Operation Rescue - The New Co-Ed; Chapter 13 free porn video

Operation Rescue: The New Co-Ed Chapter 13 - The New Semester [email protected] A young man gets in trouble and loses his scholarship. It looks like his dream of college to escape a poor future is doomed - until he sees an ad recruiting "adoption facilitators". Summer school is over, everyone is back, and so is Sara. Starting a new semester as a girl shouldn't be so new, but it still is for Tommi. [email protected] ********************************************************************** "Tommi!" The greeting, shouted above the regular din of the bus station, was expected, but it still surprised Tommi. She recognized the voice instantly, and turned to find its source. "Sara!" Tommi ran to her little sister, sweeping her into an enthusiastic, spinning embrace. "It's so good to see you!" Tommi felt her cheeks moisten as she was overwhelmed with joy at seeing her little sister again. "You too!" Sara echoed. As she disengaged from Tommi's embrace, she took a half-step back, her head scanning up and down Tommi's figure. "You look great! I would have never guessed that you'd had a baby!" Tommi and Sara didn't notice the elderly couple walking nearby, their jaws agape at the conversation of two young college girls discussing one of them having had a baby. The woman noticed immediately that neither girl had a ring on her left hand. "Hussy!" she exclaimed under her breath, but still loud enough that Tommi and Sara could overhear. Tommi ignored the old woman and smiled sheepishly. "I've still got a few pounds to lose." "And you look so ... big!" Sara added, looking at Tommi's bustline. "It's not fair - you're bigger than me!" she feigned a complaint as she thrust out her own chest to make herself look bigger. "Not my fault that they get so big when I'm making milk," Tommi explained. "Surely you don't think that _I_ want boobs this big, do you?" Sara laughed. "Remember, I've got the same genes you do, so I'm gonna be dealing with the same problem someday." She thrust out her chest to emphasize her point. "I'm not sure _I_ want them as big as yours! You're getting to like them, maybe?' Tommi ignored her sister's kidding and wrapped her arm around Sara's shoulder, pulling her beside Tommi. "It's so great that you're here!" Sara nodded. "Thank God for that scholarship I got!" she said softly. "If I hadn't gotten it, I couldn't have come. I'd have been ...." "Stuck in a hell-hole mining town with no future!" Tommi completed her sentence bitterly. "Let's get your bags and get up to the dorm for check-in." Sara had a large suitcase, a moderate chest, and a small suitecase in the bus' luggage compartment. In short order, the driver retrieved her bags, then stood, looking at her. Sara was confused, but Tommi knew the drill. She took a couple of dollars from her purse and handed them to the driver with a sugary-sweet "thank you so much." The man smiled back as he slipped the money into his pocket. "Y'all have a good day," he said as he turned to another customer. Tommi stared at the luggage for several seconds, frowning. "Problem?" Sara asked. Tommi shrugged. "I don't think we can carry all of them at once to my car. And I'm not sure we can get them all into the car!" "Tommi?" Another voice, this one masculine, called from across the bus station. Tommi spied the caller, and she waved unenthusiastically to him, then sighed. "Who's that?" Sara asked. "Name's Brian. He's a nerd. And he finds me interesting," Tommi explained. "He asked me out twice last semester. Always walks me to classes, even when people had to have been thinking that _he_ was the one who got me pregnant! Brian bounced through the crowd to Tommi. "Look at you!" he told her. "You look marvelous!" He grasped Tommi's hand and kissed it slowly and affectionately. Then, and only then, did he notice that Sara stood by Tommi. "And who is this charming and lovely young lady?"" he asked. Tommi ignored the false charm. "This is my little sister Sara. She's enrolled at the U, and she'll be in the dorms with me." Brian decided to turn on his charm. He lifted Sara's hand tenderly, bringing it near him and he bent forward and delicately kissed her hand in a most gentlemanly display. "Enchante, mademoiselle Sara. It is my delight to find such gems of beauty in this common bus stop. Perhaps that fortune cookie was right when it said I would find two priceless jewels in the most unexpected place." Tommi faked gagging. "Cut the 'Prince Charming' crap, Brian," Tommi said to spoil the mood. She saw how Brian's words and actions were getting to Sara; if he weren't stopped,he'd