They say that, somewhere in the world, everybody has a twin.
Nothing was said about the sex of that twin…………

Part 1 - Elliot meets his twin, a night out, and the day after.

Standard Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living, dead, or recently thought of indicates either A. you have a vivid imagination, or B. you are in serious need of psychological counseling. Song lyrics used under the Fair Use Doctrine are copyrighted by their respective groups, including Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, the insolent, and the guilty. Void where prohibited by law. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for debts other than my own. No deposit, no return. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. It's only a movie. The smoker you drink, the player you get. Objects in t-shirt are larger than they appear. Caution, contents may be hot. Do not attempt to exit vehicle while in motion. Please fasten your seatbelts and ensure that your seatbacks and trays are in an upright and locked position. Have a nice day.

Added disclaimer: In the interest of keeping things moving, I have compressed the time frame in places. I know the medical procedures have been shortened compared to RL. Since first posting this I've read a lot of stories that carry on and on at various points. Frankly it got boring. I'm not going into great detail about the surgeries, nor am I going to write five chapters about shopping. This is not a medical procedures guide, nor is it a fashion magazine. In addition certain characters are patterned on real people, and I attempt to show that in character interactions. The medical staff are all based on those I have encountered in RL, high-handed and abrasive, or sweet people. In particular, one nurse is a tribute to a longtime family friend. She had her nursing career cut short by lupus. By contrast, one doctor portrayed is high-handed, blunt to the point of being rude, with a "God" complex. You found out only what she wanted you to know when she wanted you to know, and several times I was told "facts" that weren't facts, just to lead me by the nose to where she wanted me, doing what she wanted me to do. Frankly, I treated her better than she deserved.

Parts of this have been a little better organized, at some readers' request. Errors I have left are likely not actually errors, but places I have altered to keep the story moving. Hey, it's called fiction, things work different in my world.

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The phone ringing briefly roused me from my lethargy, long enough to think “they’ll give up shortly”. I’d long since unplugged the answering machine, and most callers gave up after a half dozen rings. But this caller was persistent; the phone rang 15-20 times before stopping.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed without much caring that it was early afternoon. Couldn’t find a reason to get out of bed though. The insurance settlements and disability payments eliminated any need to work; and mundane thing like eating, watching TV, reading and the like held no attraction. I supposed that eventually the whole process of living would become more effort than it was worth, but I couldn’t find it in me to care anymore.

The phone took up it’s annoying ringing again, and I decided that shutting it off was as good a reason as any to get out of bed. Glancing at the caller ID, I saw it was Sarah, probably calling from the hair salon. Had I forgotten to cancel an appointment?

Sarah had been trying to get me to come out of my self-imposed exile ever since I’d been released from the hospital. She’d been one of Robyn’s best friends, I knew she was concerned about me, and would show up at the door if I didn’t put her off somehow.

“Hi Sarah”

“El, been trying to get a hold of you, what’s doing?”

“Nothing,” I replied, and the silence dragged on for several moments. “Was I supposed to come by?”

“No-o-o . . . Well, actually, could you come down to the shop, I’ve got something to show you.”

“Ah, gee, I really need to take a shower, and clean up, so….” hoping she’d take the hint.

“Great! Be here in about an hour!”

“Ah, Sarah, look, I really don’t feel like….” but was cut off.

“ELLIOT! When was the last time you were out!” Not waiting for an answer she continued “Get your worthless ass into the shower then get down here! Just towel-dry your hair, otherwise you’ll never get here.”

I had more hair than most, a thick, dirty-blond mass that came down to my shoulder blades. It had once been my pride and joy, and I’d met Sarah in a club when she’d come up and started raving about how nice it looked.

Well, maybe that was still enough of a reason to get out of bed, we’d both had some good times with her fooling with it. Sitting in the shop after closing, drinking wine, her and Robyn and I, Robyn’s hair had been even longer than mine, long enough for her to sit on.

Thinking about Robyn had put me into a mental freeze, until Sarah got my attention again. “El, I know, I miss her too,” she said softly, “but she’d kick your ass if she saw you right now, you’ve got to go on.” More briskly, “Now look, have you still got that beige cable knit sweater?”

“It’s not beige, it’s natural cotton!” I protested.

Her snicker told me she’d known she’d get a rise on that. “Wear that, if it’s clean, please.”

“Yes, ma’am! Anything else, ma’am!”

“No, just throw on a clean pair of jeans and your white sneakers. See ya about 3, ok?” followed by the click as she hung up. Well, I had my marching orders.

Stopping to look in the mirror before stepping in the shower, I decided I’d better wash and condition my mop before Sarah saw it, otherwise I’d be in for another lecture; she could be fierce about proper hair care. Lathering up under the needle sharp hot water, I noticed that the scars had pretty much faded and I could move almost normally. But I was skin and bones, and would probably stay thin the rest of my life, the doctors said.

The racks collapsing on me at work had shattered my rib cage, and the following surgeries had resulted in my losing several ribs and about half my stomach and intestines. At 5’ 7”, I now only weighed about 135 lbs, and few of my clothes still fit.

Digging through the clean laundry, I found a pair of Robyn’s Levis that looked like they might do. “Why not, Robyn said the only thing I was ever interested in was getting into her pants, doubt this was what she meant though!” Surprisingly they fit pretty well around the waist, loose in the hips though.

Pulling on the sweater, I slipped on my white Keds, boat shoes I guess they call them these days, and headed out the door.

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Arriving at the shop, I got a smile and a “How ya doing” from the girl at the counter. “Sarah said to go on back to her station when you got here.”

As I headed back, I heard the lady she was helping with some makeup say “God, she’s got beautiful hair, wish mine could look that good.” SHE??? Well, as long as it is, I suppose that was a natural mistake.

Sarah wasn’t in sight when I went back, so I plopped down in her chair. Glancing in her carry bag, I saw a bottle of Riunite white wine in a chiller sack. Yep, she’s got something planned. Well, now that I was up, I didn’t mind. She’d probably want to fool with my hair while we drank a glass or two, she’d be trying to get me to relax and open up, I thought I could handle it ok.

“El, THERE you are, it’s about time! Come here!” Sarah called from in back. I headed back and when I walked into the back room I thought I was facing a full-length mirror! After a stunned moment I realized I was looking at a girl about 5’7”, long, dirty-blonde hair, wearing a natural cotton cable knit sweater and jeans. She even had on white Keds just like mine.

“WOW!” one of the other girls, Tina, exclaimed, “they’re twins!”
We both stood there frozen, staring at each other.

“El, I want you to meet Kathy Johnson,” Sarah interjected. “She just moved to town. Donna hired her to take Carl’s place. Kathy, this is Elliot Taylor, a good friend of mine. Call him El, the rest of us do.”

Turning to me, she said, “I thought you two should meet.” Well, THAT was an understatement!

Kathy blinked a few times, them turned to Sarah “You said HIM?”

Tina giggled and Sarah said “Yeah. Amazing isn’t it?”

Donna, the shop owner, walked in then and exclaimed, “That’s freaky! Come here, you two.” First she had us stand side by side with our backs to a mirror, then stand back to back. “Except for the tits, you two are the same height and everything.”

Kathy suddenly giggled and said, “I think Sarah‘s planning to fix that.”

Hmmm, nice voice, no accent, unlike my slightly cultured southern drawl. I’d worked hard to cultivate that drawl since moving here. When I’d first moved here in high school after growing up mostly in Europe, I’d taken a lot of shit from the other kids for my formal diction and upper crust accent.

Sarah went over and picked up a sack from her station. Coming over to me she said, “Pull your sweater up over your head.”

I intelligently replied “Huh?” but quickly lifted it when she reached for the bottom. Next I could feel something, no make that two something’s being stuck to my chest. Did she . . .?

“OK, let it down.” Yes, she stuck some breast forms on me! WOW!! Now, other than details like makeup and nail polish we were absolutely identical! A soft “shit” from Kathy told me she was as dumbfounded as me.

“Where did you get these,” I asked.

“Kathy had them in some of her stuff, so I asked if I could borrow them,” Sarah replied.

I turned to Kathy, who was still looking at me in amazement. Trying to think of something, anything, to say, I said the first thing that came into my head “Why do you have breast forms, you don’t need them.”

“Uh, I bought them for my little sister, she thought she’d been shortchanged that way.”

“What, did she decide she didn’t want them?”

“No, she and my parents were killed in a car accident three months ago. I never had the chance to give them to her,” Kathy replied in a flat voice.

I looked at her and saw her chin was quivering and her eyes were bright with tears. I opened my arms and said simply, “I understand”. Then she had her arms wrapped around me and was crying on my shoulder while I held her tightly. Sarah and Tina came over and stroked her hair and rubbed her shoulders; none of us saying anything.

She finally pulled back and I released her with a final squeeze. My own eyes were burning by then, and she looked at me with growing awareness. “You understand,” it wasn’t quite a question. I nodded and she said, “You want to talk?”

“No, maybe later,” I replied, though it was hard as my throat was a bit tight.

“Ok, when you’re ready,” and she wiped the wet spots under my eyes with her fingertips.

“Hey, you two,” Sarah called out, “have some wine!” and she handed us each a glass. “How ‘bout we get cleaned up and hit Happy Hour!”

“I’d have to change,” I said.

Kathy echoed me, adding, “I’ve got to find a motel room for a couple of days, and I’ve still got the U-Haul on my car.”

Sarah looked at me; I could see the wheels turning. “El, you’ve got that whole house, you could spare a bed couldn’t you? Besides, her trailer would be safer in your driveway than sitting at some motel.”

“Uh, yeah, sure, I guess,” I replied, suspecting Sarah had intended this all along. Kathy tried to decline, but Sarah can be persuasive.

“Kathy, he’s got a three bedroom house all to himself,” and the clincher for any girl, “It’s got two full bathrooms.”

Kathy looked at me, “Well, if it’s no bother”.

“Not at all.”

“Ok”

“Now,” Sarah said with a “I’ve got a plan” look on her face that I knew all too well, “What are you twins gonna wear? We’re gonna have some fun with this!”

I started sputtering while Tina giggled and exclaimed, “Oh, yeah!”

Kathy looked at me in amazement while Sarah wheedled, “Oh, come on, El, it’ll be fun!”

Well, maybe…. I allowed myself to be persuaded to go along with it, “Just this once!”

Sarah grabbed her purse and said, “Let’s go get Kathy settled in and unpack some clothes. Wait…” and she ducked into the storeroom. Coming back out she handed a bottle of hair remover to me. “You know how to use this, you need to clean up.”

Kathy looked at me with a strange expression on her face, and Sarah said, “He makes a darling Stevie Nicks!”

“It was a Halloween costume! And besides, you two didn’t give me much choice!” I could see that Kathy had a lot of questions, and I was sure that Sarah had a lot of answers. Hopefully I’d be there to defend myself.

Sarah told Tina to have a glass of wine and stick around, we’d be back in about an hour and she’d need some help. Tina’s “I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” had me wondering just what I’d got myself into.

When we got to my house, I guided Kathy in backing her trailer into the driveway. Sarah then steered me into my bedroom.

“Pull off your sweater, I’ve got to remove your boobs.” After she did that, she pulled some hairpins out of her bag and swiftly pinned up my hair.

Handing me the bottle of hair remover, she told me to apply it all over then shower it off when it was time. “Don’t get your hair wet. I’ll lay some stuff on your bed for you to put on. Holler at me when you’re done and I‘ll help you with your chest.” Then she handed me the roll of wig tape, “You’ll need this”.

“What for?”

Pointing to my crotch she said, “You need to tape that down, we don’t want anything ‘popping up’ unexpectedly, do we!” I know I turned bright red as Sarah laughed at me. “Get going ‘girl’, time’s wasting!”

Following the directions, I smeared the stuff all over my arms, legs and chest. I didn’t have a lot of body hair anyway, and soon it was washing down the drain. After toweling off, I managed to secure my ‘equipment’ back out of the way so I could still sit down to pee, much as I’d done last Halloween.

When I walked into the bedroom I found a pair of cotton panties, pantyhose, and Robyn’s Levis sitting on the bed, along with a bra and the breast forms. After I got the panties, pantyhose and jeans on (why pantyhose with jeans?) I called Sarah.

She came in with a couple of bottles and a cloth something in her hand. “Time to put your tits on!”

“Wait a minute, that’s glue, you’re not gluing them on!”

“Of course, that way they won’t slip out. And this is the remover, I’ll put it in the bathroom.”

Oh, boy, what have I gotten myself into now?

After gluing the forms on, she helped me put the bra on, then handed me the piece of cloth, which turned out to be long-sleeved crinkled fabric top in a clingy metallic royal blue. I pulled it on and saw that the neck was generously scooped, displaying more cleavage than I’d have thought possible.

Sarah pulled the pins out of my hair, letting it down and fluffing it out. “That’s great, come on“, and pulled me into the front bedroom where Kathy was. She was wearing the same top in a metallic pink, and matching skirts were lying on the bed.

“Here,” Sarah said, “put these on” and handed me a pair of sandals that matched my top. I noticed that Kathy had a pair of pink sandals on. “You can put the skirts on after we get finished at the shop.”

My only response was an “Urp, ok” which got a grin from Kathy. The finishing touch was a couple of denim jackets, also in pink and blue, and matching purses.

“Stick your stuff in here El,” Sarah told me.

When I went to drop my billfold in, she went back to Kathy’s room and returned with a woman’s billfold, into which she transferred my money and IDs. Adding a hairbrush from my bathroom, Sarah called out ,“Alright, time’s a wasting, let’s go!”

By consensus, we piled into Sarah’s car for the return to the salon. I sat in back, and all the way to the shop Kathy kept looking back at me, a bemused look on her face. All I could do was gesture helplessly in Sarah’s direction.

When we got there, Kathy and I were parked in adjacent chairs and Tina and Sarah went to work. Out came the hot rollers, and soon both of us had our heads full of curlers. Next came the makeup. I particularly came in for special attention, needing “a little extra assistance” as Tina put it.

No sooner was that done, then they grabbed my hands and started on my nails. Tips were quickly glued on, over my futile protests, filed and shaped, then a coat of light pink polish was applied.

“Damn, we should have done your toenails before you put the panty hose on. Go into the bathroom and skin them off.” When I came out I saw that Kathy was getting a manicure like mine. Then she went in and took off her panty hose and we both received pedicures. During this whole process we were well supplied with wine which, at least in my case, lowered my resistance to the process.

By the time this was all done, our hair was pronounced ready, and Sarah and Tina went to work, unrolling, spraying, combing, brushing, and more spraying. Finally, we were declared done, and the chairs were spun around to face the mirrors. WOW!!! Sitting there were two drop-dead gorgeous girls, identical in appearance!

“What do you think?” Sarah asked.

“I’m stunned,” I said.

“Me, too!” Kathy added.

Our hair fell in generous waves below our shoulders, and gold highlights seemed to glitter in it. Our eyebrows were nicely arched (a little too much so in my case, if you ask me), and our lashes were long and dark. I suspected that false lashes had been used to make them look like that (I was right). We had full red lips and a delicate blush highlighted our cheeks. I’d had my ears pierced the previous year for the Halloween party, and soon we both sported matching gold hoops, 2” above 3”.

“All right, go put your skirts on, we’re wasting time!”

~~Wait a minute, this top and the skirt don’t meet by at least 2 inches, and the hem is a good 6 inches above my knees. I can’t wear this!~~

I stepped out at the same time as Kathy, but before I could say a word, she said “If I look as good as you, we’re h-o-t HOT!”

“This is supposed to fit like this?” waving my hand at the skirt.

“Oh, yeah! Uh-ah, what do I call you?”

“Twins are supposed to have similar names,” Sarah said. “Let’s see, Kathy and something-el, in case we slip and call you El. Kathy and Ka - el. Hmm, sound like Superman’s sister”

In spite of myself, I giggled.

“I’ve got it!” Tina yelled. “Kari, Kathy and Kari!

“Yes!” Sarah exclaimed, “Karielle! Kathy and Karielle! Now don’t forget your name, Karielle!”

“Uh, yeah, got it,” I replied.

“OK, girls, lets go! You coming, Tina?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it! I’ve got some stuff in the car, let me change real quick.”

Sarah grabbed a lipstick and compact off the makeup cart and dropped them in my purse. “You’ll need that,” then did a quick scan over the shelves, grabbed a bottle of perfume and misted it over me the dropped it in the purse also. Tina came back out, and off we went.

When we got to the club it was already getting busy, with a line at the door. Sarah slipped up front and had a word with the doorman, then motioned us forward. Much to the annoyance of the people in line, we were let under the rope and straight in.

Uh-oh, problem! They were checking IDs and my license didn’t look anything like I did now.

Kathy went first, then I made show of digging through my clutch, (wallet, billfold, whatever they call this thing), and came up empty. With a sheepish smile I said, “Sorry, must have left in my other purse.

The doorman uttered “Blondes!” under his breath, but before he could say anything else, Sarah flagged down Bill, the owner, who was walking past. She whispered in his ear and pointed at us.

Bill came over. “What’s the problem,” and the doorman explained I had no ID.

Bill pointed at Kathy and asked, “She has an ID, right?”

The doorman said yeah and Bill looked at him with some disgust, “They’re twins, if one’s old enough, the other is too, Duh!”

As we walked on into the club and started scanning for a table, I heard Bill say, “If they’re with somebody we know, and they’re that hot, let them in.” As he turned away, I heard him mutter “dumb ass!”

Hot, me?! This was starting to get weird!

Before I could really think about it, Tina grabbed my arm “Come ON, we’ve got a table!” Of course, it had to be right down at the edge of the dance floor, where everybody could see us. I always sat at the bar, or back in a corner, out of the noise, but I should have remembered that Sarah likes to sit down front right in the middle of things.

I was starting to get a little (well a lot) nervous, but Kathy leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Relax, you look great, nobody will know.”

No sooner had we settled in than a cocktail waitress showed up with a round of Mimosas (champagne and orange juice), and set them down in front of us. “These are on the house, Bill wants to apologize for the hassle at the door.”

Being somewhat savvier about bars than the others (I’d spent a lot of time in them the previous year), I pulled a ten-dollar bill out of my purse and handed it to her with a “thanks”.

She looked startled, then touched my shoulder and said “No, Thank YOU!” before zipping off to another table.

I turned back around feeling pretty good, to find Kathy giving me yet another strange look (I was collecting a bunch of those today!).

“What! 75 percent of her income is from tips, and on a crazy night like this she’ll be too busy to give the kind of service that gets good tips. She wasn’t expecting to get anything here since the house was buying, and I can afford it.”

“I know,” Kathy said, “but most people wouldn’t have done it. That was thoughtful of you.”
I could feel the heat in my face, but before I could say anything else, Kathy said, “Look behind you at the bar.”

I turned and saw our waitress talking to one of the other girls working the floor, showing her the ten and pointing at us,

She saw me looking and immediately came zipping over. “Did you need something?”

“No, I - we’re fine, thanks.”

“Well, I’m Karen and that’s Lisa, if you need anything, let us know.” With a big smile for Kathy and me, she headed back to the bar.

“Well, you’ve made a friend,” Kathy commented.

The band and another round of drinks arrived at the same time. “These are from the guys over by the pool table,” Karen said. “They’re all right,” she added, grinning.

“All right?” I asked.

“Yeah. Now, take those two over there,” pointing out a couple of guys at the bar who were checking us out. “They’re octopuses.”

“Ah-h-h, I get ya now.”

I reached for my purse again, but Karen checked my hand, “I already collected from them. You’re new, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, Kathy and I just arrived today,” well it is close to the truth!

“I hope you come here often, mostly we get the college crowd and those girls don’t tip worth a shit! I’ll have word with the doormen, you won’t have anymore hassles.”

“Well, thanks!”

“No problemo, gotta take care of the good ones!”

As Karen moved away Tina reached over and grabbed Kathy’s arm, “Potty break!”

“You and Sarah go; Karielle and I will go when you get back”

Tina turned to Sarah; they both grabbed their purses and headed of in search of the Ladies.

“We could take our purses and go now, couldn’t we,” I asked Kathy.

“Nope, lesson number two in clubbing, never leave your drinks unguarded. Somebody could slip something in them, and you’d wake up tomorrow in the ER.”

“Oh,” and suddenly what I was doing got a bit scary. If a guy tried to rape me, it would get ugly.

“Besides, everybody will want to hear the first set, so we won’t have to wait in line to pee.”

“Hey, smart thinking!”

“Yeah, us blondes ain’t all stupid!”

“What’s lesson number one?” I asked.

Waving her hand in the direction of Sarah’s chair, Kathy replied, “Know the owner!” With that we both started giggling!

When we got back to the table the band was already part way through their first set. I’d no sooner sat down than I felt a tap on my shoulder; it was one of the guys from the pool table. “DANCE?” he yelled over the din and motioned to the dance floor.

I glanced over and saw Kathy already headed out with another of the guys, she saw me looking and motioned “come-on”.

Rather than try and be heard over the music I nodded, and he actually pulled my chair out for me and escorted me to the floor. I’ve never been a very good dancer but I tried to make up in enthusiasm for what I lacked in ability.

A couple of fast songs, then the band started a slow number. Uh-oh!

Before I could figure out how to say no to his offer of arms to hold me for a slow song, Kathy grabbed my arm, “Let’s sit down, my feet are killing me!”

I smiled a ‘sorry’ at the guy, and returned to the table. Kathy leaned over and whispered in my ear “Lesson number three, if you dance a couple of fast ones, then you can beg off when the slow stuff starts.”

I shook my head, “Damn, you girls really lead us guys around by the nose, don’t you!”

Giving me a scan up and down, Kathy giggled. “No, it’s US girls! Tonight, doll face, you’re on OUR team!”

The other waitress, Lisa, showed up about then. “Get you anything?”

Kathy looked a bit stretched, so I said, “Two soda twists. Same again when those are empty.”

Lisa grinned, “Gotcha! Sure thing!”

When she left Kathy turned to me, “What are those?”

I smiled a smug little smile, pleased to be one up on her. “Soda water with a twist of lime; looks like we’re drinking Gin & Tonics.” Kathy looked at me in surprise. “Hey, I’m more than just a pretty face!” That earned me a slap on the arm.

Karen showed up just then with our ‘drinks’, and pulling some money out, I asked her, “Do you pool your tips?

“Yeah”

I handed her the money, “OK, I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave Lisa out.”

“Cool!” She set her tray on the table and crouched down between us, “You’ve worked in a club before.”

“I’ve got a little experience.”

“Well, if you want a job, Bill’s hiring, we could use somebody sharp like you. You, too,” she said, turning to Kathy. “The two of you working together could really rake in the tips.”

“No, thanks,” Kathy replied, “I’m a hair stylist. I just started at A Cut Above.”

“Wow, no wonder you two look so good. You a stylist too?” turning to me.

“No, I’m recovering from an accident and can’t work right now.”

“Oh, bummer! Well, the offer’s still open, anytime. Gotta get back to it, see ya later!”

Just then Sarah and Tina returned from wherever they’d gone, the band took the stage again, and we were dragged back up to the dance floor by an assortment of guys, nice and not so nice.

More rounds of drinks and shots appeared over the next several hours, and Lisa showed up with a much appreciated round of coffee at one point. Several more trips were made to the Ladies, to pee, touch up our makeup, and compare notes (gossip) without having to shout at each other.

It was strange for me, men don’t say a word to each other in the restroom, its go in, piss, shake it and leave. At last Sarah, who’d switched to Coke after the first couple of drinks, declared it was time to call it a night.

I had a quick exchange with Karen to ensure the bartenders were taken care of, and even dropped a five in the doormen’s tip jar, much to their surprise. We loaded up in Sarah’s car and headed for home.

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It was late when Sarah dropped us off at my house. We were both a more than a little tipsy as we weaved our way up to the door, giggling and leaning on each other for support. We each headed for a bathroom for some much needed relief.

When I came out of the bathroom there was a blue baby doll pajama set on my bed, along with a matching sheer thigh-length robe. “I put you some sleepwear on your bed, I think it’s your color,” Kathy called from the other room. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, and I put it on.

I was sitting on the bed when Kathy came in; she was wearing a matching set in pink. She sat down next to me and put her arm around me. “I want to thank you for letting me stay here, and, well, everything.”

When I turned to speak she took my face in her hands and kissed me. It started off slow and tender but soon became passionate. We started to play tongue-tag, then I broke away.

“What, don’t you like it? I promise I’ll respect you in the morning,” she giggled.

“Yeah, but I won’t respect me,” I replied, then the next thing I knew, I was sobbing in her arms, a mirror image of this afternoon at the shop.

I realized she was stroking my hair and going, “Shush, shush, it’s alright, it’s alright” over and over.

When I came up for air, she asked me, “Ready to talk now?”

“I think so,” I started to tell her about Robyn, but my throat got tight, so I went back to the beginning.

“My father was a big troubleshooter for Americal Oil, and I grew up all over Europe. We lived in England, Norway, and Belgium, among other places. I attended the international schools when there was one locally, or a Swiss boarding school when there wasn’t.”

“When I was 13, we moved to Antwerp, Belgium and I was enrolled in the international school there, while my dad went to the Middle East for an extended job. There was a French girl in my class, Michelle, who I immediately fell for. She had this beautiful long brown hair; it was so long she could sit on it. I was enraptured with it, and when we were together I’d sit and brush it for her while we talked. She loved it, and would make a sound like a cat purring when I did it. She talked me into letting my hair grow, and by the time my dad came back from the Middle East, it was down to my shoulders.”

“Problems?” Kathy asked.

“Oh, yeah, problems, Big Time!” I replied. “I’m not having my son grow up to be some faggot French pansy!” was one of the milder things he said. The following week he announced we were returning to the States where he said if I didn’t get some sense into my head, the other boys would kick it into me.”

“That’s how you ended up here, I take it.”

“Yeah, I was enrolled at Johnson High across town, and my life became a living hell."

“I refused to cut my hair, and I got beat up on a regular basis. The only bright point was my world history class in 11th grade. There was a girl in it, Robyn Lovelace, and her hair was twice as long as mine. After class my first day, she came up and complimented me on how nice my hair looked. She said she’d seen the way I was being treated and that she admired me, it took guts to stand my ground like I was, and she’d support me however she could."

"Well, I fell in love all over again, but her boyfriend was the captain of the football team, so that wasn’t going to happen. But she let him know she was holding him personally responsible if any of the squad caused me trouble, so things eased up quite a bit."

"My senior year I was the primary yearbook photographer, and people learned it wasn’t smart to piss off the guy who was taking all the pictures for the yearbook, so I didn’t get beat up that last year. But Robyn married the guy their freshman year in college, and I lost track of them.”

“But, isn’t Robyn the one…”

“Yes”

“Then I don’t understand…”

“I’m getting there, it’s a long story.”

“I got a scholarship to State, majoring in photojournalism, and my parents went back overseas. My dad and I were getting along better by then, he still didn’t like the way I looked, but he respected me standing my ground even when I was getting the shit kicked out of me. ‘Takes balls’ was how he put it. And winning that full scholarship impressed him, showing I had drive and determination.”

“Anyway, my senior year in college I was already working as a photojournalist for Ch.7 part time, and was up for an award from the Society of Professional Journalists for some stuff I’d done. I was invited to the national convention for the awards ceremony, and somebody let my folks know, so they decided to surprise me by flying back for it. They were on the Air France flight that was blown up over the Atlantic to protest the arrest of some Al Qaida operatives in Paris”

“Oh God, El, how horrible! I’m so sorry!” Kathy sobbed. I had to stop; my throat had gotten so tight I could hardly breath. Kathy put her arm around me again and rubbed my shoulder for a bit. When I could talk again I continued.

