A few days after that, cheer camp comes up. Yep, seems like I’m going to be trying out for cheerleading when school begins. Megan says that with as athletic and graceful as I am, I should have no problem.

Cheer camp is actually a lot of fun, even if it was awkward at first. While the other girls would run around the bathroom nude, I would always wear my panties, which netted me some odd looks. It takes Megan stating that my religion has a full nudity taboo. The girls seemed to take that at face value and leave it at that. I find that I’m rather good at cheerleading, and the coaches are amazed that this is my first time doing it. Megan tells me that I shouldn’t be surprised since I’m smart, limber, graceful, and have excellent spatial orientation.

Two weeks fly by faster than you can imagine when you’re enjoying yourself. The girls at the camp are simply lovely, and we have a lot of fun during our free time. As we pack up to go home, tears and hugs abound. Soon, Mom arrives to take us home, and along the way, she tells me that I have an appointment with Doctor Nowak in two days.

The next day, we return to our routine of yoga and ballet class. The day after that, Mom and I head out to see Doctor Nowak. We arrive at his office a little early because they always have paperwork you have to do when you first see a doctor.

Mom and I walk up to the receptionist, who says, “Hello. How may I help you?”

“We have an appointment for Jacqueline Stetson with Doctor Nowak at 9:00.”

“Okay.” She looks on her computer for a few moments, then looks back at Mom. “I need her insurance card, please.”

Mom hands it to her, and she scans it, then says, “There’s a $70.00 co-pay.” Mom hands her a credit card, she runs it, then hands it back. Then hands her a clipboard with a fairly thick stack of paperwork. “Please, take a seat and fill those out. The doctor is running behind a bit today, so you should have plenty of time to finish. Hold on to the paperwork once you finish, the nurse will take it from you when she calls you back.”

We take a seat, and I spend the next half-hour filling out the paperwork, which I have to say is fairly intrusive. Not long after I finish, the nurse walks into the waiting room and calls out, “Jacqueline Stetson.”

We stand up and walk over to her. She takes the clipboard from me, glances through it, and then says, “Follow me, please.”

We follow her down a short hallway and pause at an alcove for her to measure my weight - 98 lbs., height - 5”1¼”, blood pressure, and heart rate. Then she leads us to an exam room that has a computer, a couple of chairs, and an exam bed with stirrups attached to it.

She hands me a gown, and says, “Please, remove all your clothing, including your underwear, and put on the gown. Doctor Nowak is still with another patient, so it’ll be a few more minutes.”

“Okay,” I reply. She leaves, Mom takes a seat in the chair beside the exam bed while I undress, don the gown, then sit down on the exam bed.

“Hello ladies,” he says as he walks into the exam room. “I’m Doctor Nowak.” He shakes our hands and sits down.

“Hello,” we tell him.

“So, Jacqueline…”

“Jackie, please,” I interrupt him to say.

“Right. Okay, Jackie, I’ve read your case history and spoken to your psychologist, so I’m familiar with your background. I’ve also seen the recommendation from her and the one from a consulting psychiatrist. Now, all that’s left is for you to tell me why you’d rather be a girl in your own words.”

“Sure, but you have that wrong.” He looks at me questioningly. “It’s not that I want to be a girl. It’s that I am and always have been a girl. I’ve never been comfortable in my own skin. Transitioning has helped somewhat with that, but,” I point at my crotch, “I have something I don’t want or need. I need to get rid of it so that I can be who I should have been born as.”

He smiles at me. “You’d be surprised how few can state it that clearly and simply. I apologize ahead of time, but I’m going to get a little personal here. If you’ll lie back on the bed and put your feet in the stirrups, I’ll get this over with as quickly as possible.”

I merely nod as I blush because I know just how embarrassing this is going to be. I lay back, and put my feet in the stirrups.

He unbuttons my gown and palpitates my breasts, looks at my nipples, then moves around the table to my bottom half to examine me. He lightly prods around where my testicles used to be, then takes what’s left of my penis and rubs it, which makes me shiver slightly, as he asks, “Can you feel that?”

“Yes,” I state simply.

“Outstanding.” He tells me, “You can get dressed again,” then walks over to sit down again.

I stand up to do so as he begins talking again. “Jackie, when I read about your accident I worried about nerve damage. Thankfully, that isn’t an issue, so you’re an excellent candidate for gender reassignment surgery. That leaves us with two options. One, normal reassignment surgery, which I am sure you’ve read up on.” I nod. “Good.

“However, there’s another option. It was approved by the FDA and AMA just over two years ago, although it’s not well known since only two doctors in the United States do it, me and another one in California. Jackie, how much do you know about genetics?”

“Just what they teach us in biology and anatomy.”

“Then, you know about X and Y chromosomes.” I nod. “Good. Then you know men have XY and women have XX chromosomes.” I nod again. “Let’s give you a little background about how this came about. A bit more than 10-years ago, organ cloning and genetic therapy were approved for use. Since then, a lot of advancements have been made. But, what is relevant to you is that a research group funded by several Trans advocacy groups were looking into new ways to help the transgender. More specifically, trans females.