have a dinner date with her within five minutes. "And quit hitting on my little sister!" Brian laughed aloud. "Jealous, eh" Tommi scowled. "I am _not_ jealous!" "Perhaps I should give up on you to chase Sara, and see if I can stir your jealousy even more!" Brian countered gleefully. Sara was amused with the verbal ripostes , but other priorities interrupted. "Can we go? It's been forever since I ate, and I want to get checked in so I can get my meal tickets and get some food!" Tommi sighed. "Okay, enough of the games. Brian, I have no idea why you're here, unless you're following me, but right now...." She paused, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head slightly to one side. "Why are you here anyway?" she said demandingly. Brian dropped his head. "I heard that your sister was coming in on a bus, and I figured you might need some help with luggage," he admitted. Tommi rolled her eyes. "So you _were_ following me! Well, never mind. You were right - it looks like we need some help getting Sara's luggage to my car. I know I can't get the biggest one. Sara and I together can get the chest. Can you get the two suitcases?" Brian sized up the chests and nodded. "I can get the big one. Can you two balance the small suitcase on the chest? How far to your car, anyway?" Tommi shrugged. "I'm not sure how far away we parked. Probably 4 or 5 blocks." "Four or Five blocks?!?!?!?!?" Unhappily, Brian hoisted the suitcase, having to use both hands to lift the heavy luggage. "Let's get going - before I collapse." The two girls, one holding each end of the chest, led the way - for all of half a block. "Okay, we're here!" Tommi said cheerfully as she and Sara set down their load beside Tommi's car. Brian dropped the heavy suitcase. "Five blocks, eh? You're toying with me again," he said. It took the trio a few minutes to load the cases as best they could. The large suitcase stuck out from the open trunk, secured by two bungee cords. The chest took up the entirely of the back seat. Tommi let Sara climb in the car, then she handed Sara the small suitcase to hold in her lap. She walked to the back of the car, where Brian was fixing another bungee cord to hold down the trunk lid. . She gave him a light hug. "Thank you, Brian." Brian practically melted. "I'm glad I could help," he answered, blushing. "See you at school?" "Pretty inevitable, isn't it?" Tommi asked. She crawled into the car, while Brian headed off to his own car. Sara was grinning. "Not interested, eh?" Tommi frowned, but her blushed cheeks told a different story. "He's a nice guy. Okay to talk with and stuff." "It sounded to me like you _were_ jealous of the way he was acting toward me," Sara observed. "I was _not_ jealous!" Tommi countered quickly. She realized belatedly that her response was a little too quick and emotional. "Just hush, or I'll turn around and put you back on a bus home!" Sara giggled. "You wouldn't, and you know it!" Tommi tried to frown, but found she couldn't. "You're right. I'm too glad that you're here." Sara looked thoughtful. "You really like Brian, don't you?" she asked. Tommi did frown this time. "No, not the way you're implying." "You have a funny way of showing that you're not interested, then." "What do you mean?" Sara laughed. "You were sending out signals like you wouldn't believe!" "I was just joking around, like I do with any friend." Sara sighed. "You've still got a lot of old 'guy' habits. Rules that guys have about joking with friends are _way_ different than for girls dealing with boys." "Are you saying that I was leading him on?" "Pretty much. For a girl, you were flirting big-time." Tommi groaned. "Great. All I need is for him to think I'm interested." "Are you sure?" Tommi shook her head. "I'm a girl only so I can pay for college. I am _not_ interested in dating or romance - or young men!" Sara laughed. "Then I'm going to have to give you some lessons on how to deal with guys." Tommi nodded at Sara's logic. "That's probably a good idea." "Funny," Sara continued with a chuckle, "I never thought I'd be giving my big brother lessons on how to act like a proper girl!" ********** "Okay, where are you at?" Tommi asked as Sara emerged from the housing office. "Johnson Hall," Sara read from her paper. "You?" Tommi didn't need to look at her assignment; as an upperclassman, she'd kept her dorm assignment from the year before. "Williams." Sara looked at her campus map and frowned. "That's halfway across campus!" she moaned. "I wanted to room with you!" Tommi gave her a quick hug. "I know. But you have to make your own friends and have your own life." "But I want