“I dropped out of school, and kinda went into a downward spiral. After the will was probated, and with the settlement from the French government and Air France following the lawsuit (I’m sure you heard about it, a sympathizer in the French government got the terrorists airport security passes so they could get the bomb on the plane) I was financially set for life.”

“I sold most of their stuff but kept this house and moved in. Then I went on a drug and alcohol binge. It was during this period that I met Sarah, she’d seen me in the clubs and was just knocked over that any guy could have hair as nice as mine, especially as I always seemed to be bombed whenever she saw me.”

“She insisted on knowing why I was drinking myself to death (her words), and when I mentioned Robyn, she got kind of a funny look on her face. ‘Not Robyn Lovelace?’ she asked.”

“Yes, do you know her?”

“Yeah, I went to school with her older brother,” Sarah said.

“How’s she doing?”

"Don’t know, haven’t seem her in awhile,” she replied, the liar!

"Before she went home that night she made me promise to come by the shop the following Friday afternoon so she could ‘tidy up that mop of hair’ as she put it. I should have known something was up when she called on Thursday afternoon and again Friday morning to make sure I was coming, but I figured she was just making allowances for a drunk’s memory.”

“Anyway, she got me in and gave me a shampoo and conditioning treatment that was badly needed, then trimmed the ends and cleaned everything up. Then she whipped off the cape and spun me around with a ‘ta-da’ and there was Robyn!"

"I couldn’t believe it! It seems her marriage to the jock only lasted about a year. She finished college with a degree in education and was teaching at a local high school. She started coming to Sarah to get her hair trimmed, old friend and all that, and had told her about this boy she’d known in high school with long hair and what a sweet guy (her words, not mine) he was.”

“Well, I wanted to start seeing her, but Sarah had filled her in on what I was doing, and why. She said IF I could straighten my act up, then it was possible. She fully understood how I had ended up the way I was, but that it couldn’t go on, not if we going to be seeing each other.”

“And I did, Kathy, I did! I came home and dumped all the drugs and the booze down the drain. The first week or two was hard, but the booze and drugs were to blunt the pain, and suddenly the pain was lifted. It was like driving out of a cloudburst into a sunny sky. I got a job at the local manufacturing plant, not for the money, but to keep my days busy, and six months later we got engaged. Life was good!”

“About 4 months ago, one day at work, a forklift driver knocked over a rack of equipment. I was standing on the other side, and my chest was pretty well crushed. It was touch and go for the first week, and a lot of my chest and guts are missing or have been replaced with plastic. Robyn came by everyday after school and she’d sit and talk to me. If I was unconscious, and I was a lot the first week or two, she’d sit and grade papers, not leaving until the nurses made her leave.”

“Then one day, she didn’t show up. A couple of hours after school ended, I was starting to get concerned. Then her mother and their minister, and my doctor and a nurse came in. She was crossing the street to her car when some asshole senior boy came roaring out of the parking lot, trying to show off with his new car, and ran her over. She…she…sh…” and I lost it. I blubbered like a baby, with Kathy holding me tight and making comforting noises.

Sometime later, I became aware again. Kathy was holding me in her lap, stroking my hair, rocking me back and forth. With some effort, I sat up, and Kathy released me, but kept her arm around me.

“Sorry I lost it there.”

“That’s the first time you’ve let yourself go since it happened, isn’t it,” she asked.

“Yeah, when they told me in the hospital I started screaming and they slipped a needle in my IV and knocked me out. When I came to the next day, I found they had me on happy pills of some kind, and I made them stop. I’d promised Robyn I wouldn’t go down that road again, and I won’t.”

“Oh. Uh-h, what about tonight? We got a bit tipsy…” she begin.

“Well, that’s different, as I see it. I wasn’t drowning my sorrow, or masking my pain. I was having fun with some friends. Today is the first time I’ve laughed or smiled since. Thank you for that. It’s been hard, and I’ve been so, so…”

“You’ve kept it all bottled up inside you, and that’s not good. I know, I was doing the same thing, but today you helped me, and now I’ve helped you,” Kathy said.
Somehow, we’d ended up lying back, her head on the pillows and mine on her chest, with her arms around me again. It felt good, and I fell asleep that way.

--------------------------------------------------------

When I woke up the next morning, I discovered Kathy was still in the bed with me. We were cuddled up with an arm over each other. Now, I’m not a morning person, and I had a hangover, but this wasn’t a bad way to wake up. I shifted a bit, and Kathy opened her eyes and smiled at me.

She stroked my cheek gently and kissed me softly, then said “Morning, beautiful.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls who look like you,” I grinned back.

“Nope, just the ones I’ve slept with.” Then she popped me on my butt. “Rise and shine, lazybones! I’m hungry! Got anything to eat around here?”

“Um, probably not.”

"Well, let’s get dressed and go get something. Come on in the bathroom and let me clean you up, we slept in our makeup last night.”

That’s when we found they’d applied false lashes. Even with all the makeup removed, we both still had long dark lashes. “Well, no matter, grab your purse, and I’ll give you a daytime look.”

“Whoa, I wasn’t planning on staying as Karielle!”

"Think again,” Kathy said, pointing at my nails and eyes. “Look at yourself in the mirror, you look like Karielle even without makeup, you might as well look good.”

So I ended up with a little lipstick and eye shadow, in a conservative blouse and jeans, and wearing my Keds again.

Kathy looked at the way the jeans fit me, “Hmmm, gonna have to do something about your ass.”

“What!”

“Hey, we’ve got my image to uphold!”

We jumped in my car, and headed out in search of food and what all. As we were driving along, Kathy suddenly yelled, “Turn in here!” “Here” was a costume supply house.

Kathy had a quick word with the saleslady, who glanced curiously at me before going into the backroom. Coming back out, she handed Kathy a box.

"Come on,” she said, pulling me into the changing rooms. When we got inside, she locked the door and said, “Strip!” I must have had a ‘deer in the headlights’ look, for she nudged me with her hand. “Kathy to El, jeans and undies off, now!”

I complied, and she removed a flesh-toned latex garment from the box. “Put this one, it’s a padded gaff.”

It took several minutes to get my “equipment” sorted out and properly installed, “You can sit down to pee and everything.” The color was an almost perfect match for my skin tone and I now looked like a normal girl down below. A tube of glue like that holding the breast forms on was included in the box, and Kathy quickly sealed the edges to my skin, I hope it comes off!

After putting my underwear (well, panties) back on, and pulling my jeans back on, I was amazed at the difference. The jeans fit great, and I now had curves where I didn’t before!

Kathy laughed, “That’s it, girl, now you look right!”

I nearly choked when I saw the price, but Kathy pointed out that quality wasn’t cheap, and as I‘d already said on several occasions, I could afford it.

So we headed back out in search of breakfast, although it was getting closer to lunch by now. We ended up stopping at an IHOP, just because it was convenient. Much to my discomfort, the hostess seated us right in the middle of the room, where everybody could see us.

When I said as much to Kathy, she replied, “That’s exactly what she did. Two good-looking women, she wants everybody to see us and be impressed with the quality of the customers here. Better get used to it.”

“Arggh!”

Kathy got a standard IHOP breakfast - eggs, pancakes, bacon, hash browns and coffee, while I ordered a poached egg, toast and coffee.

“Honeychild,” the waitress commented, “I’ve seen birds eat more than that. You get any skinnier, you’re gonna disappear when you turn sideways!”

“Surely not!” Kathy giggled.

“Well maybe not completely, neither one of you,” the waitress replied with a laugh as she walked off. Me, I had a feeling from the way my face burned that I’d invented whole new shades of red.

We talked about Kathy’s plans for the day, she needed to unload her styling tools and equipment and take them to the shop so she could get her station set up. As I had no plans of my own, I offered to help.

About then, the waitress returned with our order. In addition to my egg and toast, a plate of pancakes was set down in front of me.

“I didn’t order pancakes,” I protested to the waitress.

“Honey,” she replied, “these are on the house. You see if you can’t get some inside you, even your sister knows she needs to eat. You keep up like this,” pointing at my egg, “you’re gonna look like that Olsen twin girl. It ain’t healthy!”

“You know,” I told Kathy, “nobody tells Elliot what to eat.”

“Yeah, but there aren’t many guys with anorexia. And you are skin and bones.”

“Well, the doctor said it would take a while for my stomach, or what’s left of it, to stretch enough to eat a more normal-sized meal. In the meantime, I’m supposed to stick with a special diet for most of my meals.”

“And just where is this special diet food? There’s nothing in your refrigerator.”

“Well, I, uh….”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. This your diet,” pulling a list from her purse. “I found it on the refrigerator”.

“Yeah”

“OK, next stop, grocery store!”

The waitress came by to leave our check and clucked her tongue at the amount still left on my plate, but said nothing further. We escaped her disapproving stare, paid our check, (“Y’all have a nice day!”), and headed to the supermarket. An hour later and several hundred dollars lighter, we hauled multiple bags of groceries back to the house.

After getting things stored away, it was time to start unloading the trailer. Kathy had already stacked some boxes in my garage the day before when she was getting out the outfits we wore the night before, and we sorted through them as well as the stuff still in the trailer. Several boxes of stuff were transferred to her car, and we set out for the shop, Kathy driving and me navigating.

When we got to the shop, I grabbed the first box and headed inside, Kathy just behind. I hollered at Donna when I walked in, “Where do I put this?”

Donna looked up “Hi Kathy! Third station down. Is El with you?”

About then Kathy walked in behind me with another box and Donna did a double take. “Elliot?”

Turning to me, “Is that Elliot?” pointing at Kathy. I groaned, Kathy started sputtering and Donna looked back and forth between us. “Alright, who’s who here!”

By now I was getting too upset to talk, but I did point and say, “Kathy”.

Donna looked at me and shook her head. “Gawd, I saw you yesterday, and I still don’t believe it! I figured you’d be back to El today.”

“Well, blame your band of magic fairies,“ I said bitterly. “Between these,” waving my hands at her, “and these,” pointing at my eyes, “it seems Karielle is going to be around for a couple more days.”

“Oh, did they put artificial lashes on you?"

“Yeah, how do you take them off?”

"Um, well, you don’t.”

“WHAT!”

“They fall off as your lashes grow out, but that takes 60 to 90 days.”

“You gotta be kidding me!” Turning to Kathy, “Did you know about this!”

“Not until this morning when I washed my face.”

I dropped the box I was carrying in a chair, and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Then I folded up.

This is the first part of a fairly long story, with several sequels in the works. I have had the assistance of Angel O'Hare, who has kindly proofread portions of it. Any mistakes left are mine.

Re-edited by author 9/13/2006

They say that, somewhere in the world, everybody has a twin.
Nothing was said about the sex of that twin…………

Part 2 - A meltdown, flashback to Halloween, a chat with Donna, a new roommate!

Standard Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living, dead, or recently thought of indicates either A. you have a vivid imagination, or B. you are in serious need of psychological counseling. Song lyrics used under the Fair Use Doctrine are copyrighted by their respective groups, including Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, the insolent, and the guilty. Void where prohibited by law. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for debts other than my own. No deposit, no return. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. It's only a movie. The smoker you drink, the player you get. Objects in t-shirt are larger than they appear. Caution, contents may be hot. Do not attempt to exit vehicle while in motion. Please fasten your seatbelts and ensure that your seatbacks and trays are in an upright and locked position. Have a nice day.

----------------------------------------------------

Donna: When Elliot rushed into the bathroom and locked the door, I knew things had gone too far. I knocked on the door “El? Elliot?” I rattled the doorknob. “Elliot, open the door. Elliot?” I didn’t hear anything, and I didn’t like that.

When I turned around, Sarah, Tina, and Kathy were all standing there. Kathy looked scared and worried, Sarah and Tina both looked scared and guilty. “I’ll talk to you two later. Somebody get me a coat hanger.”

In short order, I’d popped the lock and went inside. Elliot was curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking like a leaf. I kneeled down and put my hand on his shoulder “Elliot?”

He spun around, put his arms around my neck and started sobbing. I gathered him up like I would one of my children and carried him into the backroom, waving off the girls when they started to follow.

After sobbing for several minutes, he started running down. I stretched him out on the couch, and he rolled over facing the back and pulled his arms up over his head.

Incredibly, within a few minutes he was asleep. Well, maybe not so incredibly, considering the physical trauma he’d recently been though, plus the emotional devastation, his energy reserves had to be pretty low. I covered him using a large towel as a blanket and stepped out into the shop.

“Kathy, would you please stay with him for now. He’ll probably sleep for awhile, but if you have any problems, yell.”

“Sure Donna.”

I then turned to Sarah and Tina, “My office”.

They walked in and I sat down behind my desk. “Sit down”

After several minutes of silence I asked, “Well, does anybody want to explain?”

Tina tried to bluster. “You’re not my mother, I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

“No, you don’t. Why don’t you go tell Kathy not to throw those boxes away after she unpacks, you’re going to need them.”

“I didn’t mean I was quitting!”

“Well, make up your mind. I’m not your mother, but this is my business, and you work for me. Something caused Elliot to freak out in my shop and I want to know what’s going on.”

“Well, you know I’ve been worried about Elliot since his accident, and Robyn’s death,” Sarah said. “He’s been so depressed. Yesterday, when he saw Kathy, it seemed to crack him out of his shell, and we thought it would be fun to make him up like Kathy. Maybe it would get him out into the world again. I thought it was working.”

“What about his eyes,” I asked.

“I guess we did get a little carried away,” Tina admitted, “but he looked so pretty with those arched eyebrows and the lashes are just gorgeous! We did the same thing to Kathy!”

“Yes but Kathy is a girl, Elliot isn’t. What lashes did you use?”

“The Long and Luscious in medium brown.”

"Tina! The Long and Luscious are over half an inch long!”

“Well, maybe that wasn’t a good choice.”

“That certainly is an understatement,” I said. “Now, what about his nails?”

"Well, we used that new Lexan break-proof nail extension coating,” Sarah said. “It seemed like a good idea.”

“Oh, My, God! You plucked out his eyebrows, gave him semi-permanent lashes that make him look like he’s always wearing mascara, and put nail extensions on him that have to be cut with a diamond file. And you thought this was a ‘good idea’? If I was your mother, I’d haul you both out back of the woodshed!”

“We were just having a little fun,” Sarah said defensively.

“Sarah, let me put it to you this way: you took somebody who’s been severely depressed, who considers you to be a friend, somebody that you claim you care about, and played a mean practical joke on him.”

“We didn’t mean any harm.”

“I can’t begin to estimate the harm you’ve done, but think about what just happened. Did that look like somebody who’s head is screwed down tight?”

“It’s worse than you realize,” Kathy, who’d come into the office in time to hear the last, said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, we talked for awhile last night, and he had a pretty chaotic childhood, moving from one foreign country to another as his father was transferred around, never having any close friends. His father broke up his first serious relationship, dragging him back to the States, where he got beat up several times a week for his long hair and girly appearance. I admit I participated in last night’s events myself. I‘m as guilty as they are. But right now we need to get him home, can somebody help me?”

“Certainly,” I said. “Did you get your car unloaded?”

“Yes”

“Ok, I’ll bring my car around to the back door and we’ll get El loaded in the backseat. You ride with me, and one of these two,” and I indicated Sarah and Tina with a wave of my hand, “can follow in your car. When Elliot feels like talking, give me a call and I’ll come over. I’ll defer any further action until I see how he is, and how he feels.”

We got Elliot loaded in my car, and when we got to his house, Kathy and I put him to bed. I felt my eyebrows achieve orbit when I saw the gaff he was wearing, and Kathy’s face went from red to white and back.

“You can tell me about that later. Please stay with him for at least the next 24-48 hours; I’m concerned about what he might do. If you need anything, call and I’ll bring it over.”

“Yes, ma’am”

“It’s Donna”

“Yes, Donna. Donna, I’m sorry for what I did.”

“Well, that’s more than those other two have said, they’re still trying to justify their actions.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Elliot: I woke with a start, feeling panicked for some reason. What had happened? I knew something had, but I couldn’t remember what.

“How do you feel?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin, “Who’s that!”

“Oh, sorry Elliot, it’s Kathy.”

“I didn’t know anybody was there.” She moved around where I could see her. “How did I, I mean, I’m at home…” I looked around and yes, I was in my bedroom.

“What do you remember,” Kathy asked.

“We woke up this morning,” and I smiled without realizing it. “We went out to eat, and oh, the costume shop!” I glanced under the covers, nope, hadn’t dreamed that! That was when I realized I was in bed wearing a bra and panties. “What the…”

“Anything else?” Kathy prompted.

I thought some more, then it all came back. “We went to the salon and I made a fool out of myself!

“NO! You did NOT make a fool out of yourself! You had an emotional overload. Completely understandable.” Kathy sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’ve been through a lot the last couple of months, and the last 24 hours have been pretty intense. Plus you had a dirty trick played on you. Those two are in plenty of hot water.”

“But, but…” and I could feel my chin shaking as I struggled to get my emotions under control, “Sarah’s the only friend I’ve got!”

“No, not the only friend,” and I was again in Kathy’s arms as I cried, but this time the tears were more of relief than pain.

After I cried myself out, Kathy suggested I go back to sleep. “Let me get you a shirt to wear, you’ll be more comfortable.” She came back with a long t-shirt, nothing girly about it other then it came down to mid-thigh. I lay back down and was quickly out.

(Kathy waited to make sure he was truly asleep, then went into her bedroom and changed into a similar nightshirt. She came back into El’s bedroom and curled back up in the chair she’d brought in, positioned where she could see Elliot’s sleeping form.)

The next time I awoke, the sun was streaming in the window, and I felt warm and protected. The reason for that soon became obvious, as I found that Kathy was curled up with me. My movements woke her up, and she looked around somewhat dazed.

“How did I end up here?” she asked.

“Well, I guess I wasn’t the only one who needed to be held. Your life hasn’t been exactly smooth, either.” We lay there, arms around each other, our faces just a few inches apart. Feeling it was right, I moved forward and kissed her gently. She tightened her arms around me and returned it. Well, that was nice! Kathy was looking at me with a somewhat bemused expression.

“What is it?” I asked.

“How come you don’t have a beard? Your face isn’t even rough.”

“Well, according to the doctor, some of the steroids he has me on have the same effect on the body as estrogen, so my testosterone levels are really low. He’ll have to stop them in a couple more weeks, or I’ll become permanently sterile, but short term effects are reversible.”

“Wow!”

Changing the subject, Kathy asked if I was ready for breakfast. I said sure, and she laughed. “Great! I’m going to hop in the shower. Call me when it’s ready!”

Well, I can whip up something. By the time Kathy got out of the shower, I had a pot of coffee going, scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese were ready to dish, and a pan of biscuits (store-bought, not scratch) would be done in a minute. I’d also pulled out some of the protein concentrate that the doctor had recommended and mixed it with some orange juice.

“Hey, not bad!” Kathy sat down with me and soon made short work of the meal. She tasted my liquid breakfast and made a face. “No wonder you don’t eat much, if it all tastes like that.”

“Well, it’s better than an IV.”

“Euh, yuck!”

“You gonna take a shower?”

“Yes, if you left any hot water.”

“Go ahead, you cooked, I’ll get the dishes.”

Entering the bathroom, I turned on the radio, and switched to my favorite CD, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. Hopping in the shower, I started singing along as I washed up. “Gold Dust Woman” has always been a favorite of mine, and I started belting it out along with Stevie.

Kathy: Going into Elliot’s bedroom to pick up yesterday’s clothes to throw into the wash, I paused to listen to his singing. “Wow“, I thought to myself, “he sounds almost like her!” I remembered what Sarah said about his Halloween costume. “Hmmm, starts to make sense. I gotta hear this story!”

Elliot: When I got out of the shower, I realized none of my clothes were going to fit, and with the breast forms and gaff glued on, I didn’t have any choice but to borrow from Kathy. Putting on my robe, I walked down the hall in search of her. “Hey, Kathy….”

“Let me guess, you need something to wear.”

“Yeah”

“Let me go grab a box out of the garage, I think the one I want is in there.”

"Ok, I’ll be in my bedroom.”

Kathy: It only took me a minute to locate the right box. Coming down the hall, I again heard Fleetwood Mac playing and Elliot singing along, this time it was “The Chain”. As I pulled stuff out of the box, I thought to myself that he sure picked the dark songs. Listening to him sing along, I remembered the HBO concert The Mac did, when Nicks sang this song she was glaring at Lindsay Buckingham like she was shooting daggers from her eyes. Perhaps the pain in those songs spoke to something in him. Grabbing the clothes I was looking for, I headed down the hall.

Elliot: “Here you go” Kathy said, throwing me some stuff. “These will do for kicking around the house.”

“Is this a dress?” I asked, shaking out the top garment.

“No, it’s more properly called a tunic. There are pants to wear under it. Oh, and here’s a clean bra and panties. I think you’ll be more comfortable with the proper support.”

“Uh, right.”

Kathy left the room and I quickly dressed. Not a bad look, I thought to myself, and fairly comfortable. The tunic came down to about mid-thigh, and the pants were snug, but with plenty of give. I slipped on my sneakers and went looking for Kathy.

She was just starting a load of laundry, when it was going she said, “Let’s sit down in the living room and chat, why don’t we? Is there anymore coffee?”

“Unless you drank it all while I was in the shower.”

When we were comfortable with hot steaming cups in front of us, Kathy commented, “I heard you singing with the CD this morning, you sounded amazing!”

I tried to make light of it, “You know what they say about shower acoustics”.

“No, I heard you in the bedroom also, you sounded just like Stevie Nicks! Is that how you ended up doing her on Halloween?”

“Well, it was Robyn’s idea, really.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, we’d been invited to this big Halloween party being thrown at one of the local nightclubs. It was invitation only, and Robyn was excited about going. The theme was “Music” and all costumes had to be theme-related.”

“A couple of days before, Sarah was trimming my hair at the shop, and Robyn met me there to get hers trimmed. She’d already decided she was going as Crystal Gayle, with her hair it was a natural. Robyn was getting her trim, and I was waiting on her so we could go eat. The Mac was on the stereo, and as you noticed, I like to sing along,” I said as the memories came flooding back . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ELLIOT!”

“Huh, what?”

“Sarah asked you what your costume is,” Robyn said.

“Oh, I don’t know, I haven’t decided,” I replied.

“ELLIOT!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU HAVEN’T DECIDED!” Robyn screeched.

Oops, I’m in for now. “I’ll figure something out.”

“You’d better! You know how important this party is!”

“OK, OK, don’t worry.”

“HAH!” was her reply. The stereo quit just then, and I grabbed the chance to slip away by going into the backroom and restarting the Fleetwood Mac CD. It was the Very Best Of Fleetwood Mac, and pretty soon I was happily singing along to “Rhiannon”, oblivious to the looks I was getting from Robyn and Sarah, and the whispering that was going on.

Robyn got up and told Sarah “Ok, we’ll see you Saturday”. “Let’s go” to me and off we went.

Saturday morning Robyn was up bright and early, unusual as she normally liked to sleep in on Saturdays. In response to my question, she told me she was going costume shopping with Sarah.

“Have you picked out your costume yet?”

“Oh, I figured I’d throw on some ripped jeans and stick some drumsticks in my pocket,” mentally preparing for being yelled at. To my surprise, she didn’t get mad.

“Let me get my tape and measure you, I can pick up some things for you to wear. That ok with you?” I readily agreed, grateful that I’d avoided a fight. She measured me up and down, even measuring my feet. I questioned that, and she said it was in case she ran across something that might look good.

Robyn got back to the house about noon, laden with sacks.

“Must have had good luck,” I said.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve got some great stuff here,” she replied with a grin. Reaching into one sack, she pulled out a bottle and tossed it to me. “Here, go take a shower and smear this all over, I’ll come in and do your arms, chest and back.”

"Hey, this is hair remover!”

“Yes, it’s for your costume. Since you wouldn’t do anything about selecting one, I’ve chosen for you. Now get in the shower!”

“What are you planning?”

“Don’t worry, it’s one you’ll be really good as.”

“What if I don’t like it, and what is it anyway?’

“Look, buster, I told you this party was important to me. You had your chance to pick a costume, and as usual, you put it off. You’re going to wear the costume I picked, and you’re going to the party!” Her voice told me if I didn’t, it was going to be pretty nasty around the ol’ homestead for a while.

When I got through depleting myself, Robyn made sure I shaved really close, then it was, “Get dressed, we’ve got to be at the shop in 15 minutes.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Sarah is going to do our hair and makeup for the party, come on!”

“Make-up! What for?”

“COME ON!” I remembered the line that starts “Hell hath no fury” and decided I’d better cooperate, or plan on sleeping in the spare bedroom for a long time.

When we got to the shop, Sarah grabbed me right away and seated me in her chair. Pulling the perm cart over, she said, “This will take several hours, so relax.”

“Wait a minute, why am I getting a perm?”

Sarah looked at Robyn, who was seated at the nail station, getting her nails done. “Haven’t told him, huh?”

“Nope, I just told him he’d better cooperate.”

“Told me WHAT!”

“We figured it out the other day,” Sarah said with a grin. “If you didn’t come up with a costume on your own, we were going to dress you as your favorite singer.”

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“It’s perfect for you, you’ve got the voice down perfect,’ Sarah giggled while Robyn smiled.

“WHO!”

“Stevie Nicks!”

“You’ve got to be kidding! I can’t do that!”

“Yes you can,” Sarah said, while Robyn was a bit more emphatic, “You can and you will!”

“With a perm to give your hair the proper fullness, a bit of a trim for the bangs, and some makeup and clothes, you’ll look great!” Sarah said. “We picked up a great outfit for you this morning, you’ll be smashing!”

“I don’t know about this…” I begin but Robyn cut me off.

“You had your chance, I’ve been bugging you for weeks to pick a costume. Now shut up, quit whining and let Sarah get to work. You ARE going to do this, or else!”

Well, I knew what ‘or else’ meant, so I shut up.

After at least a half an hour of combing, parting, and rolling, my hair was all done up in various sizes and colors of curlers. Then Sarah wound cotton around my head and applied the first solution. She popped a cap over my head and stuck me under a drier.

“Back in a bit,” and she went off to chat (conspire?) with Robyn.

35 minutes later, she came back, lifted the cap and partially unwound a curler.

“Not quite, but the color’s looking good.”

“Color!”

“Yes, to make it look good, we needed to highlight your hair. Five more minutes.”

When she came back, she took me over to the shampoo bowl and thoroughly rinsed the curlers. After blotting them dry with a towel, she applied another chemical, the neutralizer she called it.

“Sit tight while that works, be right back.”

She and Robyn went outside, and soon came back in with the sacks Robyn had brought back from shopping, taking them into the backroom.

“Alright, time to get to work,” and Sarah again rinsed the curlers thoroughly, then unwound them from my head. Boy, does that feel good!

She rinsed my hair again, then applied some conditioner. After letting that stay on for a few minutes, she rinsed it again. Then wrapping a towel around my head, she took me back to her station.

Unwrapping the towel, she finger-fluffed my hair, then pulled out the hand dryer and started drying my hair, fluffing it with her fingers as she worked. Wow, I couldn’t believe how full it was, and I had to admit the color looked good.

Turning me away from the mirror, she grabbed her scissors and started snipping away around my face. It certainly seemed like she was taking a lot off, for a “bit of a trim”, but I didn’t have much to say about the process, it seems she and Robyn had already decided my fate. After a couple of final snips, she pronounced herself satisfied.

