“I’m sorry that may have been uncomfortable, but you are quite an enigma, you know?” he said, as she dressed.
“Oh?”
“Not the doctors’ fault, but I think you were wrongly sexed at birth. Oh, you look somewhat male, but I think you are more a girl than even you believed. I can understand how it happened, as you have a unique arrangement down below.”
She came back out, tucking her top into her skirt. He looked at her critically over his half-moon glasses.
“Hmm, quite! Please sit down. Before we get the secret service back in, I’ll tell you what I know and what I believe. Then I’ll go through the options, after that we’ll let the posse in to have their say. All right?”
Kayla smiled and nodded.
“Firstly, I believe that your GP was one hundred percent correct in his initial diagnosis. You are inter-sexed. I should go so far as to say that you are female, with vestiges of masculine development that give you the appearance of being a physical male. I am not totally sure what you have inside you, but at a reasonable guess, I would think we shall find most of what you need to be a woman. Maybe not all, but certainly most!
“Your hormone levels are normal, normal for a girl going through puberty that is. That suggests the presence of ovaries, as your abdomen and those parts I could reach from behind, suggest the presence of a womb and some other female equipment. The total lack of testosterone tells me that those lumps between your legs are flesh and fatty deposits, and the cleft is a poor attempt to create a vaginal opening. Your small penis is an enlarged clitoral development, and although you manage to pee out of it, that can be rectified. This is all emphasised by the fact your voice has yet to break, and you sound and look female.
“Your breast development is on a par with your hormone levels, and I think you won’t need those rubber ones in a few months. The decisive factor is one that even the legal minds will have to accept - you have XX chromosomes. That makes you female, beyond all reasonable doubt. So, young lady, how do you feel now?”
Kayla was shocked into silence. It was a nice shock, but still she wasn’t able to take it in completely.
“Hmm, I thought as much. Well, options. One, we do nothing, and I see you in four months. You have minimal interference, but there are risks.
“Two, when I get back from the States, we have you in for a day and take a little peek at what’s inside you. That will give me an idea as to how best to play this. What do you think?”
“You said risks?”
“Yes. When girls go through puberty, one factor is menstruation. At present, you do not have anywhere for the womb lining to escape to, so there is a problem with where it does go, assuming you have a womb and lining that peels away. Secondly, your hormone levels are fine for a normal girl. However, exactly how much of a normal girl you actually are remains to be seen. Hormones affect all manner of organs, like the kidneys and liver, notwithstanding the mental stress of the whole thing. My personal view is that I book you in for day surgery when I come back from my lecture tour. In the meantime, I’ll arrange for you to have a scan, just to see what is really there.
“Your mother and grandmother may have different views, so I really need to know what you want and feel about this.”
Kayla felt as if she was in a dream. The whole situation was so surreal. Just a few days ago, she was a boy with strong feelings of which he was ashamed. Now here was this eminent surgeon telling her that she had been a girl all along. What ’s more, He was asking her what she wanted.
“I just want to be me. I feel I’m a girl, so I just want to be as complete as I can be, and as soon as possible,” she said.
“Good, then I shall book you in here for that day job, in four and a half weeks. Let’s get the dragons in, shall we?”
The journey home was very different to the way up. Ingrid was quiet for a change and Kayla said absolutely nothing. Rebecca was still reeling with the fact that she might have given birth to a girl after all, but a minor genetic blip meant that no one ever knew.
They had another letter for the headmaster. It only enlarged on the earlier letter, stressing that Kayla was indeed female, with physical problems that would and could be rectified.
“I’m a girl, Mum,” she said.
“Yes dear, you are.”
“I think it is a shame that we couldn’t find this out sooner. She’s missed growing up,” Ingrid said.
“I don’t mind. I’m a girl now and it’s brilliant!”
They had a quiet lunch, and Kayla did not go back to school in the afternoon, as she had to work on Kyle’s assignments. She sat in the dining room, and quietly got on with her work. Ingrid was actually pleased with the changes she saw in her grandchild. Kyle had always been a quiet and pleasant child, but never demonstrative or effusive with any form of emotive reaction to life. He had to be prodded to do anything, whether it was to get out of bed or to help do the chores. Kayla, on the other hand, was bubbly and fun to have around. She helped around the house without being asked, and was up and dressed before her grandmother every morning.
As the child sat and worked, Ingrid watched her. Her whole demeanour had changed beyond all recognition; it was completely feminine. From the way she sat, to her hand gestures, she embodied everything that was female, and she seemed so content.
Kayla’s mobile rang. It was Sally.
“Hi Kayla. How did it go?”
“Fine. No, better than fine. It seems I am more female than male. I have XX chromosomes, and the surgeon thinks I have loads of female stuff inside me.”
“Really? So, what happens next?”
“I’m to go in for day surgery in about five weeks, then he’ll have a better idea. I have to have a scan before then, and then we’ll see.”
“Pete called me,” Sally said.
“Oh yes, why?”
“He wants you bad, girl!”
“Shit, why me?”
“Because you’re erotic, remember?” Sally said, with a giggle.
“Shut up, that was a joke.”
“Some joke, you really are!”
“Oh Sal, I just want to be me,” Kayla said, exasperated.
“Do you want to go out this evening?”
“And do what? Get groped in the cinema by Pete, or stared at by every boy I pass?”
“Kayla, if you don’t like the heat, then get out of the kitchen. If you didn’t look so sexy, you wouldn’t get stared at. Try dressing like Kyle, and see what happens.”
“No way! I never want to look like that again!”
“Then accept that boys will always stare at pretty girls.”
“I’m just not used to being the centre of attention. I feel vulnerable and insecure, particularly as underneath I know it’s all a sham.”
“No it isn’t. Not if what the doctor says is true. If you are a real girl, then all you are doing is making your transition from a sham to reality easier.”
“I suppose. It’s all so complicated.”
“So, are you coming out?”
“Okay. I’ll pop round on my bike.”
“Oh yeah? And what happens if the police stop you?”
“Huh?”
“Kayla, you, are a girl, have you a driver’s licence and insurance in your new name?”
“Uh, no.”
“Then, girl, you have to walk, or I pick you up.”
“Shit Sally, I only just passed my test!”
“You’ll have to be patient. I’m sure the doctor will write a letter so the licence people will be able to issue you a new one.”
“What about a passport and stuff? Fuck, Sal, I never thought about this at all!”
“Talk to your dad about it. He’s the sort of bloke who’ll know what to do. I’ll pick you up in half an hour.”
“Wait! Where are we going?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Just dress nice.”
She hung up.
Kayla went up to her room, and changed into a short dark skirt, a black tee shirt, tights and a pair of black boots she had bought at the weekend. The boots had quite high heels and she thought they looked very sexy.