to be around you!" Sara complained again. "I don't know anybody, and, well, I ... I guess I'm a bit scared." Tommi nodded. "So was I when I came here. But I got over it and fit right in. You won't have any problems." "I suppose," Sara said in a voice devoid of enthusiasm. "But you were a _boy_ when you came here! It's not the same!" "Look, why don't you take the car over to Johnson so you can unpack. I'm late, so I can't help right now, but I'll be over as soon as I can to help with the heavy stuff." "Late?" Sara asked, confused. Tommi nodded. She glanced around, then continued in a hushed voice. "I've got to pump." "Oh," Sara said, understanding. Then she giggled. She leaned close to Tommi so she could whisper. "I never thought I'd hear my big brother saying he had to go use a breast pump!" Tommi shook her head. "Maybe Williams is _too_ close!" Sara took Tommi's keys and headed to the parking lot. Feeling elated at Sara's presence, Tommi practically skipped back to her dorm room. Katie had moved her stuff in, but was out running errands. Tommi smiled - it was going to be like home again when the gang settled in. As practiced as she was, it took her no time to set up the pump and begin to relieve the pressure in her breasts. A knock sounded at the door. Out of habit, Tommi grabbed a blanket, ready to cover herself if need be. "Tommi," a soft voice called, "It's me. Ashley." Tommi's face brightened as she dropped the blanket. "Come in," she called. Ashley closed the door behind herself. From rooming with Tommi during the summer, she knew Tommi was pumping, and was trying to help with privacy. "Getting settled in?" She stretched out on Tommi's chair. Tommi smiled. "It's like I never left." Ashley nodded. "Yeah. At least I got a week at home." "I told you to take the whole two weeks," Tommi said, shaking her head. "And who would take care of you if I had?" Ashley countered. "I appreciate your company," Tommi said. "Last week I was lonely all by myself." "I wish I was still your roommate." Ashley's voice was tinged with sadness. Tommi sighed. "I know, but Katie and I had this planned last spring." She thought for a moment. "Aren't you rooming with Kim? You two get along pretty well." "Was. Mel isn't coming back, so Kim is rooming with Diane." "Mel isn't back? Why?" Ashley shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But you know she was getting pretty serious about her boyfriend back home." Tommi frowned. "That doesn't sound like Mel." "Yeah, I know. But since Kim decided to room with Diane, I'm alone until they assign me a new roommate." Ashley looked unhappy. "Probably get some stuck up sorority-wanna-be snob, with my luck." Tommi had a brief thought before discarding the idea. It was probably too late to change things. Ashley noticed the expression flit across Tommi's face. "What?" "Uh, nothing really." "Out with it!" Ashley wasn't fooled. "Well," Tommi began hesitantly, "Sara wanted to room closer to me, but they put her in Johnson. I just thought that maybe you could room with her. That way, you wouldn't get a snob, and Sara would be a lot closer." Tommi shook her head. "You know how the bureaucracy works, though. It's probably way too late to make a change like that." Ashley considered the idea. "Might work. Why don't you go ask?" "Me? If I asked, Sara and I would probably both end up in the 'Dungeon'," she snorted, referring to the least desirable dorm floor in the least desirable dorm where the Goths and strange girls lived. "You know the Dean hates me." Ashley stood up abruptly. "Yeah, but what if _I_ asked?" She marched out the door on a new mission. Tommi was still pumping when Kim and the rest of the girls arrived. Tommi discretely covered herself as the girls spread out on the beds and chairs. "Look at you!" Diane exclaimed. "There's so much _less_ of you!" Tommi's face betrayed a hint of sadness, postpartum blues that she was still dealing with. Christina continued, "So, tell us, what's it like?" Tommi sat back, staring at the ceiling for a brief moment. "It's ... unlike anything I've ever done. I ... can't describe it." "How long was labor?" "Did it hurt much?" "Did anyone help you?" "Was it natural or C-section?" The flood of questions overwhelmed Tommi for a moment. She held up her hand to signal that they should slow down, and, as she did, the blanket slipped off her shoulder, revealing the cups and bottles of her breast pump. The girls gave a collective "ooh!" "What's _that_ like?" came the immediate question from Linda. "I didn't think ..." Tommi shook her head, a tiny smile on her face. "You know, it's pretty ironic," she