She then picked up a bag that turned out to be loaded with cosmetics, and started working on my face. She tutted to herself, said something like “that’s gotta go” and attacked my eyebrows with a pair of tweezers.

“Don’t worry, I’m just cleaning things up a bit”.

Next she pulled out some makeup and went to work on my face. First she dabbed some makeup on my face, and smoothed it all over with a small sponge.

"Close your eyes," and I could feel her drawing on my eyelids.

"Now open your eyes really wide, and don't blink." She went to work with a small brush, that would be the mascara, I assumed.

"Close them again," and she was brushing something on my eyelids.

Next she brushed something on my cheeks, after telling me to suck in my cheeks "so I can see your cheekbones."

She took a pencil and ran it over my eyebrows, then swapped it for another and drew along my lips. She took a tube of lipstick and applied it to my lips.

Handing me a tissue she told me "Put this between your lips and go like this," pursing her lips. I did, and left a lip print on the tissue.

"Close your eyes and hold still," and she dusted a brush over my face.

Then she called Tina over. “There, do you think?” fooling with my ears.

“That looks great! One or two?” Tina asked.

“Oh, two I think.”

“Why not three?” Tina asked.

“No, I think two will do,” Sarah replied. “Ready? 1 - 2 -3!” and on three there was a sharp pain in both my ears, quickly followed by a second round.

I yelped,“What did you do?”

“We pierced your ears. Don’t worry; all the guys have pierced ears these days. I’m going to take these out and put in some hoops for tonight, but you’ll need to put the starter earrings back in when you get home. I’ll give you a care sheet. Now, just time for a manicure, then you need to get dressed.”

She led me over to the manicure station where the nail technician proceeded to file and shape my nails, then apply a coat of vivid red nail polish.

“Oh-h-h, that looks good! You’ve got nice hands. You ought to get your nails done more often.”

“As if…” I replied.

When my nails were dry Sarah took me into the backroom. Robyn, I noticed, had darker hair and was wearing a long dress with a country & western motif on the top. She had a wireless mike lying with her purse (where did she get that?).

“Ok, El, time to change,” Robyn said. She picked up some long filmy garments, and I realized we were doing Nick’s white witch look.

“Go into the bathroom and strip, then let me know. I’ll help you with your ‘things’.” Well, I was already past the point of no return, so I did as she said.

When she came in, she had a bra with the cups filled with some kind of material.

"This is a mastectomy bra, it well give you the appropriate shape when combined with this,” which turned out to be a waist cincher. “But first we need to secure ‘junior’,” Robyn said. “You’ll be sitting down to pee tonight.”

First she fastened a garter belt around my waist. Then taking some tape, she made a loop in the middle and secured it around my penis. She pulled it back between my legs and pulled the tape up between my cheeks like a thong, and secured the ends to the garter belt in back. Handing me some sheer white panties to pull up over everything, she then picked up the cincher and fastened it around me.

“Stretch up and grab the shower curtain bar.” I did and she proceeded to pull the laces tight on the cincher.

“It’s starting to get a little tight,” I told her.

“If you can talk, it’s not tight enough! Now exhale!” she replied.

Soon I was laced up so tight I could barely breath.

“That will give a little after you wear it for awhile. Sit down and I’ll help you with your stockings.” She pulled up a pair of white stockings and secured them to the garter belt.

“Ooh, your legs look great!”

“Thanks, I think.”

Standing me back up, she helped me step into a long, flowing, filmy, lacey dress. It had long sleeves and a fairly low cut top, which showed without actually showing. A short jacket with wide, flowing sleeves and a pair of low-heeled sandals completed the look.

“Look in the mirror,” and she turned me to face it.

“!!!!!” Looking back at me was a virtual Stevie Nicks clone! Except for my height (Stevie is a little slip of a thing), I could have been her waiting to go on stage.

“Told you it’d look good!” Sarah, who’d just stepped into the room, said to Robyn.

“Shall we go? Robyn asked her.

“Just let me grab my purse,” Sarah replied. I was still staring at myself in the mirror when there was a flash. I turned around to find Sarah standing there with a disposable camera.

“Great, now a couple of you two together.” Robyn stood next to me, and Sarah snapped several more.

Robyn gathered up our clothes and dumped them in the bags. She picked up a white beaded purse with a long strap and handed it to me. “I put your money and ID’s in here, I’ll dump this stuff in the car.”

“The party doesn’t start for another hour and a half, what are we going to do until then,” I asked.

“We have a dinner reservation at the Olive Garden in 15 minutes.”

“Looking like this! And with this cincher on, I couldn’t eat a thing.”

“I’m wearing one also, so we’ll both be eating light. But we need to eat something before the party, so let’s go!”

We went, not to my car, but Sarah’s. “Sarah will drop us off at the party.”

“How will we get home?”

“I’m going to change and meet you there, I’ll drive you home afterwards,” Sarah said.

When we got to the restaurant, Robyn spoke to the hostess and we were seated promptly.

Our waitress squealed in delight when she came to the table, “You two look great! Let me guess - Crystal and Stevie, right?”

“In one,” Robyn replied.

“You’re not wearing a costume?” she asked, turning to Sarah.

“I’m the ugly stepsister, at least compared to these two!”

“Well, what would you ladies like?” Robyn and I both ordered a small salad and some pasta.

We both ordered water, but the waitress came back with a small bottle of red wine.

“Compliments of the gentlemen over there,” she said and pointed at a couple of men in suits at a nearby table.

“Tell them thank you, but we’re going to a private costume party after we eat, so they shouldn’t expect anything,” Robyn informed her.

“I figured you were going to the costume party at Rick’s Place, that’s what I told them, but they said ‘pretty ladies like you deserved a nice bottle of wine with your meal,’” she replied.

“They did ask if they could get their picture taken with you, though. Especially Stevie here, they can’t get over how beautiful you look.”

“Well, ‘Stevie’, what do you think,” Robyn asked me

“That’s fine by me,” I replied with more poise than I felt.

“Wow, you even sound like her!” the waitress exclaimed. “You’re really into this!”

The waitress went over to talk to the men, and Sarah joked, “I guess I’ll go crawl back under my rock now. Nobody will miss me!”

Our waitress returned with the men, and we stood as they approached.

“Thank you for the wine,” Robyn told them.

“Our pleasure. I understand you’re going to a costume party?”

“That’s right, it’s one of the big events of the year,” Robyn replied.

“Well, you both look great, nobody’d know those are costumes. If we can get a couple of pictures, then we’ll let you ladies eat in peace.”

He handed a camera to our waitress, and we posed with them for several shots. About then our food arrived and we managed to excuse ourselves.

“Enjoy that, did you?” Sarah asked me.

“Why do you say that?” I asked.

“The way you were smiling at them, and you blushed so prettily when the one caught your eye, I know he thought you were flirting with him!”

“I wasn’t!”

“You were,” Robyn said. “Don’t forget, you’re MY girl!”

Sarah dropped us in front of the club, and after checking our invitations the doormen admitted us. We were fairly early, and there were still lots of tables.

“Sarah said to get one down front, close to the dance floor,” Robyn said, and she headed that way.

Me, I’d have preferred one in the back. The waitress came by and Robyn ordered two Bloody Marys.

“That’ll help you relax, we’ll switch to water or something later.”

Things started to pick up, and Sarah showed up just before the band started playing. She was dressed in bellbottoms and a flower-print blouse with love beads. In reply to my question, she said, “I’m a groupie.”

“Okay, but that’s not very imaginative.”

"Well I don’t look like anybody famous like you,” she commented. “You’re going to have to sing for us tonight.”

“No Way!”

Sarah just smiled. The band started up, and we accepted about one out of every three dance invitations. The waist cincher kept me uncomfortable enough that I couldn’t really move well.

The band went on break, Robyn and I got in line for the Ladies, no way was I going to go the Men’s in this outfit.

When we got back to the table, Sarah was talking to the lead singer for the band. He glanced at me, then smiled and nodded to Sarah.

“What was that?” I hissed at Sarah.

“Oh, nothing much,” she replied. The band started up about then, and I turned down some more dance invitations. They played several songs, then the leader waved for silence.

“We have a special treat for you tonight, a guest singer. Ladies and Gentlemen, singing her hit song from Rumors, give it up for Stevie Nicks!” and he motioned to me! The crowd started cheering and applauding as I turned to Robyn.

“I can’t do this!”

“Yes you can! Just sing like you were the other day.” The leader was tugging on my arm, and the audience started chanting, “Sing! Sing! Sing!” I allowed myself to be pulled up on stage and stalled by adjusting the mike.

“Gold Dust Woman, right?’ the leader said.

“Uh, yeah,” I replied. They started playing, and right on time I came in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rock on - Gold Dust Woman,
Take your silver spoon,
Dig your grave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the middle of the song, people were standing and clapping their hands to the music. I reached over and picked up a tambourine lying on top of an amp and started shaking it like Stevie would do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well did she make you cry,
Make you break down,
Shatter your illusions of lovin
Now tell me is it over now,
Do you know how - to
Pickup the pieces and go home?
Go hommmme
Go-o ho-ommme-e-e
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I even threw in the little vocal flourishes at the end, then stepped away from the mike and rattled the tambourine as the band played out the song.

I couldn’t believe it, everybody went nuts! They were cheering and clapping, yelling, “More, More, More!”

“Up for another?” the leader asked me.

“Guess so,” I replied.

“How about ‘Gypsy’, can you do that?”

“Uh, sure. It’s one of my favorites.”

And off we went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I’m back to the velvet… underground
Back to the floor… that I love
To a room with some lace and paper flowers
Back to the gypsy… that I was,
To the gypsy... that I was
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we got to the end the lead guitarist took off on his solo like we’d been practicing it all week. Again I stepped back and let the band wrap it up, spinning and flourishing the tambourine. The crowd was applauding and cheering again.

“Another?”

“No, I need to take a break.”

He turned to the audience - “Ladies and Gentlemen - Stevie Nicks!” People cheered even louder! “Maybe we’ll be able to get her to perform later!”

“You’ve been holding out on me!” Robyn whispered (yelled) in my ear.

“Nope, just beginner’s luck!”

“Hah!”

At the break, people kept coming up and asking me to do another number. A couple of guys from the band also asked me to do another.

“El, you’ve got to, people love ya!”

The lead singer/guitarist, who introduced himself as Greg, asked, “Can you do ‘The Chain’? We can play off each other, it oughta be dynamite!”

Robyn was motioning me on so I allowed myself to be persuaded to do “Just one more. That’s all, just one.”

I turned to Robyn and mouthed ‘bathroom’. We grabbed out purses and headed back. All the way, people were congratulating me on my performance. It was surreal! When we got into the Ladies, I almost collapsed.

“Robyn, I’m scared! I don’t know if I can do this!”

“Honey, you’re doing fine. I had Sarah order a round of shots; they should be there when we get back. That’ll help you relax.”

We got back in time to ask Greg to make the duet the last song of the set, to which he agreed.

“That will be perfect, go out on a big number.”

The band resumed playing, and we did the shots. It didn’t help my nerves that between each song the crowd chanted “Stevie! Stevie!” Finally, after a song Greg motioned to me.

As I got up, he announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, once again - Stevie Nicks!”

People started applauding as I took the stage, and one of the guys handed me the tambourine. The drummer started the rhythmic beat as Greg picked out the intro.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Listen to the wind blow,
Watch the sun rise.

Run in the shadows,
Damn your love,
Damn your lies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We started playing off each other, Greg looking aside at me as he sang, “And if you don’t love me now, you will never love me again” and me firing back at him, “I can still hear you saying, You would never break the chain!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Break the silence -
Damn the dark,
Damn the light
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stepped back during the instrumental portion, playing the tambourine and shooting dirty looks at Lindsay/Greg. It was great theater, and the people ate it up!

As the song ended, Greg announced, “Thank you everybody, How about a big hand for Ellen - ‘Stevie Nicks’. We’ll be back after the costume judging. Don’t forget to tip your bartenders and waitresses!” I gratefully took my seat.

The club owner, Rick, came up on stage and announced the judging for the various categories. As each contestant came up, the audience applauded and the sound was measured with a meter.

When he got to the ‘Best individual costume - female,” one of the names he called was Ellen Taylor.

Robyn and Sarah started tugging on my arms, “That’s you, go on!”

“But, I, but….”

“Get up there!” Robyn hissed.

As I walked up the sound was so loud I was afraid the walls would collapse.

“There’s no question about this one, the winner is Ellen ‘Stevie Nicks’ Taylor!” He handed me a check for $100, to my shock and amazement!

Then the time come for the overall winner. All the various winners were invited back on stage. Rick went down the line, holding his hand over each. When it was done, the guy on the sound meter handed Rick a slip of paper.

“Once again, it’s a walk away. The overall winner is Ellen Taylor!” As the audience applauded, Rick handed me a check for $500! All the winners posed for pictures, and I was given extra attention. I felt like a fraud!

When I sat back down I leaned over to Robyn, “Can we get out of here!”

“What! We’re having a great time!”

“You are, I’m not!”

“El, settle down, everything’s fine!” Then she saw the panic in my eyes and said, “Come on, let’s get some air”.

When we got outside, and got away from the people who kept coming up and congratulating me, she asked, “Alright, what’s the problem?”

“I’m not a girl!”

“You look like one, and you won best female costume.”

“And how come I was entered in that!”

“Well, that was a little joke.”

“I’m not laughing. I cheated the other contestants!”

“What do you plan on doing, do you want to go back in and explain?”

“Oh, Gawd, no! I just want to go home!”

“Look, let’s go in and have another drink, then if you still want to leave, we will. In the meantime, relax. Nobody has a clue.”

“Well, ok.”

“Thanks, El! You’re great, honey!” and she kissed me. “I’ll make it up to you when we get home.”

“I don’t know how you talk me into this stuff.”

She snickered, “I know where your buttons are!”

When we got back to our table, Greg was sitting there with Sarah.

“Ellen, Greg’s got an offer you can’t refuse!”

Greg shot Sarah a look, then turned to me. “The thing is, we used to do a lot of Fleetwood Mac, and that sort of thing. But our singer quit. You’ve got the look, the attitude, and you can sing. Would you be interested in becoming our new singer?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied.

“You haven’t even heard the deal yet.”

“Look, one time is fun, but I couldn’t do it on a regular basis.”

“She gets stage fright,” Robyn interjected. “We had to go outside so she could calm down.”

“Oh, well, that is a problem.”

“So, you see why she can’t do it,” Robyn finished up.

“Yeah. Look, if you change your mind, here’s our card, give me a call.” He was smart enough not to stick around and pressure me.

“I can’t believe you turned him down!” Sarah said.

“Think about it, Sarah,“ Robyn said. “El’s got a major problem there.”

“Why?”

“Shut up, Sarah,” Robyn said, then turned to me and mouthed “one drink”. I made short work of it; then Robyn and I went to the Ladies one last time.

When we got back Greg was again sitting at the table. I groaned, and Robyn took my hand.

“Would you consider doing one more song? Just one, no more.”

“I don’t know if I can,” and I turned to Robyn in mute appeal.

“Maybe if you did a shot, and we could leave right afterwards,” she said. I was already feeling guilty about dragging her away; I knew she was having a good time.

“Sure, let me get you a round,” Greg said. Sarah passed, as she was our designated driver. Greg came back with Flaming Hookers, which is pretty much pure alcohol!

“What song?” I asked, and Greg replied “Rhiannon”.

I shot a sharp look at Sarah, knowing she’d set me up, again.

“Ok, first song of the set, no big announcement. We do it, then we’re leaving.”

“Sure, sure, great! Let me tell the band!”

He went to locate the others, and I turned to Sarah, “You owe me, big time!”

“Moi?”

“YES!” I tossed the shot down and nearly choked. Robyn handed me a glass of water that I drank gratefully.

By then the band was back on the stage. Greg nodded to me, I braced myself and walked up and joined them. Greg picked out the intro and right on beat the drummer joined in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhiannon rings like a bell thru the night
And wouldn't you love to love her.
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight,
And who will be her lover...
All your life you've never seen
A woman--taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To my surprise, two girls stepped up on cue and provided the background vocals in the bridge and chorus:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhia-a-an-non

Rhia-a-an-non

Taken by, taken by the sky

Taken by, taken by the sky

Dreams unwind…
Love’s a state of mind.
Dreams unwind…
Love’s a state of mind
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A part of me wished that somebody was taping it, it was beautiful! When the song ended, I turned to the girls and impulsively gave them each a big hug!

I then turned to Greg and said, “Thanks!”

He replied, “Think about it,” and handed me an envelope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So what happened then,” Kathy asked.

“We came home, and Robyn showed me how appreciative she was,” I replied. “Details NOT available on request!”

“And you haven’t dressed up as a girl since?”

“Nope”

“What about the band?

“Robyn called Greg and told him I’d had a big panic attack after I got home, and there was no way I could perform on stage.”

“What was in the envelope?”

“Fifty dollars and a note that said, “You earned it, thanks!” signed by all the members of the band.

We sat there in silence for several moments, I was lost in my memories, and Kathy was appraising my mental state.

Finally she cleared her throat, “Elliot, Donna would like to come over and talk to you. Do you feel up to it?”

“Aw, geez . . . “

“You don’t have to. But she’s concerned about you. Whatever happened, she wants to make sure you’re alright.”

I thought about it for a couple of minutes, Kathy not pushing me for an answer.

“Okay,” I finally said. “Give her a call.”

Kathy called her, and Donna said she’d be over in 15 minutes. By the time Donna got there, Kathy had made a fresh pot of coffee.

“Elliot, I want to start out by apologizing to you for what has happened. Appropriate actions will be taken to prevent this from happening again.”

“What kind of actions?” I asked.

“That’s part of what I’m trying to determine by talking to you. It’s pretty obvious that Sarah set you up, with Tina’s help,” Donna replied.

“And it’s not the first time,” Kathy added. “She did the same thing last Halloween, going so far as to tricking him into a public performance that could have exposed him to ridicule.”

“I didn’t say that,” I protested.

“Not in so many words, but your description of her actions makes it plain.”

“No, she was just helping Robyn!”

“Donna, I’d be willing to bet that the whole costume idea was Sarah’s to begin with, then she set it up so Elliot would have to perform on stage, and even entered him in the costume contest for best female as ’Ellen” Taylor,” Kathy said. “I don’t know why, but there’s more here than we know.”

“What about Tina,” Donna asked.

“I don’t know, I think she just went along with Sarah.”

“Okay. Now, what about that gaff Elliot is still wearing,” Donna asked. “Can you explain that?”

“Yes, in retrospect it wasn’t a smart idea, and if I’d known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have suggested it,“ Kathy said.

“Why did you do it?”

“When I saw how we looked after removing the makeup yesterday morning, I was concerned that Elliot’s half and half appearance would cause him problems. The gaff would eliminate one potential problem.”

“And. . . . I was being selfish, I liked having a “sister” again, and wanted him to stay that way a little longer. I didn’t know how emotionally loaded that could be,” she said.

Turning to me, she said, “Elliot, I apologize for what I did. It was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

I hung my head so they couldn’t see my face while my emotions ran around loose for a several minutes.

Finally I raised my head and looked at Kathy.

“I forgive you. You had no way of knowing what was going on, and I don’t believe you were being malicious in your actions.”

Kathy had tears running down her face I noticed, and I reached over and wiped them away, then took her hand and squeezed it. I held her hand and we sat and looked at each other for several minutes.

Donna’s “humph” brought our attention back to her.

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Elliot. I’d come to much the same conclusion myself,” Donna said.

“Now, Elliot, I’d like to have you talk to a friend of mine tomorrow afternoon. She’s a licensed psychological therapist and doctor, and she’s already cleared some time to see you.”

“You too, Kathy. This first visit is on me, if you decide you want to keep seeing her, you can make whatever arrangements are appropriate.”

“Well, if you think it’s a good idea…” I conceded.

“I think it would be a very good idea,” Donna told me.

“How did you get us in on such short notice,” Kathy asked.

“I do her hair,” Donna replied with a grin.

“Uh, what is she expecting to see,” waving my hand in the general direction of my altered appearance.

“I explained to her what had happened,” Donna replied with a smile, “And she said to tell you to show up however you felt comfortable. Well, I’ve got to be going. Elliot, as I told Kathy, feel free to call me if there’s anything I can do.”

“I will,” I replied.

“Kathy, will you walk with me out to my car, I need to talk about work.”

Kathy and Donna went outside, and I sat back down on the couch. There was a picture here, but the middle of it was all fuzzy. I wondered if I’d ever get everything in focus.

Kathy: I walked outside with Donna. “Kathy, take a couple of extra days to get this settled. I’ll pay you a base to help with your expenses.”

“That’s not a problem, I’ve saved a bundle not having to pay for a motel room. Do you think Elliot would let me stay here a little longer?”

“I’m sure he’d be glad to, and I think it would be a good idea. I’m still concerned about his mood swings. Run it by the doctor tomorrow. Oh, by the way, don’t get there early.”

“Why not,” I asked.

“Sarah will be there before you, I thought it would be a good idea for the doctor to talk to her first. I was already aware of some of this before I came over. There’s a half hour between the appointments, but no use in taking chances.”

As I walked back inside, I wondered how I could ask Elliot to let me stay here. He was still sitting in the living room, holding a cup of coffee.

“You all right?” I asked him.

“Yeah, I think so. I just don’t understand what Sarah was doing, or why,” he said.

“Neither do I,” I replied.

“Look, about you staying here...”

“Yeah, I need to talk to you about that.”

Elliot looked as if somebody had suddenly let all the air out. “Of course, you want to get a place of your own, I understand. Feel free to store anything here...” trailing off as he saw me smiling. “What?”

“Actually, I was going to ask if I could stay here for awhile,” I said. “It’s going to take me some time to build up a client base, and, uh, anyway, well, I kind of like it here. Maybe I could help out with the cleaning and stuff, until I could afford to pay some rent.”

“Kathy, you can stay as long as you want. I can use the help around the house, I’m still on the disabled list, and not supposed to do a lot of physical things. But I own the house free and clear, so don’t worry about rent. And it’s nice to have somebody else here, I don’t think I want to be alone anymore.”

I sat down next to him on the sofa and gave him a hug, which he returned after a moment. We started discussing the details of having a roommate: phone, keys, insurance coverage, and the like. Pretty soon we were shoulder to shoulder, going over notes on a pad, just like girlfriends.

Elliot turned to me and asked me, “Is this what you meant by the feeling of having a sister again, and liking it?”

“Yes, does that bother you?” I replied.

“No, actually I kinda like it too,” he said.

Elliot: I couldn’t believe how things had changed in 48 hours! It was like somebody had turned my life upside down. I guess you could say I was smitten! Kathy is gorgeous, smart, friendly, and seems to like and care about me. The twin thing is a little freaky, though. But it doesn’t seem to bother her. In fact, I suspect that it might be a plus in her eyes. The things she’s said, the way she’s acted, and the looks I’ve seen her giving me. Hm-m-m, I wonder which she prefers, Elliot or Karielle?

“What do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?” I asked her.

“I dunno, got anything in mind?” she replied.

“Not really. We could watch TV, or just turn on the stereo, kick back and relax.”

“That sounds good. I do need to bring some boxes in and unpack some more stuff, since I’ll be living here for a while. Wanna help?”

“Sure.”

We went out into the garage and transferred the rest of her stuff out of the trailer. “I’ll take that back tomorrow morning and get my deposit back,” Kathy commented.

“Now, these boxes here,” pointing to about a half-dozen she’d placed to the side, “need to go inside, as well as all this stuff on hangers. There is room for all this, isn’t there?”

“Not a problem. There are a few things in the closet; I’ll put them in the spare bedroom. The dresser’s empty.”

I grabbed a box and Kathy picked up an armload of the hanging stuff and we carried them into her bedroom.

I was going to go back for another box but Kathy stopped me. “Let's go through this stuff and put it away before dragging anything else in.”

Kathy opened the box and started putting the contents, mostly various items of underwear including some quite sexy lacy items, into the dresser. “See anything here you like?” Kathy asked with a grin.

“Uh, yeah, kinda.” I’d blushed more in the last 2 days than I had in the last 2 years!

“Well, if there’s anything you’d like to borrow, help yourself,” she replied with a smirk. I know I got even redder!

“Oh, Elliot, you’re such an innocent!” and she gave me a hug. “Now, how about handing me that stuff and I’ll hang it in the closet,” she asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

As I passed her items she would occasionally hold something up and ask me what I thought of it. A couple of the items got hooked over the closet doors. We returned to the garage several times, finally getting all the boxes she’d selected unloaded and the contents put away.

During the process we’d opened a bottle of white wine and each had a glass, it was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

She took a couple of the dresses down that she’d hung on the closet door and held one up against her, a creamy yellow dress with a full skirt and half length sleeves.

“Like to see me in this,” she asked.

“Yes, it’s very pretty.”

“Ok. And here, you try this one on, I’ve noticed you like the rich blues,” handing me a blue knit sleeveless turtleneck dress.

“What?”

“Come on, El, it’s just us here. I’ve always wanted to see myself from the outside, with you looking like that it’s the perfect opportunity,” she wheedled.

“Oh, ok,” I gave in.

“Great! You’ll need these,” and she pulled out a lacy blue bra and panties set from one drawer, and a pair of pantyhose from another. “Those white things you’re wearing would show through.”

She then shoved me out the door. “Go change!”

As I changed in my bedroom, I tried to figure out why I was doing this. Oh, yeah, because Kathy asked me to. I realized I wanted to keep Kathy happy, that having her here made me feel good.

The back zip on the dress gave me some difficulties but I finally got it up. Getting it down was going to be another problem, though.

When I walked back into her room Kathy exclaimed, “Ooh, that’s beautiful!”

“You look pretty good yourself,” I replied.

“You think so?” she asked, giving a spin, the dress floating out around her.

“Yes, one a scale of one to ten I’d give you a, oh, I don’t know….”

“A nine?” Kathy asked hopefully.

“No, not a nine. I was thinking, maybe, oh…. an eleven. No, a twelve. Yes, that’s it, a twelve!”

Kathy swatted me on the arm, “You tease! You’re at least a twelve yourself!”

“Get outta here!”

“Nope, a definite twelve! Give me a turn,” so I turned around for her. The knit fit really well, like a glove, and felt good against my legs.

“Ooh, I like! Here, put this one on next,” handing me another dress.

We each tried on several more dresses, and somewhere along the line I quit worrying about what I was doing. I also quit leaving the room to change; we’d both strip to our undies and put on the next outfit.

We finally ran out of outfits that Kathy had selected to model, by then it was early evening. “Lets get more comfortable and watch some TV,” Kathy said.

She rummaged through her clean laundry and came up with the blue baby doll nightie and handed it to me. She pulled out the matching pink one and started to put it on, so I stripped and put the blue one on.

She fished around in the closet and came up with some slip-on heels, mules she called them, that matched the nighties and handed the blue pair to me. I stumbled a bit as I tried to walk in them; the heel was probably 4 inches!

“You get used to them. Come on, I think the movie on HBO starts at eight.”

I settled on the couch, Kathy having ducked into the kitchen to refill our wine glasses.

“Scoot over” and she sat down next to me, putting the glasses on the coffee table.

The movie was a typical chick flick and I soon started to doze off. Kathy noticed me nodding, and putting an arm around me, pulled my head down on her shoulder. It had been a long day for me, and I was quickly asleep.

I awoke some undetermined time later to find that Kathy and I were again curled up in each other’s arms. The TV was buzzing away with some mindless fair, so I shut it off.

I then shook Kathy, “Come on, sleepyhead, time for bed.”

“Wha-what?”

