"You okay John?" he asked worriedly as he sat next to me on the couch.
I nodded weakly, "Yeah, I guess so. I just didn't really think I'd get away, you know? I keep expecting her to show up and drag me back there..." I shuddered at the thought and winced from the pain that caused in my chest.
"Who drag you back where?" he asked, confused. I mean she, argh! I still couldn't believe this pretty girl sitting next to me was my best friend Mark. And to think when I was pounding on his door I was worrying about how he'd react to me!
"My aunt. Remember, I told you my Mom was leaving me with her over the summer?" I said.
Mar...cie groaned and rolled her eyes, "How could I forget? You kept going on and on about how she hates you and all males!"
Nodding, I said, "Yeah, and she does! From some of her rants I think she must have been raped as a kid or something. But she took it out on me."
Marcie looked worried as she asked, "You mean she hit you?!"
"Well, yeah, but only when I didn't act girly enough for her." I replied with a shrug.
"Wait a minute!" Marcie said with a shocked expression, "Are you saying your aunt forced you to dress like that?!"
"It certainly wasn't my idea!" I exclaimed. "Is that what you thought, that I wanted to dress like a girl?!" Marcie just gave me a look and I realized that's exactly what she'd thought. I guess I couldn't blame her, seeing as how she wants to dress like a girl. "Look, I'm not like you, okay? I'm a regular guy."
Some tension I hadn't even noticed was there seemed to flow out of Marcie at that and she smiled. What was that about? "Sorry. When you showed up looking like that, and acting so feminine, I just assumed you were like me." she glanced down when she said that and I realized that I was sitting like aunt Karen had taught me without realizing it.
I think I was blushing as I uncrossed my ankles and sat more like I usually do. "It's gotten to be automatic, I guess." I mumbled, embarrassed. Marcie frowned at the way I was sitting. It did look kind of weird, with my knees apart while wearing a skirt and everything. I flinched, half expecting her to hit me.
The frown melted off of Marcie's face in an instant when she saw me flinch and she threw her arms around me in a fierce hug. It was weird, because Mark never did stuff like that. Also, I got really stiff at first, still expecting to get hit or something, I guess. But then I just felt so...safe, I guess, that I relaxed into it despite my sore ribs. The next thing I knew I was bawling my eyes out on her shoulder.
I don't know how long she held me like that, but it seemed like a long time. Finally, I was able to stop crying and pulled away in embarrassment. "Sorry." I said softly, "I don't know what came over me. Guess it must be those hormones aunt Karen's been slipping me."
"Hormones?! You can't be serious!" Marcie exclaimed.
"Yeah," I said with a nod, "I am. I'd noticed a funny taste in the oatmeal she insisted on feeding me every morning a few weeks ago. My emotions started going haywire after that, and then I noticed my chest felt weird. I asked her about it and she admitted she was putting estrogen in my oatmeal in this off handed kind of way, like it was nothing!" Suddenly I was so filled with rage I wanted to hit something, anything! Marcie kind of scooted away from me on the couch a bit and I realized I was clenching my fists so hard my knuckles were popping.
"John?" she said. She sounded like she was afraid of me!
All my anger just melted away at the sound of her voice. "Sorry Marcie, I'm okay now." I said. I couldn't look her in the eye after scaring her like that.
Marcie touched me lightly on the shoulder and I looked up automatically. "It's okay John, you surprised me with that sudden change in mood is all. If she's been feeding you hormones, and you're not like me, it's no wonder you're a little touchy! Do you think we should go to the police?" she asked. She didn't sound like she was afraid anymore, thankfully.
I laughed at that, "Yeah, like they're going to believe a fourteen year old kid over an adult? Looking like this? They'd just send me right back to her!" Then I remembered that video... But no, she probably found that and deleted it, I'm sure.
"Who says you have to talk to them dressed like that? I do have a closet full of boys clothes you know." Marcie said. "Let's see if any of it fits you!" I nodded dumbly and followed her up to her room. As much trouble as I was having getting used to her as a girl, I had still forgotten she had all those male clothes that she wore at school. This was the first time I'd been at her house since the school year ended, and now I knew why! Her room was already transformed, looking more like a girl's room than a boys. There were a few touches left from Mark, but not many.
While Marcie looked through Mark's clothes I looked around in wonder at the changes she'd made in just a few weeks. Everything was pink and white, just like the dress she was wearing. I still couldn't understand why she wanted to dress and live as a girl, but I had to admit it seemed to suit her. "You're really serious about this girl stuff, aren't you?" I asked.
I was almost knocked over by the jeans she hit me in the head with. "I am a girl John!" she snapped.
"Huh? I know you're dressing and living as a girl now, but you're still a boy." I said, confused.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Marcie said angrily. "My body may be male, but I'm not! Here, put these clothes on." She threw more clothes at me and stomped out of the room, slamming the door on the way. I was so stunned I didn't react and they slapped me in the face before falling on the floor. Why was she so angry?
I thought about what happened when I got here as I gratefully stripped off the girly clothes my aunt forced me to wear and changed into Marcie's old clothes...
I knocked on the door, trying to act normal so I wouldn't attract attention to myself despite how frantic I felt. I was getting really panicky by the third knock with still no response, even though I thought I heard movement inside. Why wasn't Mark answering?! I held down the doorbell button, but still no response! I forgot all about being discrete and started pounding on the door, calling out to Mark at the top of my lungs. I just about fell into the house when this pretty girl opened the door. I'd never seen her at Mark's before, but she seemed oddly familiar...
"John? Is that you?!" she asked in shock. I just nodded numbly, trying to figure out how she knew me, or who she was, for that matter! "Come inside!" she said, opening the door wide for me. I stumbled inside, exhausted from my run from my aunt's house. She led me over to the couch and I collapsed into it.
"How do you know me?" I asked.
"You don't recognize me? It's me, Mark!" she said. Mark?! Was her mom doing what aunt Karen did to me?!
"Not you, too! We've got to get out of here!" I gasped, lurching up off of the couch. I grabbed Mark's arm and started pulling him towards the door but he dug his heels in.
"What are you talking about?!" he asked, mystified. I realized that he was talking differently. It was still his voice, but it sounded softer somehow, more feminine. His mom really went all out if she even made him talk differently!
"Your mom's making you dress like this, isn't she? We've got to get out of here before she gets back!" I explained, trying to drag him out the door again. He seemed stunned and let me pull him for a moment before stopping me again.
"Nobody's making me dress like this! This is who I am. I was going to tell you about it, but I keep chickening out." Mark said. His head hung down at the end, like he was afraid to face me.
"Huh?!" I said, mystified. I was still in panic mode and his words really didn't register at first. Then they finally did and I stared at him in shock, "You want to dress like a girl?!"
Mark looked up at that and got this determined look on his face. "I am a girl! I always have been, I just hid it from everyone. When we go back to school in August I'm going as a girl. I'm using the summer to get used to it, though it's my parents who really need the time to get used to it, it's totally natural for me! My name is Marcie."
"Marcie?!" I was totally confused now, and Mark led me back over to the couch. "So you're going to dress like this all the time now?" I asked.
Mark nodded, "Yeah, I have been since school ended. I only dressed as Mark when I visited you before you went over to your aunt's. My parents are being amazing about this. They have a little trouble with using the wrong name, and especially the wrong pronouns, but they're trying really hard to get used to me being a girl. I..." he paused uncertainly and there was a long silence before he went on. "I hope you can accept me as a girl, too." His voice was really soft when he said that, so soft I almost didn't hear him. At that moment I really noticed how feminine he sounded, and acted. And he certainly looked like a pretty girl!
"So..." I started uncertainly, "...you're Marcie now, huh? Is that, like, forever? No more Mark?" He nodded. "You're going to go to school like that and everything?" He nodded again. I just sat there, stunned. What could make Mark want to be a girl? He had to know he would be a laughingstock. But then, we were going to our first year of high school this year. Maybe he figured he could just show up as a new student or something? I guess that could work...
"John? Are you OK? You're still breathing hard, did you run all the way here?" Mark asked. Or, I guess it would be Marcie? This is so confusing!
I wiped some sweat off my forehead that was threatening to get into my eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I didn't have much time to find you." I replied, thinking about the last time I saw my aunt, lying on the floor where I'd hit her with the chair. I was sure she'd be up and after me in no time!
Mark or Marcie, what should I call him? Or was it her? Whoever he is, he seemed really uncertain now and said, "Uh, why don't I get you some water?" Without waiting for an answer he walked into the kitchen to get the water. I noticed as he left that he was wearing strappy heeled sandals that made his feet look nice. Whoa, did I think that?! All this girl stuff must be getting to my head!
...and realized why Marcie was so mad. I still didn't get it, not completely, but Marcie wasn't just wearing the clothes, was she? She was really being a girl. And it really did seem to suit her. It was almost like Mark was the act, and Marcie was the real person. But she couldn't have been acting all that time, could she? I mean, she'd go nuts pretending to be something she's not 24/7! But she said she's not male, even though we both know I've seen her naked. So she must be talking about in her head, right? That must be it! Man, and I thought my life was messed up!
I stopped to look at myself in the mirror before leaving Marcie's room. Her old clothes didn't fit too well; they only fit at all because she had worn such loose clothes, but it felt sooo good to be wearing proper clothes again! That girly stuff is okay for a girl like Marcie, but it just doesn't feel right for a guy like me! Then I hurried downstairs to try and patch things up with Marcie.
When I got downstairs I found Marcie curled up on the couch, crying. I felt this...pain, I guess...when I realized I caused that! Damn, I'm such an ass! I rushed over to the couch but hesitated, not sure if it was alright to touch her or not. Finally I shrugged and sat next to her and put my arms around her. She turned and buried her face in my shoulder and I just held her like she'd held me. It felt strangely good to hold her like that.
She seemed to stop crying a lot faster than I had, but maybe that was just perspective? Anyway, she pulled back and looked questioningly in my eyes and asked, "Does this mean...that you can accept me? As a girl, I mean?"
It almost felt like she was laying her entire life in my hands. Did she really need a friend that bad? But then, Mark never did have a lot of friends. In fact, I couldn't think of anyone else that hung out with Mark on their own. The only time they did was when I was around. And I guess it would be pretty frightening, going to a new school, as a girl for the first time, without any friends... "Well, it is a bit weird," I started, mentally kicking myself as the hope seemed to die in her eyes and I hurried to continue, "but I think I can get used to the fact that my best friend, who I thought was a guy, is actually a girl. I'd be a pretty lousy friend if I didn't stick with you when you really needed me. Besides, it aught to do my reputation some good to be seen with such a pretty girl!" I said that last like I was kidding, but really, she is! How she hid that all this time, I can't imagine. Or maybe I just chose not to see it? This is so confusing!
Marcie looked up hopefully and then her jaw dropped open in shock. I was about to ask if she was okay when she kind of shook her self and asked, "Really? You...think I'm pretty?"
Damn, she is such a girl! Out of all that, she instantly fixated on that part! How did she keep this hidden all this time?! "Well, yeah, you are. Your dad must have said so by now, right? Or has he not seen you like this yet?" I asked, kind of confused. I mean, how could he miss it?!
"Well, he said I looked nice, but he's my dad. He could have been just saying that to make me feel better." she replied uncertainly.
"I guess I'm not the most impartial judge, either, but I thought you were pretty before I knew who you are. Uh, weren't we going to go to the police?" I asked, trying to change the subject to something a little less awkward. I mean, yeah, she's pretty, but it's still a little weird!
She gave me Mark's trademark smile at that, and I realized I hadn't seen that smile much recently. That smile always looked a little odd, before, but now it fit somehow. "We might as well wait for my mother; she can drive us there when she gets back from the store." she said.
"She won't just side with my aunt, will she? I mean, she won't just think I'm like you, will she?" I asked worriedly.
Marcie shrugged, "If she saw you when you first got here, maybe, but you look like the same old John now. I don't see why she would think that. Just try not to sit like you were earlier!"
I groaned, "That's not the only thing I have to remember not to do! She's been drilling into me how I should sit, stand, walk, you name it!"
"Why don't you tell me about it while we wait for Mom to arrive?" Marcie suggested.
"Okay." I agreed. "I guess I should start with when she picked me up, after you left..."
Last time...
I groaned, "That's not the only thing I have to remember not to do! She's been drilling into me how I should sit, stand, walk, you name it!"
"Why don't you tell me about it while we wait for Mom to arrive?" Marcie suggested.
"Okay." I agreed. "I guess I should start with when she picked me up, after you left..."
I pleaded to Mom one last time before aunt Karen showed up. "Mom, couldn't I stay with Mark or something? Aunt Karen hates me, it's going to be the most miserable summer vacation ever, for both of us!" I whined.