commented. "What?" Erica asked, still staring at the pumps milking Tommi's engorged breasts. "Here we are -all of you natural girls, and _I_ keep having to answer what it's like to have a baby and pump my breasts!" Tommi roared. The girls laughed collectively at Tommi's observation. "So, are you going to tell us?" Linda asked as the guffaws died down. "Tell you what? I had contractions, went to the clinic, and had the baby." "Come on," Kim interjected. "There's more to it than that." "Yeah," Erica chimed in. "Give us the whole story." Tommi sighed and began to recount the tale, starting with the scares of false labor, through leaving class in real labor, and the delivery. She ensured that she mentioned the amount of time she was in labor, and that she'd managed without an epidural. She deliberately neglected the incident with Rachel. Tommi knew she'd have to answer all of Katie's questions in private when Katie finally got back. "Nineteen hours!" Kim whistled. "Wow!" "And no epidural? I heard it was really painful!" Linda added. Tommi shrugged. "My nurse and doctor told me that some are easy, some are hard. Mine was average." "What about afterwards?" Tommi felt a brief stab of pain. "To be honest, that was the hardest part." "Oh?" "It was ...." Tommi felt herself choking up, "It was very hard to carry and deliver a baby, and then not even get to see it after I gave birth. I ... really missed ... getting to know the baby." The girls were nearly speechless. They saw the pain in Tommi's expression, and heard it in her voice. Tommi realized that the mood in the room had soured. "But it wasn't so bad that I wouldn't do another one. In fact, about mid-semester, I'll get another transfer." "What?" Erica exclaimed. "That means - you're going to be with us ... as _you_ for the whole year?" "Yup." Cheers went round the room. Hugs, though, weren't given, as everyone seemed a bit uneasy by Tommi's pumping. "Okay," Kim finally said, "what's with the breast pump? I thought..." Tommi sighed. "I ... just felt like I had to." "For the baby?" Linda speculated. Tommi shook her head sadly. The pain showed again for a moment. "For _some_ baby in the program. I don't know if it's the baby I carried, though." The reaction was stunned silence as the girls absorbed what Tommi had told them. It was obvious that they were thinking of what _they_ would do in her situation. "It has to be that way," Tommi explained softly. "So ... why pump? Why not just let your milk dry up?" Erica asked bluntly. Tommi shrugged. "I don't know. I'm going to have to stop in a couple of weeks anyway, to start getting ready for the next baby. Until then, though, I can help someone's baby." "That's .... Wow!" was all Kim could manage to say. Tommi switched off the pump and started to clean up, listening in as the girls told each other of their summer adventures. She guessed - correctly - that none of the other girls would claim to have had the most exciting summer. Not after Tommi's story of her delivery. "At least you got bigger boobs out of your summer," Linda kidded Tommi as Tommi put on her bra. "Not my fault," Tommi lamented. "They're a little bigger than a C-cup, right?" Erica asked. Tommi shook her head. "More than a little. A D-cup is a bit tight." She pulled the straps over her shoulders and reached for her shirt. "Why? Are you jealous?" Erica blushed. "Maybe a little," she admitted. Tommi laughed. "Believe me, you're better off with smaller boobs. These things get kind of heavy. But they're supposed to go down a bit once my milk dries up." Kim sat on Katie's bed, shaking her head slowly. "This is un-freaking believable!" she muttered over and over. "What?" Diane asked. "If you'd have told me a year ago that a guy was going to have an ... operation, live in our dorm, carry and deliver a baby, and be lecturing us about breast size, I'd have said you were nuts!" The girls, Tommi included, giggled at the thought. Ashley picked that moment to knock and enter. She was a bit out of breath, and looked confused at the mirth around herself. "What did I miss?" she huffed. Christina laughed. "Just Tommi lecturing us about breast size and nursing." "Oh, that!" Ashley commented, as if it were no big deal. "I heard plenty of that this summer." She looked at Tommi. "If we can get Sara moved in the next hour, it's a deal." "What are you babbling about?" Erica asked. Ashley took a breath. "Sara, Tommi's sister, was stuck in Johnson. I didn't have a roommate. So I went over to housing, and they agreed that if we can get Sara out of Johnson hall over lunch, before they start processing the next batch of freshmen, she can