David made his way back up to the office, the girls were right, he needed to tell everyone at work about the changes that he was going to go through. Yet deep down he still felt s sense of dread, was the financial benefit still going to be worth it?

In David's head, the answer was a resounding yes. After all, it was just his body that was going to change, and even that was only going to be temporary. He would still be the same person on the inside, the same guy that his colleagues had come to know. But as the elevator doors pinged and opened, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety.

As David made his way towards the reception desk, his heart started to race and his palms became sweaty. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

Once again, David was greeted by a warm, friendly smile from Hannah.

“Steph’s gone to check Mr Edwards’ schedule as she said she would,” stated Hannah, her tone reassuring. David nodded, he took another deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves.

“Hey…it’ll be fine, David,” said Hannah, sensing his unease. “Remember, me or Steph, or even both of us can come in with you,” she added with a comforting smile.

“Sure…I’d like that,” replied David as he made his way down the hall to his office.

As he stepped into his office, he realised that Andy was still out on his lunch break. Sitting down at his desk, David tried to focus on his breathing and remind himself that he was prepared for this meeting. However, as he sat, awaiting an inevitable visit from Stephanie, his nerves began to get the best of him. He could feel his heart racing and his palms getting sweaty. He felt as though he was waiting to be summoned to the executioner's block.

“It’ll be okay,” he told himself, over and over again, closing his eyes.

David’s thoughts, however, were soon interrupted by Andy returning from his lunch break. He entered the room without saying a word, simply humming an upbeat tune as he returned to his desk.

“That man drives me insane…with his humming and his whistling…please just give it a rest,” thought David as he logged back onto his computer.

Less than half an hour later, there was a tap on the office door. David felt his heart sink as the door crept open and Stephanie poked her head through,

“David,” stated Stephanie, “Mr Edward’s has half an hour free right now if you would like to come through.”

David stood up from his desk and took a deep breath. Andy looked up from his desk,

“Uh oh, summoned by the boss man,” joked Andy trying to lighten the mood. But Stephanie gave him a stern glare, quickly causing him to fall silent once more. David couldn't help but smile at Andy's attempt to cheer him up, but it did little to ease his nerves.

David stepped out into the hallway and closed the office door behind him.

“So David, have you decided? Do you want me and Hannah in there with you?” asked Stephanie.

David took a moment to think before he nodded,

“Great, I’ll go and get Hannah, be right back,” said Stephanie as she raced off towards the reception desk.

David paced the hallway frantically as he waited for the two ladies. He couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was to have such supportive colleagues. To him, they felt like more than just colleagues, they were friends.

What felt like an eternity passed by before the two women came racing up the hallway.

“Let’s do this,” stated Hannah, smiling reassuringly at her friend as the trio made their way along to Mr Edwards’ office.

As they arrived at his door, Stephanie gently tapped on the door,

“Come,” shouted Mr Edwards,

“David Sanders to see you, Mr Edwards,” stated Stephanie, before gesturing to David to enter the room.

“Oh, of course, Sanders, come in, sit,” grumbled Mr Edwards, pointing towards a chair positioned in front of his desk.

 David sat down in the chair, trying his best to avoid the somewhat intimidating gaze of Mr Edwards. After closing the door, Hannah and Stephanie both stood on either side of David, each placing their hand on his shoulders as a show of support.

“Ladies, you may leave us now,” stated Mr Edwards, looking up at the two women.

“Sir, with all due respect, we are here to support our colleague and our friend,” stated Hannah with a smile.

“Very well,” replied Mr Edwards, “So…Sanders, what is this about?” he asked, placing his elbows on his desk and leaning forward.

David took a deep breath and looked up at his friends before answering,

“Well…erm…sir, I just…” mumbled David before pausing to try and compose himself.

“I haven’t got all day Sanders, spit it out already,” snapped Mr Edwards, rather impatiently.

“So, sir, I needed to let you know that erm, I signed up to one of those…drug trial things,” explained David, his eyes wandering up towards his friends who motioned for him to continue. “And well anyway, it has been brought to my attention, by my two good friends that I needed to let you know that, over the coming year…I may…or rather will…look a little…different.,” he added. 

There was a moment of silence as Mr Edwards processed the information.

“O…kay…” replied Mr Edwards, leaning back in his seat, his hands clasped in front of him. “What type of changes are we talking about here Sanders…and why are you bringing it to my attention? Are you gonna be, sprouting another head? Extra arms? Something like that?” he asked.

David felt Hannah gently squeeze his shoulder, letting him know she was still right there with him.

“No…sir…I’ll erm…Well…the drug is for transgender…women…so my body will kinda…you know…change,” replied David his voice barely above a whisper. He could feel his heart racing, unsure of how his boss would react.