"We've been through this a hundred times John! She's going to try and get to know you better, and I expect you to do the same. Then maybe you'll learn that my sister isn't so horrible, after all. It's very important to me that my only son and sister get along. Please just give her a chance, alright?" Mom said. The doorbell rang and she gave me a look that told me I'd better drop it if I knew what was good for me before going to answer it.
It was aunt Karen, of course, and she breezed into the room on Mom's heels. She was all smiles, and for once it didn't look forced. "Hello John!" she said cheerfully. "We're going to have a great summer together! I've all sorts of activities planned so that we can spend lots of time together. So, let's get your things together and get out of your mom's hair, okay?" I groaned inwardly at that. I had hoped she might just let me go do whatever I wanted, since she can't stand to be near me, but it looked like she had different plans.
Aunt Karen helped me gather up my bags and load them in her car. I noticed her glancing at me weird; like she was just itching to eat me up or something. It was really freaking me out.
After that we both said goodbye to Mom. "Don't worry about a thing, we'll have a great time together!" Aunt Karen gushed, "You just enjoy yourself in Mexico and relax."
I admit I got a bit teary-eyed as I hugged Mom goodbye. I wouldn't be seeing her for a couple of months, which was the longest we'd ever been apart. I really like Charlie, the guy she's going with, but I wished she wasn't going to be away so long.
Mom saw us out to aunt Karen's car and waved as we drove away. I waved back and tried to look, well, not too unhappy, anyway. Cheerful would have been a stretch!
"Relax John, we'll have lots of fun. You'll see!" Aunt Karen said. I gave her a weak smile in return; I had been told to try to get along with her.
Neither of us said anything else on the drive over to her house, although I caught her smirking at me a couple of times. What's up with her?!
When we got to her house aunt Karen told me how she'd converted the basement into a room for me. She helped me carry my stuff down the stairs and gave me the tour. There were actually two rooms, plus a bathroom. The bedroom was kind of small...and girly. Just what I'd expect from my man-hating aunt. The other room had a desk, chair, lamp, and not much else. Aunt Karen said she had a TV she wanted to move down there so I could hook up my Wii, but she needed me to help her move it. Which sounded kind of weird, because aunt Karen would never admit to needing any help from anyone. Especially a guy!
The bathroom was pretty girly, too, but at least it was roomy. I was all set to get that TV down and hook up my Wii, but she wanted me to get unpacked first. So, I got to work unpacking my clothes while aunt Karen went upstairs to get lunch ready. I heard her close the door at the top of the stairs and I could have sworn I heard a click sound, like she'd locked it, but I didn't pay much attention to it.
By the time I was finished putting my clothes away my stomach was telling me it was time for lunch. I walked up the stairs to open the door, but it was locked. I just figured she'd locked it on accident and started knocking on the door to let her know I was locked in. When my knuckles got sore I stopped and looked around, thinking maybe there was a key somewhere or something. I thought it was weird that the keyhole was on this side. As I looked around I noticed there was a box next to the door. It looked like one of those intercom things, so I pushed the button on it.
"Aunt Karen, can you hear me?" I asked, while holding down the button. I didn't hear a reply, so I asked again. Then I took my finger off the button and heard aunt Karen talking mid-sentence.
"off the button to hear me!" she snapped. That sound more like the aunt Karen I knew! "Take your finger off the button you stupid boy!"
"Okay, okay!" I said, releasing the button.
"That's better!" she said, clearly annoyed. "Now...your mother and I have been concerned at your rather antisocial behavior." I gaped at that; what antisocial behavior was she talking about?! I never got in trouble! "As a result, she has agreed to leave you here in my care. You will not leave the basement until I am satisfied that you have learned your lesson."
"What are you talking about?!" I exclaimed. I hadn't pressed the button, so I did and repeated my question.
"Don't act innocent with me, young man! You know very well what you've done. You boys are all alike; doing whatever you feel like and treating women like servants, or worse!" Aunt Karen spat back at me. I'd never heard her sound quite that mad before, it was kind of scary. Especially since I was locked in her basement!
"I haven't done anything! Just ask Mom!" I said.
"I have! Whose idea do you think this was? I certainly didn't want you here. But she is my sister, so I agreed to try and teach you some manners." Aunt Karen replied. I stood there, stunned. Did my mother really want her to lock me up like this?! What had I done wrong?
"Can I...talk to Mom?" I asked.
"No! You are not to bother your mother until she's returned from her vacation. Now, you can think about your behavior while you eat your lunch. I've lowered a tray down in the dumbwaiter next to the door. And don't get any ideas about climbing up or riding on the dumbwaiter; it's far too small for that." she said.
I tried to get more out of her after that, but she must have moved away from the intercom. After a few minutes of calling for her I gave up and looked around for the dumbwaiter. The door was designed to blend into the wall, so I took a while to find it. She was right about the size, there was no way I could climb up that tiny little shaft! I took the tray over to the desk and started nibbling. I wasn't really hungry, but it was something to do while I tried to figure out what was going on.
I'd thought it strange that Mom was so insistent on me staying with someone who despises me, but her explanation of her wanting us to get along had seemed normal enough. Now I had to wonder what I'd done that my own mother wanted to leave me locked up in this basement like this! Had I been so terrible? I didn't think so. Maybe I took Mom for granted some, but I did help out around the house. I even cooked meals sometimes, though I only knew how to do simple stuff.
By the time I'd finished about half of the sandwich and the milk that was on the tray I was feeling really sleepy. After almost falling out of my chair I decided I'd better take a nap. I took off my shoes and climbed onto the bed and was asleep almost instantly.
When I woke I still felt a bit groggy and just laid there for a while. When my mind finally rebooted I started worrying about what Aunt Karen had in mind for me. And why had I gotten so tired at noon, anyway?! I went to check my watch, but it was gone! I reached for my cell to check the time on it, but it wasn't in my pocket. I searched all around, but neither it or my watch could be found, nor anything else I'd had in my pockets.
Not only were the contents of my pockets and my watch gone, but my bags, too! I checked the closet, but all I found there were a bunch of dresses. I thought that was weird, as I'd never seen my aunt wear a dress or skirt in my life, and these looked a bit small for her anyway. I pushed them all aside to look behind them, but there was no sign of my stuff. I looked up on the shelf, but all I found there were some boxes that were still sealed and a jewelry box.
I wondered why all this stuff was down here; hadn't she said she had remodeled the basement just for this? Why have her old clothes and stuff down here? I forgot about that, though, when I heard my aunt's voice seeming to come from the ceiling. "Finally awake John?" she asked. She sounded amused.
"Uh...yeah?" I replied, uncertain whether she'd be able to hear me. Apparently she could.
"Good! Then it's time to start your training." she said. Training? I had a bad feeling about this. "First thing you need to do is put your tray back in the dumbwaiter. I won't have you leaving a mess down there. Once you've done that, I want you to take a shower."
"Uh...okay." I said. I went and got the tray and put it back where I'd found it. I closed the door and soon I could hear the sound of an electric motor. Going back into the bedroom I opened one of the drawers in the dresser to get out something to wear after my shower. I didn't notice anything different, at first, until I picked up what I thought was my underwear. But it was softer and silkier than anything I owned, and a lot lighter. "Um, are these panties?!" I asked after unfolding it.
"Of course Joan, what else would you wear?" she replied sweetly. Wait a minute, did she say Joan?! Had my aunt totally lost her mind? I checked the other drawers and groaned; they were filled with feminine clothes, even bras! Yep, she's lost it!
"Where are my clothes?" I asked.
Aunt Karen's voice changed as she said, "Those are your clothes, until I say otherwise. Until then, you're going to be my sweet little niece Joan. Understood?" It wasn't really a question from the way she said it.
"You've got to be kidding!" I exclaimed.
"I'm very serious. Our society encourages boys to act badly. So I'll teach you to be a girl, and maybe you'll become a decent human being in the process." she replied.
"I'm not wearing this stuff." I said, looking around for the cameras and speakers that must be there for her to be able to hear and see me. I couldn't see a thing; if they were there they were well hidden.
"You will!" she said angrily. "Don't think for a moment that I'm afraid of you. If you refuse to cooperate I'll come down there and make you cooperate!" She was screeching by the time she'd finished and I was really getting scared. I knew she wasn't afraid of me. At five nine she's still a few inches taller than me, and I know she works out and studies martial arts. Some guy tried to mug her last year and got pounded for his trouble. She wasn't even scratched.
Things were moving too fast and I didn't know what to do. I just couldn't believe this was really happening! Why would my mother put me in the hands of this lunatic? Did she hate me? Had I been so horrible? I couldn't think of anything particularly bad that I'd done, though.
Aunt Karen screeched threats at me and I numbly picked up the panties I'd dropped, grabbed the robe I saw hanging on the back of the door and headed for the bathroom. She stopped yelling after I closed the door. There was a hamper in the bathroom so I tossed my clothes in it and wondered if I'd ever see them again.
I was moving on autopilot as I turned on the water and stepped into the shower. As the warm water poured over me my mind cleared and I started thinking about how I could get out of this situation. Maybe I could pick the lock, or break down the door? I knew I couldn't overpower Aunt Karen, unless I could get her by surprise some how...
My aunt's voice startled me out of my thoughts as she told me to wash. She's got cameras in here, too?! She told me where the shower gel was and I washed up; it was a really girly smelling soap that I doubt my aunt had ever used. Then she had me wash and condition my hair, with more flower smelling stuff. Then she told me to shave my legs and armpits! "I can't do that! The guys at school will kill me if they find out I've shaved my legs!" I might have been exaggerating a little, but there really were a lot of homophobic jerks at my school. I knew plenty of them would be going on to the same high school as me.
"You won't be back at school for months, that's plenty of time for your hair to grow back." Aunt Karen replied calmly. I was kind of surprised she was keeping her cool now, and it worried me. She seemed most calm when she had something up her sleeve that she knew I wouldn't like. I decided to play along for now and shaved my legs. I'd never shaved anywhere before, so I cut myself a few times before I got the hang of it.
After drying myself off I put on the panties, which were surprisingly comfortable. I threw on the robe and stepped out into the bedroom to find that Aunt Karen had apparently been down here again because...
I trailed off when I heard the door open. Marcie and I turned to look at the door and found her mother standing there, looking very angry. "What is going on here, Marcie?! I told you not to open the door for anybody!"
Last time...
After drying myself off I put on the panties, which were surprisingly comfortable. I threw on the robe and stepped out into the bedroom to find that Aunt Karen had apparently been down here again because..."
I trailed off when I heard the door open. Marcie and I turned to look at the door and found her mother standing there, looking very angry. "What is going on here, Marcie?! I told you not to open the door for anybody!"
Marcie's mom seemed to calm down a lot and said, "Oh, well, I suppose that can happen. I'm glad you weren't so resistant, though." Then she turned to me, "Now, John, I know you're scared. Marcie was at first, too. But if you just give your aunt a chance you'll see that this is the best thing for you!"
I sat there in shock as I listened to Marcie's mother. I was right after all, Marcie's mother was doing the same thing to her that my aunt was trying to do to me! Only, she'd bought into it! I started getting scared now that she'd try to take me back to my aunt's house. I braced myself to make a run for the door, but waited as Marcie's mom was blocking the way.
"Relax John, it's really great once you get into it!" Marcie said excitedly. I just stared at her in horror. I didn't want to get brainwashed like that! I had to get out of here!
Marcie's mother started walking towards us and I took my chance. I shot to my feet and ran like I was going up the stairs. As I suspected, Marcie's mom tried to intercept me. But that just gave me a nice big opening for the door. By the time Marcie's mom realized what I was doing, I'd already opened the door. I was about to run out when I felt a hand grab my arm. I tried to pull away, but I was off balance and fell down. I looked up to see Marcie standing there.
"Marcie, why are you trying to stop me?!" I exclaimed.
"I couldn't let you make the same mistake twice, you're my best friend! You've got to let us take you back to your aunt's house. She'll show you how wonderful it is to be a girl!" she said, smiling like she was offering me the best thing ever. I gaped at her in shock, which gave her mom time to catch up with us and pull me to my feet.
"Now we'll have no more of this foolishness John! I can see that we'd better get you back to your aunt quickly so she can finish teaching you. You have a lot to learn yet!" she said sternly. She wasn't acting mean, but like I was misbehaving or something. Had the whole world gone crazy?!
"No, let me go!" I yelled. I tried to pull away, but she was too strong.
"Stop yelling, this is for your own good." she replied calmly. With that she started pulling me out of the house with Marcie right on her heels. With Marcie's help she was able to shove me into the back seat of her car. I immediately went to the other side of the car and tried to get out, but she must have had the child safety lock on. The door was locked and I couldn't unlock it from the inside.