“It’s late, time for bed,” I repeated and pulled her upright.

“Oh, ok.”

“Go on, I’ll turn the lights off. Good night, Kathy.”

She grabbed my arm and pulling herself up to me, gave me a kiss and said “G-night luv.”, then stumbled down the hall.

I made a check of the all the doors, then turned off the lights and headed down the hall myself.

I walked into my bedroom, flipped on the light and saw Kathy was curled up on one side of my bed, eyes closed.

The light made her squeeze her eyes shut even more and she mumbled, “comeontobedshutthelightoff”.

I was undecided about sharing the bed again, although it is a large bed. Then she clearly said “Lights - Bed - Now”, so, what the hell! I turned out the light, felt my way to the side of the bed and climbed under the sheets. Kathy slid over and cuddled up to me, then seemed to drop into a sound sleep, as I soon did also.

I woke up the next morning to something tickling my face. I opened one eye and saw Kathy had a hold of a lock of my hair and was brushing it across my face.

“So, Sleeping Beauty awakes,” she said softly.

“Yes, awakes to the charms of another beauty. I could get used to this quite easily,” I replied. Kathy snuggled up next to me, putting her arm part way around me and kissed me.

“Me, too. I can’t think of any better way to wake up in the morning.” WOW!

“We can do this every morning if you’d like,” she continued.

I’ve never had anything occur as rapidly as this, I was breathless. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

We kissed again, and again, the kisses becoming longer and more intense. We were fondling each other, exploring the various erotic nerve endings.

I started rubbing her nipples, which seemed to bring her no end of pleasure. Her attempt to do the same for me met with less success.

"If those were real, you’d enjoy this a lot more,” she whispered.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

“If you do, you won’t regret it,” she said, then started kissing my neck and shoulders. That distracted me from thinking about what she’d said.

After some more fun in bed, we adjourned to the shower for a cleanup. I like having somebody to wash my back.

This is the second part of a fairly long story, with several sequels in the works. I have had the assistance of Angel O'Hare, who has kindly proofread portions of it. Any mistakes left are mine.

They say that, somewhere in the world, everybody has a twin.
Nothing was said about the sex of that twin…………

Part 3 - A visit to the doctor, shopping, a night out, and fun at the clinic!

Standard Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living, dead, or recently thought of indicates either A. you have a vivid imagination, or B. you are in serious need of psychological counseling. Song lyrics used under the Fair Use Doctrine are copyrighted by their respective groups, including Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, the insolent, and the guilty. Void where prohibited by law. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for debts other than my own. No deposit, no return. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. It's only a movie. The smoker you drink, the player you get. Objects in t-shirt are larger than they appear. Caution, contents may be hot. Do not attempt to exit vehicle while in motion. Please fasten your seatbelts and ensure that your seatbacks and trays are in an upright and locked position. Have a nice day.

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After a late breakfast, there was just enough time to get dressed for the doctor's appointment. I still hadn’t figured out what I was going to wear, or how I would try to appear. Kathy wanted to fix me up so I’d “look good”, but I wasn’t sure what kind of message that would send. After much indecision, I finally settled on jeans, a button-down broadcloth casual shirt and jacket, and low-heeled loafers. The jeans, however, were Lady Wranglers, and the shirt and jacket both had buttons on the distaff side. The shoes were Westies. I did skip the breast forms, but wore the gaff.

After making sure my face was still nice and smooth, Kathy applied the bare minimum of makeup to go along with my eyes, just a little pale shadow, some blush, and a neutral lip gloss. She then pulled my hair back and did a French braid. Kathy wore a similar outfit, a little less subdued, and gathered her hair in a clasp. We went in Kathy’s car, as Sarah was less likely to recognize it. Sure enough, as we pulled into the medical building parking lot, Sarah was exiting the building. We drove to the far end of the lot and waited for her to leave before we got out and went in.

Dr. Hanson’s office was on the top floor, and was tastefully decorated in earth tones. Unlike a regular medical doctor’s office there were no patients waiting for the chance to see the doctor, we were the only ones in the waiting room. At the receptionist’s query, I gave the name Taylor.

“Oh, yes, we have you down. And this is your friend? We are expecting two of you.”

“Yes, this is Kathy Johnson,” I replied.

“Here, would both of you fill these out please” and we were handed tablet PCs.

“All our records are electronic, and kept on a secure system that doesn’t connect to the outside. After you enter your information on the tablet, I’ll connect it to the computer by cable for uploading. Nobody except you and the doctor will see what you put down. There is one form that has to be done in paper. We were told that you were in an accident and spent some time in the hospital?”

“Yes, several months back” I said.

“Well, Dr. Hanson would like to see your medical records, so here,” and she handed me a form on a clipboard, “is a release for your records that your doctor will need to have.”

We spent the next ten minutes filling out the information requested. There was a bunch of very personal information requested, and I was a bit uncomfortable putting some things down. It occurred to me that Donna had referred to Dr. Hanson as a “licensed psychological therapist and doctor”, but a more correct term would be “psychiatrist”! Well, I would just have to see how things went. I could always bail if it got too much. Kathy was spending a lot of time pondering some of the information requests also, so I suspected she wasn’t any happier than I was.

“If any of that bothers you, just leave it,” I told her. “It’s my head on display, not yours.”

“Aren’t we a team now? You and me - together, right?” she asked.

“Yes, but..” I started to say.

“No, not Yes, But. It’s Yes, Period.” Well, that deserved some validation, so I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. The smile I got in return as all the confirmation I needed. We took the pads back to the receptionist and she plugged them into the terminal on her desk and punched a couple of keys.

“Thank you both. If you’ll have a seat for a little longer, Dr. Hanson will be with you shortly.”

About 15 minutes later a buzzer sounded at the reception desk. “If you’ll both go through the door to the left, Dr. Hanson is ready to see you now.” The door took us into a nicely furnished office, in addition to a good-sized maple desk and a wall of bookshelves, there was an informal sitting area with several large wingback chairs, a coffee table and a large leather sofa.

Dr. Hanson was an attractive women who appeared to be in her mid-forties, with shoulder-length brunette hair. She was wearing a skirt/jacket outfit in a medium blue with a pastel blue blouse. Professional-looking with just the right touch of casual to put her patients at ease. She stepped out from around the desk and gestured at the seating area.

“Elliot, Kathy, please won’t you have a seat.” We sat side by side on the sofa and Dr. Hanson took one of the chairs.

“Donna told me some of what happened Saturday, and I’ve read your information submissions. "Now, suppose you tell me what your situation is, Elliot.”

“Well, I suppose it’s what happened to me Friday that’s the main deal.” I described the shock of meeting Kathy, who’s virtually my twin in appearance, then Sarah’s talking me into the night out as a girl, and my discovery that my appearance had been semi-permanently altered. In the course of all this, I ended up explaining about my accident, Robyn, and some other things such as the way I was treated in high school.

Kathy added some things I’d told her, filling in where I tended to gloss over the details. Kathy ended up telling about her family being killed, and her decision to move down here in answer to Donna’s want-ad. Somewhere along the way we ended up holding each other’s hand, supplying moral support on some of the more painful subjects. When we wound down, Dr. Hanson went back to her desk and picked up a pad.

“Elliot, I see several areas where counseling would do you some good. If you’d like to continue, I want to have you go downstairs and get some routine lab work done.”

“Well, all we’ve done so far is talk to you. I dunno, I thought you might have something for me today, some information, or advice.”

“I do,” she replied, “and we’ll get into that after you get back from the lab. It’s just some blood work, that sort of thing.”

“I guess it can’t hurt. Sure,” I said.

“Good” and she scribbled on the pad. “The lab is downstairs, Room 110, they’ll be expecting you. Give them this” and she tore the sheet off the pad and gave it to me. It appeared to be a standard doctor’s prescription pad, but I couldn’t make sense of what was written on it, bunches of alphabet soup stuff.

I turned to Kathy, but Dr. Hanson stopped her as she was getting up. “I’d like to have Kathy stay so we can talk, please.”

"Oh, ok, guess I’ll be back shortly” and I left.

When I got to the lab downstairs, they were waiting for me. I handed the slip to the technician.

“Yes, yes, standard blood work, yes, now that’s a new one, hmmm, ok” then he looked up at me in surprise “It says here she wants a sperm sample, if possible???”

“Well, I’ll see what I can do” I replied with a slight grin. “I suppose you’ve got a specimen bottle?”

“Oh, uh, yes. We also need a urine sample, do that first, please.”

I took the bottles and stepped into the bathroom. The urine sample was easy, but the sperm sample took more work. Maybe Kathy should have come along after all! I stepped back out and handed the bottles to the tech. He then had me sit in a reclining chair and proceeded to take five or six different blood samples.

“Okay, that’s it miss, er, sir, ah, we’ll send the results to Dr. Hanson as we get them.”

Kathy: After Elliot left, Dr Hanson turned to me “You situation is going to be both easier and harder, in some ways, than Elliot’s.”

“How’s that,” I asked.

“Well, grief counseling is pretty standard these days, that’s no problem. But on your form you said you are a lesbian. Are you bisexual, or strictly ‘alter’”

“Females only.”

“Yet it appears that you and Elliot have a budding relationship already. Are you sure you’re not at least somewhat bisexual?” she queried.

“Positive.”

“Then how do you explain your situation with Elliot? I’m not criticizing you, I’d like to know what you are feeling and thinking.”

I hesitated, trying to put my thoughts in order. “When I first saw Elliot, I reacted to her, I mean him, as I would any attractive female I met. I was surprised to find that El - Elliot was male. Even then, everything he does, the way he thinks and acts, his looks, says ‘female’ to me. I find myself falling for him as a female."

"I suppose that’s why I took part in the things that ended up upsetting him so badly. I guess I needed to make things match up.”

I paused, then forced the question out that had been on my mind “Am I hurting El?”

“Kathy, I don’t know” the doctor replied. “You’re correct, his appearance; even discounting his eyebrows and eyelashes; and his actions say “female” to me also. I’ve treated a number of cases of gender identity disorder, and I’ve never seen a man who could so easily pass as a woman like he does."

"You know I talked to his friend Sarah this morning.” and I nodded. “That’s the same feeling she has about him, that he’s really a woman inside, and his external appearance is a reflection of this. What she knows, and Elliot doesn’t, is that his fiancée Robyn was bisexual. She was attracted to Elliot by both sides of his nature, as much his female aspect as his male. The question is, how or what does he think about himself?”

“Well, doctor, when he doesn’t “think” about it, he slips very easily into the feminine role. It seems to me that he gets upset only when he’s confronted with the fact of his sex compared to his appearance. You’re the doctor, not me,” I said this with a grin, “but it appears that her subconscious already knows what ‘she’ is, it’s her conscious mind that is having problems.”

“And what do you intend to do,” the doctor asked me.

“Treat him with kindness and love. I’ll help him explore his feminine side, if that’s what he truly wants.”

“I’ll probably have some advice there” the doctor said, “after I look over his records, and we talk some more. By the way, why did he wear women’s clothing today?”

“After we discussed the potential problems his current appearance could cause, he decided to dress that way. He chose the clothing himself, out of my closet.”

“Your closet? Are you two living together?”

“Yes, we are” I replied.

“Separate beds, or male & female, or..”

“Female-female” I told her. “In fact, he’s still wearing a gaff we bought Saturday morning, hasn’t taken it off.”

We talked some more about my situation, and dealing with the pain from my family’s death. “I’d like to have you come in again in about a week," Dr. Hanson said. "And I may ask you to come in with Elliot also. And here’s a prescription for something to help you sleep.”

“Oh, I’m sleeping fine now!” She smiled at me and I’m sure I turned a bright red.

“Well, just in case.”

Elliot came back in about that time. “I’m afraid I left that lab tech very puzzled,” he said.

“How’s that,” asked Dr. Hanson.

“First he was surprised that you asked for a sperm sample, then he was even more surprised that I was able to provide it,” Elliot said with a snicker.

“Tell me, Elliot, how do you feel about that,” asked the doctor.

“You know, that’s funny. I was so upset Saturday, but now it doesn’t seem like that big a deal,” he said.

Just then the doctor’s computer chimed. “Excuse me a moment,” the doctor said to us.

Elliot: Dr. Hanson pulled out a keyboard and typed something, then looked at the monitor. Frowning, she typed some more, then continued reading the monitor. She glanced at me with a slight frown, then typed in some more. Finally she pushed the keyboard away and turned to contemplate me.

“Elliot, how would you feel about dressing as a female full time, at least for now,” she asked.

“Puzzled, and a little nervous. Why?” I asked.

“I was wondering if you still felt the panic you experienced Saturday at the thought,” she replied. “Would you do it if I asked you to?”

“Sure, if you think that’s a good idea?” I answered.

“Yes, I believe I do, for now. I’ll want to see some more lab results, and I have some additional tests to run. I’d like to have you get an MRI done of your chest and abdomen area. The receptionist will give you the details.” Pulling a pad over, she scribbled on it, pulled off the top sheet, scribbled on the second, pulled it off then filled out a third.

Handing all three of them to Kathy, she said “Kathy, would you go downstairs to the pharmacy and have these filled. I’d like to talk to Elliot.”

“Sure, but I don’t …” Kathy started to say.

“Half a sec,” I said, pulling out my billfold, and handing her a Visa card. “If they have any questions about the card, they can call up here can’t they,” I asked the doctor.

“Yes, in fact, I’ll have my receptionist call down to them,” and she called the receptionist and gave the necessary instructions. Kathy got up to leave, pausing to brush my cheek with her hand and squeeze my shoulder.

When she was gone, the doctor turned to me. “Elliot, I need to give you a couple of injections, then we have some things to talk about. Come with me, please,” and we walked into the next room which looked like any typical doctor’s exam room. There was already a tray with two hypodermics waiting on the counter.

“I told you about what happened after my parents died, I’m concerned about becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol,” I said to her.

“Elliot, I can tell you this, had you come to see me then, I’d have prescribed some tranquilizers, and none of that would have happened," she said. "I don’t feel that you are in danger of becoming an alcoholic, and anyway, these are medically prescribed. I really do insist.”

“If you say so.”

“Please lean over the table and lower your jeans and underwear.”

I did so, and she injected first one, then the other syringe.

“Okay, you can get dressed now, and come back into my office.”

I got settled and walked back in, she waved me back to the sofa. Soon, I started to feel more relaxed, I hadn’t realized how tense I was until then.

“How do you feel, Elliot?”

“Loose, de-stressed, like I just had a good massage.”

“That’s excellent. What I wanted to talk to you about is the results of some of the lab tests that I just got back, plus the file I got from your physician. The sperm count in the sample you provided is zero. It appears that you are completely sterile. Were you aware of this?”

“No, uh, the doctor said some of the steroids he has me on could cause that.”

“That’s another thing. According to the information from your physician, the steroids he prescribed shouldn’t have that effect.“

“Something else, your testosterone level is almost zero also. Your body is not making any testosterone. It is making small amounts of estrogen, which is normal. In a male with a normal testosterone level, the small amount of estrogen present would be totally masked. Since your body isn’t making testosterone, the estrogen that is present is upsetting your system. It’s almost like you are going through menopause, so to speak.”

“One of the shots I gave you is to stabilize your hormone balance. That, plus the medications I prescribed, will bring about a normal balance. The other prescription is to help you with your mood swings. It will help prevent the type of panic attacks and episodes such as those you’ve been experiencing” she said.

“Are you sure about that” I asked.

“Yes, definitely. You are not an addictive personality” she said. “The medications will help you feel better and give you a better mental attitude.”

“Well, okay then.” I replied doubtfully.

“One thing, no drinking alcohol while taking these.”

“Alright.”

“Now, I’ve got some additional tests I want to run. I need to get to the bottom of some of the anomalous information in your physician’s records. Please be at the Diagnostic Center tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM.”

“Okay.”

“And here’s the address of a prosthesis supply. You really need to get some professionally-fitted breast forms.”

“Okay.” A small part of me wondered why I was taking this all so calmly, but it was so easy to go along with the doctor.

“And here’s Kathy with your prescriptions.”

Taking the bottles from her, Dr. Hanson shook some into a paper cup, then poured a glass of water. “Here, you might as well get started on these,” handing the pills and water to me. I obediently swallowed the pills and washed them down with the water. “Now, Elliot, I’ll call you El if that’s alright.” I nodded assent, and she continued “El, please wait outside for just a minute, Kathy will be right there.”

“Okay”

Kathy: After El went out, the doctor turned to me, “You’ll notice that he will be very agreeable for the rest of today. I gave him a strong tranquilizer shot which has lowered his nervousness about appearing dressed as a woman. I gave him the address of a good prosthesis supply, take him there next and get a good pair of breast forms fitted. The clothes he’s wearing should do fine for now, but why not take him shopping after you leave there. Get some nice bras and undergarments for ‘her’, as she’s agreed to live as a female for now. Perhaps some other things that you’d like to see her wear. Make it a girl’s shopping trip.”

“Doctor this all seems pretty sudden,” I said. “Are you sure about this?”

“As sure as I can be at this point,” Dr. Hanson replied. “Based on some things in El’s medical records, I feel this is the best thing to do. I’ll know more after the rest of the tests are done, but I expect them to confirm my initial diagnosis. Doing this is the right thing for El in the long run.” she said.

“And the prescriptions for female hormones…?” I asked.

“I already gave her a large shot of estrogen, that and the pills will bring about a normal level of female hormones in her body. Right now she has neither male nor female hormones in her body, and this is part of the mental problem. Establishing a feminine balance will help stabilize her.”

“The other prescription well help her accept her situation calmly. Make sure she takes all the prescriptions per label directions. After I get all the results back, I’ll setup further appointments.”

“Well, you’re the doctor” I said.

“I’m counting on you to help support El, and I doubt you have any real objections to the direction this is going, do you” Dr. Hanson asked.

“Now that you mention it, no.”

As the doctor escorted me to the office door, she said “I didn’t think so. El is fortunate to have you to help her. Now, go shopping!”

Elliot: Kathy came out of the office and took my hand and we walked to the car. “I understand you have some shopping to do” she said.

“Yes, she gave me this’ and I handed Kathy the slip with the name and address, along with some terminology I didn’t understand. “It’s right down the street.” We quickly drove there and parked. Going into the store, I saw they had a wide variety of medical supplies and equipment.

A woman came up to us, “May I help you ladies?”

“Yes,” Kathy said, “Dr Hanson sent us here, El needs to buy some forms,” and she handed the women the note.

“Oh, yes, Dr. Hanson. We do a lot of her patients. If you’ll step back to the fitting room” and we entered a small room at the rear of the store. “If you’ll just take off your jacket and blouse, please,” she told me “and we’ll get your measurements.”

After measuring me, she turned to Kathy, “Same size as you?”

“That’s right, 36B.”

"Would you mind taking off your blouse so I can measure you also, that doesn’t look right.”

It transpired that Kathy is actually a 36C, which I found humorous. Kathy glared at me “Just you wait, girl, your turn will come!” The saleslady returned with an amazingly realistic pair of breast forms, my exact skin tone. It took her only a few moments to glue them to my chest, the edges were so thin that glued down you couldn’t see the seam.

“You’ll need to be careful about tanning, as these obviously don’t change color. There is a product that can be applied to darken them to match a tan, though.”

I put on my blouse and jacket, and was amazed at the difference in the way they felt compared to the ones Kathy had. The saleslady noticed my reaction. “Yes, they are 100 percent realistic in weight and movement. None better made.”

Normally I would have been shocked at the price, but I was so bemused with my new look that I handed over my card without question. When we got into the car, I looked down at my new assets, and tentatively cupped them with my hands. I heard a snicker and saw Kathy looking at me with a grin.

“Now, it’s my turn,” she said.

“What?”

“The Mall, Doll! We go shopping! How’s your limit on that card?”

I mentioned a figure that left Kathy gaping. “Well, that will certainly do for starters!”

“What are we looking for,” I asked.

“Underwear for you, some new bras for me, and anything else we find,” she said. “By the way, what shall I call you? Karielle or Ellen?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said.

“Well, what sounds good to you?” Kathy asked. “Personally, I like Karielle, or maybe Kari-Ellen.”

Oh, gee, a name! “I don’t know,” I said.

“I’ll see which one works best, how’s that” Kathy said.

“Good” I said, relieved that I didn’t have to decide. I just couldn’t seem to make the effort required to make decisions right now. Besides, Kathy seemed to handling that area, I was happy to follow her lead.

We got to the mall, and the most convenient location to pick up new undergarments was of course, Victoria’s Secret. Kathy started pulling thing from the racks, various bras and other stuff I didn’t recognize.

“Let’s go”, she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dressing room. Next thing I knew, I was trying on various bras, underwire, pushup, t-shirt, satin and lace, in various colors.

“What about you? I asked.

“We’ll just buy two of whatever we like.” Well, that made sense.

Of course, with the bras selected, we had to get matching panties. While looking around, Kathy spotted the sleepwear.

“Oh, we’ve got to get you some sexy new jammies!” So we added some new baby doll sets, and a cami and tap pant set. We went back into the dressing room and I put on a lacy demi bra, Kathy cutting the tags off to give to the clerk. With the addition of the bra, the blouse I was wearing was straining at the buttons, so I agreed to Kathy’s suggestion that we go look at some “tops and stuff”.

By the time we left that store, we had to dump some bags in the car, we could hardly carry everything. I had at least a half-dozen skirts, double that many blouses and tops, and several dresses, including the infamous “little black dress”. Other sacks contained slacks, hose, more underwear, a couple of jackets, purses and other assorted items. I asked if all this was needed, and Kathy assured me I would be glad I’d bought it, and would probably end up getting more. I said okay, which seemed to be my stock response now. The jeans I’d been wearing were now with the other items in the car, I was now wearing a new white lace blouse and pale blue skirt combination.

Coming back through the store, we stopped at the makeup counter, where both Kathy and I got makeovers from the salesgirls. Gone was the bare minimum makeup I’d started the day with. Blue eye shadow to match the skirt, darker red lipstick made my lips look fuller, and a more dramatic swipe of blush accented my cheeks. Of course, a bag of makeup joined my other purchases.

Oh the way out of the store I happened to catch site of myself in a full length mirror. Wow, was that beautiful woman really me? I was amazed at the change in my appearance.

“Kar-ri-Elle!”

“Huh, what?”

“Karielle, you are such a blonde! Are you listening?” Kathy was giving me a mock glare, but I could see her lips struggling to keep from smiling.

“Uh, I’m sorry, my mind seems a million miles away,” I said.

“I asked if you were ready to look at shoes.”

“Sure.” So off we went to the largest shoe store in the mall. The first thing Kathy did was grab a couple of pair of pantyhose from a display by the door.

While paying for them, she asked the girl “Got someplace we can put these on?”

The girl sized us up and said “Sure, in the back. We’re not supposed to let customers in there. Promise me you’re buying something?”

“You just wait, we’ll be right back!”

There might have been at least a couple of pair of shoes we didn’t try on, but only because we overlooked them. I was now wearing a pair of sling backs with 2  ½ inch heels, and we were on our way to the car with 6 more pairs of shoes, including a pair of stilettos to wear with the “LBD”, as both Kathy and Laurie the salesclerk called that slinky dress we’d bought. I wasn’t sure about the high heels and that dress, but Kathy said “Karielle, your tomboy days are over. It’s “all girl, all the time” now.”

“Tomboy, her?” Laurie giggled. “You’ve gotta be kidding!”

“Well, I’ve been working on her makeover,” Kathy said.

“Do you ever do the full twin thing,” she asked.

“Not much, Kari has always been a jeans and t-shirt type of girl, whereas I go for the girly look. But I’m bringing her around.”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Laurie giggled, and I blushed. “Some of us are going to the club across the street after we close, want to join us,” Laurie asked.

“Sounds like fun!” Kathy said.

“Uh, Kathy, the doctor said I wasn’t supposed to drink any alcohol while I’m taking those pills.”

“What kind of pills,“ Laurie asked.

“Karielle’s fiancé was killed in a car accident a couple of months ago, and the doctor has her on something to help her.”

“Oh!” and Laurie gave me a hug. “You poor thing, I’m sorry! Come have a Coke, anyway. It’ll do you good to get out.”

“Well, okay, I guess,” I said. “Kathy, we need to eat, it’s been a long time since lunch.”

“There’s a Chili’s by the club, why don’t we meet you there then we’ll all go to the club.”

“It’s a plan,” Kathy replied.

When we got to the restaurant, Kathy insisted I eat something more substantial than I’d been eating, so I got a grilled chicken breast entrée. We were almost finished when Laurie and a several other girls came in. Kathy waved a hand and they came over to join us.

“Scooch over,” and Laurie and one of her friends slid in next to me, while the other two slid in next to Kathy. Introductions were rapidly made, I caught Nova (Nova?) and Kelli but missed the other girl’s name.

A rapid fire conversation ensued, I wasn’t able to catch but a word or two in passing, I was starting to feel overwhelmed again.

“Excuse me,” I said to Laurie, “I need out” and I headed to the bathroom. Kathy got up and followed. When we got to the Ladies, I went in and leaned my forehead against the tile wall, it was cool and felt good.

“You alright?” Kathy asked.

“Sorry, it’s all starting to hit me again,” I told her.

“Time for another pill, wait here,” and Kathy left. She returned with her purse and a glass of water, pulling out one of the pill bottles, shook out a pill and handed it to me. I washed it down with the water, and leaned back against the sink. After a few minutes I could feel myself start to unknot mentally.

“OK now?” Kathy asked and I nodded.

When we got back to the table, all the girls looked at me in concern. As they got up to let us sit down, one of the girls, Nova, gave me a hug.

“Laurie told us, you are so-o brave! Are you alright?”

“She was moping around the house, so I moved down here to pry her out of her shell,” Kathy said.

“So what do you two do?” Kelli asked. “I’m a hair stylist” Kathy replied, “and Karielle is a TV photojournalist.”

“No, really? Majorly Cool!” the other girl said.

“Well, that explains the tomboy thing,” Laurie said. “You can hardly chase fires and stuff in a skirt and heels.”

“Hey, time’s wasting, everybody ready,” Kelli asked. We headed for the door after paying the check, I suddenly flashed back to the times, as a guy, that I’d seen a group of women heading somewhere, how intimidating such a large group like ours was.

I laughed at the thought and Laurie commented, “I see you’re feeling better, those must be damn good pills.”

“Apparently so,” I replied.

Things were slow when we got to the club, being the first of the week, and we got a big corner booth where we all could hear and talk to each other. After the drinks arrived, we started chatting about anything and everything, the conversation turning to boyfriends very quickly. I was able to avoid any incriminating comments by simply saying I didn’t want to talk about ‘Robin’ and the other girls were properly sympathetic. From there the conversation ranged across a multitude of topics, clothes, shoes, movies, music, you name it, it was discussed.

“Hey, it’s Karaoke Night!” the other girl, who’s name I finally found out was Carol, said. “Anybody want to give it a go?”

“What have they got,” Kathy asked. “Mostly crap,” Nova commented.

“Look Kari, Fleetwood Mac!” Kathy enthused.

“Oh, you like The Mac?” Nova said, “I’d give anything to be able to sing like her!”

“Which ‘her’,” I asked. “Stevie or Christine?”

“Well Stevie, of course, duh!”

“Kari does Stevie really well,” Kathy said unhelpfully.

“Really! You gotta sing one then!” Laurie said.

“I don’t really feel like it,” I said weakly.

“Come on, El, do it!” Kathy twisted the knife slowly, “She’s always going around the house singing Fleetwood Mac, I can’t believe how good she is.”