“Oh…I erm...I see…” replied Mr Edwards, “I didn’t realise Sanders, that you…erm… felt…that way,” he added, a look of surprise on his face.

“Oh…no sir, I’m not transgender,” replied David, “It’s only for this drug trial…plus the changes are only temporary, you see. By this time next year, I will be just about back to normal,” he explained.

“Just how far will these changes go?” asked Mr Edwards.

“Erm…David will apparently become no different to anyone who was born female,” replied Hannah.

“I see…so…is this going to affect your work?” asked Mr Edwards.

“No sir,” replied David.

“Therefore, the question is, why are you even telling me this?” asked Mr Edwards, “Will your…you know what be hanging out the bottom of your skirt?” he asked rather dismissively.

“No sir…I…I…” mumbled David, evidently getting flustered at Mr Edwards’ response.

“So who gives a shit, all you’re effectively saying to me Sanders, is for a year, we will have another skirt running around the place and let’s be honest, why would that ever be a bad thing,” he added as he began to laugh.

“What an arsehole,” thought David.

Stephanie could see David beginning to get flustered and decided to speak up,

“Sir, the reason we thought to bring this to your attention is, that we would like you to make an announcement of some sort, to the rest of the office,” explained Stephanie, “You know, to make everyone aware of what to expect, to ensure David remains comfortable in the workplace.”

“I see, I see,” replied Mr Edwards, “Well, Stephanie, I want you to put out an email to every employee at this office, explaining, erm…Miss Sanders’ situation here…okay,” he stated, “Anyone has a problem, they face disciplinary action…okay? You satisfied? Now the three of you, get back to work.”

David instantly jumped up from his chair and began to follow Stephanie and Hannah out of the office door.

“And…erm sir,” said David, stopping in his tracks and looking back at Mr Edwards who was clearly admiring Stephanie and Hannah as they left his office.

“What the fuck now?” responded Mr Edwards, his tone laced with irritation.

“I just want to say, I will still be a guy…you know…I won’t be wearing skirts or dresses or anything like that,” explained David, “And I’m not Miss…I’m still just Sanders…or Mr Sanders,” he added.

“Like I give a shit, back to work,” said Mr Edwards in a stern voice.

David followed the ladies out of the office and closed the door behind him.

“What an arsehole, I mean, I always knew he was…but I didn’t truly know the extent,” said David, his voice barely above a whisper,

“Trust me, we know,” said Stephanie, looking at Hannah.

“Trust me David…life as a woman…in this place…isn’t easy,” said Hannah, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, the majority of the guys here are sweet and kind, but then you have the jerk twins, Mr Edwards and Kevin ‘I love myself’ Brooks.”

David looked stunned,

“Have you guys, like, never reported them to HR or anything?” he asked.

“A few times…but what’s the point when it all just gets swept under the rug,” replied Stephanie, “Anyway, I’ll catch up with you guys later, I have an important email to send out,” she added with a smile.

Hannah walked with David back down the hallway towards his office,

“You know, I’m so proud of you,” said Hannah, smiling before hugging her friend.

“Thank you, but honestly, I haven’t done anything,” replied David.

“Well…You had three things you had to do today, three sets of people you had to tell about what’s going on,” said Hannah, “And you’re already through one of those, probably the most difficult one too.”

“Oh boy, it’s clear you don’t know my friends,” thought David.

“I don’t know,” laughed David nervously, “you don’t know my friends…they aren’t exactly the most diverse and welcoming group on the planet.”

“Then why are you friends with them…if they are so bad?” Hannah asked, tilting her head to one side and looking at her friend curiously.

Hannah's question made David pause and think. He realised that despite their flaws, these were the people he had grown up with. They had been there for each other through thick and thin, and he couldn't just turn his back on them.

“They aren’t bad people, they just…I don’t know, they’re just…the guys…you know,” answered David, “We all pretty much grew up together.”

Hannah smiled,

“I had better get back to work…and you should too. If Karen has to cover for me much longer, I feel she may just kill me,” laughed Hannah, “I’ll see you later,” she added, smiling before she quickly made her way towards the reception area.

David couldn’t help but smile as he made his way into his office, Hannah’s happy, bubbly personality was rather infectious, she could be somewhat of a whirlwind at times.

As he entered his office, David could sense that something was off. He could feel Andy's gaze upon him, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going through his colleague's mind. But he brushed it off, thinking it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

“Huh…” muttered Andy, along with something that David couldn’t quite make out.

David shook his head, not giving much thought to Andy’s odd gesture as he made his way to his seat at his desk.

“Is…erm…is everything okay?” Andy asked clearly concerned, as David took his seat.

“Yeah…sure…erm…why wouldn’t it be?” David asked, rather puzzled, yet trying to sound nonchalant.