Marcie got in next to me and hugged me. "It'll be alright John, you'll see! Being a girl is so much better than being a boy! And then we can talk about boys and go shopping and other girl stuff! It'll be great!" she said. She seemed really excited by it, but her words just made me shudder. Would I really end up like that if I didn't escape?
There really wasn't any chance of escape in the car, so I settled down and pretended to give up. I even cried a little. It wasn't too hard, what with the hormones and everything that had happened. Especially with my best friend turning against me!
Before I knew it we were at my aunt's house. She was just coming out of the house holding an ice pack to her head. She was looking around frantically and was extremely relieved to see us drive up. "Hi, you must be John's aunt?" Marcie's mom said. "My Marcie is his best friend. She used to be Mark."
Aunt Karen smiled widely when she heard that. She must have been worried until she realized here was another crazy lady into changing boys into girls. "Yes, my name is Karen. Thank you so much for bringing John back! I'm afraid he's not being as accepting of his new role as I thought he was." she said apologetically.
"No problem Karen! I remember how Marcie was when I first started. She was so stubborn! Thankfully, she never went as far as John, but I worried! My name is Jane, by the way." Marcie's mom said.
"I hate to ask this, but John hit me pretty hard with that chair. Would you mind helping me get John back into his room?" Aunt Karen asked. I was still pretending to have given up, but actually I was so tense I was practically vibrating watching for my chance to escape!
"Of course! In fact, Marcie and I will take care of John so you can relax, okay?" Marcie's mom replied.
"Thank you! I'll show you where his room is." Aunt Karen said gratefully and opened the front door and held it for us. Great! I thought. If she stays over there maybe I can get away!
Marcie's mother opened her door and got out before unlocking the back doors. I decided to play along for a little while so they'd relax and didn't fight her as she pulled me out of the car. Marcie followed along and came out the same door, presumably to make sure I didn't make a run for it. Some friend she turned out to be! I thought bitterly.
They both kept a hand on me as we walked up towards the door. We were about halfway there when I made my move. I pulled away from Marcie and towards her mother, as I figured they'd expect me to go the other way. That also put me close enough to trip up her mother. Once her grip on my arm broke I started running away from the house as fast as my feet would take me!
What I had forgotten was that Marcie was in track. I only made it about ten yards before she caught up with me. She grabbed my arm and pulled me off balance. I tried to pull away, but we both ended up tumbling to the ground. By the time I'd untangled myself from Marcie, aunt Karen and Marcie's mother were both there and hauled me to my feet.
"That's enough of that young man! Your aunt has gone to a great deal of trouble to help you become a productive member of society. I'm not about to let you throw all that away now!" Marcie's mother said.
I let them pull me for a few feet and went limp, but aunt Karen wasn't surprised and kept her hold on me. Marcie's mother lost her grip, but I wasn't strong enough to pull away from my aunt. I certainly tried, though!
"Come on John, you'll love being a girl! Just give it a chance!" Marcie said as they all dragged me into the house. At this point I gave up all efforts at subtlety and just writhed around and hit and bit at anything and everything. I knew if they got me back down into that basement I might never get away. Or if I did, I'd be as brainwashed as Marcie!
I guess aunt Karen finally got fed up with me, because she stepped back and slugged me!
The next thing I knew I woke up back in my bed in aunt Karen's basement prison. Someone had changed my clothes and cleaned me up. Naturally, I was dressed in girl's clothes. Really girly girl's clothes. Marcie was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey Joan. I hope you're not mad at me, but this really is for the best." she said.
I still couldn't believe she had changed this much. "Why are you doing this Marcie? If we'd run when I first got to your house we both could have escaped all this!" I said.
Marcie shook her head sadly, "You still don't understand. But you will! I hope it doesn't take you too long, I miss you." With that she stood up and left. I got up and hurried after her, thinking I might get out when the door opened for her, but aunt Karen and Marcie's mother were both there waiting.
"Don't get any ideas Joan, you're not going anywhere." Aunt Karen warned me. She let Marcie and her mother out and closed the door behind them. "Now, we have a lot of work to do young lady, and not much time to do it! Let's get to work!" It wasn't until that moment that I noticed the whip...
Last time...
After drying myself off I put on the panties, which were surprisingly comfortable. I threw on the robe and stepped out into the bedroom to find that Aunt Karen had apparently been down here again because...
I trailed off when I heard the door open. Marcie and I turned to look at the door and found her mother standing there, looking very angry. "What is going on here, Marcie?! I told you not to open the door for anybody!"
Most of the anger disappeared from her mother's face as she looked quizzically at me. "Why were you so desperate John?" she asked.
I glanced at Marcie and she nodded her head in encouragement. Shrugging my shoulders I said, "I was afraid my aunt would find me."
Marcie's mom looked confused at that and Marcie said, "John's aunt was forcing him to dress and act like a girl. She even hit him when he didn't cooperate!"
"What?! She didn't, did she?" Marcie's mom asked in shock.
"Sure, though she often said I wasn't cooperating when I just was having trouble doing whatever she wanted me to do. It's not like I already knew how to use makeup, after all!" I grumbled.
Marcie's mom looked closely at me and her eyes widened in surprise, "You're wearing makeup right now, aren't you?"
"What? I thought I washed it off!" I said. I hadn't noticed anything in the mirror after I changed.
"It doesn't come off that easily without makeup remover. You can use mine if you want." Marcie offered. I nodded and followed her back up to her room. "You want me to do it? I can see what I'm doing better than you could." Marcie said. I nodded and she started cleaning off the makeup I'd missed. It took longer than I would have thought, I must have missed a lot!
"Thanks, I didn't realize the makeup remover made so much difference." I said when she was done. My aunt had me use the remover every time I took off my makeup, but I'd figured soap and water would do the job just as well.
"No problem." Marcie said. We went down to the living room and sat back down on the couch. Marcie's mom had taken a seat in a recliner facing the couch.
"What exactly has your aunt been doing John?" she asked once we'd gotten settled again.
"She kept me locked up in her basement and replaced all my clothes with girl's clothes. She made me wear them and makeup and was teaching me to walk and sit and everything else like a girl." I said.
"And what did she do when you didn't cooperate?" she asked.
I shrugged, "She yelled a lot. And she'd slap me sometimes. But if she got really mad she'd pull out this collapsible club thing and hit me with it."
"John, quit acting like it's no big deal!" Marcie said. She sounded kind of annoyed.
"Well, it's not like it was a huge surprise or anything. I mean, she's always hated me. And it's not like she was beating me unconscious or anything." I said.
"Marcie's right John, it is a very big deal!" Marcie's mom said. She looked pretty annoyed, too, but not just at me. "I'm going to call the police right now." I got a little nervous when she said that, but I didn't argue. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the police; I was sure they'd take my aunt's side. And I had hit her with a chair...
"Are you okay John?" Marcie asked. I looked up and saw that her mom had her phone out and was dialing. Marcie was looking at me with this worried expression on her face.
I started to shrug my shoulders but stopped with a wince. "Yeah, I'm okay." I said, trying to sound normal. I'm not sure why I was trying so hard to shrug this stuff off. I guess I just didn't want to think about it right now.
"No you're not, you winced! How badly did she beat you?!" Marcie said. This caught her mom's attention, who closed up her phone before the call went through to see what was going on.
"Are you hurt John?" she asked.
"My chest is just a bit sore." I said. Really, it hurt all the time. But I wasn't going to say that. And it wasn't really all that bad except when I moved wrong.
"Maybe we'd better start with the hospital." Marcie's mom said worriedly.
"I'm fine! Really!" I protested. Neither of them looked convinced, though.
"I'm not arguing with you about this John, we're going! Marcie, tell your father where I am when he gets home, okay?" Marcie's mom said.
"Can't I come with you Mom?" Marcie asked.
"I don't want you getting involved in this Marcie!" her mom said.
"But he's my best friend!" she protested. She was starting to get a little teary eyed, which surprised me. I guess there was a lot about my best friend I didn't know. I hoped when all this was over I'd get a chance to learn.
"We've had this discussion young man!" Marcie's mom said sternly. Then she realized what she'd said and said, "Sorry, young lady. Your father and I don't want you mixing with too many people until you've had more time to get used to your new role."
"Mom! You and Dad are the only ones having trouble with my 'new role'!" Marcie said. I think the 'young man' slip really upset her because tears were streaming down her face now. I reached over and hugged her, which seemed to help. Her mom's eyes went kind of wide at that, though.
"Mrs. Donner, I think Marcie's right. She's totally natural as a girl, she doesn't need to be hidden away." I said. Marcie gave me a weak smile and then looked hopefully at her mother.
Mrs. Donner sighed and looked down for a moment before looking back up at us. "I know you're right, but I worry about my little girl. This world isn't very kind to people who are...different." she said.
"People are going to find out about me eventually, Mom. You can't keep me out of sight forever!" Marcie said. I got the impression this was an argument they'd had before, but it looked like Mrs. Donner was losing.
"I won't let anybody hurt her Mrs. Donner." I said, trying to strengthen Marcie's case. It seemed to be pretty important to Marcie to come along and, well, I kind of wanted her to come too.
Marcie and her mom both smiled at me at that, and Mrs. Donner laughed a little. "I think it's more likely to be Marcie protecting you right now." she said. I couldn't really argue with that, as Marcie did seem kind of protective right now. And I wasn't exactly at my best, either. Marcie blushed a little and glanced nervously at me for some reason. "Okay, we'll all go." Mrs. Donner said. "Why don't you and I help John up Marcie?"
I tried to protest that I could get up fine on my own, but they weren't hearing it. Getting up did tend to make my chest hurt more, though. And it was kind of nice the way they were helping me; it made me feel good that they cared. That was a real switch from the way I'd been treated for the last couple of months!
Marcie helped me into the front seat of her mom's car and then got in the back. Once we were all settled Mrs. Donner got the car started and pulled out of the driveway. I was just starting to really relax, because I knew I was safe from my aunt now that we were on the move, but tensed up in an instant when I saw my aunt's car drive up!
"GO!!" I yelled. Mrs. Donner and Marcie both jumped and looked at me in surprise. "Aunt Karen is here!" I explained, pointing out her car. She parked blocking the driveway, but Mrs. Donner was quick to react and went over the lawn to get around her. She had been getting out of the car, but jumped back in as Mrs. Donner switched gears and slammed her foot on the gas.
Mrs. Donner was driving faster than usual, but aunt Karen quickly caught up. "Here Marcie," she said, pulling her cell phone out of her purse, "call the police." Marcie nodded and dialed 911. She was running her words together at first when she started explaining what was going on, but she calmed down a bit and started speaking more clearly.
"Mom, she says to go to St. Patrick's Hospital and the police will be waiting there for us." Marcie said after a while. St. Patrick's was on the other side of town; a lot farther away than the Kaiser hospital we usually went to. I guessed they wanted us to go farther so they'd have more time to get somebody there. Mrs. Donner turned down the next street to get us going the right way, with aunt Karen right behind us.
The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever, but really it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. I was in a lot of pain by the time we got there, as I was shaking like a leaf and it was making my chest hurt more. Well, that, and the vibrations from the car didn't help any, either.
Aunt Karen followed us the whole way, but peeled off when she saw the police cars waiting with their lights flashing. Two cars took off after her, while two policemen got out of the third and waited for us at the entrance to the emergency room.
Mrs. Donner started talking to the policemen when she got out of the car, but I tuned it out. I was sweating really bad, I guess because of the pain in my chest. Marcie looked pretty scared, but she got out and opened my door for me. After getting my seat belt off she tried to help me up, but the movement hurt so much a yelp of pain got out before I could stop it. "Mom, John's looks really bad!" Marcie said fearfully. Her mom and one of the policemen hurried over to see how I was, while the other went inside.
"Where are you hurt?" the policeman asked. He was a really big guy with a gruff voice. I tried to speak, but that hurt, too, so I just pointed at my chest. He was about to ask something else when the other policeman returned with a couple of nurses and a stretcher. With some direction from the nurses the two policemen managed to get me out of the car without causing me too much pain and laid me down on the stretcher. The big guy stayed with me as the nurses wheeled me into the emergency room.
After that I was poked and prodded and asked lots of questions that I couldn't answer very well because I could hardly breath! They ended up putting one of those oxygen things in my nose, which helped a little. Smelled kind of weird, though. X-rays weren't fun, because they had to keep moving me around in different positions and it hurt! Somewhere along the line I guess I fell asleep, as the next thing I knew I was waking up in a bed. There was a curtain blocking off one side, where I guessed there was probably another bed. I had all kinds of things hooked up to me, but I felt a bit better.