“Oh come on, Karielle, sing one for us,” Laurie wheedled.

“Yeah, please?” Carol added.

“Okay.” I said. I couldn't seem to say no.

“What have they got,” I asked. “I don’t know them all.”

“Gold Dust Woman! It’s her best song,” Kathy said.

So they went and set it up with the bartender, and I went up on stage. The waitress came over and started to explain how it worked, the words appearing on the screen and all.

“Yeah, yeah, I already know the words. Start it before I lose my nerve.” I closed my eyes as the intro started, the music was the actual Mac recording, no hack job, I wondered how they got the rights. Right on the beat, I swung into the words. I grabbed the mike stand and started rocking it as I sang, vamping it a bit. When I reached the end, the girls and the other people gave me a nice round of applause.

But before I had a chance to sit down, another song started.

“Do this one too” Nova said.

“Landslide”, yeah I think I can, but glanced at the words to refresh my memory. It came to me easily though, I actually sang the first verse with my eyes closed, only opening them for the chorus. When I reached the end:

“And if you see my reflection
in the snow-covered hills,
well the landslide bring it down, o-oh oh,
The landslide bring it down”

I found I had tears running down my face. I lowered my head as people applauded, then still looking down, I walked back to the table and sat down.. Kathy slipped in next to me and put her arm around me, and handed me a tissue. The other girls respected my need for a moment to compose myself, and remained quiet (probably the only time that night). After a minute, I raised my face and gave a (falsely) bright smile to the gang.

“Sorry, these songs get to me sometimes.”

“Yeah.” “Sure, no problem.” “That’s ok.” “Me too.”

The waitress came over then, “Aren’t you the girl that won the costume contest at Rick’s last Halloween?”

“Yes, that was me,” I told her.

“You were great! She was great!” she said to the others. “She was dressed like Stevie, and sang like a half a dozen songs with the band.”

“Wow, really?”

“Cool”

“It was only four,” I interjected.

“It should have been six, hell, it should have been ten!” the waitress replied.

“Girls, we’ve got a celebrity in our midst!” Laurie proclaimed. “One of these days I’ll be able to say “I knew her when, why, she used to buy her shoes from me”, and everybody cracked up, even me.

By then it was getting late for a weeknight, and we all agreed we’d do it again soon. Phones were whipped out to exchange numbers, and when it transpired that neither Kathy nor I had cell phones, the others were shocked. Of course, somebody knew somebody who could get us a great plan, “Call me in the morning and I’ll give you the 411.” Times were arraigned, promises made, and everybody hugged everybody else.

Nova (is that really her name?) gave me a firm hug and whispered in my ear “Didn’t mean to upset you.”

“That’s ok,” I whispered back, then she joined her friends.

Somebody wrapped their arms around me from behind and before I could react (read panic), Kathy’s voice whispered in my ear “Don’t forget, you’re MY girl!”.

The next morning, I opted for a pair of slacks and a blouse, not knowing what would be involved in the tests Dr. Hanson wanted. Kathy drove me to the medical building and dropped me off, then went on to see Donna at the salon, saying she would call the clinic later to see how I was doing. If I got through early, I was to call her at the shop.

What followed was a couple of hours of more pokes and prods then I would have believed possible. I had samples taken where I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to take samples. The finale was the MRI. When I expressed concern over being enclosed in the machine, they helpfully gave me a tranquilizer. I held still for the MRI, alright, but my behavior was arch-typical “bimbo blonde” when it was over. My upper brain functions seemed to have been disconnected, I giggled at almost anything said, and (most embarrassing of all) I flirted outrageously with both the male and female lab personnel. The clinic called Dr. Hanson‘s office, which was able to get a hold of Kathy. She came right over and picked me up.

Kathy: After dropping El off at the clinic, I went to the salon to talk with Donna. The first person I saw when I walked in the door was Sarah. She hung her head, then raised it up and came over to me.

“Kathy, what I did to Elliot was wrong, I know that. It was a mean and dirty trick to pull on him and you both. I want to apologize to you for my actions, and apologize to El if he’ll talk to me.”

Tina came up during this and echoed Sarah’s comments: “I did something I’m not very proud of, I’m sorry.”

Looking over their shoulders, I saw Donna standing in the door of her office, listening. She nodded, smiling slightly.

I looked back at them. “For myself, I accept your apologies. As for Elliot, that will be h-his decision.” (Oops, I almost said “her”!) “This has opened up a situation that may take some time to settle. I don’t know what the outcome will be.”

At that point, Donna spoke up, “Kathy, glad you stopped by, come talk to me when you’re through there.” Both girls started when Donna spoke.

“Gotta get to work now.”

“Me too, see ya.” and they beat a hasty retreat.

Donna watched them go then turned to me with a smile, “Guess I put the fear of God in them!” I laughed, and followed Donna into her office, closing the door behind us.

“So, what’s going on with Elliot, can you tell me?” Donna asked.

“Well, I can tell you that, for now at least, Elliot is Karielle full time.”

“Oh?” Donna said, and there was a wealth of questions in that one word.

“I don’t know all of it, but Dr. Hanson got Elliot’s medical records, and something in them has caused her concern. She’s ordered up a raft of tests, and decided that Elliot would be better off living as a woman for now.” I said.

“Really!”

“Yes, the doctor has ‘her’ on several medications,” and I saw Donna’s eyebrows go up at my use of the female pronoun “Hormones and a tranquilizer to help her relax. I guess we’ll know more after the results are back.”

“Hmmm, ‘we’?” Donna asked.

“Yes, I know it’s fast, but it’s like we’re two interlocking pieces making up a whole. Elliot feels the same way, and said so before the doctor’s visit. We make each other feel good,” I said simply.

“That’s great,” Donna said. “You know that Elliot has a great deal of money, from insurance settlements and such.”

I nodded.

“Don’t take me wrong, I’m not implying anything about you. I’m going to recommend to Elliot that he consult an attorney about a prenup if you two should decide to get married,” Donna said.

“I’m not at all offended” I replied. “It tells me you care about El, and have his interests at heart. But married? If he becomes female, we can’t get married.” I was puzzled.

“Honey, I may be rushing the issue, but remember, right now he’s a man in the eyes of the law. You could get married, if he decides to switch later, that would still be true. As far as I know, anyway,” Donna replied.

“That’s some thing I, or more properly we, will have to think about,” I said.

“Now, on to more practical matters” Donna said. “When do you want to start?”

“How about next Monday” I asked. “That would give me the rest of this week to get El’s situation sorted out.”

“That’s fine. I’ve got a couple of referrals for you, I’ll start setting them up.” We turned to “shop talk” and were discussing my experience and various techniques when the phone rang. Donna answered it and after listening for a second said “Yes, she’s right here” and handed the phone to me.

“Hello?”

“Kathy, this is Dr. Hanson’s office, could you come pick up Elliot at the clinic, there’s been a little problem.”

“Oh, no! What!”

“Well, she was nervous about the MRI, and the lab gave her a simple tranquilizer to calm her fears, not knowing she was already taking a stronger medication,” the receptionist replied.

“Oh, NO!” was all I could say. Donna was watching me closely by now.

“She’s alright, just very spacey!”

“Oh, boy!” I replied weakly.

“Yes, a real airhead, according to the lab,” the receptionist was snickering by now.

I started giggling at the thought, and assured the receptionist I would be right over to get El.

Donna was dying with curiosity by this time. “I told you that Dr. Hanson has El on tranquilizers?”

Donna nodded.

“Well, they gave her another trank before doing the MRI” I said.

“Oh no, you’re kidding!”

“Nope! Apparently she’s gone ‘bubblehead’ on them,” I giggled. “I’ve got to go pick her up, anything else we need to discuss?”

“No,” Donna said. “Call me later, okay?”

“Sure,” I replied.

When I got to the lab, El/Karielle was waiting in the lobby, talking to the receptionist, an orderly standing nearby. The two of them were whispering and giggling, glancing at the orderly then giggling some more. The orderly was intently studying the ceiling pattern, and his face was rather red.

El saw me just then: “Oh golly, here she is now. Gotta fly! See ya!”

“See ya Karielle,” the receptionist said. Holding her hand up to the side of her head with her thumb and little finger extended like a phone, she said “You’ve got my number!”.

Seeing my look, El said “Girls night out! Clubbing!”

I took El’s arm and started her towards the door, turning back to the receptionist and saying “Thanks”.

“My pleasure, she’s fun!” the receptionist replied, glancing aside at the orderly, who rolled his eyes.

When we got in the car, I turned to El and asked “Ok, what happened”.

El giggled, “Well, Suzs and I, that’s the receptionist, Suzy, we were talking about what a hunk that orderly was, and he was being so-o stuffy….” and she started giggling again.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I just went over and made like I was going to unbutton his shirt, and he got so red…” and she dissolved into giggles again.

“When you go girl, you go whole-hog, don’t you” I asked.

Karielle giggled again, then, as we were stopped at a traffic light, leaned over and kissed me. “That’s alright, you’re still my number one!”

“And don’t you forget it!” I told her. She slid over and leaned up against me, and by the time we got to the house she was sound asleep. I half-carried her in and laid her on the bed, then went to my bedroom and sorted through the contents of one of my boxes, while think about what Donna said. She’d given me a lot to think about. Marriage. Did I want to marry El? Or Karielle. I went in and looked at her lying on the bed, so pretty and peaceful. Leaving serious think to another time, I kicked off my shoes and laid down next to her. I quickly fell asleep.

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This is the third part of a fairly long story, with several sequels in the works. A big hug and thank you to Angel O'Hare, who has kindly proofread portions of it. Any mistakes left are mine.

They say that, somewhere in the world, everybody has a twin.
Nothing was said about the sex of that twin…………

Part 5 - Finale

The Hospital - A surprise during surgery & Taking care of friends

Standard Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living, dead, or recently thought of indicates either A. you have a vivid imagination, or B. you are in serious need of psychological counseling. Song lyrics used under the Fair Use Doctrine are copyrighted by their respective groups, including Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, the insolent, and the guilty. Void where prohibited by law. Your mileage may vary. Not responsible for debts other than my own. No deposit, no return. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. It's only a movie. The smoker you drink, the player you get. Objects in t-shirt are larger than they appear. Caution, contents may be hot. Do not attempt to exit vehicle while in motion. Please fasten your seatbelts and ensure that your seatbacks and trays are in an upright and locked position. Have a nice day.

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We got to the hospital, I was admitted, and a nurse's aid took me in a wheelchair to my room. There was a hospital gown laying on the bed, not the usual open in the back style, but one with an overlapping front closing. This made sense, as they’d want to be looking at my front.

I got undressed and put it on, while Kathy put away my clothes, and hung my robe by the bed. She put Brittany’s picture on the table where I could see it, and stacked some of the books next to it, along with my MP3 player and headphones.

About then a nurse came in with a tray and asked Kathy to leave.

“How are you feeling,” she glanced at the chart, “Karielle, that’s a pretty name.”

“Fine, I think,” I replied

“Nervous?”

“Yes, a little.”

“That’s to be expected.” She then did a through workup on me, not even commenting on my barely there breasts and now-tiny penis. She filled a pan on the tray with warm water and picked up a razor and shaving cream.

“Time to clean you up. Would you rather I had an orderly do this” she asked

“No, you’re fine” She lathered up my pubic hair and deftly shaved everything clean.

She stepped into the bathroom and washed her hands then returned and picked up a syringe.

“Now roll over.” She gave me a shot in the rear, “Wait, there’s another,” and injected me a second time, on the other side.

“Roll back.” She then put an IV line in my left arm, taping it down, and injected something else through it.

“Lie back now and relax, your doctors will be in later to see you.” I sank back into the pillows as she left the room.

Kathy was waiting outside, the nurse told her “I’ve given her a sedative, she’ll be out of it for awhile. You can come back later if you like.”

“I’ll wait with her, if it’s alright.”

“Sure, just don’t disturb her,” the nurse replied.

Some unmeasured time later, I heard Dr. Hanson’s voice, “This is our girl. Kari, are you there?”

I opened my eyes, not without some effort, and saw her, along with several men in white coats.

“This is Dr. Caldwell, your surgeon, and Dr. Phillips, from the prosthetics company. They need to exam you.”

“okay” My gown was opened and they went to work. They had some kind of markers, and they proceeded to make lines on my chest, belly and pubic area. I didn’t understand, or even catch most of what was said, but could tell they were pleased with what they saw.

Dr. Caldwell made some notations on my chart and told the nurse who’d come in during all this, “Broth only for dinner, no liquids after 9 PM.”

“Yes, doctor.”

Turning to me, “Karielle, everything looks excellent. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“okay”

I roused myself somewhat when dinner was brought in, Kathy had to help me, as I was having problem finding my mouth with the spoon. At 8:30, the nurse informed Kathy she had to leave.

“Guess I have to sleep by myself,” I complained, and the nurse and Kathy laughed.

Kathy gave me a kiss, “I’ll see you in the morning before you go in.”

“I want a wakeup kiss in the morning”, I told her.

“Promise” she replied.

Just before 9 the nurse came in, “Here, have a drink of water. I have to take it now”. I sipped some and swirled it around in my mouth before swallowing it. She then injected something in my IV line and the last thing I remember is her turning out the light as she left.

I woke the next morning to see the nurse hanging an IV bottle next to my bed.

“Kathy?”

“She’s right outside,” the nurse said. “I made her wait.”

“Meany,” I said.

“Yep, that’s my middle name.” She left and Kathy came in, coming straight over to the bed and giving me a kiss.

“Ummh! If we could put those in bottles and sell them, we’d make a mint,” I told her.

“Flattery will get you everywhere!” and she smiled down at me.

“It’s about time for you to go,” she said. “I’ll be waiting for you to get out. See you in recovery,” and she gave me another kiss and left.

The nurse came back in with a gurney, and pulled back the sheets. Popping the Velcro seams on the gown, she pulled it off me, then assisted me to the gurney, where she pulled a sheet over me. Then she gathered up my hair and put in under a cap, and hung the IV on the stand.

Opening the door, she admitted two orderlies who wheeled me out and down the hall. Several turns and we went through a large set of double doors. I was then transferred to a table, and things were clipped to my arm and stuck to my chest.

A man in a mask came up and leaned over me “Hi, I’m Steve, and I’ll be your anesthesiologist today. I’m going to place this mask on your face, and I want you to count backwards from a hundred.”

“One hundred, ninty-n…”

Kathy: After they took Kari away, the nurse came up and took me down the hall to the surgical waiting area, and handed me a pager.

“The surgery is going to take several hours. If you have to leave the room for any reason, we’ll beep you if we need you.”

I sat down and picked up a magazine. Some time later, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up, it was Suzanne.

“Thought you shouldn’t have to wait alone.” I gave her hand a squeeze and whispered thanks.

“Did you know the magazine you were reading was upside down?”

“What?” I looked, and she was right. I laughed a little shakily, “I’m a fine one, aren’t I”.

After awhile, Suzanne went and got drinks for us, and then I had to go to the Ladies. I was just washing my hands when the pager went off, and I almost tore the door down getting back.

Dr. Hanson was standing there in scrubs with her mask pulled down. Suzanne came up and put her arm around my shoulder. Dr. Hanson glanced at her.

“This is Suzanne Thomas, our neighbor.”

“Oh, yes, I remember. Kathy, something’s come up. I told you Kari’s ovaries were irreparably damaged, and that she couldn’t have children.

“Yes?”

“Well that’s still true. But, her uterus has responded well to the treatments (meaning the hormones - Kathy), and I believe she could still bear a child if a fertilized egg were implanted.”

“Oh, wow!”

“The problem is, we were planning on reinforcing her abdominal muscle with a sheet of surgical fabric. But if we do that now, it would interfere with a pregnancy later. There’s another material we can use, that degrades over time, but it’s not as strong, and her recovery will take longer. We had no idea or we’d have asked before surgery. It’s your decision, you’re her next of kin.”

I was torn, I selfishly wanted her healed as quickly as possible. But, to have a child…?

I looked at Suzanne. She gave me a hug, and mouthed “Brittany”. Yes, given the chance, Kari would want to try, I was sure. And I had plenty of eggs.

“Give her the chance,” I said.

“Alright” Dr. Hanson said. “And I think you’re making the right decision. On a bright note, Dr. Miller’s team has already finished, they are very pleased with the results. And Dr. Caldwell was able to expand Kari’s stomach, using some of the large intestine. She’ll be able to eat more normally after she heals up.”

“How much longer,” I asked.

“A couple more hours. I’ve got to get back in there now.”

I turned to Suzanne, “She can have a baby, can you believe that!”

“I think you made the right decision,” Suzanne said. “Just watching her with Brits the last couple of days, I know she’d be an excellent mother. Look, I have to go, Brit will be getting out of school soon. Call me as soon as she’s out of surgery.”

“I will.” She gave me another hug, and left.

Kari: The next thing I remember, Kathy was leaning over me.

“Hey” I said, or tried.

“Hey yourself, about time you woke up” Kathy said.

“Er-thin’ ok?” I asked.

“Great! It went well!” she said.

“Call Cinny”

“Right, I will. Kari, I’ve got news for you, good news! Your uterus is ok, you could have a baby!”

“Huh? Don’ unnerstan”

“I’ll explain later.”

“Wait” and I tried to sit up, which was a mistake.

“Not so fast!” the nurse said. I saw her slip something into my IV, and I was out again.

When I woke up the next time, I could see I was back in my room. It was dark outside, I could tell, and only a small lamp lit the room. I looked over and saw Kathy asleep in the chair. At first I was annoyed, then I realized it had been a long day for her.

My mouth and throat were dry, and I didn’t see any water, so I hit the call button. Kathy woke up when the nurse came in.

“What can I do for you,” the nurse asked.

“Water?”

“Sure, just a minute.” She poured a glass from a pitcher out of sight behind me, put a straw in it and held it to my lips.

“Slowly now, just a sip” I sipped gratefully, never knew water could taste so good. I took a second sip, then the nurse put the glass away.

“That’s all for now. How do you feel?”

“Like a mule kicked me.”

“That’s to be expected. I’ll have something for you for the pain in a bit. I’ll be back,” and she left.

I looked over at Kathy, who was smiling at me.

“What do you remember,” she asked.

“I was dreaming,” I said. “You told me I could have children.”

“That wasn’t a dream,” Kathy said. “You can, if you want to.”

“How?”

“It seems that, although your ovaries are damaged, your uterus is in good shape. They don’t know how, or why. But if you want to have a baby, a fertilized egg could be implanted in your uterus and you could bear a child normally."

"Kari, I had to make a decision. In order to allow that to happen, the doctors had to change their plans. Your recovery time is going to be a lot longer then it would have been. But I thought you’d want the chance.”

I lay there gaping at her, trying to wrap my head around what she was telling me. I could be a mother?

“Kari, did I do right?” and I could hear a note of fear in her voice.

“Come over here and give me a kiss, and I’ll show you just how right you did,” I told her.

We had just gotten properly started when the nurse came back in. “I hate to break this up, but Kari needs to rest. And you need to go home,” she said, looking pointedly at Kathy.

“But I just woke up,” I protested.

“And you’ll be going right back to sleep,” she said.

I woke up confused Friday morning. Had it all been a dream? I couldn’t be sure. I glanced over at Brittany’s picture. There was a note struck to it, in Kathy’s firm handwriting it said “It wasn’t a dream!” Oh, wow!

Just then a nurse came in, “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Pretty sore, actually”

“You’re going to be sore for a while, the surgery was a lot more extensive than was planned. But I understand it went really well.”

“Yeah, I’d have to say so.” She checked my vitals and started to leave.

“Hey, when can I eat?”

“You’re eating right now” she said, pointing at the IV.

“Not that again! I mean real food!”

“That’s up to the doctor, she’ll be here later.”

“Oh, some things arrived for you,” she said with a grin, as an orderly wheeled in a cart covered with flowers and plants. She directed the orderly in placing the flowers around the room.

“And this was hand-delivered by the pretty little girl in your picture there,” and she gave me a drawing. It showed a little brown-haired girl holding the hand of a tall yellow-haired woman. Printed underneath it said “I love you Kari! Get well soon! Brittany” “Soon!” was underlined. By any reasonable artistic standard it would be considered lousy, but I thought it was beautiful!

“Can I tape that up for you,” the nurse asked.

“Yes, right there where I can see it please,” pointing at the wall opposite my bed.

After the nurse left, I decided to explore myself a bit. Lifting the sheet with my right hand, I saw the protrusions where my new breasts had to be. They were bigger than I expected, then realized that part of the bulk was the bandages. I couldn’t see past them, but some exploring with my hand told me that my waist down was heavily bandaged, and various tubes ran under the bandages. There was a strange feeling in my groin, of something inside of me. I realized that this was where my vagina would be located. That was certainly a new feeling!

Dr. Hanson came in a few minutes later. Looking around at all the flowers she commented, “My, isn’t somebody popular!”

“I’m amazed,” I told her. “I’ve only known most of those people a couple of weeks, and I already have more friends than I ever did.”

“That’s because this is the real you,” she said. “When you like yourself, people will like you.”

“Let’s take a look,” she said, pulling a screen around the bed. A nurse came in and joined her, and she pulled the sheet down. She started by removing the bandages covering my breasts. Wow, they looked good! Dr. Hanson examined the incisions, which were out of my view.

“Excellent. I think just lightly bandage the incision area,” she told the nurse. Taking a pointer of some sort from her pocket, she touched each breast in various places, “Can you feel that?” Each time I responded yes. Finally she gently stroked my nipples and I moaned slightly.

“No need to ask if you felt that,” she said, and the nurse giggled a bit.

Proceeding further down, she asked me “Did Kathy explain about this?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure I understand,” I told her.

“To tell the truth, we don’t fully understand either. Let me look at this then we can talk.” She undid the bandage covering my stomach, revealing a long incision covered with some kind of gauze-like material.

“That looks good, Paul did his usual excellent work. I’ll want a light bandage over that, for protection.”

Looking at me, she said “You won’t be doing any sit-ups for a while.”

And finally down to the area that started all this. When she unbandaged the area, I couldn’t see anything for my breasts.

“This all look good. Dr. Caldwell actually had to do very little here, as both your urinary tracts existed in parallel. All we had to do was open up the female opening and seal the no longer used male part. Your clitoris will be tender for sometime, but I don’t expect you to be testing it anytime soon. I have a tampon inserted in your vagina to keep it open while it heals. That will need to be changed on a regular basis for the next 7-10 days. I’ll remove these tubes, then we can leave this unbandaged.

"Get used to a bedpan,” she told me, “it’s one of the indignities we women have to put up with."

"Let’s change this now,” she told the nurse. The sensation was strange when she removed the old one and inserted the new.

“You feel that?” she asked me.

“Yes I did, a bit odd.”

“I suppose it is, to you. But that‘s another good sign.”

Dr. Hanson busied herself with my chart while the nurse placed the new bandages. After she finished and left, Dr. Hanson set the chart down.

“You have a few questions I suppose.”

“You could say that,” I said. “How is it that I can have a functioning uterus after all these years. And why is my body reacting so quickly to the estrogen treatments?”

“Frankly, Kari, I don’t know. My guess, and it’s only a guess, is that you’ve been making enough estrogen all along that it’s kept your body “primed”, so to speak, to switch over. When you body stopped making testosterone after your accident, it was like releasing the brake on your female side. Then when I started your hormone treatment, your body went into overdrive.”

“Your slender build, lack of a protruding Adam’s apple, your voice, and overall general appearance tend to bear this out.”

“And I can have children?”

“Not exactly. More accurately, you can carry a child. Your ovaries are non-functional. But we were surprised to find that your uterus is healthy and appears fully functional. If a fertilized embryo were inserted into your uterus, it should develop normally. You would experience all the aspects of a normal pregnancy."

"We had to have a decision right away, though. The material we were planning on using to reinforce your abdominal muscles would have prevented your uterus from expanding normally as the fetus grew. The material we ended up using will slowly degrade over the next year. But it’s not as strong, so you’re going to be longer healing. Kathy had about two minutes to make a decision.”

“She made the right decision, and I’ve already told her so. Maybe I won’t ever do it, but I have a choice, thanks to Kathy. And to you and Dr. Caldwell. Thank you both.” Dr. Hanson nodded.

“Now, when can I get up?”

“Maybe in a day or so. That incision is very similar to a c-section incision, by the way. The gauze over it is a new material that just came into use. You should heal with no visible scarring. You’ll be able to wear crop tops and bikinis,” she added with a grin.

“That certainly makes me feel better,” I said.

“Also, Dr. Caldwell rearranged things internally, your waist may actually get an inch or so smaller.”

“Now, what about eating,” I asked.

“Good news, bad news. Dr. Caldwell was able to use a piece of your large intestine to expand the size of your stomach. Your intake will be closer to normal. In other words, you’ll be able to eat more at a sitting.”

“And the bad news?”

“Your choices will be limited for a while, while your stomach heals. Mainly broths, that sort of thing.” I groaned.

“Yes, I know. But it is temporary. Also, due to your previous loss of some of your intestine, you won’t derive as much nutrition from your food. In short, you’ll be able to eat more without worrying about gaining weight. A problem most girls would kill to have,” she said. “In fact, I’ll be prescribing dietary supplements for you. Any other questions?”

“I’m sure there will be, but not right now,” I said.

“Then I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you.”

“Thanks, doctor.”

After she left the nurse came back in.

“Did you bring any comfortable bras with you? she asked.

“In my suitcase, in the closet.” The nurse got one out, along with a fresh pair of panties and a nightgown.

“I think you’ll be more comfortable in these. I’m going to give you a sponge bath, then we’ll get you dressed.”

The sponge bath was nice, but getting the clothes on was tougher. She rigged a bar over the bed, and I had to pull myself up whenever she needed to shift things under me. I was sore when we finished, but I felt so much better in my own clothes.

“Now, how do you feel about visitors?”

“I think I’m ready.”

“We’ll start letting them in, two at a time, but you’re to tell us if you get tired.”

The first one in, of course, was Kathy. After a long soft kiss, she gave me a manila envelope full of cards from various people.

“I can’t believe all these people care about me,” I told her.

“Well, believe it.” While I read through the cards, Kathy took the gift cards from the flowers, noting on the back who sent what.

“I’ll bring some thank you cards tomorrow, you can fill them out while you’re lying there.”

“I had a long talk with Dr. Hanson today, she explained everything to me," I told her. "As much as they know, anyway. At the risk of repeating myself, you made the right decision. I know it was a tough one. I love you.”

That, of course, demanded another kiss! After we finished, I told her I’d been cleared for visitors, “so pass the word around”.

Kathy smiled a smug little smile. “I asked the nurse to hold off a bit so we could have a little private time.”

“You sly little devil, you!”

“Yep!”

“Be a shame to waste this time!”

“Yep!”

A half hour later, there was a knock at the door, and Kathy jumped off the bed. Sarah stuck her head in, “You two decent?”.

“Come on in,” I said. Sarah walked in and looked around. Spotting a box of tissues, she pulled one out and wiped my lips with it.

“Good thing I knocked first,” she said dryly, holding up the lipstick-stained tissue. I pretended to study the ceiling while Kathy turned bright red!

“Apparently you’re doing well,” Sarah said.

“Yes, under the circumstances, I am,” I said. “Things didn’t go quite like the doctors planned.”

“Something went wrong?” she asked.

“My recovery is going to take longer than planned.”

“Why’s that?”

“Let me answer a question with a question. Could you see me having a baby,” I asked.

“I suppose you could adopt…” Sarah said. Behind her I could see Kathy was biting her lip. “You would probably make a good mother.”