be my roommate." She glanced at her watch. "That gives us a little under an hour." Tommi's eyes widened at the news, then she grinned. "Can you guys help her move? Please?" She glanced at the pump and the bottles of her milk. "I've got to take care of this, so I can't go right now! You can't miss her; her luggage is in my car." Perhaps Kim felt guilty about leaving Ashley without a roommate. Whatever the reason, she stood and stepped toward the door. "Come on, girls," she said in a commanding voice. "We're going to get Sara moved." ********** "Hey, Tommi!" Tommi recognized the voice and flinched. "Not again!" she muttered softly to Sara. The two were walking to their first morning classes, which luckily happened to be in the same building. It gave them a little time to together. Brian trotted to the sisters, falling in step beside Tommi. "Hi," he repeated cheerfully. Tommi forced herself to be polite. "Hi, Brian. We were just having a little sister-to-sister chat." She hoped that he'd take the hint. He didn't. "What's your class schedule like?" Tommi debated telling Brian that they were in a hurry, but decided against it. She stopped and pulled out her class schedule. "Normal sophomore engineering core, plus some A&P - that's Anatomy and Physiology - and chemistry for the bioengineering." Brian pulled out his schedule. "Hey, it looks like we've got two classes together!" he announced enthusiastically. "Calc 3 and Statics!" Tommi groaned inwardly. _That_ was going to be a major pain. "Lovely," she announced in an emotionless voice. "Well, I've got to run to my Intro to Circuits class. I'll see you in Calc." Brian practically floated away, buoyed by the knowledge that he'd be sharing two classes with Tommi. As he left, Sara shook her head. "He is _so_ into you!" she exclaimed softly. "Yeah," Tommi noted with a sigh. "What the hell am I supposed to do? I _don't_ want him to be head-over-heels over me!" "Have you told him - everything?" Tommi shook her head. "No. I'm trying to not call attention to _that_ angle. I'm afraid of how people will react." "This isn't home," Sara countered quickly. "Yeah," Tommi agreed, "but the first semester, I had some pretty ... ugly incidents. I'm just scared of how people will react." "Well," Sara stated bluntly, "you're going to have to do _something_!" ********** "So, what happened with Rachel?" Katie sat upright in her chair, which was unusual. Normally, she slumped on her bed in a more comfortable position. It was as if she'd chosen her seating position to demonstrate that this was to be a serious conversation. Tommi shook her head. "It was just a misunderstanding." Katie silently shook her head, letting Tommi know in no uncertain terms that she knew better than Tommi's feeble excuse. Tommi pondered briefly, and came to the conclusion that Katie wouldn't give up until she knew _all_ the details. "Okay. Rachel and I had a _big_ misunderstanding." "Go on." "After the baby was born, I made the mistake of saying 'my baby'. Rachel got very upset, and she said some very harsh words to me and kind of stomped out." Katie frowned. "That doesn't sound like a misunderstanding. What did she say?" Tommi felt her lower lip tremble; the event was recent enough that it still hurt to think about. "She said, 'It is NOT _your_ baby. Don't you _ever_ refer to it that way again! You read the contract, and you know our policies!'." Tommi paused, "She said more, but by that time, I was in tears and wasn't listening much." "And she stomped out?" "Yup." "Then what happened?" Katie continued her interrogation. Tommi frowned. "Do we _have_ to go into it? It's ... kind of sensitive." "Yes," Katie replied solemnly. "It was a very hurtful event - in more ways than one, and my ability to help you, when you need it, depends on knowing exactly what happened." "And I suppose you're going to talk to Rachel to corroborate my story?" Tommi pouted. Katie sighed. "Look, it was bad enough that you weren't letting the staff help you with your depression, and then you threw a fit injured yourself in the gym. Of course, I'm going to talk with Rachel." "It just feels like you're spying on me." Katie softened a bit. "No, I'm not spying. I'm just concerned about my little sister, remember?" Tommi nodded. "Yeah, I know," she said softly. "After Rachel left, Dr. Tina was explaining what I could expect when my milk came in, and what my options were. And I asked her if it might be possible to see if the new mother would like my milk for the baby." "I take it that's when Dr. Tina got a little upset?" "Yeah," Tommi confirmed. "She wasn't as rough as Rachel, but it was still