"John?" I heard Marcie's voice say. She sounded worried, and I quickly looked around the room to find she was sitting right next to me on the opposite side from the curtain. She looked worried, too, so I tried to smile.
"Hey Marcie. When did I get here?" I said.
"You've only been here a few hours. How do you feel?" she asked.
I remembered not to shrug this time. "Better, actually. My chest still hurts a little, but nothing like on the drive over here!" I said. But that reminded me of the crazy drive. "Aunt Karen! What happened with her?!"
"Whoa, calm down! The police have her, she didn't get far." Marcie said. She grabbed my hand, to get my attention, I guess. I was getting a little frantic. Knowing the police had her calmed me down pretty quickly, though.
"So they've arrested her?" I asked hopefully.
Marcie nodded, "Yeah, that's what Mom says. So relax, okay? She can't hurt you anymore." She squeezed my hand to emphasize her point, so I tried to calm my breathing. It was only then that I realized that I was breathing almost normally again. There was still some tightness in my chest, but not bad. Taking a deep breath still hurt, though.
"Okay." I said. "So where's your mom?"
"She went home to get some rest. Dad's coming later to pick me up." Marcie replied.
"But you said I've only been here a few hours?" I said.
"In this bed, yeah, but they had to do surgery to get your ribs back in the right place." Marcie said.
"Huh?!" I said. Sure, my chest had hurt, but surgery?!
Marcie looked concerned, but also kind of angry with me, "John, your aunt broke three of your ribs! One of them was in such bad shape that the drive over here caused it to shift and press against your lungs. They had to tack it together with a metal plate and screws so it could heal properly and get the pressure off of your lungs. You're lucky your lungs weren't punctured!"
I just blinked stupidly at her for a moment as what she'd said sunk in. "Really?! I didn't think she'd done that much damage." I finally said.
Marcie shook her head in exasperation, "John, you need to stop shrugging off pain like that. The doctor said you had to have been in constant pain even before the car ride! She said you must be extremely stubborn, and have a high pain tolerance besides!"
"Well, it's not like I could do anything about it! I was locked up, remember?" I grumbled. I couldn't figure out why she was mad at me. It's not like I did it to myself!
Marcie nodded, "I know, but you should have said something right away. Please, promise me you won't do anything like that again, okay? If you're in pain, tell someone!" Marcie seemed really upset about it, so I nodded that I would.
Just then Marcie's dad came in. After hugging Marcie he looked over at me. "Hey John, how are you feeling?" he asked.
I never realized how often I shrugged until I couldn't do it anymore without pain! "Okay, I guess. Better than when we got here, anyway." I said.
"I should hope so!" he said. "Visiting hours are going to be over pretty soon, so I'll have to take Marcie home. Is there anything we can get you before we go?"
"I don't know what. What time is it, anyway?" I asked.
"It's almost nine." he said after glancing at his watch.
"Are you going to be okay here all by yourself?" Marcie asked.
"So long as aunt Karen is locked up, I'll be fine." I replied.
"Don't worry, after seeing how badly you were hurt, they won't be letting her anywhere near you for a long time! You just relax and rest, and we'll see you in the morning, okay?" Mr. Donner said.
"Okay. See you later." I replied. Marcie gave me a careful hug and she and her dad waved on their way out. I waved back and then settled back in the bed with a sigh. I was surprised how tired and achy I was feeling. But then, if I'd had surgery, that makes sense, right?
My eyes were drooping and I was just about asleep when I heard someone call my name. It didn't really register at first, but then I heard it again. I recognized the voice and my eyes snapped open. I'd almost forgotten that there was one other person involved in this who the police didn't have, and she was walking right towards me! "Mom?!" I gasped.
Last time...
"Don't worry, after seeing how badly you were hurt, they won't be letting her anywhere near you for a long time! You just relax and rest, and we'll see you in the morning, okay?" Mr. Donner said.
"Okay. See you later." I replied. Marcie gave me a careful hug and she and her dad waved on their way out. I waved back and then settled back in the bed with a sigh. I was surprised how tired and achy I was feeling. But then, if I'd had surgery, that makes sense, right?
My eyes were drooping and I was just about asleep when I heard someone call my name. It didn't really register at first, but then I heard it again. I recognized the voice and my eyes snapped open. I'd almost forgotten that there was one other person involved in this who the police didn't have, and she was walking right towards me! "Mom?!" I gasped.
Despite assurances that she was safely locked away Mom's arrival had me looking around for Aunt Karen. "What are you doing here?!" I asked.
"We just got back. I went over to Karen's to pick you up and there were police all over her house. What happened?" Mom said.
"What do you think happened?!" I replied angrily. "She did exactly what she said she would do!"
Mom looked confused, "What do you mean?"
"She said you wanted her to 'teach me a lesson'!" I said, flinching away when she reached out towards me.
"What?! What did she do?!" Mom exclaimed.
"What's all this yelling about?" a male nurse asked angrily as he walked in.
"That's what I want to know!" Mom added.
"It was Mom's idea," I said, pointing at Mom, "for my Aunt to try and turn me into a girl. That's how I ended up here!"
"I heard about that." the nurse said, turning angrily on Mom. "How could you send your own son to a lunatic like that?"
"W-what?! A girl?" Mom said, looking a bit dazed.
"I think you'd better leave; you're upsetting him." the nurse said. Mom moved her mouth like she wanted to argue, but no words came out. He pushed her out and closed the door before turning back to me. "Are you alright John?" he asked.
I relaxed back into the pillows once the door closed. "Yeah, I guess." I said with a wince.
"Do you want me to call the police? About your mother?" he asked.
"I...don't know." I said. I had doubts at first that Mom was really involved, but after hearing Aunt Karen's side of phone conversations with Mom a few times I'd been convinced. Now, seeing her reaction, I wasn't as certain anymore. "Do you think she really didn't know?" I asked.
He shrugged, "I don't know. You'd be a better judge of whether she was acting just now or not."
"I don't know anything anymore." I sighed.
"I can understand that. Look, my name's Phillip. I just started my shift, so I'll be here all night. I'll make sure your mother doesn't come in here so you can get some rest. You can figure all this out once you've recovered." he said.
I was having trouble keeping my eyes open so I didn't argue with that idea. "Thanks. I wish I could trust her, but..." I said sleepily.
"Just rest. You're safe here." Phillip said.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew there was light streaming in through the window. It wasn't long before Phillip checked in on me. "Finally woke up, huh?" he said with a smile.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked.
"About nine hours. How do you feel?" Phillip answered.
"Thirsty and sore." I replied.
"I'll get you some water." he said. The water he got me was room temperature, which I hate, but I was so thirsty I didn't care. Phillip helped me get into a more comfortable position and then went on to continue his rounds. That left me with nothing to do but think about my situation. I was sure that Aunt Karen was out of the picture for at least a while. After all, she was caught chasing us. But I wasn't sure what to think about Mom.
I was starting to really feel down about the mess my life had become, so I was glad to see Marcie and her mother come in. Phillip intercepted them and talked to them for a minute before coming over to me. "Is it alright for them to come in?" he asked.
I smiled, it was nice to have someone watching out for me. "Sure, they're the ones that brought me here. They're great." I said.
Phillip smiled back, "Good. I was worried that you wouldn't have any visitors you trusted after last night. I'll be nearby if you need anything."
Marcie and Mrs. Donner looked quizzically at me after Phillip left. "What was that about?" Mrs. Donner asked.
"He was just making sure it was okay for you to come in. Mom came by last night." I replied.
"Are you alright?" Marcie asked, stepping quickly to my side and taking my hand in hers.
Damn hormones! I thought, wiping away the tears that thinking about Mom brought on. "Yeah. It's just...I don't know what to think about Mom anymore. Aunt Karen said it was Mom's idea to 'train' me, like she did. And I heard her talking to Mom on the phone a couple of times while I was at her house. And she did send me there in the first place. But she seemed confused last night and...well, she's my Mom." I said. At the last I couldn't keep it together anymore and ended up crying in earnest. Marcie hugged me as best she could without hurting me and Mrs. Donner came around and held my other hand.
"We'll figure this out John." Mrs. Donner said. "I find it hard to believe that your mother knew what was going on. But I also find it hard to believe that anyone could ever want to hurt you like your aunt did, so I'm as confused as I imagine you are. We'll get to the bottom of it. If we haven't by the time you're ready to be released, you can stay at our house until we have."
Marcie nodded vigorously along with her mother's words and I found myself tearing up all over again. I was sure glad I wasn't on those hormones anymore; I could do without all this crying! "Yeah, don't worry John. We'll keep you safe." Marcie added with another hug.
"Thanks. You're the best friend a guy could have Marcie." I said. She smiled at that, but seemed kind of sad for some reason. I guessed that she was worried that the kids at school wouldn't feel the same way. "I promise I'll look out for you. Well, once I get out of here, anyway."
Mrs. Donner laughed, "Don't get ahead of yourself John. We'll be taking care of you for a while yet. I don't think you realize how severe your injuries were. The drive here aggravated them, but even without that there was a real chance that broken rib could have punctured a lung and killed you."
"Really? But she never hit me that hard or that many times at once." I said, a little stunned at what she said. How could I have been that badly hurt?
"The doctor I talked to said that the shape your ribs were in was consistent with continual abuse over a period of time. Apparently even relatively minor blows, if repeated often enough, can weaken and even break bones over time. Until he talked to the police he was ready to have me arrested for child abuse!" Mrs. Donner said.
"What?!" Marcie and I exclaimed in unison.
"Relax kids, he was just doing his job. In cases like this the doctor is required to report any suspected abuse to the authorities. But since they already have your aunt in custody, there hasn't been a problem. We do need to call a..." Mrs. Donner stopped and pulled a business card out of her purse, "Officer Daniels, when you're ready. They need your statement. Marcie and I already gave ours. I think they've talked to your mother as well."
I nodded, "Yeah, I figured they'd want to talk to me. I'm ready any time."
Marcie looked at me worriedly, "Are you sure? Mom says you don't have to do it right away."
"It's okay, I'm fine. Besides," I added, noticing Marcie's frown, "the sooner I give my statement the sooner they can lock Aunt Karen up and throw away the key. I worry that she'll get out on bail or something and come looking for me."
"We can talk about that with the police, if you want." Mrs. Donner said.
I nodded, "Okay. You can go ahead and call them now, if you want."
"Are you sure John?" Marcie asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I want to get it over with." I said.
"Okay, I'll call right now." Mrs. Donner said. She stepped out of the room to make the call, since they don't allow cell phones in the building. At least, I assume they didn't, as the other hospitals I'd been in didn't.
"How are you really feeling John?" Marcie asked.
"Okay." I tried, but Marcie wasn't buying it and glared at me. "All right, alright! I'm stiff and sore, my chest hurts, it's still a little difficult to breath, and I'm scared stiff that Aunt Karen or Mom are going to get a hold of me and I'll end up right back in that basement. Satisfied?!"
Marcie held me as close as she could with all the tubes and stuff. When she pulled back there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry to push you like that John," she said, "but I worry that you hold stuff back too much. I know you're hurting, but you act like it's just another day! That's not healthy. We're best friends, you can trust me not to say anything to anyone else if that's what you're worried about."
I shook my head, "Nah, I know I don't have to worry about you talking. I guess..." I stopped and thought about it, something I'd been avoiding doing too much of lately. "I guess I just didn't want to worry you. You've got enough on your plate, after all."
Marcie shook her head with a rueful smile and brushed a few tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I should have known you'd be worrying about anyone other than yourself. Please, don't worry about me John. You're the one who's injured and has all these problems thanks to your aunt and maybe your mom."
"You're asking a bit much, there. I always worry about you. Do you have any friends, besides me?" I said, remembering my realization yesterday.
She smiled sadly and shook her head, "No, not really. The other guys hang around with me for your sake, but none of them pay any attention when you're not around. The girls are okay, but they don't talk to me much. And some of the other guys are downright nasty when you're not there."
"I was afraid of that." I sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't realize that until yesterday. Maybe we can do something about that this year."
"Yeah, that would be nice." Marcie agreed. We continued to talk about school for a while after that, though neither of us brought up what would happen with her being a girl now. I was worried about frightening her. Besides, I'd be there to kick anybody's butt who gave her any trouble!
"Officer Daniels will be by in thirty minutes or so John." Mrs. Donner announced, walking back to the side of my bed.
"Okay." I said, getting a little nervous.
"They're not going to take her side, John." Marcie said. She had to explain what she meant to Mrs. Donner, who agreed with her. We just talked about whatever until he got there. Officer Daniels turned out to be the big guy with the gruff voice I'd seen yesterday.