“No, you’re not listening. I asked if you could see me having a baby.” By now I was having to bite my lips too.

“I don’t understand, how could you….What’s going on?” she cried in frustration.

“Well, when they started the surgery, they discovered, that, although my ovaries are too damaged to function, my uterus isn’t. Kathy had to make a decision, then they had to change plans in midstream. And now, if a fertilized egg were implanted in my womb, I could carry the baby to term.”

“And I have plenty of eggs” Kathy added. I looked at Kathy in astonishment. She mouthed a kiss at me.

Sarah stood there, absolutely dumb-founded.

“Sarah dear, close your mouth” I said gently.

“But, but, you’re a, I mean, you were a boy, how could you… I don’t understand!” she wailed.

“Sarah, I told you at the shop that day. I am, or was, both. Even though I had a penis, I also had a vagina, ovaries and a uterus. My doctor closed up my vagina when I was a baby, but my ovaries and uterus were still there. And now that’s been corrected. My penis is gone, I have a real vagina and uterus and ovaries. The ovaries don’t work, but everything else is functional.” I could tell Sarah still didn’t quite get it.

“I’m a real woman, Sarah. The only fake thing about me is my breasts, and the real ones are already growing.”

“And they respond quite nicely when improperly stimulated” Kathy said with a smirk. Sarah looked at Kathy, who was grinning like a fool, then back at me and my happy smile.

“So, you’re going to have a baby?”

“I don’t know, it’s too soon to say. But I can if I want to,” I said. “Who knows, I may not want to.”

“You haven’t seen her with Brittany, she’ll want to,” Kathy said. “It’s why I decided the way I did.”

“Who’s Brittany,” Sarah asked.

I turned the picture on my tray table around so she could see it. “What a beautiful little girl!”

“You remember Suzanne, I cut her hair the other day.” Kathy asked and Sarah nodded.

“That’s her daughter, they live up the street.”

“I remember now” Sarah said.

“Brittany thinks the sun rises and sets with Kari, and as for Kari, you’d have to see the two of them together. She oozes motherhood. I think that’s why Elliot was so depressed. There was this mother inside trying to get out,” Kathy said.

“Kathy,” I said.

“Yes Kari”

“Have I told you lately how much I love you,” I said.

“Not nearly often enough,” she smiled.

“Okay you two, I believe you. It’s just so wild,” Sarah said.

“You’re telling me!’ I said. I wiggled my hand at Kathy, and she came up and took ahold of it. “My life has been turned upside down. But I’ve discovered upside down is great!”

“I want to be here when you tell Tina,” Sarah said.

Tina came in a few minutes later, and Sarah waited for the explosion when I told her. But Tina’s response was “You can have a baby! Major cool!”, much to Sarah’s disappointment. Donna called and asked them to come to work a few minutes later. They left with a promise they’d be back.

“Is anybody else waiting to visit,” I asked Kathy. She looked outside then said nope.

“Then would you ask the nurse to hang out the no visitors sign, please,” I asked her. “I’m feeling kinda worn.”

“Sure thing, you’re looking a little pale,” Kathy observed.

“Except for Suzanne,” I said, “if she comes by, wake me. Oh, do you have to go to work today?”

“No, Donna told me to take as much time as we needed.”

“Bless her heart,” I said. Kathy went and spoke to the nurse, who followed her back in and checked me.

“You’re fine, you just tire easily. I told you that would happen.” she said “Be a dear, make my life easier, be a good patient and do as you’re asked.”

“I promise,” I looked at her nametag, “Nurse Bell.”

“Call me April. Only the administrator calls me “Nurse Bell”.

“April Bell, what a pretty name. I’m Karielle, but everybody calls me Kari, and this is Kathy”

“Alright Kari, no visitors until 1 PM, except Suzanne Thomas. That’s the little girl’s mother, right?”

“Right”

“I remember her from this morning. Now you get some rest.” she said as she left the room.

“Too bad they don’t make these beds in a wider model,” I said.

“But the nurse said you were supposed to rest,” Kathy said. “I’ll just drag the chair up beside the bed.”

“Wait a sec,” I said, “let me try something.” I fiddled with the controls, and lowered the bed way down, then raised the head up. With the chair up beside the bed, we were at the same level. Kathy sat down in the chair and I slid over and took her hand.

“That’s better. Now I can sleep.” Soon we were both out.

April came in a little later to check on Kari and found the two of them asleep, their heads resting together, still holding hands. She backed quietly out of the room and walked down the hall.

“If those two are just sisters, I’ll turn in my pin!” she thought to herself. “So what? There’s little enough love in the world to begrudge anybody their chance at happiness.” She could recognize the real thing when she saw it, and they had it, in spades.

She started humming to herself as she walked along, “Maybe I’ll do something extra nice for Jim this weekend. That’s the thing about love, the more you share, the more you have.”

A knock on the door woke me. I looked up as April stuck her head in.

“You awake? I’ve got some lunch for you. It’s not much, but it’s warm.”

“Sure, bring it in.” Kathy roused herself as April carried in a tray. Lunch was a clear broth, but was warm as advertised. April came in to pick up the tray,

“Suzanne Thomas is here, you ready for visitors?”

"Yes, please” I said. Suzanne came in a minute later.

“Hi!” I said.

“Hi yourself,” Suzanne said. “How you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet.”

Suzanne laughed. “Well, you’re looking pretty good.”

“Then I look better than I feel,” I said.

“Listen, about yesterday,” Suzanne said. “I hope you’re not upset.”

“Not at all.” I said “Kathy made the right decision, and I’m happy that you were there to help her. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a child,…”

Kathy’s “I do” came at the same time as Suzanne’s “You will”.

I glared from one to the other. “Apparently everybody knows me better than I do!”

“In this case, yes,” Suzanne said.

“We’ll see” I said. Kathy and Suzanne smiled at each other.

“Which leads me to another thing,” Suzanne said. “You’ve got an admirer who won’t give me any peace until she’s allowed to visit. When do you think you’ll be up for it.”

“Maybe tomorrow? In the afternoon?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Actually I miss her myself,” I admitted. Kathy and Suzanne grinned at each other again. We arraigned that Suzanne would bring Brittany by at 3 tomorrow, then Suzanne left.

There being a lull in visitors, Kathy and I were reduced to browsing the channels on the hospital TV. We finally found a sunken treasure story on the Discovery Channel and were about halfway through when there was another knock, followed by Cindy, my attorney, sticking her head in.

“This a good time?”

“Sure, come on in,” I told her.

“I’ve got some more papers for you to look over and sign.”

Kathy cleared everything off the tray table, when she reached for the picture of Brittany and me, I grabbed it and put it inside the table instead. Kathy grinned at my reaction as I glared at her.

Cindy spread some papers out, “These are almost the last ones. I’ve already applied for court recognition of your change. Once I get that I’ll be able to get an amended birth certificate issued. That’s interesting, by the way. Your birth certificate originally listed you as female. It was changed 6 days later to male.”

“My mother always told me my father was out of town when I was born. Funny,” I said.

“How’s that” Kathy asked.

"It’s like that old Led Zeppelin song, the line “what's to be, they say will be”. I guess my mother won in the end.”

I was quiet for a moment, and Cindy spoke up.

“So anyway, once we get all that cleared away, then you’ll be able to get your driver’s license amended, and I can file to get all your various records changed. So I just need you to sign here, and here and here. Oh, and here.” The last “and here” was on a document from the State Teachers Retirement Fund.

“What’s this one” I asked, signing it.

“That’s one you didn’t tell me about, I found the filing in the courthouse when I was tracking down some other papers,” Cindy said.

“But what is it, I don’t recognize it.”

“You didn’t know? Your fiancée, Robyn Lovelace, had a $250,000 life insurance policy with you as the beneficiary, with a double face value AD&D rider. Even after taxes you get almost $400,000.”

I lay there, looking at the claim form, and the tears started streaming down my face. I started sobbing and shaking, and cried even harder. Kathy grabbed me and tried to hold me still, Cindy had the presence of mind to hit the panic button over the bed. April ran in, took one look at me and ran back out, returning with a syringe which she injected into my IV. In seconds I was out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What happened” April demanded, every inch the professional.

“Old wounds reopened” Kathy said. “Her fiancée was killed in a car accident awhile back, she was just getting over it when all this started. Then Cindy found an insurance policy that named Kari as beneficiary, Kari had no idea it even existed. It was too much of a shock for her on top of everything else right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Cindy said. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you?” Kathy replied. “Look, did you get all the signatures you needed?”

Cindy checked, “Yes, she signed them all.”

“Good. If you find anything else relating to Robyn that Kari needs to attend to, let us know first. We can help her deal with it, maybe give her a tranquilizer beforehand.”

“Sure.”

After Cindy left, April turned to Kathy. “You need to take a break and go home for awhile.”

“But shouldn’t I be here when she wakes up,” Kathy argued.

“It’ll be dinnertime or later before she wakes. You can’t stay here all the time. I’ve seen this before, you’ll both be better off if you get away for awhile.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Kathy said.

“I know I am,” April replied. “Scoot!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kari:When I woke up the curtains were closed and the lights were off, I had no idea what time it was. I finally found the light switch and turned my bed light on. As I looked for my watch the door opened and a nurse looked in.

“How are you feeling,” she asked as she came in. It wasn’t April, and I really didn’t feel like talking about what had happened.

“I’m fine.”

“Now why don’t I believe that,” the nurse said. “Try again.”

“Why should I,” I snapped at her.

“Because you either talk to me, or I call your doctor and you talk to her,” she replied. She sat down in a chair.

“Don’t you have something you need to be doing?” I asked her.

“Nope. I’m here ‘til midnight,“ and she leaned back and crossed her legs.

“Alright. I made a fool out of myself.”

“No.”

“What!”

“No, you didn’t make a fool out of yourself” she said. “Try again.”

“I broke down and cried like a baby.” I said.

“Yes. And?”

“And I looked stupid!”

“No, you didn’t”

“What would you call it?”

“You had an emotional shock. You reacted as many would, you cried.”

“They had to sedate me!” I protested.

“Karielle, you just had major surgery, which included some emotional trauma anyway. You just had one too many,” she replied calmly. “You can’t be a Rock of Gibraltar all the time. Sometimes what the situation calls for is a good cry.”

“You think?” I asked.

“I know. You have any idea how many 30 and 40-somethings I see in here with ulcers? Most of them would be better off if they cried occasionally. What you’ve got to do is learn to let it go before it explodes like it did today. You and your partner will be a lot happier if you do.”

“My---partner?”

“Yes, your partner. And a lovely girl she is, just like you.”

I’m sure the shock was written all over my face, for she continued, “Several of us have connected the dots, it wasn’t hard. And no, we’re not offended, or outraged, or anything like that.”

“But…”

“But, nothing! Are the two of you happy?” the nurse asked.

“Yes” I replied.

“Do you love each other?” she continued.

“Yes, we do.”

“Then grab life with both hands and enjoy it! Now, are you hungry?” she asked.

“Starved!”

“Dinner is a delicious beef consommé, with gelatin cubes for desert.”

As she turned to leave, I called out “Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, what’s your name,” I asked.

“I’m Mrs. Brady. Brady is my married name, by the way. And you thought you had problems.”

“I don’t understand.”

“My first name is Marsha,” and she grinned and walked out the door.

Marsha - Brady! I suddenly got it and laughed until my sides hurt.

April came in early the next morning so she could check on her favorite patient, Kari had still been asleep when she left Friday afternoon. Clipped to the log was a note addressed to her.

She opened it and read: “April, had a chat with your girl in 417 last night, I think she’ll be alright. She’s embarrassed at her reaction, but I set her straight. BTW, your suspicions are right. Her SO called several times, but I told her everything was fine, to stay home and get a good night’s sleep. Marsha”

April folded the note and tapped it against her lip, thinking “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha”.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling rested and refreshed. I raised the head of my bed, then indulged myself with a long relaxing stretch, arms high over my head.

April walked in just then, “You’re looking good this morning. How does that feel?”

“Feels good. I don’t hurt nearly as much this morning,” I said.

“That’s great,” April said. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Sure”

“After you eat we’ll get you all cleaned up before Kathy gets here,” April said. “I expect she’ll be at the door straight up 9. We made her go home and rest last night, she needed it as much as you.”

By the time Kathy got there, I had been bathed and was wearing fresh underwear and a clean nightgown. April also helped me apply some makeup and brushed my hair. I felt and looked good. I’d even had my first encounter with the dreaded bed pan. I now understood why they were universally hated by all women.

April slipped in just before Kathy arrived and spritzed me with some perfume she had, “Totally against the rules, but they were made by men. Us women know what we need to make us happy!” She winked at me and left as Kathy came in.

Kathy looked at me in surprise, “Well, don’t you look good!”

“So do you!” I said. And she did. I hadn’t realized the pressure on Kathy until I saw it’s absence. Kathy came over to the bed and gave me a kiss, one that I prolonged by the simple expedient of reaching up and putting my arm around her neck.

“Ummm, that’s nice!”

“So, you feeling better today,” Kathy asked, sitting down in the chair and taking my hand.

“Yes, I had a long talk last night with, oh, you’re going to love this, Marsha Brady!” giggling as I said it.

“Who?!?”

“Marsha Brady. She’s the evening nurse.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope, that’s really her name! Anyway, she convinced me I needed to relax more, and not keep things so bottled up inside.”

“Sounds like a smart woman.”

Just then April tapped on the door, “You ready for visitors, or would you like a little more time?”

“Give us five more minutes please, then be sure and knock first.”

“Okay honey,” she winked at me and left.

“That’s another thing you ought to know. The nurses have figured out about the two of us.”

“Oh!”

“It’s not a problem, either. Marsha, the nurse last night, said we should “grab life with both hands and enjoy it!”. And it was April’s idea to get me all fixed up for you, she even supplied the perfume. So give me another kiss before my visitors arrive.”

Kathy barely had time to fix our lipstick before the knock came.

Laurie and Nova were the first in.

“Wow, you look really good,” Laurie said.

“I was expecting to come in and find you on your deathbed,” Nova added.

“Nova!” Laurie exclaimed.

“So what’s the word, girl,” Laurie asked me.

“Well the operation was a success, and the patient didn’t die”, I quipped.

“Girl, do I have to come over there and beat it out of you,” Laurie complained. “What happened!”

“Well, good news, bad news, and more good news. The first bit of good news, the doctors used some of my large intestine to repair my stomach, so I’ll be able to eat more normal portions.”

“Great”

“Cool”

“Now for the bad news: my ovaries are irreparably damaged, I’m sterile.” That brought Laurie and Nova both to my side, we ended up in a three-way hug.

Laurie pulled away and looked at me, “There’s still good news after that?”

“Yes, actually. My uterus is fine, the doctors say I could have a fertilized egg implanted and carry the resulting fetus to term.” That brought about another round of hugs, and Laurie was sniffling.

“That’s so great!” she said.

“And Kathy has offered me all the eggs I want” I added. The two of them descended on Kathy then, with much hugging and kissing.

Then Laurie turned to me, “But what about your boobies?”

I cradled them in my hands. “I think they look pretty good” I said.

“Are they alright!” she said through clenched teeth.

“Oh, yes, everything’s fine,” I replied.

“So how much longer will you be here” Laurie asked.

“I don’t really know, depends on how fast I heal. They haven’t even let me out of bed yet. It’s going to be a slow recovery, though, I won’t be clubbing for awhile.”

“Look, we have to leave,” Laurie said, “that nurse out there is so-o mean, she kept us waiting, then told us we could only stay for 15 minutes.”

Kathy and I exchanged guilty looks.

“But we’ll be back And Kelli will be by later. She wanted to bring some flowers, but I’ll tell her not to bother,” Laurie said, looking around the room. Another round of hugs, and they left.

After that Dr. Hanson came in, followed by April.

“You’re looking much better today. I gather the staff pixies have been helping you?”

“Yes, they’re real sweethearts,” I said, and April blushed.

Dr. Hanson looked over my chart, “Hmm, kidneys are working, I see, that’s good. Any problems?” she asked me.

“Other than with the bedpan, you mean?”

“Bedpans were designed by men, Kari. If you can figure out something better, the sisterhood will thank you.” she replied.

“When can I get up? And start eating some decent food?”

“You’ll get a more appealing diet after you can get up and around. You’ll want to able to go to the bathroom before you start eating solid foods.” Dr. Hanson laughed at the look on my face. “Hadn’t thought about that, had you! As for getting up, I think we’ll start on that tomorrow. You’re moving around better, but let’s give it one more day.”

“Now, I understand you had a problem yesterday afternoon.”

“I-uh…Yes, I did. You heard?”

“All medications administered have to be charted, along with the reason. Failure to log the dispensing of medications is grounds for immediate dismissal, and may form the basis for criminal prosecution. Nobody betrayed any confidences,” she said. “However as your doctor and your therapist, I’d like to hear from you what happened.”

“Okay. Cindy came by yesterday afternoon with some papers for me to sign…”. I told her the whole story, but left out my conversation with Marsha later. If she was aware of my omission, she gave no sign.

“Thank you for telling me. Now, I’m going to give you some things to think about. Crying is good. Crying is natural. For you, it’s probably one of the best stress relievers there is. You have been through an enormous amount of stress the last couple of weeks. Frankly, I’ve been amazed at your ability to cope. Yes, you’ve had some major crisis moments, but you’ve come out of each one stronger, not weaker."

"We still have a lot of things to talk about, after all this is done, I hope you’ll continue to see me. You are an unusual person, not only can I help you, I can also learn from you. And what I learn may be used to help others like you. Don’t be ashamed of your emotions, your feelings. You love Kathy. If you hide your feelings from her, it’s the same thing as lying to her. You don’t want to do that.”

“Now, don’t misunderstand me, I don’t mean you should trot your emotions out for everybody to see. Just don’t try to keep everything bottled up inside. Sometimes you’ve got to grab a box of Kleenex and have a good cry. You’ll be better off for it, trust me.” Then, more briskly, “Any questions?”

“No, not right now.”

“Well, when you do, call me.”

Dr. Hanson turned to April, “Check the dressings and replace the tampon when you have time. Treat as charted for pain or anxiety, I’ve added orders for estrogen, twice daily IM, and oral vitamin supplements.”

Turning back to me, she said “I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day, don’t overdo it with the visitors. If you get to feeling tired, hit the call button and April will come run them off, “Doctor’s Orders”, so they won’t blame you. If you experience any pain or anxiety, I’ve left orders for something to help you, don’t hesitate to ask."

"If you look ready tomorrow morning, I’ll discontinue the IV, and we’ll start physical therapy. Don’t expect a lot at first, lying there in bed you don’t realize how weak you actually are.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said.

“In fact,” she said, looking at her watch, “I’m going to order no visitors from now until 2 PM. I understand you’ve got an important visitor coming this afternoon, and I want you rested when she arrives,” she said with a smile.

“Kathy, you’re family, you can stay. But nobody else before 2.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. “A nap before lunch looks mighty attractive right now.”

“Alright then, I’ll see you in the morning.”

After she left, April said “I’m going to get the medication Dr. Hanson ordered, I’ll be back in a minute. Would you like something mild to help you rest?”

“I think I would,” I said.

“And how about if I ask the kitchen to hold your lunch until 1 PM, that will give you time for a nice nap,” she asked.

“Sounds like a plan,” I replied.

She returned with two syringes and a small cup on a tray. “Roll over,” and I received an injection in the rear. Then she handed me the cup and a glass of water, “Swallow these”. “If you want, go ahead and rearrange your bed, then I’ll slip this,” holding up the second syringe “in your IV.” April closed the curtains as I lowered the bed and Kathy slid her chair over next to it, then she injected the syringe in my IV.

Almost immediately I felt my muscles unknot as I started to sag mentally. Kathy reached over and took my hand as my head begin to sink into the pillow. The last thing I remember is April saying “Sweet Dreams” as she lowered the lights and left the room.

I woke up when April brought in my lunch. “Another nutritious bowl of warm broth for your dining-in pleasure” she said with a grin. “Kathy, are you hungry?”

“I’d kill for a cheeseburger right now,” Kathy said.

“Sorry, can’t help you there,” April replied. “How does a green salad and Cream of Broccoli soup sound.”

“That’ll do for now,” Kathy said.

April went back out and returned with another tray and a folding table. “Kari, your friend Kelli called, she’ll be here at 2.”

“Thanks, April.”

When Kelli arrived, she was quieter than the other two had been. Apparently when two or more of them got together, it was like coupling amplifiers together.

“I see why Laurie told me not to bother with the flowers,” she commented.

“Yeah, it’s like a jungle in here. I keep expecting to hear Tarzan,” I laughed.

“So, you’re going to be on the disabled list for awhile, what are you going to do to keep the boredom at bay?” she asked.

“Read, probably,” I answered. “I bought all those books,” pointing at the stack on the table, “and I haven’t had a chance to even look at them.”

“I’m a bit of a bookaholic myself, if you run out of things to read, I can bring you a stack. Not a romance novel in the bunch, either!”

We chatted about some other things of mutual interest, she proved to be a pleasant, restful visitor. Promising to stop by in a day or so, she left after about a 20 minute visit.

“Why can’t they all be like that?” Kathy asked. I told her about my theory that they amplified each other. “You may be right.”

Suzanne and Brittany arrived just after 3, Brittany was carrying a pad of paper clutched to her chest. She dropped the pad and rushed up to me and grabbed my arm.

“Oh, Karielle, are you ok? Momma said you were sick and I shouldn’t tire you and I’ve been so worried about you.” She lay her cheek down on my arm, and I reached across and stroked her hair with my other hand.

Suzanne and Kathy exchanged smiles again, I stuck my tongue out at them.

“I’ll be okay Brittany. I just had to have some things fixed.”

"Did they get everything fixed alright?” she asked.

“They got them fixed just fine, honey.”

“When will you be home? Momma said we could go someplaces when you were all better. Will that be soon?”

“I’m sorry, honey, it’s going to be awhile. It’s going to take some time for me to get all better, I’ll have to rest a lot.”

To distract her from worrying about me, I brought up her artwork. “Thank you for the picture, it’s lovely. I had the nurse put it up where I can always see it. Look it’s right there” and I pointed to the wall opposite my bed.

“I made you another picture!” and she ran over and retrieved her pad. She pulled a drawing out and handed it to me. It showed a little brown-haired girl and a tall yellow-haired woman on horses.

“You like horses, don’t you? I love horses. Sometimes momma takes me to this place where she lets me ride a pony. You’re big enough, you could ride a real horse. Would you come ride with me? After you’re better?”

“I don’t know, Brittany, I’ve never ridden a horse before,” I said.

“You haven’t?” in an amazed tone, like she couldn’t believe there was somebody who hadn’t ridden before.

“I can show you, it’s easy. You just sit on the horse, and you kick him with your feet to make him go, and pull on the straps to make him stop, and pulling on the right strap makes him go right, and pulling on the left makes him go left.” Brittany’s lungs must be huge, the child only stopped for breath every ten sentences or so.

“That sounds like fun, Brittany. After I’m better maybe we could do that. Thank you for the picture. I’ll have them put it up right next to the other one. You’re quite a little artist, aren’t you?”

“Would you like to see my other pictures?”

She started to open her pad then stopped. She ran around to the other side of the bed, hopped up on the chair and climbed up on the bed next to me. With a firm nod that said to her, this was much better, she snuggled up to me and pulled her pad over.

“Brittany! What did I tell you!” Suzanne begin, but I waved her off.

“It’s fine, Suzanne. She’s not bothering me. Don’t worry,” I said.

Suzanne didn’t look convinced, but Kathy was covering her mouth with her hand. I could tell from looking at her that she was trying to keep from laughing out loud. I stuck my tongue out at her again, then turned my attention to Brittany, “Let’s see your pictures, honey.”

“Here’s this one, and this one is some clouds I saw the other day, and this one is…” and we looked at several dozen pictures.

“I hadn’t finished this picture yet”, this one of mountains and trees. “Would you like to help me?” she asked.

“Sure!”

From a pocket in her dress she extracted several crayons, handing a green one to me, “You can do the trees here,” she pointed. So we got busy coloring in the trees and the mountains, “I’m doing the snow on the mountains,” she said.

Suddenly Suzanne said “Oh, darn!”

“What?” I asked.

“I brought some nightgowns from when I was in the hospital after Brit was born, I thought you might like to use them. They fasten with Velcro, they’re easy to get to get in and out of. But I left them in the car, Brittany was in such I hurry I forgot. If you’d like to try them I could go get them.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“It’ll just take a minute. Brittany, you behave, don’t give Kari any trouble.”

“I won’t, momma.”

“Mind if I go with you?” Kathy asked. “I need to stretch my legs. They’ll be fine.”

“Okay”

As they went down the hall, Kathy stopped at the nurse’s station.

“April, we left Kari in there with Brittany, we’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Sure, I’ll look in on them.”

After they left, Brittany turned to me, “I made you another picture, Karielle.”

“Well, let’s see it!” She pulled another drawing out of the back. This one showed a brown-haired man and woman on one side, and two yellow-haired women on the other side. In the middle, next to the brown-haired couple stood a slightly shorter brown-haired girl, holding hands with a little yellow-haired girl.

“That’s my mommy and daddy, and that’s you and Kathy” she said.

“And who’s this in the middle?” I asked.

“That’s me, grown up, and that’s your little girl. Mommy said when you got better you were going to have a little girl, just like me. And I could be her friend, just like you’re my friend, couldn’t I?”

“I’d like that very much, Brittany. Nothing would make me happier.” I gave her a hug, and she put her arm around me and hugged me back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kathy and Suzanne noticed all the nurses were gathered around the computer at the nurses station when they came back up about 15 minutes later.

April saw them and waved them over, “Come here, you’ve got to see this! I went in to check on Kari and Brittany a few ago. I’m glad I had my digital in my purse.”

On the monitor was a picture of Kari with Brittany, both sound asleep. Kari was laying slightly on her side, Brittany curled up next to her. Brittany’s head lay on Kari’s shoulder, Kari’s arm was circled protectively around her, and Kari’s cheek rested on the top of Brittany’s head. Brittany had an arm lying across Kari’s chest, and her fingers were intertwined with Kari’s. It was a touching scene, any Renaissance painter would have been happy to paint them.

“I’ve got to have a copy of that!” Kathy exclaimed.

“Me too!” echoed Suzanne.

Several of the nurses indicated that they would also like copies.

“I’ll just upload it to my blog” April said, “and you can all get copies there.” She quickly typed in some commands, and soon the picture was on the front page of her blog.

“Where’s that at?” Kathy asked.

“It’s Nurse Aprils blog” and she gave the blog address.

“I’d better get Brittany and go” Suzanne said. “She was so excited about visiting Kari she didn’t get a nap yet, and it looks like she’s ready. Kari looks like she could use the rest also.”

They walked into the room, and as Suzanne walked around the bed to pick up Brittany, Kathy saw the drawing.

“Look here,” she said quietly, handing the drawing to Suzanne. “Is that what I think,” pointing at the yellow-haired little girl.

“I’d say so,” Suzanne replied with a smile. “This must be the special picture Brittany’s been working on. She wouldn’t show it to me.”

Suzanne laid the picture on the tray table and picked Brittany up. “Come on Brits, time to go.” Brittany turned in her mother’s arm and wrapped her arms around Suzanne’s neck. Kathy rolled up the pad and handed it to Suzanne. Kari slept through it all.

“Need any help,” Kathy asked.

“No, I’m fine, thanks. Kari can look at the nightgowns when she wakes up.”