rough." Tommi wiped the sudden tear. Why did it seem that these emotional events lingered longer and caused her more pain _now_? She didn't remember most emotional events when she was a boy, like disagreements with her dad, causing such long-lasting effects. "And?" "I guess I felt kind of betrayed," Tommi admitted. "With the postpartum depression, and feeling like the staff had stabbed me in the back, I got into a pretty deep funk. I guess I rejected them." Katie took a deep breath. "Didn't help, did it?" she asked rhetorically. "No. So when I went to the gym that, I did something dumb. I was trying to lift weights like ... like I _used to_." "At least it wasn't serious. You could have torn a ligament ... or worse!" Katie chided. 'Yeah, Dr. Tina told me." Tommi sighed. "I think we got straight, though." "After I stepped in?" Tommi nodded. "Yeah. Say, I'm curious. Who called you?" Katie smiled enigmatically. "Some things are best kept secret." Tommi padded across to Katie, bent down, and hugged her. "Well, thank you for interfering - you and whoever told you," she said as new tears seeped from her eyes. Katie returned the hug. "That's what family is for. Now I have a question for you." Tommi sat on the edge of her bed. "Shoot." "What caused the whole thing anyway? That kind of outburst doesn't sound like what I know of Rachel." Tommi shook her head slowly. "It's something personal about Rachel. I wouldn't feel right telling you. You'll have to ask her." "That's fair," Katie replied. "Now let me ask you another one, something a bit more ... selfish." "Yeah?" "What's it going to mean for _our_ relationship now that Sara is here?" Katie's question had a slightly fearful tenor. Tommi closed her eyes, letting her head droop as she pondered. "I don't know," she answered after some thought. "You're like my big sister. And Sara _is_ my little sister. I feel lucky to have both of you near me - especially with what I've gone through and what I've still got ahead of me. But I don't know if Sara is going to accept you as part of my family, or if she might get jealous instead." ********** Tommi glanced around herself nervously. She still wasn't comfortable in public places off campus, and she wished that her friend from the support group had picked somewhere other than the mall to meet. Tommi sat on a bench near the entrance, at the designated meeting spot, watching to see if she could spot the girl. As soon as Dee came in, Tommi jumped to her feet and rushed to greet her. "Hi, Dee," she said as Dee gave her a quick hug. "You're looking very nice today, Tommi," Dee replied. If anything, Dee was understating Tommi's looks. Tommi's hair was long and worn in a simply ponytail. She had on a bit of makeup, a habit gained from living with the dorm girls, understated but accentuating her face. Tommi had become accustomed to tight T- shirts with lower necklines; she seemed not to notice or care that her ample bust was accentuated by the shirt, and the low neckline left a visible valley of cleavage. Despite having recently given birth, Tommi's waist was trim, and her hips flared under the mid-thigh skirt she wore. Sandals completed the casual outfit, and showed her painted toe-nails. "You look pretty nice yourself," Tommi said to Dee. Dee was tall - almost six foot one, and slender, except for her rounded belly, displaying enough curvature to be alluring without seeming like "too much". If Tommi's dress seemed a bit immodest, Dee dressed to accentuate every bit of her feminine charm that she could. Her chocolate skin and her kinky black hair that spilled down onto her shoulders added to her exotic appearance. With her short shorts and long slender legs, Dee was an icon of beauty. "So you're doing your second one in a couple of months?" Dee asked. Tommi nodded. "Yeah, and just when I got my figure back," she complained in a mocking tone. Dee laughed. "The secret, girl, is to keep the pounds off before the baby is born!" "Don't I know it! Dr. Tina was pretty fanatical about me following a good diet." Tommi glanced around, certain that the pair was drawing much attention. To her surprise, and perhaps disappointment, she realized that people didn't think anything of two women talking in the mall. "So why'd you want to meet here?" Tommi asked. Dee rubbed her belly. "I need to go to the maternity shop, and a little birdie told me that you were still having some difficulty with being in public. So here we are!" Tommi shook her head. "I just feel ... weird," she said as the pair started walking. "Like I'm out of place." She stopped, grasping Dee's hands and turning her toward Tommi. "How