"Hello John, I'm Officer Daniels." he said as he walked in. He had to duck a little to get through the door, he was really big! I felt Marcie squeezing my hand and Mrs. Donner stroking my hair and realized I'd shrunk back from him when he entered. I took as deep a breath as I could and let it out slowly to try and relax.
"Hi officer." I said weakly.
"I'm just going to sit over here, if that's alright." he said, taking a seat on one of those uncomfortable molded plastic chairs by the door. I felt better with him not looming over me, so I nodded. He looked like he had to be uncomfortable in that little chair with his big body, but he didn't show it. "So, John, are you ready to tell me what happened?"
"Sure." I said, taking another deep breath. Mrs. Donner was still stroking my hair, which was kind of weird. She'd never done that before, though my Mom had when I was younger. It felt kind of nice, though, so I didn't say anything. "Mom decided I'd stay with my aunt over the summer while she and her boyfriend went to Mexico..." I took him through the whole story from the beginning. He didn't stop me once, just sat there and took notes on a little notepad. He changed pages a lot, I think he must have filled the whole pad!
By the end Marcie was crying openly and had her head on my shoulder. Mrs. Donner had a few tears in her eyes, too. Officer Daniels was scowling. "That's quite a story, John. If we hadn't already searched your aunt's house, I might have trouble believing it. We found the estrogen she was giving you, and that locked basement room. We also found the tactical baton she used to break your ribs. There are still tests to run, including a blood test on you to prove the estrogen is in your system, but it's going to be a slam dunk, I think. You're a really brave kid." he said.
I shook my head, "If I was really that brave I would have broken out of there a lot sooner, instead of giving in to my aunt and dressing and acting like a girl."
Last time...
I took him through the whole story from the beginning. He didn't stop me once, just sat there and took notes on a little notepad. He changed pages a lot, I think he must have filled the whole pad!
By the end Marcie was crying openly and had her head on my shoulder. Mrs. Donner had a few tears in her eyes, too. Officer Daniels was scowling. "That's quite a story, John. If we hadn't already searched your aunt's house, I might have trouble believing it. We found the estrogen she was giving you, and that locked basement room. We also found the tactical baton she used to break your ribs. There are still tests to run, including a blood test on you to prove the estrogen is in your system, but it's going to be a slam dunk, I think. You're a really brave kid." he said.
I shook my head, "If I was really that brave I would have broken out of there a lot sooner, instead of giving in to my aunt and dressing and acting like a girl."
"He's right John, you really are brave. Too brave, sometimes." Marcie said.
"Well, I've got to talk to a doctor about getting that blood test. And I've got quite a report to write! Thanks for your help John." Officer Daniels said. He stood up slowly, waved, and left. Mrs. Donner followed him out.
"Did he scare you?" Marcie asked softly.
"Of course not! Why would he scare me?" I asked indignantly.
"Come on John! You got beaten by your aunt over and over again! You even thought I was going to hit you once. I'd understand if you were scared. He's awfully big." Marcie said.
"He is that." I agreed. I didn't say anything else, and Marcie didn't push it. I was thankful for that. Obviously, I had been scared, but I hated to admit it. I needed to be strong, for Marcie. Getting scared all the time wasn't going to cut it. I needed to get better quickly so I could protect her.
Mrs. Donner returned a minute later. "I talked to Officer Daniels, John. He said he'll talk to his boss about arranging a guard for you. That way you'll know that your aunt and your mother can't get to you."
I smiled in relief, "Thanks Mrs. Donner! I'll sleep better knowing that."
"Wow, you mean you didn't sleep well last night, when you were dead to the world for nine hours straight?!" Phillip asked with a laugh. He was carrying some vials and a syringe, so I guessed he was there to take those blood samples that Officer Daniels had mentioned.
"Well, I did have surgery yesterday..." I said.
"True. I'm guessing you know why I'm here, but I'll tell you anyway. I need to take some blood so we can see where your testosterone and estrogen levels are at. I gather your aunt was serious about turning you into a girl?" Phillip said as he set everything down on a side table.
"Yeah, you could say that." I agreed.
Phillip shook his head, "She must be one looney lady then." He filled the vials quickly; he must have had lots of practice to do it so painlessly! "See you later John!" he called as he carried them out.
"So what happens now?" I asked after waving goodbye to Phillip.
"You rest and get better." Marcie's mom said. "Don't worry about anything else for now."
"But how long do I have to stay here?" I asked her.
"I'm not sure but I think the doctor said he wanted to keep you here for at least a couple of days." Mrs. Donner replied.
I groaned. What was I going to do for two days?! Looking around I spotted a TV in the corner, but there wasn't anything else to do in the room. "This is going to be a long two days." I said.
"I'll be here as much as I can." Marcie said. "I'll bring my DS for you next time, too."
"Thanks." I said. "I guess I shouldn't complain. At least I'm away from Aunt Karen!" I shuddered at the thought.
"John, do you want me to talk to your mother?" Mrs. Donner asked hesitantly.
Marcie squeezed my hand as I tensed up thinking about Mom. "Uh...I don't know." I finally said.
They both thought it was a good idea, since we needed to know if she was behind it all or not. I finally agreed, but I was scared that we'd find out she really did tell Aunt Karen to do all that to me. What would I do then?
Mrs. Donner left to talk to Mom and Marcie stayed to keep me company. We talked about what classes we were going to have in school and whatever else Marcie could think of that had nothing to do with what happened to me. "I guess we'll both be getting out of PE this year." she said at one point.
"Huh?" I said.
"Well, I don't think you're going to be in any shape for PE for a while. And I've got a doctor's note to keep me out." Marcie repliedd.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked, confused. She seemed okay.
"There's nothing wrong with me." Marcie replied sadly, "I just can't use the locker room so the doctor wrote me a note to keep me out of PE."
"Oh." I said lamely. I guess I'd already gotten so used to Marcie as a girl I'd kind of forgotten her body wasn't female. I tried to think of something to cheer her up, but wasn't having much luck.
We sat there in silence for a while until Marcie's Dad arrived. "Hi John, how are you feeling?" he said in greeting.
"Hi Mr. Donner. I'm feeling better, thanks." I said, glad for the distraction.
"Good! I just came by to see how you are doing and to let you know that your aunt is going to be in court tomorrow. That won't be her trial, but we'll find out when her trial will be. I've talked to the ADA handling the case and he'll keep us up to date. He isn't expecting any problems with all the evidence they've got." Mr. Donner said.
"I hope not." I said worriedly.
"Don't worry John. Remember Officer Daniels said it would be a 'slam-dunk'. Your aunt won't get a chance to hurt you again." Marcie said and squeezed my hand.
I squeezed hers back and nodded. Mr. Donner stayed to talk for a bit before saying that Mrs. Donner would be back in an hour or two to pick up Marcie and then left.
A nurse brought my lunch in after that and I tried to eat it while Marcie talked about her favorite TV show. We both like it; it's about a spy who gets framed for somethings someone else did. He gets dumped in Miami and has to try and figure out who framed him so he can clear his name and get his job back. Aunt Karen hadn't let me watch any TV, so I had lots of episodes to catch up on.
We were still talking about that when a middle aged woman knocked on the door frame. "Hi John, is it alright if I come in? Officer Daniels sent me by to keep an eye on you." When I looked at her doubtfully she smiled and pulled a badge out of her pocket, "I'm a police officer, too. I'm just off duty."
"Oh, okay." I said, relieved. "But why are you here when you're off duty?"
"Officer Daniels wasn't able to convince our captain to assign an officer to you, so he talked to some of his friends and we agreed to take shifts in our time off. There are seven of us and we'll take four hour shifts each. My name is Sandra." she replied.
"You're guarding me in your time off? You don't have to do that!" I said in surprise.
Sandra smiled, "We know, but we want to. You've really impressed a lot of us with the way you escaped from your aunt. We don't want anything to happen to you."
"But I just hit her with a chair. What's so impressive about that?" I asked.
"It's the way you set up the situation that impressed us, along with the fact that you held onto your identity despite all her best efforts to break you down. You're a really brave kid and we want to make sure you get the chance to grow up to be a very brave man." Sandra replied.
"Set up the situation? What do you mean by that?" Marcie asked.
"John can explain that better than I can. I only saw the aftermath. Why don't you ask him while I go play guard outside the door?" Sandra said with another smile before stepping outside.
"What did you do, John? When you told Officer Daniels you just said you hit your aunt with a chair?" Marcie asked.
"That's all I did, really." I said.
"They don't seem to think so. What was she talking about?" Marcie said.
"Okay, I'll tell you exactly what I did. It's not all that impressive, though." I said. Marcie just stared at me with a look that told me she wasn't buying that, so I told her:
I'd tried to get away lots of times, but Aunt Karen was always ready for me. It was those darn cameras! She knew when I was hiding behind the door or whatever because the cameras covered everything! I finally realized that, if I was going to get away, I needed to do something about the cameras. I tried to find them, but when I started standing up on a chair to look at the ceiling Aunt Karen came down and hit me with that collapsible club thing. So much for that idea!I tried flooding the room with steam from the shower and sink, but it really didn't fill the whole place up very well. It might work if I could get her to come down into the bathroom, but she was too smart for that.
That got me thinking about smoke. But how would I make it? I'd need a fire, but I didn't have any way of making one. Or anything to burn, really. There were some pieces of paper in the desk, but not enough for a significant fire. But then I thought about all the cosmetics and stuff in the bathroom and bedroom. Some of that stuff was pretty flammable, wasn't it?
I soon had a plan, but the hard part was finding something to ignite the fire with. I had no matches or lighters. I finally came up with a solution for that and waited for night to put my plan in motion.
Aunt Karen had me go to bed at the same time every night and got very angry if the lights weren't out on time. But, since the basement has no windows, with the lights out she couldn't see me with the cameras! That wouldn't help me with my plan to ambush her because she could control the lights from outside the room. But it did give me time to set up my plan when she couldn't see me.
The only electrical devices in my rooms were the lights, a hair dryer, a curling iron, and an alarm clock. The alarm clock had two nine volt batteries as backup in case of a power outage. They were my fuse. I took the legs off the desk (they just unscrewed) and put them in the waste basket. Then I stuffed all the paper I could find in the waste basket and grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I put the bottle, the batteries, and the waste basket in the closet in the outer room where the door into the house was. It was always dark in there so she wouldn't be able to see it even if there were cameras inside.
I'd thought about starting the fire at night, but I wasn't sure she wouldn't sleep through it. If that happened I would have wasted my chance. Not to mention I could have died from smoke inhalation or something! So I set it up at night and then went to bed. I didn't sleep well, but I did manage to get a little rest.
When my alarm went off I got up and went through my usual routine. Then Aunt Karen's voice came through the hidden speakers and told me that my breakfast was waiting for me. Obviously she hadn't looked at the cameras for the outer room yet, or she would have seen the dismembered desk!
I knew it was only a matter of time, probably a very short time, before Aunt Karen discovered what I'd done. I rushed over to the closet and pulled everything out. I put the waste basket in the middle of the room and poured all the alcohol in, making sure to get as much of the paper and wood wet with it as possible. It was evaporating really quickly, so I was glad I'd waited to pour it in! Then I snapped the batteries together and tossed them in the basket. As soon as I'd done that I pulled the chair over to the wall and sat.
"Joan, what are you doing in their?!" Aunt Karen asked. I didn't bother to reply. She asked again, sounding really angry. I knew it wouldn't take long for the batteries to heat up, and I was right. Just as Aunt Karen was screeching out another demand the fire ignited with a whooshing noise. Instantly I could feel the heat from where I was standing! Smoke began billowing up from the fire and popping sounds could be heard from inside. I assumed that was the batteries exploding from the heat.
"I've had enough of your defiance young lady!" Aunt Karen screeched. A moment later I could hear her footsteps on the stairs so I stood and dragged the chair over to the door. It was already getting kind of hard to breathe! Thankfully, I didn't have long to wait. A moment later the door swung open and Aunt Karen stepped into the room. She glanced at the fire only momentarily before sweeping her gaze over to the wall where I had been sitting. She had that collapsible club in her hand again.
I didn't give her a chance to use it as I lifted the chair up over my head and brought it down on hers as hard as I could. She dropped like a ton of bricks! I held the remains of the chair in my hand for a moment, unsure if she was conscious or not, then dropped it. I grabbed the glass of milk out of the dumbwaiter and ran into the bathroom. Dumping it out, I filled it with water and threw it into the fire. It took at least ten trips, but I finally put the fire out. Once that was done I ran for it!
Marcie just sat there staring at me for a while after I was finished. Then, shaking her head slowly, she said, "And how is that not impressive?! That's like something Michael Westen would do!"
"Yeah, right!" I snorted. "Michael Westen would have been out of there in ten minutes flat!"