In the meantime, April had added a brief explanation to the picture: “One of my patients, and the daughter of one of her neighbors who came to visit. The young woman has had a rough time of it, including major surgery, but she's formed a special bond with this little girl. For all that modern medicine can do, love is still one of the best healing therapies there is.”

A few minutes later, a web bot from one of the major search engines cataloged the picture and caption.

When April got home and logged on the Internet, she was surprised to find over a hundred emails in her inbox. Almost every one had to do with the picture. Many were praising the picture, and thanking her for posting it. Some wanted to know about Kari and Brittany, their names, what was wrong with Kari, how was she doing, etc.

Even as she read the emails, another dozen showed up. Never had she had so many hits on her blog, up until now most of the visitors had been family, friends and other nurses. She clicked over to one of the popular search engines and entered several keywords to describe the picture and her blog. She got back several hundred hits, including several hits from major websites that reviewed blogs.

She clicked on one at random and read: “Thanks to one of my faithful readers for alerting me to this blog. This is without a doubt one of the most touching pictures I’ve seen in years. The nurse that posted the picture gives this as an example of the healing power of love, and I couldn’t agree more.”

“Oh my God, what have I done!” She immediately took the blog down, but by then it was too late. USA Today featured the picture in their next edition. That publication was featured on ABC’s World News Now overnight newscast, and the women of The View showed the picture Monday morning.

By then, anybody clicking on her blog saw the following message: “I want to thank everybody for their interest in the photo I posted. I did not expect the kind of response I received. Due to patient privacy concerns I have taken the photo and my blog down.” When she was summoned to the administrator’s office, she knew she was in trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first I knew of the picture was when Dr. Hanson brought in a copy of USA Today the next morning and tossed it on the bed. “Well, you’re famous”, she said.

“Oh, wow!” I said.

“I want to assure you that the hospital takes patient privacy very seriously. The nurse involved has been terminated, and they are prepared to make you a very substantial offer to settle any concerns.”

I looked at the caption for the picture and saw the name “Nurse Aprils Blog”.

“Terminated! This is April! She was fired? For this?”

Dr. Hanson nodded. “She violated patient privacy, that’s a serious offense.”

“I want to talk to whoever’s in charge. Right NOW!”

“The hospital administrator is waiting in his office, he’ll be right up.”

I lay there fuming, waiting on him. Kathy came in and saw the paper.

“Oh, you’ve seen it already.”

“Stay here with me, I may need you.”

The administrator came in just then. “Ms Taylor, I want to personally apologize for this incident. The nurse no longer works here, and she will find it very difficult to get work at any other hospital after this.”

I turned to Kathy, “Call Cindy, right now! Find her and get her down here right away, as soon as possible!”

“Excuse me” the administrator, Mr. Harwell, said, “Who’s Cindy?”

“My attorney! You are going to be ever so sorry!”

“Please, Ms Taylor, we are prepared to make you a very generous settlement..”

“NO! I don’t want your stupid money! I want April! She’s the best nurse I’ve ever had, and I’ve had my share! If you don’t rehire her I’m going to sue this hospital for every scalpel and bedpan it has!” I was furious!

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Harwell said.

“Well you’d better figure a way to make it possible!” I snapped, then turned to Kathy, “Have you gotten hold of Cindy yet?”

Just then Dr. Hanson noticed that the door was open, and several nurses were standing outside, eyes as big as saucers. She stepped over and shooed them away, and closed the door.

One of them ran down to the locker room, where April was packing a box with the things from her locker. She had been crying and her eyes were red.

“April honey, don’t leave yet!”

“Why?”

“Kari just found out you were canned, and she’s spitting mad! She’s threatening to sue the hospital for “every scalpel and bedpan it has”, if they don’t rehire you!”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope! I’ve never in my life seen anybody so mad! You’ve sure made a friend there.”

Upstairs in my room, the phone rang. Kathy answered it, “It’s Cindy” and handed it to me.

“Kari, it’s Cindy, I assume you’re calling about the picture.”

“Yes, I am. Cindy, they fired April, the nurse that took the picture!”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Well, she’s the best nurse I’ve ever had, a really caring person. She has helped my through this with love and compassion. If they don’t rehire her, I want you to file the biggest lawsuit possible against this place first thing Monday morning!”

“Kari, if the media gets ahold of your story, it could get nasty.”

“I don’t care! April is my friend, and I stand by my friends! They rehire her, and we can all sit down and work on damage control. If they don’t rehire her, we go to court!”

“Kari, you know most people wouldn’t think that way.”

“I’m not most people, Cindy, and I take care of my friends!”

“No, you’re not most people, you’re a very special person. Now, who’s there?”

“Dr. Hanson and the administrator, Mr. Harwell.”

“Let me speak to Mr. Harwell, then.”

I extended the phone to Harwell, ‘Talk to my attorney”. I almost spat the words.

While he was talking with Cindy, Dr. Hanson stepped to my side.

“You know they were perfectly within their rights to fire April.” she said quietly. “What she did was wrong.”

“Maybe so, I don’t care. As long as I’m in this hospital, I want April taking care of me.”

“I just want to let you know, as a doctor, I think the hospital did the correct thing. But as your therapist, I believe you are doing the right thing. Stick to your guns, Kari.”

“Thanks!”

Over on the phone, Mr. Harwell was saying, “Yes, I believe we can agree to that. Just a minute, I’ll put her back on.” He handed the phone back to me.

“Yes, Cindy?”

“Alright, Kari, here’s the deal so far. The hospital will reinstate April, but she will be on probation, and a letter of reprimand will be placed in her permanent file. In return we agree to suspend any suit against the hospital. He wanted you to sign a quitclaim, but I turned that down. Everybody works together to come up with a cover story to protect you. Thankfully, there’s not much in April’s blog that can be used to identify her or you, and I’ll be contacting the ISP to make sure they keep April’s information private. Also, April has to quit blogging, due to privacy concerns. Does that work for you?”

“Yes, as long as it’s agreeable with April.”

“Then let me talk to Harwell again.”

“Here,” I said, and handed the phone to him.

Harwell listened for a minute, then turned to Dr. Hanson, “Would you see if somebody can find Ms Bell, please?”

Dr. Hanson stepped to the door, and flagged down on of the nurses, “Please go find April for me, and have her come up. I imagine she’s still in the locker room, isn’t she.”

“Yes, Doctor, I believe so.”

In a few minutes, April came in the room, red-eyed and nervous. I gave her a thumbs-up gesture.

“Ms Bell,” Mr. Harwell begin, “I terminated your employment earlier today for good reason, and with just cause. Your actions have placed Ms Taylor’s privacy in jeopardy, and put her at risk for great personal embarrassment.”

“Yes sir.”

“But Ms Taylor has spoken up strongly in your defense. After considering her concerns, I have decided to reinstate you, with the following stipulations,” and he repeated to her the deal he and Cindy worked out.

“Do you agree to those terms?”

“Yes sir,” April said.

“In addition, I require one other thing from you.”

I raised up in bed, and Mr. Harwell made a hold-on motion to me.

“You need to make a personal apology to Ms Taylor for the trouble you’ve caused her.”

“Yes sir.”

Turning to me, April said “Kari, Ms Taylor, I apologize for my actions. I didn’t intend for anything like this to happen, but I didn’t consider the consequences. I’m sorry for the problems I’ve caused you. If I could undo my actions, I would.”

Mr. Harwell turned to me and raised his eyebrows, as if to say “well”?

“April, I accept your apology. I know you haven’t got a mean bone in your body, and you certainly didn’t intend to cause all this. I forgive you.” I looked back at Harwell.

“Then I consider this matter closed,” Mr. Harwell said. “We’ll all need to get together to discuss how to minimize the effects of this situation, perhaps on Monday morning. In the meantime, Nurse Bell, you may return to your assigned duties.”

“Thank you, sir”

As he was leaving, Harwell turned around, “Nurse Bell?”

“Yes sir?”

“Off the record, you must be one hell of a nurse. I’ve never seen a patient stand up for a nurse like Ms Taylor did for you. If we all survive this, I personally guarantee your continued employment.”

“Thank You, Sir!”

Dr. Hanson followed him out, saying she’d be back in a few minutes.

When the door closed behind them, April came over and gave me a fierce hug.

“Oh, Kari, I’m so sorry, I never meant for anything like this to happen!” She was crying again.

I waved to Kathy, who handed me some tissues.

“Shush. It’ll be alright.” I wiped her eyes, and discovered mine were none too dry. “We’ll get through this, April. I’ve been embarrassed before, I’ll survive. Mr. Harwell, Dr. Hanson, and Cindy are going to come up with a plan for damage control. We’ll get through this.”

“Cindy? Your attorney, that Cindy?”

“Yes”

“Then you really did threaten to sue the hospital if they didn’t rehire me?”

“Yes, but don’t let on you know,” I said.

“You really did that for me?”

“Of course I did. April, you’re my friend. Friends take care of each other.”

“April, you should have seen her!” Kathy said. “I’ve never before actually seen somebody spit fire, but Kari did!”

“April, in the last couple of weeks, I’ve gotten a whole new life,” I told her. “I’ve gained wonderful friends who care about me, and I care about them. A book I read said you can tell a lot about a person by the quality of her friends. Judging by you, Marsha, Suzanne & Brittany, Laurie and all the others, and of course, Kathy,” and I blew her a kiss, “I must be a pretty good person. I intend to be that kind of friend to all of you.”

Kathy came over and laid her hand on my shoulder, and kissed me on the cheek.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you,” she said.

“Not nearly often enough,” and I grinned back at her.

I turned to April, “Now dry your eyes and let Kathy fix your makeup so you can get back to work. I’m supposed to get out of this bed today, and I want you with me.”

After April left, a thought suddenly occurred to me, “What about Brittany? How are we going to explain this to Suzanne?”

“Let me call Suzanne,” Kathy said. “I’ll explain to her that in order to pacify the hospital this needs to be kept quiet. You can barely see Brittany’s face anyway, and I doubt Suzanne wants to subject her to a media circus.”

(In the end, it was all unnecessary. Monday afternoon a scandal broke out in Congress, and stories about patients and little girls disappeared.)

Dr. Hanson came back in then, “You’ve had a full day already, and it’s not even noon. How do you feel.“

“Drained,” I admitted. Dr. Hanson looked over my chart, and made some notations.

“I think maybe we should postpone the start of your physical therapy until you are well rested,” she said.

I wanted to protest, but I knew she was right. “Okay. First thing tomorrow morning?”

“Sure thing,” she said.

“Now, I’d like to talk about this morning. Up until now, you’ve been a little passive. But this morning you were a hellcat. Weren’t you scared about having your picture in a national paper?”

“I didn’t really have time to be scared. I found out about the picture and April being fired at the same time, and I just got mad,” I said.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why, what?”

“Why did what was happening to her upset you more that what might happen to you?”

“I’m not really sure,” I replied “I didn’t even think about it.”

“Think about it,” Dr. Hanson said. “When you find the answer to that, you’ll have learned something important about yourself.”

“May I say something,” Kathy asked.

“Of course” Dr. Hanson said.

“I saw this video on TV one time. It was of a mother cat and her kittens being threatened by a vicious dog. The mamma cat didn’t even try to run away, she launched an all-out attack on the much larger dog. I was surprised when I came in this morning and found Kari spitting mad. I was expecting her to be upset about the picture, and here she was, ready to claw somebody’s eyes out. In a way, it reminded me of that mother cat.”

“That’s good, Kathy,” the doctor said. “That’s something else for you to think about,” she said, turning to me.

“Now, on to the mundane matters of medicine. I want you to rest for today, and I’ve ordered something to help.”

She hit the call button, and April slipped through the door. Her eyes were still a bit puffy, but she looked a hundred percent better.

Dr. Hanson turned to her, “Yes, I rather thought it would be you. Let’s remove all the bandages today and let some air at the incisions. I added this, for today only,” pointing at the chart, “5 mg now, 5 mg at 3 PM, and 15 mg about 8 PM.”

She turned to me, “Take it easy another day, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

April came over to the bed after she left. “Right. Lets remove the dressings, bathe you, and get you in a clean gown. Then we need to change the sheets.”

She removed the bandages covering the incisions under my breasts first. “Those are looking good, you can’t even see them. That new surgical glue is amazing.” The incision on my abdomen was doing well also, she said. She bathed me, then Kathy helped her put fresh clothes on me, including one of Suzanne’s nightgowns.

“There, now you look pretty.” April took the bed control and lowered the bed all the way down. “Swing your feet over the edge, then lean on me and I’ll pull you up. You’re just going to the chair here while the orderly changes the sheets.”

She quickly and efficiently got me moved over, then left to get the orderly.

“Hey look,” I told Kathy, “I’m out of bed, even if it’s only a couple of feet.”

“Small steps, Grasshopper, small steps,” Kathy intoned in a mock Oriental accent.

The orderly came in just then to change the sheets. I wasn’t wearing a bra, and he spent nearly as much time trying to look down the top of my nightgown as he did changing the sheets. After he left Kathy and I started giggling at his antics.

April came in and looked at us, “Let me guess, Steve was trying to get a free peek while changing the sheets.”

“Yeah, I thought he was going to sprain his eyes trying to see down Kari’s nightgown” Kathy said.

“If you’ve got ‘em, flaunt ‘em” I said, lifting them up and looking at them.

“Oh, don’t tell me,” April said, “You’re going to be one of those girls that parades around in a bikini made of about three square inches of fabric!”

“No, I’m modest. I insist on at least five square inches.” General laughter ensued.

“Alright, back to bed,” April said, and she assisted me in moving back.

“Now it’s time for you to rest,” she said, and she injected something into my IV that quickly made it impossible for me to keep my eyes open.

I woke just before lunch, frankly I was getting tired of sleeping my time away here in the hospital. Maybe the start of physical therapy would stop that. I was ready to be up and around.

Kathy wasn’t in the room, so I decided to amuse myself for awhile. I slipped on the headphones and hit random play on my MP3 player then turned to the books I’d brought. I didn’t really listen to what was playing until Led Zeppelin II came around, now there’s a great blues rock album.

When “What Is And What Should Never Be” came up, one verse seemed especially appropriate:

“So if you wake up with the sunrise,
and all your dreams are still as new,
And happiness is what you need so bad,
girl, the answer lies with you.”

The idea of having a child was new, but something felt right about it. Previously, I had thought I might see about getting back on with Ch. 7, but now, with this, I wasn’t sure.

My dreams, my answers, my decision. Could I have it all? There had to be a way.

Kathy came in and I turned to her. “Can you ask somebody about getting Internet access in here. I need to get online and check some stuff.”

“Hi Honey,” Kathy replied in annoyance. “Yes, I’m fine, and yourself?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, instantly contrite. “I got to thinking about some stuff. I’ve got a one track mind sometimes.”

“One track mind? More like a train wreck, if you ask me!” Kathy said. But she relented and after giving me a kiss, went out to check with April.

Returning, she handed a sheet of paper to me. “Here’s the information you need to get a connection. I suppose you want your laptop from home,” she asked.

“Yes, please, honey, it’s in the living room, I think.”

“I saw it yesterday” Kathy said. “So what are you plotting?”

“Not really sure right now,” I replied. “Going to do some basic research.”

Changing the subject, I asked her when she was going to start regular work at the shop.

“You’re trying to get rid of me” Kathy quipped. “Seriously, I do need to start regular hours at the shop. Donna has been very nice about letting me off, but I feel like I’m taking advantage of her.”

“How about you let me decide when I’m being taken advantage of,” Donna said from the door.

“Hi Kari! How are you doing?”

“Hey Donna! Good to see you,” I replied. “Doing fine, all things considered.”

“That’s good” she replied.

Turning to Kathy, she asked “How much longer do you need to be here?” The emphasis on “need” was slight but unmistakable.

“I start physical therapy tomorrow” I threw in, “I expect that will keep me busy during the day.”

“Do you need me here for that” Kathy asked me.

“I believe they’d prefer that you weren’t, actually.”

“Then how about I come in tomorrow morning. I’ll need to be off later in the week when Kari comes home, not before Wednesday I’d imagine.

“I’ll talk to Dr. Hanson tomorrow and see what she says,” I told them.

“OK then, we’ll start setting up a regular schedule for you tomorrow,” Donna said. “Now, Sarah said you had a surprise for me. She wouldn’t say what’s going on, except that it would blow me away.”

“Oh, it will blow your mind, alright!” and I told her what happened, first during surgery, then the picture incident.

“If I can make a suggestion, you might want to take some time, I mean serious time, learning about this new skin you’re in before you start a family.”

“Yeah, I was just thinking about that when Kathy came in,” I told Donna. “I suspect I’ll need a year or two just to heal before I could even think about children.”

April came in then with my lunch tray and set it on my tray table. She returned with second one for Kathy, which looked considerably more interesting than what I was getting.

“Don’t even think about it” April said to me.

“Yes, ma’am” I told her meekly.

“April, I want you to meet Donna, Kathy’s boss. She owns the salon. Donna, this is April, the best nurse in the state.”

Donna appraised April closely, which flustered her.

“What, did I do something….” April asked.

“I was looking for your halo,” Donna said. “From Kari’s description of you, I was sure there had to be a halo. And wings.”

April blushed, but responded “No, the angel here is Kari. Everybody knows angels are blonde. I’m just a mousy brunette.”

“If that’s the only thing disqualifying you, either Kathy or I can fix that,” Donna told her with a grin. “Seriously, we’re a bit of a loose family at the shop, and what they’ve said qualifies you for membership. I’d be glad to have you as a salon customer. We’re a full service salon.”

Donna pulled a card from her purse, scribbled on it and handed it to April. “Call or drop in anytime. If Kathy is busy, I’ll be glad to take care of you.”

Turning to us, Donna said “I’ve got to run. Kathy, see you in the morning at 10.”

After she left, April looked at the card, “Wow, 25 percent off any service!”

“Welcome to the family”, I told her.

After we ate, Kathy and I talked about this, that, and the other for awhile. Nothing big or momentous, we talked about furniture arrangement, discussed clothing, the usual sort of small talk any couple makes. No matter that we were married, we hadn’t really known each other very long, we still had lots to learn.

April came in with the ever-present hypo just before 3, “Time for your nap,” she said brightly.

“I’m going to run home while you nap” Kathy said. “I’ll be back about 5:30, and I’ll bring your laptop.” She gave me a firm kiss, then April slipped the hypo into my IV.

A voice just above me roused me, “Wake up, sleeping beauty.” I reached up for the expected kiss, and was surprised when Kathy pulled away.

“Um, you’ve got the wrong person.”

My eyes popped open and I saw a nurse I hadn’t met before!

“Oh, geez, I’m sorry! I was expecting , that is, I , uhh…”

"That’s alright, no problem” she said. I know I was bright red with embarrassment.

“I thought you were my…” I trailed off.

“Your Sierra Oscar”, she supplied with a grin.

“Sierra Oscar?”

“Sierra Oscar, military slang for Significant Other. I was an Air Force Flight Nurse for ten years before I got out and moved here.” she said.

“Then you flew those aeromedical flights to Germany that I see on the TV news.”

“Mostly the U.S.-bound flights.”

“Mostly? Then you did some of the flights from Iraq?”

“Two tours,” she said.

“Wow, a genuine hero, right here in my room!”

“No, the heroes are the men and women I cared for on those flights,” she said a little sharply.

“Of course, you’re right”, I said. “I didn’t mean to sound flippant.”

“I should apologize, too,” she said. “I tend to get defensive if it seems people are slighting the combat troops.”

“Not me, my father was an aviator when he met my mom. The GI Bill paid for his master’s degree.” I said.

“Oh, a Navy brat!”

“No, my father got out before I was born,” I told her. “How did you know it was the Navy?”

“Aviator!” she said. “The Navy has aviators, the Air Force has plane drivers, aka pilots. I’m Cheryl Ross, by the way. Please call me Cheryl.”

“Hi Cheryl, I’m Karielle, but everybody calls me Kari. I don’t recall seeing you here before.”

“No, normally I work the ER, but I’m subbing for one of the girls up here.” she said.

“Actually, I hear you’re kind of a hero yourself.”

“Me? A hero? No, you’ve got the wrong girl,” I told her.

“Aren’t you the one who’s picture showed up in the paper?” she asked.

“Yes” I sighed, “that was me.”

“Then you’re the one that put it on the line to save April’s job, that makes you a hero in my book,” Cheryl replied.

“Please, let’s not de-vee the term hero,” I told her. “I just did what had to be done.”

“Sure, that’s such a common thing.“ Just then her pager went off. “Gotta run, I’ll talk to you later.”

She passed Kathy at the door, stifling a laugh as they passed. Kathy looked back after her, then came up to me and gave me a kiss, putting my laptop on the tray table.

“Darn, meant to get here before you woke up, so I could wake you the right way,” Kathy said.

“You almost did, so to speak”, I laughed. I told her what almost happened when the nurse woke me, and she glared at me with mock severity.

“Here I thought I didn’t have to worry ‘cause there weren’t any men around,” Kathy said. “Guess I’ve gotta start watching the women, too!”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I promise, no matter where I get my appetite I’ll always eat at home!”

“Oh, you!”

The orderly came in then with my dinner, more soup for me, and a baked chicken breast for Kathy. Instead of leaving then, he stopped and looked around.

“There’s something missing here,” he said. “Oh yeah!” and he stepped outside the door. He returned in a moment with a bouquet of red roses, which he laid in my lap.

Then he handed me an envelope. Inside there was a beautiful card. On the cover it said “Thank you for being there, For being a friend,” and on the inside it said “For being you!” and it was signed “The nurses of University Medical Center”. Also inside was a gift certificate for dinner for two at Red Lobster.

I started crying, and passed the card to Kathy. She read the card and passed it back to me, I noticed she was crying herself. The orderly smiled at me then, “Thank you from all of us” and left.

After we ate, Kathy got my computer hooked up, following the directions on the sheet. We were trying it out when there was a knock on the door, and a man stuck his head in.

“Karielle Taylor? May I come in?”

“Sure?”

He came in and stood by the door, “I’m James Bell, April’s husband. I just wanted to thank you for what you did. All April’s ever wanted to be is a nurse. One mistake was going to take that away from her. If it hadn’t been for you….” Well, I know guys don’t cry, but Jim was having to fight hard not to.

“Jim, April’s a wonderful person, and a wonderful nurse. She’s done far more for me than I’ll ever be able to do for her. I‘m proud to be her friend.”

“Well, thank you, anyway,” he said. “I gotta be going, April doesn’t know I came over here.”

“It’ll be our little secret,” I told him.

This has certainly been an interesting day! Cheryl came in to check on me then, and expressed her disapproval of my vitals.

“You’ve expended far too much of yourself today, it’s time to rest.” she said.

Turning to Kathy, “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to give her a break, she needs to slow down now before bedtime.”

“I feel better when Kathy’s around,” I protested.

“That may be” Cheryl said, “But your pulse averages 10 beats a minute higher whenever Kathy’s here.” Kathy and I exchanged startled looks.

“So, until you get your raging hormones under control….” and she grinned at me.

“I didn’t know I had that much of an effect on you,” Kathy said to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Cheryl excused herself, and Kathy came over and gave me a long, lingering kiss.

“I bet that made their monitors sit up and take notice! Bye luv!”

Cheryl came in after Kathy left, with a strip of paper in her hand. “Thanks, you just won me five bucks!”

“How’d I do that?” I asked. “I bet your heart rate would hit 110 when Kathy said goodnight.” She held up the strip, “113! Now just lie back and relax, and I’ll leave the sedative until later.”

I was lying back, relaxing, not thinking about anything in particular, when Marsha Brady came into the room, walked up to my bed and kissed me on the cheek.

“What was that for” I asked.

“For being you” she said. “If there’s ever anything I can do”

“You already have,” I told her.

Cheryl came back about 30 minutes later,

“I think it’s time to pull the plug on today, you’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow. Your pulse has come down nicely, except for a brief spike a little while ago. But I know the cause of that.”

“How are you getting my pulse?” I asked. Cheryl opened up my night gown and showed me what looked like some sort of patch on my left side. I hadn’t noticed it as my view was blocked by my new assets.

“It’s wireless to the receiver above your head, which sends it to the display monitors at the nurses station. We can do full EKG, BP, pulse and temp if we need to, we just have you on pulse rate to keep a watchful eye on you.”

“Okay, I was wondering, County General doesn’t have anything like this,” I said.

“No, this is state of the art, funded by a grant from NIH,” Cheryl said. “Why were you in County General?”

“An industrial accident about 6 months ago. It’s really what started this whole thing,” I told her.

“I’d like to hear the whole story sometime. For now, though, it’s time to say good night, Kari.”

“Good night Kari” I responded brightly. She groaned as she injected the hypo into my IV line.

Monday morning dawned with me feeling the best I had since surgery. I woke up early, eager to get started. I was hoping that my body, which had delivered up several surprises already, would reward me with some high speed healing. April showed up just after her shift started, to find me online checking out professional HD cameras. I had zoomed in on Panasonic’s top of the line camcorder for HDTV, and she whistled at the price.

“$32.000 for a camera! Wow!”

“That’s just the starting point,” I told her, opening up a sidebar. “Equipped the way I want, with the additional accessories, I’m looking at $65,000 for the package” I said. “That’s retail. I figure I can knock five grand off that.”

“That’s a lot of money!”

“Yeah, I only gave about five grand for my Betacam SP used. But I’m betting the higher quality of the DVCPRO will win out in the end.”

“Why do you need such an expensive camera,” she asked.

“I’m not going to sit around the house after I get out of here. As soon as I’m fit, I want to go back into broadcast photojournalism. I used to be pretty good at it.”

“Fit is the operative term,” April said. “I’ll get your breakfast, then we’ll get you cleaned up. By then Dr. Hanson ought to be here.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

By 8:30 I was all cleaned up, fresh clothes and all. They’d change the sheets while I was doing therapy, so I wouldn’t have to endure another “inspection” from Steve the orderly. Dr. Hanson showed up right at 9, I was back on the computer, chasing information and making notes.

“You’re at it bright and early,” Dr. Hanson said.

“I’ve got things to do,” I told her.

“Not until you’re fit,” she said.

“Then let’s get started!”

“One step at a time!” April had come in, pulling the screen. Dr. Hanson opened my gown and examined the surgical sites. The only one she was concerned about was the abdominal incision.

“I want to use an abdominal brace,” she told April. “About a 22”, I’d say.”

April grinned at me, “There are girls out there that are going to hate you on sight!”

Dr. Hanson removed the IV, “Won’t be needing that anymore.“

April brought in a plastic-wrapped item, when unwrapped, it looked like a corset designed by an engineer. This was placed around my abdomen and pulled up tight with Velcro straps. “That’s to make sure you don’t pop anything loose” Dr. Hanson said.

April brought in a wheelchair. I was helped up, put on my robe, then seated in the chair. They whisked me down a floor to the therapy room, which resembled your typical fitness center.

I was turned over to one of the therapists, a svelte young woman named Jill, who proceeded to drag me through the ringer backwards, or so it seemed. An hour later, not only did my abdomen hurt, so did my arms and legs. As I was wheeled off to be buried, Jill bid me a cheery “See you this afternoon!”. Oh, no! That’s not going to happen! Just let me die in peace!

When I got back to my room, Dr. Hanson was waiting for me, looking indecently cheerful, I thought. At the look on my face, she actually laughed!

“I know you may not believe it, but you did quite well,” she said. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve removed your bed restriction. You can now go to the bathroom and move around the room.”

“I’ll be lucky if I ever get out of bed again,” I told her.

“Oh, I think we can help with that.” She handed me a cup with several pills in it and a glass of water. “These are some analgesics and a mild muscle relaxer.”