do you do it? How do you seem so ... comfortable?" Dee laughed. "Girl, I had a lot of adjusting to do at first, and I felt just like you do." Dee looked up and down Tommi's figure. "But from the way you're dressed, I kind of figured you were past the adjusting phase." Tommi glanced down at her outfit self-consciously. She realized that she looked like an average college co-ed, albeit with a little more bust than average. "I guess it's gotten to be a habit after living with the girls in the dorm for so long. They won't let me make even the tiniest fashion or make-up faux pas." They resume walking. "This is your third?" Tommi asked. "Yeah, and I'll probably do another one after this," Dee replied easily. "I _like_ the feel of being pregnant. To tell you the truth, if Ron ever gets up the guts to ask me to marry him, I suspect we'll have a very large family!" she added with a grin. Tommi felt a twinge of fear. Dee was acting just like Suzie - more comfortable as a woman than as a man, and reveling in her femininity. She sounded like she _wanted_ to be a wife and the mother of her own children. Tommi worried that the same thing was going to happen to her - that she'd lose Tom and be permanently Tommi. "Don't you miss it?" Tommi asked. "Pun not intended," she added when she realized what she'd just said. Dee laughed. "No." She pulled Tommi to a nearby bench and sat down. "You don't know my story, do you?" Tommi shook her head. "I figured it wasn't my place to pry." Dee smiled. "Not everyone is so respectful of others' privacy. The short version is that I had nothing else. The long version is that, a few years ago, I was a high-school dropout, in a gang, and ruining my life. My posse got in a shootout over a drug deal, and I took three or four rounds from a Mac-10 in the gut and a shotgun round in my groin. Girl, there wasn't _nothin'_ left down there that worked, or that the docs could even patch up." "I'm sorry," Tommi apologized, not meaning to have caused Dee painful recollections. "I'm not," Dee rebutted quickly. "I damn near died. They said I was lucky to be alive. When I got out of the hospital I was a eunuch. I didn't have anything to live for, and my homies turned their backs on me because of my injuries. I lived on the street for almost a year, and then I found the clinic." "Did they offer you a way to get back to normal?" Tommi speculated. Dee shook her head. "Girl, there _was_ no normal for me. What they offered me was a chance to be a whole person again. Male or female, it didn't matter by then. They gave me a chance to have a _life_!" Tommi pondered her words. "Didn't you ... I mean, weren't you planning on having them, you know, put your parts back on?" Dee laughed aloud. "For what? After the way my homies acted, I figured I had nothing to go back to _there_. The clinic helped me sign up for GED classes, and with the salary they paid, I got tutoring besides. And when I had the baby, and everyone was treating me like I was important, it felt _good_! When they offered to regrow my man parts, I turned them down. I _liked_ the life I'd gained. I signed up for another baby, and started on an associate's degree. I've got a great job as a medical assistant now. I feel respected and important, and what's more, I _like_ the feeling of bringing life into the world." "Wow!" "Wow is right. The program gave me a second chance. I decided I wasn't going to blow it. If I turned back after the first pregnancy, chances are I'd have ended up back in the 'hood and headed for more trouble. By the law of averages, I'd be in prison or dead by now." "So everything is better for you? No regrets?" Dee laughed. "There's only one thing that bothers me. When I'm not pregnant, I get real bad cases of PMS. I've been told that I'm a real bitch during that time of month." She thought for a moment. "No, I don't have any regrets. So what about you? Tommi sighed. "I'm just doing it to pay for college. After I've got enough saved up, I'm going to have the other operation." "Oh." Dee seemed saddened by that bit of information. "I didn't want to do this, but I lost my scholarship, and I couldn't go back to my hometown. I understand when you say there was nothing for you. That's what my hometown has - _nothing_ for me." "Everyone has to do what's right for herself." Dee stood. "Let's get to the store." Tommi rose and resumed walking with Dee. She liked Dee; in the group sessions, Dee seemed very self-confident, and carried herself with a very positive attitude and air. Now Tommi understood why. Tommi hoped that some of Dee's confidence would rub off on her. ********** To be continued