Marcie started to say something and then stopped and stared at me oddly. I was just about to ask her what she was staring at when she said, "You used to take compliments a whole lot better than that."
Last time...
I didn't give her a chance to use it as I lifted the chair up over my head and brought it down on hers as hard as I could. She dropped like a ton of bricks! I held the remains of the chair in my hand for a moment, unsure if she was conscious or not, then dropped it. I grabbed the glass of milk out of the dumbwaiter and ran into the bathroom. Dumping it out, I filled it with water and threw it into the fire. It took at least ten trips, but I finally put the fire out. Once that was done I ran for it!
Marcie just sat there staring at me for a while after I was finished. Then, shaking her head slowly, she said, "And how is that not impressive?! That's like something Michael Westen would do!"
"Yeah, right!" I snorted. "Michael Westen would have been out of there in ten minutes flat!"
Marcie started to say something and then stopped and stared at me oddly. I was just about to ask her what she was staring at when she said, "You used to take compliments a whole lot better than that."
"I can understand why that might be." he said. "Hi John, I'm Dr. Sternlin, I performed your surgery yesterday. How are you feeling?"
"Uh, okay, I guess." I replied, trying to figure out his first comment.
"Good! I just wanted to come down and see how you were doing. Are either of your parents here?" he said.
I shook my head, "No. My Dad died a long time ago. I'm not sure where my Mom is right now."
He frowned and said, "Well, I'll need to talk to your mother soon, then. Please let her know I'm looking for her when you see her, okay?"
I nodded, "Okay."
After he left Marcie turned back to me and said, "I hope Mom was able to find out if your mom knew what was going on or not."
"Me too. I really hope she didn't!" I said, trying not to tear up at the thought.
Marcie hugged me, "I'm sure she didn't." I didn't think she was as confident as she sounded, but I appreciated it anyway.
We went back to talking about whatever until Mrs. Donner got back. When she did she had Mom with her. "Is it okay for us to come in John?" she asked. I nodded reluctantly and they walked in. Mom started towards me, but Mrs. Donner said something and touched her arm and she stopped. She looked kind of sad.
"So, we had a long talk and I'm convinced that your mother didn't know what your aunt had in mind." Mrs. Donner said. "So give her a chance to explain herself, okay?" I nodded again but I still wasn't sure what to think. Of course she'd deny it, right?
"Oh John, I'm so sorry about all this!" Mom said tearfully. "I swear I had no idea your aunt had anything planned but getting to know you and maybe become friends. That's what I wanted, not...this!" she gestured around us at the hospital room.
"But I heard her talking to you..." I said. I really hoped she had an explanation for that one!
Mom nodded, "I did call her, several times. But she never said anything about what she was doing to you! She always said you were out with friends when I asked to talk to you. I was starting to get worried and asked her why you were always away when she had been talking about spending so much time with you. She never really answered that question to my satisfaction, so I came home early. I was worried you two weren't getting along, but I never imagined she was trying to turn you into a girl!"
"But on the phone she talked about how well I was taking to her 'training' and stuff!" I said.
Mom shook her head helplessly, "She wasn't talking to me at those times. She never said a word. I'm very happy with you honey, you've always been such a good boy. You don't get in fights except when you're protecting someone else and you clean up after yourself. And you care so much for other people. I love you just as you are!"
"Really?" I said hopefully. She seemed sincere, and Mrs. Donner believed her. Could I?
"Really!" she said.
Before this my mom had never lied to me, that I knew of anyway, so I thought maybe I should trust her now. Besides, I really didn't want to believe she had anything to do with it anyway! I held my arms out and she ran to me, with a warning from Mrs. Donner to be careful of my broken ribs. She wrapped me up in her arms like I was made of glass, but it was still the best hug ever!
After that she wanted to know everything that had happened and I let Mrs. Donner and Marcie tell her what they knew while I spaced out. I didn't really want to think about it anymore.
I must have been more tired than I thought, 'cause the next thing I knew the room was empty. The only sound was the beeping of the machines I was still hooked up to. It was eerie, but there were other times it got this quiet during the night so I didn't think anything of it.
I was just thinking of going back to sleep when the door was suddenly slammed open. The light from the hall was so bright I couldn't see anything at first, but I heard a crazy sounding laugh.
"Did you really think you could get away from me that easily, Joan?" the figure at the door cackled. She sounded crazier than usual, but I'd recognize aunt Karen's voice anywhere. I looked around wildly for help but there was nobody there. I tried to yell but it hurt. "Tsk tsk tsk," she said, "no yelling now. Nobody is going to come in here. Your mother is seeing to that for me. Now, how am I going to deal with this rebellion, hmm?"
She tapped a fingernail against her teeth contemplatively, but her other hand was already extending that baton thingy with a metal scraping sound. I cringed when I heard it, I'd heard that sound more than I ever wanted to already! "Help!" I screamed. It hurt like hell, but I knew she was going to kill me this time.
She just laughed as she walked calmly towards me, spinning the baton like she didn't have a care in the world. When she got close enough, though, this insane light filled her eyes and she snarled as she raised it back to hit me as hard as she could. I screamed again and curled up as best I could when I felt hands on my arms.
"John, John, wake up!" someone was yelling at me. I kept screaming for a moment before what they were saying sunk in. A dream? I opened my eyes and everybody was there still; Mom, Mrs. Donner, and Marcie.
"Where is she?" I asked, still expecting to see aunt Karen somewhere in the room ready to strike.
"What's going on in here?" Phillip asked as he ran in.
"John just had a nightmare." Mrs. Donner said. I was still looking around the room, but the fact that it was all a dream was starting to sink in.
"Are you okay John?" Phillip asked.
"Uh, yeah, I guess. Aunt Karen really hasn't been here, right?" I said.
Sandra poked her head in then, "Nope, nobody's been here since you fell asleep." She smiled real quick and then pulled back around the corner. That made me feel better. If anyone had been here she would know, right?
Phillip took a moment to make sure I was okay, checked the machines, and then went back to whatever he was doing. I laid back with a wince, Mrs. Donner and Mom helped me get comfortable again. As soon as they were done Marcie butted back in and grabbed my hand, "Are you really okay John?"
I smiled weakly at her, trying to put on a brave face though I knew I probably wasn't doing a very good job of it, "Yeah, I'm fine."
Mom seemed to notice Marcie for the first time and looked curiously at her before turning to me, "John, I didn't know you had a girlfriend." She didn't say it but it was clear she expected me to introduce her.
Marcie and I both blushed and she pulled her hand back quickly, "Uh, Mom, this is Marcie. She's my best friend, she's been over lots of times. She just used to use a different name."
Mom was still stumped, which was kind of fun actually, but then Mrs. Donner explained, "Marcie is, or was, I guess, Mark. We just found out this year that she's transgender."
Mom was obviously shocked at that. After a moment of staring incredulously at Mrs. Donner she turned to examine Marcie. After a while she started nodding to herself, "Yes, I see now." Then she looked worried and asked, "Karen didn't have anything to do with this, did she?"
Marcie shook her head and laughed, "No way, I've always known I was a girl. I was just too scared to tell my parents until this year. You don't...have a problem with it, do you?" She was clearly worried, so I figured the major puppy dog eyes she was giving Mom were unintentional. Either that, or she's a better actress than I realized.
"Oh...no, of course not." Mom said. I think she was too stunned to really process it yet, really.
Marcie sagged in relief and Mom kind of did the same with the puppy dog eyes turned off. I was amazed at how cute she could be; how did I ever think this girl was a guy?!
Apparently they'd finished filling Mom in on everything while I was out, as she didn't have any more questions. She kept hugging me, carefully, every now and then and telling me she loved me. It was kind of embarrassing, but nice too.
We kind of stayed off the subject after that. Nobody asked what my dream was about, it was pretty obvious I guess. Mom hovered a lot, but then so did Marcie. Mrs. Donner was probably the calmest one in the room, besides Phillip when he came in to check up on me.
Eventually Mrs. Donner left, saying that Mr. Donner would be by later to pick up Marcie and say goodnight. She wanted to take Marcie with her at first, but Marcie turned those puppy dog eyes on her, too (intentionally this time, I think) and got her way.
I finally remembered to tell Mom that the doctor was looking for her, so she went to talk to him.
Although still sore, I was feeling a lot better now that I knew Mom was on my side. I noticed Marcie looking kind of uneasy and said, "Don't worry Marcie. I'll be out of here before you know it and I'll make sure nobody gives you any trouble at school."
She sighed, more of a put-upon sigh than a relieved one, "You don't need to protect me, John. You're not going to be in any shape to do it, anyway."
"Sure I will!" I protested.
She just rolled her eyes. She still looked uneasy about something, but she wouldn't look at me.
"Is there something wrong?" I finally asked.
She kind of shook herself off, "No, I'm fine." I didn't believe it, but decided to leave it alone. I was getting tired again.
"Is it okay if I take a nap?" I asked.
She smiled, "Of course, you must be tired what with your injuries and surgery and everything. Go ahead."
I smiled back and closed my eyes. I must have been out quickly because the next thing I knew Phillip was puttering around again. Nobody else was there. "Where did everybody go?" I asked.
"Hi John. Marcie told me to tell you that her father came and they had to go. Your mother just went out to get something to eat, she should be back in a little while." he said. I nodded and watched him work. When he was done he asked if I needed anything, I didn't, smiled and closed the door behind him. I saw a different person standing outside the door but he was in uniform so I figured he was Sandra's replacement.
I thanked Phillip and turned on the TV. I could tell that being in the hospital was going to be incredibly boring, but maybe I could catch up on our favorite show.
I didn't find anything interesting to watch until I stumbled on a news program. I was just about to switch the channel when they showed a picture of aunt Karen! I turned up the volume and listened as they talked about what she did. They didn't name me, but since they named aunt Karen and said I was her nephew I guessed everyone would know anyway. Although she has a different last name, so maybe not...
"Hi John, how are you feeling?" Mom asked as she walked in carrying a paper bag.
"Hi Mom, I'm okay. They were just talking about me on TV." I said. The news report was over, though, so they were talking about something else when Mom turned to look.
"What did they say?" she asked.
"They mostly talked about aunt Karen; they didn't mention me by name at all." I said.
She nodded, "They won't, because you're underage. I brought you something to eat." She held up the bag and pulled out some chicken nuggets and fries. It wasn't much, but it was better than the stuff Phillip brought by while I was eating it. I picked at the stuff he brought which, I think, was supposed to be mashed potatoes and ham but tasted more like cardboard.
I was a little surprised to realize it was already dinner time, which reminded me of the hearing, "Didn't Mr. Donner say that aunt Karen was going to court today?" I said, though almost immediately I remembered that she hadn't been there when he said it. Then again, I was asleep when he came for Marcie this time so he could have mentioned it then.
Mom shook her head, "Not yet, that's tomorrow."
"Oh, it seems like that was at least a day ago." I said, thinking of all the times I'd slept since then.
"No, but John..." Mom said, trailing off worriedly.
"What Mom?" I asked.
Mom bit her lip and said, "Well, Mr. Donner was telling me what the bail would probably be set at and...well, Karen can afford that. She'll probably be out after her hearing tomorrow."
Last time...
Mom shook her head, "Not yet, that's tomorrow."
"Oh, it seems like that was at least a day ago." I said, thinking of all the times I'd slept since then.
"No, but John..." Mom said, trailing off worriedly.
"What Mom?" I asked.
Mom bit her lip and said, "Well, Mr. Donner was telling me what the bail would probably be set at and...well, Karen can afford that. She'll probably be out after her hearing tomorrow."
"That's the way it works honey." Mom explained while she cleaned herself off. "The prosecutor will try to get bail denied but it probably won't work. I'm filing a restraining order against her so she can't come near you or the house. It makes me glad the police are taking your protection seriously, though."
I nodded at that. I thought it was more to make me feel safer, but now I realized there might be more to it than that. They must have known this might happen, right? Being cops I figured they did. I was doubly glad they were guarding me now, but would they keep doing it until the trial?
Mom must have seen how worried I was because she hugged me and said, "It'll be alright. Someone will be with you at all times until Karen is safely locked away. I don't know if she'd really come after you or not, but I don't want you to worry."
"I don't know if she would either; I think she's gone totally nuts!" I said.
Mom nodded sadly, "I'm afraid you may be right. She's always had her problems but Karen has never done anything even remotely similar to this before."
We talked about other stuff while I finished eating. After a while I got tired again and dozed off.
I asked if that meant I could leave soon, but he said they wanted to keep me there one more day to be on the safe side. They'd do the x-rays in the morning and, if everything looked okay, I'd be able to leave by lunchtime. I hoped he was right, this hospital food really doesn't have much flavor! Breakfast was plain old corn flakes. I didn't even have any sugar to put on them! Mom promised to get me some real food for lunch, though.