I downed the pills and laid back with a groan. “After this afternoon’s session, you get a nice soak in the whirlpool. You’ll feel much better tomorrow.”

“I could hardly feel worse,” I moaned.

Dr. Hanson patted my arm, “You’ll make it, trust me.”

After she left, April came in with a bottle of liniment. “This will help, I promise” she said. Donning gloves, she worked the liniment into my legs and arms, then rolled me over and rubbed my back.

“Ooh, that feels good,” I told her. “Will you marry me?”

She smacked me smartly on my butt, “Watch it, or I’ll tell Kathy!”

By noon I was feeling better, and I was absurdly excited to see actual bits of meat and vegetables in my soup. After eating, April assisted me to the bathroom, then it was back to the torture chamber!

The whirlpool bath helped more than I would have thought, and I was loose-limbed when I was wheeled back to my room. April came in with the pills after I got back, as well as my daily shot in the backside. I lay back in my bed and immediately went to sleep.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty.” I cautiously cracked an eye open, yes, it was Kathy. After a long, pleasant kiss, I started laughing.

“What’s so funny” she asked, so I told her about us winning the bet for Cheryl the night before.

Kathy laughed also, “I’m going to want a cut of the action” she said. “I see you survived your therapy sessions today.”

“No, I didn’t. They just haven’t come to bury me yet.”

“Baby!” Kathy said to me. I told her about the various indignities that were visited on me.

“Well you better get better quick, I’m not going to be around the house to wait on you when you get out,” she said.

“Which reminds me, did you ask Dr. Hanson when you’re being discharged?”

“No, I forgot,” I admitted.

“Some things never change,” Kathy said with an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll go check at the nurses station, they may know.”

She was back quickly, “Thursday morning, after morning rounds, if all goes well.”

“Great! I got a bunch of things to do,” I told her.

“I doubt you’re going to be doing much of anything, at least at first,” Kathy said.

“Well, nothing very physical, anyway,” I admitted.

Just then Marsha stuck her head in the door, “Ready for dinner?”

“Sure, why not” I replied.

She brought in a covered tray and set it in front of me, then whisked the cover off with a flourish. “Ta-Da!” On the plate was a small chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

“Real Food!” I exclaimed.

“Your reward,” Marsha said. “I’ve got another one out there with your name on it, Kathy, if you’re hungry?”

“Please, that would be much appreciated,” Kathy replied.

The plate was cleaned all too quickly. I idly chased the last bit of green beans around with my fork, then speared it and popped it in my mouth.

“That’s the most food I think I’ve seen you eat,” Kathy said.

“That’s the most I’ve eaten in a long time,” I admitted.

“At least you’ll be able to help me with all the food that’s been brought over. I’ve had to freeze most of it.”

“Good thing,” I told her.

“Why?”

“I don’t think I’ll be up to standing over a hot stove cooking for awhile yet, but I should be able to warm stuff up.”

“That reminds me,” Kathy said, “I was thinking maybe we should give Suzanne a house key, you know, just in case.”

“I knew there was another reason I married you besides your looks,” I said, “Good idea.”

That earned me another kiss, and Kathy’s kisses should be enjoyed whenever possible. A couple of minutes later, Marsha came in to collect the trays.

“I guess you two are done now,” as she picked up my tray. “Yes, it was delicious!” I told her.

As she walked out, she turned and grinned at us, “I wasn’t talking about dinner!”. I stuck my tongue out at her in reply.

Kathy rolled her eyes, “How much longer are you going to have that tattletale bug on your chest?”

“I dunno. Look on the bright side,” I said.

“What bright side?”

“You have objective proof of the effect you have on me,” I said smiling.

The rest of the evening is hardly worth telling about. We watched some TV, and amused ourselves in other ways that need not be related. Kathy left about 8:30, and I easily went to sleep without need of sedatives.

Tuesday was pretty much a repeat of Monday, except that I didn’t hurt as much as I had Monday. Tuesday afternoon, I was given a walker and encouraged to exercise by walking around the corridors.

Out of curiosity, I made my way down to the Maternity Ward, and went to the nursery where the viewing window was. I stood there trying to decide how I felt about the idea of actually bearing a child and becoming a mother.

“Which one’s yours?”

I turned and a young couple stood there. The wife was thin with a huge belly, looking rather like a board balanced on a basketball I thought. Her husband stood with his arm around her, as much for physical as moral support.

“Oh, none. I just had surgery the other day, and I came down to look at the babies while exercising,” I told them.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they,” she said. “I’m Connie, and this is my husband Gary.”

“I’m Kari, pleased to meet you.”

“Kari, that’s a pret-OOF!” and Connie grabbed her belly.

“Honey, you’d better sit down,” Gary said, as I asked “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” she said, “They’re kicking down there again,” but she allowed her husband to assist her into the wheelchair sitting just behind. “Twins,” she told me, “I think they’re fighting over the room. There they go again! So, you don’t have any children?”

“No”

“Would you like to feel,” she asked, indicating her belly.

“You don’t mind?”

“No, go ahead,” and she guided my hand to a spot on her belly. At first there was nothing, then “Whap” and then another. I kneeled next to her, my hand on her belly, but my mind was a million miles away.

“Gary, would you get me something to drink? Something with ice in it, from downstairs. I’ll be fine here,” Connie asked her husband.

“Sure, I’ll be back in about five, don’t run off” he said.

“As if” Connie turned to me, “You said you just had surgery?” I nodded. “Female problems?” she asked.

“Yeah, sorta” I replied.

“You can’t have children,” it wasn’t quite a question.

“Yes and no,” I told her. “My ovaries are damaged, but my sister has offered me all the eggs I need if I want to try to carry a child,” I told her. “How did you know?”

“The look on your face when we came up, you looked sort of wistful. Then when you felt the babies kick, your face told me something was wrong.”

“I’m confused, I don’t know which way I want to go. Suddenly, having a child seems so important, but I can’t imagine myself dropping everything to make that kind of commitment. At least, not right now.”

“It’s a big decision,” Connie said. “We had to use fertility drugs to get these. We’ve been trying for years. If you don’t mind some advice, take your time, make sure what you want.” She reached over and squeezed my hand.

Any further conversation was forestalled by the simultaneous arrival of her husband and Suzanne and Brittany.

“There she is, mommy!” and Brittany came running up to me and gave me a hug.

“The nurse said you’d headed down this way,” Suzanne said. “Window shopping?”

I stood up, hard to do as Brittany continued to cling to me, and introduced them to Connie and Gary. Brittany stood close by me and grabbed my left hand in her right, as Connie looked at her and then me. She reached over and gripped my arm, “You’ll do fine”.

She winced as another kick disturbed her, “Driver, back to the room. I think the game has gone into extra innings! Nice meeting all of you”, she told us.

“Getting your exercise?” Suzanne asked.

“Yeah, but I think I’ve had enough for now” I said. “Let’s hobble back to my room.”

On the way back we passed a sign that said Pediatric Ward. A thought occurred to me, “Do you mind a quick detour,” I asked Suzanne.

“You lead, we’ll follow.” I went to the nurses station which was just inside the door.

“May I help you,” the nurse behind the desk asked.

“I was wondering, can the children have flowers and plants? I’ve got a ton of them in my room, and I’m getting out in a day and a half. I thought maybe they would be appreciated here.”

“Most of the children are allowed to have flowers and plants, and they would certainly brighten up the rooms. We’d love to have them,” the nurse told me.

“Fine, I’ll organize the transfer tomorrow afternoon” I said.

When we got back to my room, Kathy was waiting for us. “Figured you’d show up sooner or later, so I decided to sit here and rest my feet in the meantime.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” I said. I sat on the bed and carefully swung my legs up onto the mattress, stretching out with a sigh of relief. Brittany immediately moved to climb up next to me. Her mother started to stop her, then looking at my grin, let her go.

“Guess where we found her,” Suzanne asked Kathy, pointing at me. “Looking at the newborns in the Nursery!” Brittany meanwhile had snuggled up under my arm, which I circled around her.

“I was doing some thinking,” I protested. “Something you keep accusing me of not doing!

By the way,” I said, turning to Suzanne, “We’d like to ask a favor of you.”

“Sure,” she replied without hesitation.

“Don’t you want to know what it is first?”

“Nope,” she replied, holding up a key on a ring.

“I called her from the shop, and stopped and had a duplicate made on the way over.” Kathy said.

“I’ll be glad to get out of here,” I said with exasperation, “I feel like I’m a step behind everybody else!”

Suzanne laughed, then sobered. “Now I’ve got a favor to ask of you and Kathy. I’d feel better knowing there’s somebody close, that Brit trusts, in case something should happen to Ralph or me. Our nearest family is over a thousand miles away. I’d like to list you two as alternate guardians with the school, and her doctor, that sort of thing.”

“Suzanne, I’d be honored,” I told her, “But this is pretty quick off the mark, isn’t it? I’ve never even met your husband, and you haven’t known us all that long.”

“I talked with Ralph on the phone last night, he trusts my judgment. Besides, I think the decision has already been made anyway,” she said, pointing at Brittany, who’d laid an arm across my chest and was fast asleep. I looked over at Kathy.

“Of course, Suzanne,” she said. “I’m touched that you trust us that much.”

“Thank you, thank you both,” Suzanne said. “I’ll have to have you sign some papers, for the school and the doctor, that sort of thing, but here.” she pulled a key out of her purse and handed it to me.

“The key to my treasure,” she said, nodding at Brittany. We all three looked like leaky faucets by then, as hugs were exchanged. Suzanne excused herself then, gathered up a sleepy Brittany and left..

I looked at Kathy then. “I don’t imagine you had any idea what you were getting into, did you? Maybe a little more than you bargained for?” I asked.

“Kari, I found a wonderful, loving person when I found you. I’m not surprised others see the same things I see.” She sat down next to me and pulled me up into clinch that curled my toes. It was several minutes before I finally had to come up for air, and I leaned over and laid my head on Kathy’s shoulder.

“I love you” I told her.

“I love you too” Kathy replied.

Laurie and Kelli came by Tuesday evening. As I thought, when Kelli was with one of the others her “excitability” level was higher. Of course, once they found out I was going home they had to have our home address. Laurie promised they’d be by Saturday or Sunday to see how I was doing. I’d had another full day and the nurse shooed everybody out so I could got to sleep.

Wednesday morning, Dr. Hanson pronounced herself quite pleased with my progress, and dropped another bombshell on me.

“Kari, there’s something else you will have to get used to.”

“What’s that?”

“Menstrual periods.”

“You are kidding, right?”

“Actually, no. It appears that your body is settling into female mode completely, and I expect you will start having your periods very shortly. Even though your tubes are tied, your period will proceed normally. Later on, we can use various drugs to regulate the number of periods you have, or even eliminate them. But for now, the natural way is best for you.”

I have no idea what my face looked like, but it must have been a sight.

“Didn’t plan on this, did you?”

“I had no idea,” I told her.

“Kathy will be able to help you with this, but I want to see you as soon as it starts,” Dr. Hanson told me.

“Count on it,” I said.

“I’ll send a box of various samples of tampons and pads home with you, so you can try them out.”

“Now, I see no reason not to discharge you in the morning, you’re doing quite well. I want you to be extremely cautious about your activities for the first 7 -10 days. Take baths, not showers. Don’t overdo things. A short walk each day is ok, no more than a block total. No heavy lifting, no lifting above your head. I’ll set up an appointment for you to come in in about a week, if everything looks good, we’ll remove the dressing covering your incision. I’m leaving it on now to minimize any scarring.”

My mind was a total wreck during my physical therapy. Periods? Me? What I’d read suggested to me that the estrogen doses I was taking would eliminate that. Time to do some more research.

April interrupted my musings with lunch. “Penny for your thoughts” she laughed.

“Not worth it, I’m afraid. Hey, I need some help this afternoon.”

“Sure, what can I do?”

“I need an orderly with a cart to move a bunch of these flowers and plants to the Pediatric Ward. I checked with the nurses there and they’d be happy to have them for the children.”

“Kari, you are a honey! Of course the kids will love these flowers!” she said. “When do you want to do it?”

"After I get back from therapy. I want to keep a few of these, so I need to be here when they’re loaded.”

“No problem, I’ll have one here at 3:30, alright?”

“Sounds good” I said.

Afternoon‘s session went better, as I’d managed to distract myself by thinking about the kids getting those flowers. The orderly was waiting as promised, and I directed the loading of the various bundles of flowers and plants, keeping only a few that I wanted to take home. When he departed, I set out on my afternoon prowl of the hallways.

After wandering around aimlessly for a while, I decided to see how Connie was doing. I asked at the nurses station what room she was in, explaining that I’d met them the day before but didn’t know their last name.

Properly cautious, the nurse called and confirmed that I was indeed a patient in the hospital before telling me which room was Connie’s. I knocked and stuck my head in the door, “Want some company?”

“Hi Kari! Come on in!”

“How are the kids doing” waving my hand at her distended belly. “Still kick boxing?”

“No, I think they’ve taken up tennis,” she replied laughing. “How are you doing?”

“Pretty good, actually. I’m being discharged in the morning.”

“I can’t wait until I get out of here,” Connie said.

“How much longer?” I asked.

“Three weeks, hopefully. They’re so near full-term, but things were getting too difficult for me to stay home.”

“Three weeks in here! That’s a long time!”

“Worth it though, if I can get these two out healthy,” she replied. We chatted a bit, then I had to get back to my room.

“Come by if you have the chance,” Connie said.

“Depends on how fast I heal.” I said. “I may not be able to get out for awhile. If I gave you my number, could Gary give me a call when you go in?”

“If he remembers! I may have to call you myself.” I gave her my number and promised to stay in touch.

Kathy was waiting when I got back to the room.

“Things look a little bare in here,” she said.

“I found a good home for them,” I said, and told her about sending them to the Pediatrics Ward.

“That’s a great idea! To tell the truth, I was afraid I’d have to rent another U-Haul to get them all home,” she said.

“Speaking of which, everything ready for my homecoming?” “Yep, fresh sheets on the bed, refrigerator is stocked, everything is set.”

“I will be so happy to be home and sleeping in my own bed,” I said.

“OUR bed, if you don’t mind,” Kathy corrected me with a grin.

“I don’t mind at all! But, until the visitors slow down, we need to make the front bedroom look “occupied”. I’ve got some ideas on that, you’ll have to help me when we get home,” I told her.

“Okay” she said. “Now, I’ve got some things for you. First, all this came in the mail,” and she handed me a stack of envelopes and a box of checks, all addressed to Karielle Elyse Taylor.

Opening the envelopes, I found new credit cards and a new bank card in my new name. The checks were in my name on my existing account. “I need my purse,” and Kathy got it out from the small safe the hospital provided in each room.

“Next is this,” and Kathy handed me another checkbook and bank card. The checkbook cover was in electric blue, and opening it I saw that the checks had both her and my names on them.

“I opened a joint account for us, using the rest of the money Cindy loaned us,” Kathy told me. “You need to sign the account card, then you’ll be ready to go.”

I took my personal checkbook out and wrote a check to our account, filled out a deposit slip, and handed them to Kathy. “I’ll set up a regular transfer to our account for my contribution.”

“That’s not all,” Kathy said, “Cindy did some more of her excellent work” and she handed me my new birth certificate and other documents, all showing me to be Karielle Elyse Taylor, female.

“Now I can get my drivers license!” I said gleefully.

“Umm, I did a little cheating there,” Kathy said, and handed me a drivers license with my new name, sex and picture on it. Then I took a closer look, and realized that it was Kathy on the DL.

“I figured since we looked alike, I’d save you some time and hassle. I got that this afternoon, on the way over. Hope you don’t mind,” she said with a little apprehension.

What she didn’t say was that she’d also saved me the embarrassment of having to turn in my old, male drivers license and endure the inevitable looks and comments.

“Kathy, you are wonderful, and I’m sure I don’t deserve you. Come here and let me give you a kiss!”

Once the important things were done, I gathered up all my goodies to put in the purse.

“One more thing,” and Kathy handed me a beautiful kid leather billfold. I opened it up and found spaces for all my new cards and IDs. In the photos section, there was a photo of Kathy, another of us together in our wedding dresses, cutting the cake, and a small copy of the photo of Brittany and I. I slipped the license in the special window provided, put in the new checks for our joint account, and transferred all the rest of my stuff from the old billfold I’d been using.

I turned the billfold over and over in my hands, opening it back up and examining all the contents, then closing it up and holding it in my hands. “So, do you like it? I looked at her, and Kathy wasn’t as surprised to see I was crying as I was to realize it.

“It’s wonderful! It’s all wonderful! Thank you! Oh, I don’t know why I’m crying, but thank you!” Kathy gave me a hug and held me as I snuffled.

“Honey, it’s what we women do when we’re happy. It’s perfectly alright!” She handed me some tissue and I dried my tears.

I examined it one more time, then handed it to Kathy, “Put this away so nothing happens to it, please.”

Kathy then pulled out a couple of large paper shopping bags.

“I’m going to haul some of this home tonight so we won’t have to deal with it in the morning. And I brought you some things to wear home. She pulled out a light blue shirtwaist dress, and one of my Victoria’s Secret demi bras and matching panties, along with some hose and a pair of flats.

Marsha came in just then, “Hold on, there’s something else.” She ducked out, then came back in with April, Cheryl, Jill the physical therapist, and several other nurses, including one I recognized as the nurse from the Pediatrics Ward. Standing in the back I was surprised to see the hospital administrator, Mr. Harwell.

April stepped forward with a large wrapped package. “Kari, we don’t usually do this, but in the week you’ve been here, you’ve shown yourself to be a special person to all of us, and a special friend to all the nurses. So we’ve named you as an honorary nurse here at University Medical Center.”

She handed the package to me and I unwrapped it. Inside was a shiny, polished bedpan. Inside was a plaque, on which was inscribed “Karielle Elyse Taylor, Honorary Nurse, University Medical Center” with today’s date. Once again I was crying, and laughing at the same time.

“Thank you all very much! I’ll hang this, um, somewhere!” Then everybody was laughing and they all came up in turn and gave me hugs.

Mr. Harwell stepped up and shook my hand. “Thank you, Ms Taylor, for reminding us how important the human element is in healing.” Not knowing how to respond, I mumbled something polite in return.

“You know, we are always looking for people of your caliber for our nursing program. If you should decide you’re interested, I’d be more than happy to assist you in enrolling,” Mr. Harwell said.

“I uh, I’m honored,” I told him.

“Think about it, Kari,” Marsha chimed in. “You’ve got what it takes here” and she touched my chest over my heart, “and you’re smart enough to learn the rest.”

“I won’t make any promises” I said, “but I will think about it.”

When they’d all left, I lay on the bed and looked at my “award”. “Where the heck am I going to hang this?”

“How about the third bedroom?” Kathy said. “We could set it up as a small office, put the computer and stuff like that in there.”

“Good idea! I can also set up my editing bay in there.”

“What’s that”, Kathy asked.

“I thought maybe I’d look into getting back into television news photography. I’m going to get my old Betacam serviced, and I’m considering the purchase of a new HDTV-capable cam and editing equipment.”

“Sounds expensive,” Kathy said.

“It is, but it was my career goal several years ago. Now that I’ve gotten a life again, I thought I should do something with it.”

“You could always stay home and be a housewife,” Kathy said, grinning.

“Um, no.”

Just then Marsha brought in the dinner trays. Lifting the cover, I was surprised to see a small steak with the trimmings!

“Is this on my diet,” I asked in surprise.

“You planning on complaining,” Marsha asked.

“No! Not at all!”

Marsha winked at me, “Enjoy!”.

After the delicious meal, Kathy loaded up the sacks.

“Since I’ve got to be back here first thing in the morning, I’m going to go get a good night’s sleep” she said. She gave me a kiss sadly lacking in calories, but promised better after we got home.

This was the first time in this entire stay that I’d been truly alone and awake. I started thinking about where I’d come from, and where I was going. The changes in my life were truly amazing. The thing was, I was also happier than I’d could ever remember being. So much pain had brought me to this point, but could I have gotten here without it?

If I had been raised as a female, where would I be now? Would I have loved a man as much as I love Kathy? Somehow, I couldn’t imagine it. Whatever had brought me here, “here” was a very good place to be. But what lay in the future? Would I be a photographer, a nurse, a mother? Hell, I could even be “a singer in a rock & roll band” quoting from a Moody Blues song! And how many of those diverse goals were mutually exclusive?

Did I want to become a mother at some point? Kathy and Suzanne seemed sure I would, but I wasn’t as positive. Yes, I loved Brittany, and having her with me felt good, but I knew motherhood wasn’t always that easy. It seemed to me that Dr. Hanson and I would have a lot to talk about in the future.

A tap at the door interrupted my reverie. Marsha stuck her head through the door, “How ya doing?”

“I don’t really know, got about ten hours? I can try to outline it for you” I told her.

“Oh, deep thoughts time,” she replied.

“Yeah. Come on in and sit down, if you don’t have anything else you need to be doing.”

She laughed, and sat down. “How about a summary?”

“It seems I’m at a crossroads, with many paths before me. Several of the paths seem to go in the same direction, several don’t. Frankly, I’m not used to having such a range of choices,” I said. “Before, my life always passed from point a to point b to point c, like following a well-marked highway, with mile markers to measure my progress. Then two years ago, that road was destroyed, blown up by somebody’s hate."

"Last year, I thought I’d found the road again, but then somebody’s recklessness stole it from me. Now, I’m at this point, and I have to make decisions. Which path, or paths do I follow? And having chosen, how do I know that road won’t be stolen from me again. It may sound strange, but I’m so happy right now it scares me.”

Marsha seemed to ponder my words for a moment.

“Kari, I don’t have any magic to help you. What you’re facing is something that happens to some of us. Some, but not all. You’ve got choices that many would envy. Others who have been in your situation would pity you. You’ve got resources that you can use: Kathy, Dr. Hanson, even your friends. But in the end, the choice will be yours to make.”

She got up and walked over to my bed, and laid a hand over my heart. “I can tell you this, the answer has to come from here. If, in your heart, you feel the choice is right, then you will have made a good choice.”

“Now, it’s time to say good night.”

She picked up a paper cup from a tray I hadn’t noticed, “This is just a mild sleeping aid, if you want it. I’ll leave it here on your table. I won’t be here when you leave in the morning, so I want to say good bye to you. You’ve turned this place on it’s ear while you were here, and I think that’s been a good thing. You’re a very special young woman, Kari, and it’s been a pleasure to have known you.”

Without even thinking about it, I swung out of bed and hugged her. “Thank you, Marsha! You’re special to me, too!” My eyes were leaking, but I didn’t care. I released her, and it seems I wasn’t the only one with leaky eyes. “Not goodbye, Marsha, just until the next time we meet.” Marsha nodded and squeezed my hand, then left.

I got into bed, poured myself a glass of water, and picked up the pill. After looking at it in my hand, I laughed softly to myself. “No, I don’t think so.” I dumped the pill back in the cup and turned the light out.

Thursday started early, with April waking me just after seven.

”Come on, hit the deck! Time’s a wasting!” I grumbled back at her, I’ll never be a morning person. “Let’s go! I’m going to start your shower.”

“Shower! Is that allowed?” I asked.

“Only when you’re monitored by medical assistance. I’ll be right there with you. Do you mind?”

“Can I get you to scrub my back?”

“Sorry, you’re on your own,” she giggled.

“Well, that sure takes all the fun out of it!”

The shower felt good, but it was in and out. April wasn’t taking any chances that I might slip. As soon as I was toweled off, she had me back sitting on the bed. I pointed out what I was going to wear home, and she helped me on with my undergarments. Everything else she packed in my suitcase.

“I’ll be back with your breakfast in a few.”

Kathy came in just after that, “Well, up and around already, I see.”

“Yes, April’s already been through here like a tornado,” I told her.

Kathy got my purse out of the safe, and pulled out my makeup bag.

“Well, let’s make you look decent” and she swiftly applied a light layer of cosmetics to my face.

I stopped her as she was about to apply my lipstick, “Hold on there, I’ve got something due me first!”

Kathy grinned and gave me a quick but firm kiss.

“Will that hold you until we get home?”

“Guess it’ll have to,” I grumbled. Kathy patted me on the cheek, and finished making me up. Next she turned her attention to my hair, pulling it back into a French braid.

April brought in my breakfast tray just then.

“Sorry, none for you,” she told Kathy, “But I did wrangle some coffee and pastry.”

“That’ll do fine,” Kathy told her. “Thank you.”

After eating, Kathy went around the room, gathering up the rest of my possessions and packing them in a bag. Right at 9, Dr. Hanson came in along with April.

“Well, looks like you’re ready to escape this place” she said.

“Yes, I certainly am!” I told her.

“Let’s just have a look. She pulled back the sheet, and paused to admire my fancy lace bra and panties, “Pretty”. Then she turned her attention to the incision on my abdomen.

“Hmmm, don’t see any reason to keep you any longer” Dr. Hanson said. “Kathy, you can go sign her out. We’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

Kathy left and Dr. Hanson turned back to me. “Kari, I’ve set up an appointment for you next Tuesday, and if you want to keep on seeing me, we’ll make set up a regular schedule then.”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Good. I’ve got to go sign some orders and prescriptions for you, I’ll be right back. April will help you finish getting dressed.”

I had just slipped on the dress when Kathy and Dr. Hanson came back in, followed by an orderly pushing a wheelchair. I sat down in the chair and the orderly went out and came back with a cart, which he loaded with my stuff.

“Take that down to the ER entrance, we’ll be there in a few,” Dr Hanson told him. April pushed me down the hall, but turned before reaching the elevators.

“Where are we going,” I asked, confused.

“Some people want to say thank you,” April said and pushed me through the doors of the Pediatric Ward. Waiting inside were about a dozen children, some standing, some in wheelchairs. One little girl was supporting herself with an IV stand.

A little girl who was maybe a few years older than Brittany, her bald head showing the effects of chemotherapy, came up to me.

“Miss Karielle, we just wanted to say thank you for all the pretty flowers and plants. They’re lovely!” She handed me a homemade card showing all the children, in beds and wheelchairs, surrounded by flowers and plants. Inside it said Thank You! in big letters, and was signed by the children.

“Honey, you’re so very, very welcome!”

“Okay, children, back to bed,” the Peds nurse said. Several of them waved and said good bye then April tuned me around and took me out.

When we got in the elevator Kathy fussed over my “ruining your makeup”, but she had tears in her eyes also.

Once we got to the ER, Kathy brought around her car and all my stuff was loaded up. A last hug from April, and I was finally free to go home. HOME! I’d left there a depressed young man, I was returning a happy young woman!

Epilogue

“Well, Kari, you’ve come a long way” Dr. Hanson said. “It’s hard to believe it’s only been a year.”

“Yes, it is” I said. “Elliot seems almost like a dream to me sometimes, like a book I read one time and put down.”

Dr. Hanson looked at the confident young woman seated in front of her. “I believe that wraps up our sessions,” she said. “I think you’ll find Dr. Palmer to be an excellent ob/gyn, but if you ever feel the need to talk, give me a call. And let me know how you’re doing.”

“Oh, I will. I owe a lot to you.”

“Your mind’s made up about children?” she asked.

“Yes it is” I told her.

“Good luck to you, then.

Good bye.”

“Good bye, doctor.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those who might question the speed of these events, the medical background and procedures, or the way the hospital in the story is run, hey, that's the way it works in MY universe!

This is the fifth and final part of a fairly long story, with several sequels in the works. A big hug and thank you to Angel O'Hare, who has kindly proofread portions of it. Any mistakes left are mine.