing bed pans. I think you need to have some fun until school starts.

If Ashley had thought her transition had officially started with her first hormone shots, she realized that she had just shifted into a higher gear. Amber gently turned her around to face the mirror. It had taken a bit longer than Amber had said it would, and Caitriona had watched for the last 45 minutes as Amber completed the final steps of the transformation.

Ashley could not believe what/who she was looking at. She was looking at a beautiful college age girl. She might have been a cheerleader; however, that thought was the farthest thing from her mind. She wondered what her father would think, what her mother would think, and strangely, what would Mike think?

If Sean Finlayson had false teeth, they’d probably have fallen out when he first saw his daughter after her return from New York. If he’d had any doubts before, they were fast disappearing, if not gone.

“Daddy,” her father didn’t blink an eye, “do you remember that book I asked you to read about Musetta?”

“How could I forget it? I cried when I finished it.”

“Do you remember reading about Fanny?”

“Yes, how could I forget? She’s famous. I know you buy all her music. Why?”

“We met her. We’re moving into the apartment building she owns. We met two of her nephews and her niece. They are amazing. They tower over her physically, but there’s no question she’s in charge. She’s a powerhouse.

“I came out to her, and she didn’t bat an eye. She’s going to keep an eye on me, and she said Doctor McKenzie was a good friend and an excellent doctor. She also said you were a good father.

Ashley learned quite a bit about Caitriona over the weeks. In addition to being a licensed midwife with a college degree, she liked to dabble in folk medicine and the occult. She would frequent those little shops that were borderline mysterious. She had her medical bag ready for those midnight calls she’d get every once in a while. She’d signed on as a standby midwife with several hospitals in the area, and could be called in at a moment’s notice if she was needed to assist with a birth.

Caitriona had never married; hadn’t even been close. She liked men; however, she’d never found one she wanted to have a permanent relationship with. She had taken her role as Ashley’s mentor very seriously, and she would not be distracted from it

School was tough, let there be no doubt about it. The first two years were involved with taking the standard college courses plus the lower division courses required for her BSN. Biology, chemistry, zoology, physiology, lab techniques, etc.: it was no picnic.

There were many other things going on, too. Her body was changing slowly in so many wonderful ways. She looked different, she felt different, and she loved the way she looked. By her spring semester she was a true A cup. She knew her hip bones would never get any larger, but she’d added more than an inch to her hips. Caitriona insisted that she exercise, and jog, and Caitriona actually ran with her. Ashley lost an inch and a half in her waist. Amber continued to work with her on her makeup and hair. Truthfully, she didn’t need much makeup.

By her junior year she was the talk of the medical side of the campus. She was hit on daily but she didn’t come close to dating. There were class parties, and sometimes there were get togethers for pizza and beer at a local restaurant or pizzeria. Ashley never wavered. She and Caitriona would sometimes have dinner with Demi.

The outgoing, beautiful and dominating opera star to be was a bit frustrating at times. She ran through men like water through a sieve. There was a new one every month or two. Ashley wasn’t sure whether she just dumped them or wore them out.

In Ashley’s sophomore year, Demi’s older sister, Persephone, and her wife, Carol, visited shortly after their graduation from medical school. They were starting their respective residencies shortly. Persi was going into psychiatry, and Carol was going to be an endocrinologist. Musetta was their inspiration. Persi could have been Demi’s twin sister. As imposing as Demi was as a six foot two inch blonde, Persi was even more so at six foot three inches. They were both very well-endowed, and it was fun at times to listen to the interplay among them. Carol was Ukrainian, but had lived in the US since early girlhood. She was nearly a foot shorter than Persi, but the inequality ended there. They were equals in every other aspect.

Ashley continued to blossom beyond her expectations. Her mother was not particularly large busted, but the genes had to have been in her ancestry somewhere. By her senior year she was a full C cup. Her figure was a bit on the slender side, but she couldn’t have been more pleased. The electrolysis was essentially over, but every once in a while Amber would pull out the zapper and take care of a stray hair. She also visited Ashley and Caitriona at their apartment and took care of the hairs in Ashley’s nether regions in preparation for her eventual surgery.

It was difficult to believe that time could pass so quickly. School was over and Ashley had a job waiting for her at the Boston Children’s Hospital. She would be taking the summer off to recover from her upcoming surgery. There was only the graduation ceremony, and the banquet afterwards. It was a bit lonely, because only Caitriona would be there to represent her. Sean would not come to New York regardless of the reason, and Ashley’s mother was still unaware of the changes that had occurred over the previous four years.