“Well…I erm…I just want you to know that…you…erm…you have my full support, Davy,” stated Andy with a smile, “Wait…what should I call you now?”

David rolled his eyes and laughed,

“Stephanie had wasted no time in sending out that email huh?” he thought.

“Look, Andy, I appreciate your concern, but David is fine,” responded David, “As I said to Mr Edwards, I’m still me…even though I’ll end up looking like a woman, it’s only for a year. I’m still David, I’ll still be the same guy that everyone knows…okay.”

“Got it,” replied Andy with a smile.

Whilst David was grateful for Andy's support and understanding. He knew that not everyone would react the same way, and he was bracing himself for some negative reactions.

But as the rest of the day went by, David was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming support he received from his colleagues. Some were curious and asked him questions, while others simply treated him as they always had. In fact, he had more interaction his coworkers than usual. But there was one person he hadn't crossed paths with yet, Kevin. David couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about facing him. Would he be just as rude and insensitive as he always was? Would he make fun of him? Or would he simply ignore him?

David looked at the time on his computer, he was mere minutes from finishing work for the day, however, that’s when the office door opened and in walked Kevin.

“Hey Sanders,” he said, his tone sounding just as obnoxious as usual. “I just wanted to say that I heard about what's going on and I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you. If you need anything, just let me know,” said Kevin, surprising David.

“Erm…Thank you, I really appreciate it,” said David, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“I mean…yeah I don’t fully get it…but you get to see life from the other side of the fence,” said Kevin, laughing at his own words as he quite often did. “But then again…I’ve always wondered if that was the side you played for all along…if you know what I mean,” he joked.

David couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had always known Kevin to be insensitive and disrespectful, but this was a whole new level. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt by his words. But before David could say anything, Kevin continued,

“So what is it Sanders…I hear it’s only for a year…is it some kind of…try before you buy kinda deal they offering now?”

David was taken aback by Kevin's words. He didn't know whether to be angry or just laugh it off.

“No…it’s…it’s nothing like that,” replied David, becoming rather flustered at Kevin’s demeanour, “It is only going to be temporary.”

“Well,” laughed Kevin, ”I gotta say…you’ll probably be the only chick in this office, I ain’t ever been interested in…I prefer girls that don’t have a…you know what,” he joked, pointing to his crotch. “you know what I mean, right Anderson,” he added, looking at Andy who didn't look amused by Kevin's comments and simply rolled his eyes.

 “Just don’t let it affect your work…don’t be getting all emotional and shit,” Said Kevin as he finally left the room.

“The guy is such an arsehole,” stated Andy as the door closed behind Kevin.

“Yeah…tell me about it,” replied David.

“Just don’t let him get to you, we all know he’s an arsehole, but you know that everyone else here… we got your back,” said Andy with a reassuring smile.

“Thanks,” replied David, logging off his computer for the day before gathering up his belongings.

“Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Andy.

David explained that he had an appointment first thing in the morning but he will be in straight after that. He said his goodbyes to Andy and left his office to head to the reception. As he made his way down the hall, he couldn’t believe how many of his colleagues were now acknowledging him. It was as if everyone suddenly realized his presence in the office.

As he reached the reception, Hannah, his colleague and friend, was already waiting for him. She had her coat on and her handbag over her shoulder, all ready to go.

“Ready to go?” she asked with a smile.

“Yeah…get me outta this place,” replied David.

The pair began to head towards the elevator, and David couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. Hannah’s words earlier in the day were stuck in his mind, he had now finished stage one of a three-part plan for that day, the next step was to tell his mother and sister about how his life was to change for the year.

The pair made their way out of the building and to Hannah’s car. Instead of dropping David off at his house, Hannah agreed to drop him off at his mum’s, who lived not far from his. As they drove, David told Hannah about the mostly positive and supportive reaction he had got at work, from everyone but Kevin of course.

“Well David, you did it,” said Hannah with a reassuring tone.

“I couldn’t have done it without you and Steph though,” replied David, “Now onto part two, he laughed nervously.

“You can do this David, I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think,” said Hannah as they pulled up outside David’s mum’s house.

David forced a smile, but inside he was a bundle of nerves,

“Guess my sister is here already,” said David, noticing her car parked outside before he took a deep breath.

“Here goes nothing I guess,” David stated, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt.

“Call or text me later to let me know how everything goes, but I’m sure everything will go fine,” said Hannah as David climbed out of the car.

“I will… and thanks Hannah…for today. You and Steph, I genuinely couldn’t have done it without you both,” replied David with a grateful smile.

Hannah watched as David stood outside the door of his childhood home, his heart beating a mile a minute. He took a deep breath and forced a smile, trying to calm his nerves. And began to approach the front door. As he did so, he could see the curtains twitching, which he was certain was his mother. He could imagine her standing behind the window, watching his every move.