Marcie and her mom finally came by around ten and she brought her DS along! That earned her a hug, which surprised us both. I never was big on hugs but it just felt like the thing to do, for some reason.
I got a surprise at lunchtime when Mom brought my lunch and Charlie. He seemed kind of uncomfortable, though, and didn't stay long. I asked Mom if he was okay and she just said he probably didn't like hospitals. I could understand that!
I was getting really tired of lying in bed all day, but at least I'd be able to leave tomorrow. Hopefully.
A while after lunch Mr. Donner showed up. He looked a little subdued.
"Hi Mr. Donner, what's up?" I said.
He walked in and took a seat next to Marcie, "Hi John. I just came from the courthouse. I'm afraid your aunt got bail as we suspected she would."
Marcie grabbed my hand when she heard that while my Mom took the other. "So, she could be on her way over here right now for all we know?" I finally said.
Mr. Donner laughed, "I doubt it! If she's smart, and I think she is, she'll stay far away from you until the trial. Besides the fact that your mom got a restraining order out on her, the defense she put together for herself would look pretty foolish if she tried to hurt you."
"What do you mean?" Mom asked. I was wondering the same thing. What kind of defense could she have?
He sighed, "Well, that's the worrisome part. She's not claiming that she didn't do any of the things she's accused of. Instead, she's twisting everything around to make herself out as the victim."
"How is she doing that?!" Mom exclaimed.
"Well, she's claiming that she was helping John become Joan because that's what he wanted..." he replied.
"WHAT?!!" I screamed, and then regretted it when it hurt. I think everyone had pretty much the same reaction, though. Paul and the police officer on guard duty both came in to see what was wrong and kind of hung out at the door after Mom explained things. I think they were as curious to find out what scheme my aunt was hatching as I was.
Mr. Donner waited until we'd all calmed down and then continued, "That's what she's claiming. She's also saying that John, though she always refers to him as Joan and she or her, became irrational and she had to start carrying that tactical baton around for self-defense. She even claims that she had to start locking John in the basement at night to keep him from stealing hormones."
I groaned, "I'm doomed!"
Marcie squeezed my hand, "I'm sure she won't get away with it. Right Dad?"
Mr. Donner nodded, "I'm sure she won't. The ADA is still pouring over all the evidence from her house, but he's certain there is plenty there to discredit her story. He would like to talk to John soon, though. He thinks that John might be able to point him in the right direction."
I nodded, "Sure, I'd like to make sure she doesn't get away with this. But...what happens if she is convicted? Will she go to jail for a long time, or what?"
Mr. Donner shrugged, "That depends on exactly what she's convicted of. She's muddying the waters enough that she might slip out of some of the charges. But even so she'll probably spend at least twenty years in jail after this, if not the rest of her life."
I thought about that for a bit. Did I really want her to go to jail forever? I mean, sure, she was a real... well, you know, to me. But what if she really is nuts? "Is she crazy?" I asked.
He shrugged again, "It's hard to say. She might have been abused as a child and this is some weird sort of lashing out because of that, or she could be completely crazy. I suppose the judge will have to decide that once she's convicted."
"But if she's crazy, she shouldn't just get locked up, should she?" I asked. "I mean, maybe they could fix her or something?"
Mom hugged me at that, "That's my boy, always worrying about other people!" she exclaimed tearfully. It was kind of embarrassing.
"You're really worried about her?!" Marcie asked incredulously.
I started to shrug but stopped myself just in time. I sure can't wait until I don't have to worry about that anymore! "Well, if she's sick she should get help, right? I mean, maybe then she wouldn't be so bad. And she is family, I guess." I said.
Mr. Donner frowned thoughtfully, "I suppose I could run that by the ADA. Maybe he could make a recommendation to the judge?"
There wasn't much more to say after that. Mr. Donner left to talk to the lawyer who was going to prosecute aunt Karen again. After that people were in and out all day. Marci stayed the most, but her mom insisted on her being home for dinner. That left just Mom and me for a while. I hated to even think it, but I still got a little nervous when it was just the two of us. Knowing Paul was nearby, and the policeman guarding the door, made it easier.
It was while we were alone that I finally thought to ask about how her trip went. She kept trying to change the subject, though. "Is there something wrong, Mom?" I finally asked.
She sighed and nodded, "I'm afraid there might be. We had a great time in Mexico and he was very understanding of me wanting to come back early to check on you. But after he came out to see you yesterday he seemed more distant. I'm probably just imagining things, though." She laughed weakly, so I figured she didn't really believe that.
I really didn't know what to say about that. I'd always thought Charlie was pretty cool! I'd thought maybe I'd get to call him 'Dad' at some point, but now it was starting to sound like I wouldn't.
After that we had trouble finding anything to talk about so she went back to reading the book she brought with her while I played on Marcie's DS.
I did eventually fall asleep again, and woke when Paul came in with breakfast. It actually had some flavor this time!
Mom had gone home after I fell asleep, so I was on my own for a while. Not too long, though, because they came to take me to get x-rays. That was fun...not!
After the x-rays they took me back to the room. I was really bored since Marcie's DS was too low on power to use. I wished she'd brought the power cord but I'd be getting out soon (hopefully!), so guessed it didn't really matter all that much.
Mom, Marcie and her mother all came in together just before the doctor did. He brought some x-ray pictures in with him and showed us where the damage was and where the metal plates and such were keeping things in place. He said it was holding up nicely so I could go home!
After Mom filled out some paperwork we were finally able to leave. I had to ride in a wheel chair, which sucked. Marci wanted to push it, but Mom insisted on doing it herself. I think she was feeling guilty about what happened.
Marcie and her mom followed us home and came in with us. Marcie fussed around me like I was an invalid or something, but really I could get around fine so long as I didn't move too fast. It still hurt if I moved wrong but I felt okay otherwise.
Mom was also a little annoying, always asking if I needed anything. She was offering pillows, soda, cookies and anything else she could think of. I really hoped she'd relax soon, and Marcie!
Mrs. Donner finally dragged Marcie out of there so they could meet up with Mr. Donner for lunch. Mom insisted on cooking something for me, even though she hates to cook. She's actually pretty good at it, but she says it gets old fast when you have to do it all the time. That's why I'd help out sometimes.
I wanted to help, but Mom refused. So I sat and watched TV until it was done.
After lunch Mr. Donner called and reminded us that the ADA, whatever that is, wanted to see me. Mom called him up and made an appointment for about an hour later. That left us with too little time to do more than watch some TV before we had to leave.
Apparently ADA stands for Assistant District Attorney, which just means he's the guy who is working on my aunt's case. Not defending her, though. She's got her own lawyer for that. Mom filled me in on the way over.
After asking a few people on the way we finally found his little cubicle in the busy courthouse.
Mom introduced us and he hurried to shake my hand, "John, it's so good to meet you! I've heard some really impressive things about you! My name is William Darvin, I'll be handling your case."
"Uh, thanks?" I said, a little overwhelmed. He was really enthusiastic!
He talked to Mom for a bit, then. Boring stuff about the case, mostly. Then he asked to talk to me alone for a while. She stepped out and he turned his full attention to me. "Okay, John, now I need you to walk me through everything that happened. I know you've already done this a few times, but I need to get all the details down."
I nodded and started in, again. He took lots of notes, even more than officer Daniels had! He also asked questions a lot. Finally I was done and he sat back. "John, there's a lot of evidence here. Not just all you've told me, but a lot of physical evidence, as well. I'm sure among all this there must be a smoking gun that will blow your aunt's story to bits. Your aunt's lawyer is pushing for a quick trial, so I don't have much time to put a case together. I was hoping you could help."
I shrugged, "Sure, if I can."
"Great!" he smiled. "Let me get some stuff out to show you." Then he started pulling out boxes with stuff in plastic bags in them. One of them had that baton thingy that aunt Karen hit me with. Another had a DVD disc!
I didn't have much hope that she hadn't deleted the good part, but I had to try. Mr. Darvin seemed pretty happy about it when he saw it! We came up with a plan for the trial and I couldn't wait to see the look on aunt Karen's face!
After that he brought Mom back in and he started asking me questions like aunt Karen's lawyer would to get me used to it. I broke down crying several times and Mom looked about ready to kill him. I told her it was okay, though, and she reluctantly backed off.
Mr. Darvin had some meetings he had to go to, and other cases he had to work on, so we left after that. I was exhausted, but happy. If our plan worked the way we thought, this was going to be great! Oh yeah, and he agreed to try and get aunt Karen committed instead of thrown in jail. I hoped it worked.
Mom seemed worried on the drive back home. At least, for the part of the drive I didn't sleep through. I was really tired!
Once we got inside I sat on the couch to watch some TV. A little while later Mom came in and sat next to me. She wrapped one arm around me and was messing with my hair with her other hand. It was a little annoying, but also kind of nice? Anyway, we sat like that for a while and I could tell she was worried about something.
"What's up Mom?" I finally asked.
She smiled fondly down at me for a minute before she finally answered, "I'm just worried about this trial. It looks like it's going to be really rough for you. And I'm also worried that Karen might get away with this."
I laughed a little before the pain stopped me. Then I had to take a moment to get my breath back before I could answer, "Don't worry about that Mom. Mr. Darvin has a great plan! It's a secret for now, though. He doesn't want anyone but the two of us to know what he's got up his sleeve so nobody can let it slip on accident or through their reactions or something."
"Are you sure John?" she asked.
I nodded emphatically, "Oh yeah, I'm sure! Trust me, Mom, we've got aunt Karen right where we want her. But yeah, the trial itself is probably going to suck. At least until we get to the good part." I knew I'd probably end up crying again when I testified, but I was willing to put up with the embarrassment. Especially knowing we had an ace up our sleeve!
Last time...
She smiled fondly down at me for a minute before she finally answered, "I'm just worried about this trial. It looks like it's going to be really rough for you. And I'm also worried that Karen might get away with this."
I laughed a little before the pain stopped me. Then I had to take a moment to get my breath back before I could answer, "Don't worry about that Mom. Mr. Darvin has a great plan! It's a secret for now, though. He doesn't want anyone but the two of us to know what he's got up his sleeve so nobody can let it slip on accident or through their reactions or something."
"Are you sure John?" she asked.
I nodded emphatically, "Oh yeah, I'm sure! Trust me, Mom, we've got aunt Karen right where we want her. But yeah, the trial itself is probably going to suck. At least until we get to the good part." I knew I'd probably end up crying again when I testified, but I was willing to put up with the embarrassment. Especially knowing we had an ace up our sleeve!
"That won't be fun, I know. But I can handle it. Being in that basement was way worse than anything that lawyer can do to me!" I said.
Mom nodded with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that John."
She looked like she was going to say more but got choked up. I could guess where she was headed, though. I hugged her as best I could with my sore ribs, "It's okay Mom. You couldn't have known. I mean, I knew she hated me and I never dreamed she'd pull something like that!"
Mom smiled, "What did I ever do to deserve a son like you?"
I tried to look like I was seriously thinking about it for a minute and said, "Hmm, let me think. Lots? But I won't bore you with the whole list."
Mom laughed and hugged me back. But then I got to thinking about something else and she must have noticed, "John, is something wrong?"
"Well, I know you said you were okay with it before, but we kind of dropped it on you out of the blue. I was just wondering how you'd feel about me hanging out with Marcie? 'Cause she's still my best friend and she's going to need me when school starts." I said.
Mom ruffled my hair, "Looking out for her already, huh? I'll admit it caught me off guard. But I've known Mark for a while now and Marcie seems much happier and more outgoing than Mark ever was. I've never encountered anyone like her before, but it's clear she's a lot happier now. And she obviously cares about you. So I don't have a problem with you two hanging out. Still..."
"What?!" I asked worriedly at the look on her face.
Mom smiled again, "I was just thinking that we might need some new rules where it comes to you two. I don't want you two together in your bedroom with the door closed, for instance."
"Mom!" I whined, "It's not like that! We're best friends, that's all!"
Mom smirked, "Maybe. Nevertheless I want your door open when the two of you are in there. I'll talk to her parents and ask them to do the same when you're at her house."
I just rolled my eyes at her and turned back to the TV. She hugged me again and we sat in silence for a while.
The silence was broken by the door bell ringing. Mom went to answer it and came back with Marcie. "Hey John, how are you?" she said.
"Okay. What's up?" I said.
"Just thought you might like some company. Maybe play a game or something?" Marcie said. She looked a little nervous for some reason, looking down at the floor a lot and stuff.
"Sure. Is my Wii here or is it still at aunt Karen's?" I said.