Ashley had already interviewed a surgeon in the Midwest. Fanny continued to stay in touch with Ashley, and based on everything she found out, had recommended Dr. Laurie Stemen. Ashley was very impressed with her, and everything was set for two weeks after graduation.

Demi had moved to Vienna, Austria to sing with the Vienna Opera Company. Her gorgeous baby sister was now occupying the apartment. She was a fabulous pianist.

It was after the graduation banquet that things took an unexpected turn. They had taken a cab from the banquet, and the driver was wandering around to get to the Queensboro Bridge. He was going ways that Ashley didn’t even know existed. They were close to the East River when Ashley and Caitriona saw it at the same time. A man in a uniform lying on the pavement and three hoods were going through his pockets.

“Stop the cab!” Ashley shouted. “Stop right now. That man’s hurt.”

“That’s none of our business lady. The poor bastard’s probably already dead. You shouldn’t be out on the streets around here this time of night.”

“I’m a nurse, and I need to render aid.”

“Call 911, and please don’t leave.”

The cabbie slowed down enough to let them out, but he didn’t stick around.

“I’ll have his ass in jail by tomorrow,” Caitriona said. “I got a picture of his license. The police and ambulance are on their way.”

They hurried back the half block to the body lying on the sidewalk. The assailant were long gone. The man’s empty wallet was on the ground beside him. Blood was starting to run across the pavement. They rolled him onto his back and tore open his shirt. There were several lesser wounds, but the one in his abdomen was scary. The blood was dark.

“Let’s keep pressure on this area that’s about all we can do. It looks like they may have cut the hepatic vein. Let’s try to keep this area elevated.”

By this time they realized that the man was a sailor. Not only had he been stabbed several times, he’d also been struck in the head and had a nasty scalp wound. Ashley tore her dress into strips and bandaged a wound on his left arm while Caitriona kept pressure on the abdominal wound. The blood from the scalp wound was running down his face, and Ashley attempted to wipe away the blood after wrapping a strip around his head. They could hear approaching sirens.

A police car was the first to arrive and for the first time Ashley got a good look at the sailor’s face. “Oh no, no, no, no! Mike, oh Mike!”

He’d been moaning a bit as they tried to save his life, but for the first time, his eye’s fluttered open. “Ash?”

The ambulance arrived seconds later.

“What are you ladies doing here? Surely you weren’t walking around here this time of night.”

“No officer, we were returning from my graduation banquet. The cab took us this way, and we saw that man being robbed,” Ashley said as she saw Mike already on a gurney being placed in the back of the ambulance. “We told the driver to stop. I’m a registered nurse. We barely got out, and the cab took off leaving us here. We did what we could for him.”

“Where do you live, I’ll give you a ride.”

“We’re in Queens,” Caitriona said. “We’re about a mile from the bridge.”

The officer had them home in fifteen minutes. He recorded their pertinent information before leaving them off at the apartment. “We’ll need you to fill out a report. Here’s my card and I’ve written the case number on it. You can fill out a report on line. Hopefully, you have helped save a man’s life.”

They cleaned up. The gown was a lost cause. Caitriona could tell Ashley was terribly disturbed by the evening’s events. She was sobbing quietly as Caitriona held her, gently rocking. “Do you want to tell me who that was?”

“He was my best friend during my senior year in high school. We’d met the summer before when I was staying with Mom. We had several classes together. He was Student Body President. He is Michele, Mike, Donatella; son of Giovani, Johnny, Donatella, Dad’s worst enemy.”

“Oh, my poor dear.”

There was a mention of the mugging on the morning news. There are hundreds of muggings in New York every day. Perhaps it was because of the severity of his injuries, the fact he was an active duty sailor, and that two good Samaritans had saved his life that the incident was being reported. The sailor, a Michele Donatella was resting comfortably after emergency surgery. He was expected to make a full recovery.

Two weeks later, Ashley had her Gender Confirmation Surgery in Wisconsin.

She is finally complete, and now Ashley moves into the world of hospitals, sick and dying children, recovering children, and learning what the world is really about. Things seem to be going well until she finds out her father’s empire is collapsing. It has impacts she never would have inspected.