“I won’t go into much detail, but basically, assuming he agrees, we can take your and your father’s DNA, break it down, strip your father’s X chromosome, and splice both your and your father’s X chromosomes. Then we would then combine the new DNA with a retrovirus and inject you with it. They would rewrite your DNA to be genetically female. At the same time, we would use your new DNA to grow you a uterus, vagina, ovaries, which would also have ova, labia, and a clitoris. Once grown, we would use it for your surgery.

“Now, there’s a catch. It’s expensive and insurance still considers it to be an experimental surgery, so they won’t pay for more than it would cost for normal genital reconstructive surgery, and you would be responsible for the balance.

“I will tell you that if you choose this option, I will do the surgery pro bono, but you will have to give me permission to use you as a case study. Your identity will be kept secret, but I will use everything about your case to make this option more mainstream.

“Did you understand my explanation?”

I nod. “Yes, you explained it very well.”

I look at Mom questioningly. “It’s up to you, Sweetie. You know money isn’t an issue.”

I look back at the doctor. “What about recovery time? If I choose to do it, are you saying I’ll be able to have children in the future?”

“Recovery time is roughly the same as standard reassignment surgery. Usually, about 2 weeks before you will be healed enough to go home, although you’ll still be tender for a further 2 weeks or so. Sex is not recommended for a minimum of 3 months following surgery, sometimes longer depending on how quickly you heal.

“As for children, assuming everything goes as planned, you’ll be able to have them. That also means you’ll have periods and all the other associated issues that girls have with them.”

“Okay, what about sex? Since I’ll have a real vagina, will that mean that I’ll be able to achieve orgasm? From what I read, standard gender reassignment surgery just allows for feeling good during sex, but rarely is someone able to achieve orgasm.”

“You’re a smart young lady. I’ve performed this surgery 42 times now, and all of them report they can orgasm, either by masturbation or vaginal sex.”

“What about scarring? Will someone be able to tell?”

“Scarring is extremely rare with the methods I use for surgery, and the after-surgery care further reduces the chances of noticeable scarring. Even if you have some minor scarring, it’s usually unnoticeable within a few months. So, which option are you thinking of taking?”

I laugh for a moment, then smile brightly at him. “Are you kidding me? There’s no option as far as I am concerned. Being able to have an orgasm and children? Sign me up!”

He chuckles. “Okay, then what timeframe are you thinking of for surgery?”

“I… I mean, we were thinking as soon as possible. We’ve discussed my taking time away from school, and I can take virtual classes from home until I’ve healed enough to return.”

“Okay.” He turns to the computer, types something, and looks at it for a few moments. Then, he turns back to us. “My first opening is on September 3rd. Will that work for you?”

I glance at Mom, who nods. “It will,” I reply.

“Great. You will have to report to admissions the day before. They’ll check you in, get you settled, and run some tests. If all is well, we’ll take you down to surgery the next morning.”

“That’s it?” I ask incredulously.

He smiles at me and says, “Yep, that’s it. Do you have any more questions I can answer?”

Nothing comes to mind that he hasn’t already answered. “Uh, no. I can’t think of anything else.”

“Okay, Jackie.” He stands up, offers me his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, and I’ll see you at the hospital on the 2nd of September.”

I giggle for a moment as I shake his hand. “Believe me, the pleasure was all mine. I’m so ready for this.”

“I can see that,” he says with a smile.

We leave his office and go down to the car. Once in, she reaches into her purse, pulls out a small box tied closed with a pink ribbon. “I bought this on the 8th day after you came to live with us.” She hands me the box. “I knew then what you would decide.”

I carefully remove the ribbon and remove the lid to reveal a silver bracelet with several charms attached to it.

“How did you know when I wasn’t even sure I could finish the summer at that point?”

She smiles as she reaches out to caress my cheek with her thumb. “Easily. You didn’t resist anything we requested of you. Another thing is how adaptable you are. I saw you quickly blossom into a beautiful young lady with every moment that passed, but I truly knew after that first week.”

Picking up the bracelet, I hand it to her so that she can put it on my wrist. I hold out my left arm to her, and she clasps it around my wrist. Once she finishes, I lean over to hug her, then kiss her cheek. “Thank you. Not only for the present but also for everything you’ve done to help me.”

I have a mix of emotions as we drive. I’m nervous about the surgery while at the same time desperately wanting it. Who wouldn’t be? It’s major surgery, but it will allow me to be who I should be. Oh, I know that I’m doing the right thing, but I’m not sure what my father will say when we ask him about giving blood for my genetic change. The more I ponder his likely reaction, another alternative comes to mind.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Sweetie?”

“If my father says no, would you be willing to donate the chromosome for me?”

She glances at me and smiles brilliantly. It’s so bright that it would rival the noonday sun. “It’d be a privilege to do that.” We continue driving for a few more minutes, then she suddenly says, “You know, if that happens, it’ll make you genetically my daughter.”