"It's here. The police brought it and the other things you brought with you to Karen's back yesterday." Mom said. "I already set your Wii back up in your room. Just remember to keep the door open!"
I groaned and rolled my eyes again, then groaned again when Marcie insisted on helping me up and Mom helped, too. I'm not helpless! Anyway, we got up to my room and I remembered to leave the door open. We got a game going and I noticed Marcie looking at me weird. "What?" I asked.
"What was that about keeping your door open?" she said.
I'm pretty sure I blushed, "She's just got some weird ideas. You know, because you're a girl and I'm a guy?"
She looked kind of sad for a moment, but shook it off, "Oh, I see."
We didn't talk much during the game, both thinking about things I guess. I was sure she had plenty to think about. Her parents were pretty cool, but still having a little trouble adjusting, I think. And then there's school, of course!
After a while she said she had to be home for dinner and left. Mom and I had dinner and watched a couple of movies before I went to bed.
The next few days were more of the same. Marcie was there everyday, sometimes with one or both of her parents. We had a lot of fun, but there was always this tension, too. I figured it was because of the trial, which was coming up fast!
I had a couple more meetings with Mr. Darvin to get me ready. It was always real emotional but it got easier.
We didn't see Charlie the whole time, which I could see Mom wasn't happy about. I couldn't figure out why he was staying away, unless he was worried about publicity or something? Mom assured me there wouldn't be a bunch of reporters coming to the house or anything because I'm a minor. She had gotten calls, but she refused to talk to anybody. I was glad for that, I didn't want everybody in the world to know what happened!
I'd been out of the hospital for ten days or so when the day of the trial finally came. I was real nervous, but kind of excited, too. I could tell Mom, Marcie and everybody were really worried. I felt a little guilty about not telling them why we didn't need to worry, but I did try to reassure them as much as I could without telling them. Not sure how much good it did, though.
I'm gonna skip over all the courtroom protocol stuff, it's kinda boring. Anyway, we were all there waiting for stuff to happen. Mr. Darvin went first, saying what aunt Karen did and everything. Then he talked to some policemen and forensic people and stuff. Then he put me on the stand. Everything had been real boring up to that point, but not anymore!
He had me go through everything that happened from when aunt Karen picked me up to when I got to the hospital. I got a little wet in the eyes going over some of the more unpleasant parts, which was embarrassing, but did okay I guess. Anyway, that's when aunt Karen's lawyer, Mr. Parkins, got going.
I knew I didn't like him right away. He started out by calling me Joan! Mr. Darvin objected, so that didn't last long, at least. Then he started asking me stuff like, "So when did you start wearing girl's clothes?" and stuff like I'd been doing it for years before aunt Karen forced me to! Mr. Darvin had anticipated something like that, but it was different coming from Mr. Parkins. I tried really hard not to lose my temper since Mr. Darvin said that would look bad.
Despite all the preparation I was still kind of a mess when Mr. Parkins was done. Mr. Darvin objected a lot, and the judge seemed to agree with him most of the time, so I figured Mr. Parkins was pushing his luck. It made me feel better, the way the judge handled it and everything, like he was on my side.
When I sat back down Marcie hugged me and asked if I was alright. "I'll be fine." is all I could say, though, because Mr. Parkins called some psychiatrist to the stand. He had a bunch of them, all talking about Gender Identity Disorder and stuff. He was kind of making transgender people out to be, like, really messed up in the head or something. Marcie was getting really angry about it. So was I, for that matter.
Then he finally called aunt Karen to the stand. Mr. Darvin had purposely left her for last by not questioning her himself. We knew aunt Karen would want to have her say, what with the defense she was using and everything.
She gave a totally different account of what happened, saying that I'd come to her before the summer asking her to help me be a girl. How she'd been giving me, 'girl lessons', which was true up to a point. Then she started talking about how I'd become unstable and she'd had to lock me up for my own protection. It was really hard to keep quiet when she was telling all these lies, but I just remembered that she was going to get hers real soon and that helped.
Mr. Parkins finished by requesting to show a video aunt Karen had recorded while I was at her house. Mom, Marcie and her parents all looked worried when they heard that part, because they didn't know what was on the video. I'd mention aunt Karen forcing me to say a bunch of lies in front of a camera, though, so I guess there was reason to be worried. And I have to admit it looked really bad!
The video started with me sitting in a rocking chair in this really girly dress with lots of lace and stuff. I was rocking slowly while holding this doll. It had taken a lot of whacks with that stick of hers to get me to do that!
"So, Joan, what did you want to tell your mother?" aunt Karen said on the recording.
"Um, hi Mom. I wanted to tell you that, well," there was a pause and you could see me looking off to the side. Aunt Karen wasn't visible on the screen but she was threatening to beat me to a pulp so I continued on the video, "I'm a girl. I've always felt like a girl, and aunt Karen has helped me become one. I hope you can love me like this?"
There was a little more, but that was the gist of it. The jury was looking at me like I was some kind of freak after that, but I ignored them. I knew I needed to not show how unconcerned I was for Mr. Darvin's plan to work the way we wanted it to.
Mr. Parkins paused it where aunt Karen had left to answer the door and said he had no more questions. There was a buzz going around and people were looking at me weird all over, even the judge. It was a little worrying, even knowing what I did, but I did my best not to be intimidated by it like Mr. Darvin said.
That's when Mr. Darvin started tearing into aunt Karen. He kept saying stuff like, "So how many times did you have to hit John to get him to do this?" He wasn't just talking about the video, either, but all of it. I wasn't exactly... cooperative, after all.
Mr. Parkins objected a lot, but he was overruled a lot, too. The judge wasn't looking so sympathetic anymore, but he was obviously trying to keep an open mind. That's what judges do after all, right? Anyway, once Mr. Darvin was done with his questions he picked up the remote for the video. It was still paused with me in the picture looking all girly and everything. I still couldn't believe aunt Karen and her lawyer never watched the whole thing!
"Your honor, I believe there is a bit more to this recording that might help to clear things up for everyone." Mr. Darvin said. The judge gave him the go ahead to play the rest of the recording. Aunt Karen looked smug, probably figuring she'd won. She even glared at me with a smile, which was a weird combination if you ask me. But the smile went away fast!
On the recording I was watching aunt Karen leave the room. I waited for a few seconds and then dropped the doll and ran up to the camera, "If anybody sees this, please help me! She made me say all that stuff, and wear these clothes. I don't want to be a girl, I like being a guy! Look what she did!" In the recording I pulled my dress up so you could see all the bruises on my stomach and chest. They were pretty ugly looking, worse than I realized, really. I pulled it down real quick and look to make sure aunt Karen wasn't there before continuing.
"My aunt is crazy! Please, if anybody sees this, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I said in the recording.
Last time...
"Your honor, I believe there is a bit more to this recording that might help to clear things up for everyone." Mr. Darvin said. The judge gave him the go ahead to play the rest of the recording. Aunt Karen looked smug, probably figuring she'd won. She even glared at me with a smile, which was a weird combination if you ask me. But the smile went away fast!
On the recording I was watching aunt Karen leave the room. I waited for a few seconds and then dropped the doll and ran up to the camera, "If anybody sees this, please help me! She made me say all that stuff, and wear these clothes. I don't want to be a girl, I like being a guy! Look what she did!" In the recording I pulled my dress up so you could see all the bruises on my stomach and chest. They were pretty ugly looking, worse than I realized, really. I pulled it down real quick and look to make sure aunt Karen wasn't there before continuing.
"My aunt is crazy! Please, if anybody sees this, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I said in the recording.
There were several cops in the audience who had been witnesses and between them and the bailiff she never got close to me, thankfully! There was a lot of noise and confusion after that and the judge had to bang his gavel a bunch to get people to quiet down. Marcie had grabbed onto me kind of hard when aunt Karen started running towards me, and Mom was holding on a little hard, too. Once aunt Karen was dragged out they both relaxed a little.
"So, was that your big surprise?" Mom asked.
I nodded, "Yep! Mr. Darvin did it pretty good, don't you think? It really showed how unstable aunt Karen really is. Mr. Darvin figured it would be real easy to get her some help if she reacted the way we thought. Though she was more violent than we thought she would be."
"I'm very proud of you honey, but please don't scare me like that again, okay?" Mom said. "I really thought Karen was going to be found innocent for a moment there."
"Sorry Mom, Mr. Darvin thought it would be best if everyone reacted naturally to the video, otherwise Mr. Parkins might take another look at it." I said.
She ruffled my hair, "That's okay. I'm just glad this is almost over and it looks like it's going the way you wanted. I'm still really impressed with how you're thinking about what's best for Karen."
Marcie hugged me and said, "Yeah, me too. You're the best John!"
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just waited for things to calm down. Not that they really did, all the way at least, while we were in the courtroom. We had to take a break so Mr. Parkins could talk to aunt Karen and figure out what they were going to do. Once the judge left Mr. Darvin came over and told us Mr. Parkins would probably try to make a deal, but he didn't feel the need to do so. We'd already won and everybody knew it!
When we went back in aunt Karen had calmed down, though she stared daggers at me! But she was handcuffed so I wasn't too worried. Both lawyers talked for a while each and then the jury had to go and decide. Mr. Parkins looked unhappy and Mr. Darvin told us it was because aunt Karen refused to change her plea for any reason. That and he was feeling pretty stupid for not taking a closer look at the video.
We went out for lunch while we were waiting for the verdict. Mom was really quiet. "Hey Mom, what's wrong?" I asked. "You're not still worried she'll get off, are you?"
Mom shook her head, "No, I'm sure she won't now. It just bothers me that she could get this bad without me realizing it. What drove her over the edge? Why does she seem to hate you so much? I just don't understand."
"Yeah, it is weird, isn't it? But that's why she needs help, right? So they can find out what caused this so she can get better?" I said.
Mom smiled, "Yes, you're quite right. When did you get so wise?"
I shrugged, or started to anyway. It still hurt to do that, though not nearly as bad as it had! "I just take after you, I guess."
She shook her head, "I don't know about that. I think you're much wiser than I."
I didn't know what to say to that so I concentrated on my food. Marcie and her parents were with us and the adults all started talking about the trial, and especially the video.
"John?" Marcie said.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"How did you know anybody would ever see that recording?" she asked.
"Well, from what she had me say it seemed pretty clear she was planning on showing it to Mom to try and convince her that I wanted to be a girl. Or maybe somebody else? Anyway, why make it if nobody was ever going to see it? But I didn't really know that anybody would ever see it, I just took a shot." I said.
We were just finishing up our lunch when Mr. Donner got a phone call. It was Mr. Darvin saying that the jury was back already!
"That was fast." he said.
"It's pretty obvious what happened after that video and Karen's reaction." Mom said.
"True." he agreed. We tossed our garbage and headed back to the courtroom.
Once there we had to wait for a bit for everybody else to get there. Then the jury came in and they came up with the expected answer; guilty! Then Mr. Darvin made the request that aunt Karen get help instead of just being locked up. Aunt Karen didn't like that too much, but the judge thought it was a good idea and basically told her to sit down and shut up. She didn't like that much, either!
There was a bunch of lawyer talk after that. I didn't understand all of it but Mr. Darvin explained afterward that aunt Karen would be appealing, which meant she would try to get the verdict changed. But he assured me that wouldn't work with all the evidence he has, especially the video. I sure hoped he was right!
Finally it was all done and we could go home. I was kind of tired, so I ended up taking a nap as soon as we got there. When I woke up I heard our parents in the kitchen talking. I was lying on the couch with my head up on something soft, but it wasn't a pillow. Looking up I realized it was Marcie's lap!
"Hey John, I hope you don't mind?" she said, sounding uncertain.
I just shrugged, not sure why she'd do that. Must be a girl thing?
Anyway, it was comfortable so I wasn't going to complain. Now that I was awake she put the TV on and we watched a movie. Halfway through she started talking about this big shopping spree she'd gone on the other day with her mother. She'd finally gotten the rest of Mark's things out of her room and gotten lots of new clothes and stuff. It sounded like Mrs. Donner was getting a lot more comfortable with Marcie.
She also told me she had an appointment with a specialist doctor, can't remember the name, but he would hopefully be prescribing a medicine that would block the testosterone in her body so she wouldn't get a deeper voice or anything like that. She wanted estrogen, but figured she'd probably have to wait a while. It kind of sucked that I got forced to take the stuff, but she had to wait for it and she actually wanted it!
We talked about what electives were available this year, which wasn't much! She was a little anxious about PE because of the whole locker room thing. She was also worried someone would recognize her and cause her trouble.
"I told you Marcie," I said when that came out, "you don't have to worry about that. I'll take care of you."
Marcie smiled, "Thanks John, you really are a great guy."