Parting Ways Part 1- Jaimie's Surgery free porn video

Chapter 1 The week before Memorial Day weekend brought all seniors at Winnisimmet High School together for the school's annual awards night. The seniors knew this was the big moment, for many borderline yet still academically gifted students this was the one that would decide who went to college and who had to seek employment. For the 14, "Finn Family" seniors it was just a formality as they had their college paid for by John Finn as well as shrewd investments by their parents and friends' parents so whatever you actually were awarded would be redirected to others out of respect to their classmates. The crowd sat in silence as award after award was given out. The most anticipated award was the race for valedictorian, a tight race between Jaimie Finn and Stacy Lopez. The two had their reasons for not wanting to win it with both being selfless and ambivalent towards it. Jaimie didn't want to win it because doing so would put the spotlight on her yet again. The local media had taken a keen interest in her life as she was the most famous transgender person in the Boston area, graduating at the top of her class would cause them to swarm around her trying to get the inside story. She would rather it went to her cousin, someone who deserved recognition and who worked hard to earn the top spot especially as she had done so in Jaimie's constant shadow. Stacy wanted Jaimie to win because she earned it outright. She knew Jaimie told the school not to give it to her but Stacy refused to accept it because it wasn't earned. Jaimie deserved it, she was the best student and the one who embodied the school through and through. The announcement came as a surprise, the award was won by Scott Nelson- Stacy's boyfriend and the one Jaimie was proudest to lose out to. Jake Bollinger grinned as he presented the award to Scott, the girls both shocked and relieved. Neither could complain as Scott had done just as well as them and had gone the extra mile in taking on additional credits by helping mentor and tutor younger students their senior year while the ladies were busy with student government and their various clubs. Scott was speechless and accepted the award without saying anything. The school named both Stacy and Jaimie as the salutatorian due to their tying for highest GPA behind Scott. The two hugged Scott and thanked the faculty for doing the right thing as well as ensuring that their graduation went without a hitch or scrutiny that would have happened if Jaimie won. The next awards were scholarships to various colleges. Michael Finn was awarded a 4-year scholarship to Boston-Cambridge University thanks to the strong recommendation from his employers who were graduates of their school of business and law school. Several of the alumni donated large sums to the school and pointed out having a Finn as a student was something to brag about to the other schools in Boston, Boston-Cambridge was lacking in this field as all of the older, "Finn Family" members attended the larger state schools close by. Miles Finn was offered an athletic scholarship to the same school but declined it on behalf of attending UMass-Amherst as a regular student. That wasn't a shock to anyone at the school, Miles was done with sports as he wanted to focus on his career. He enjoyed football but he didn't feel he wanted to play especially for a school that saw the sport as a moneymaker instead of a regular sport. Jessica Nelson, Jenna and Christina Connors, and Courtney Bollinger each received offers of various amounts but all declined due to their being able to afford to send them to school and wanting them to go to those in need. Scott Nelson was offered a full 4-year scholarship from MIT but opted to pay for it himself through his mother, he knew she would be disappointed if he took the money from the school when someone else could use it and ended up giving the school positive publicity for his charitable act. The three least-known of the, "Finn Family" received the least amount of scholarships and offers but they declined them just as well. Will Bollinger, Eric Vincent, and George Daniels were above average students but great athletes who shined bright and received offers from the state schools to attend as student-athletes. The trio declined, they and Scott were going directly to US Army Basic Training as part of the Massachusetts Army National Guard just after their graduation and would not need to pay tuition and fees as those were free for them at state schools. Scott had to pay for his education, but it was a small price to pay in his eyes compared with the experience gained. Jaimie Finn had offers from various schools but they were all due to her notoriety rather than for her academic achievement. She didn't want to be the poster child for the schools, she just wanted to be a normal student. They tried to make it seem like it was because she was a good student, but their actions showed otherwise especially as they introduced her as transgender every chance they had whenever she visited the campuses and spoke with potential professors and advisers. She declined the various ivy league schools who sought her and opted to join Miles and Christina at UMass-Amherst. She was going with her boyfriend Rick Samuels who tried to dissuade her but saw her determination. The four were the only ones attending school away from the Winnisimmet area but were doing so together rather than at separate universities like the other ten. With the 14 refusing any scholarships, the school was able to give something to almost everyone that were seeking a college education. Several who were borderline due to financial struggles were now able to attend school even if it wasn't the prestigious private colleges. It was a chance to better themselves, they jumped at the chance and thanked the 14 for their thoughtfulness. Two weeks later the 14 gathered together for their final exam, hugging and crying as they each entered the auditorium to take their last test as students. They were feeling the gravity of the situation, it was just over 100 minutes from them being adults without any more obligations. They were graduating, and with the exception of Eric and George, they were 18-years-old now thus ready to take on the world. Time passed quickly for them. Their test was government, a simple test for all of them as they knew the work inside and out and had spent a lot of time reviewing before the test. And fittingly it was a class taught by John Finn, father to three, uncle to three, surrogate uncle to the remaining eight. Once the test was completed each filed out in silence, more tears streaming down their cheeks. They were met by John and Jake. The 14 hugged both tight as they said goodbye to the school, with John kissing the seven ladies on their cheeks as they parted. Jake ushered them outside and gave Courtney and Will deep hugs as he bid them goodbye. They were met outside by the other parents, each hugging their respective children and each shedding tears over the group completing their schooling. Ever the joker, Will happily said he hoped to not see the inside of that place again which earned a needed laugh as the 14 teens broke up for the day. At home Miles, Michael, and Jaimie put away their school clothes for the final time. Michael went one step further by packing his possessions into boxes to prepare for his move into his own home, one he purchased a mere two months before from a close family friend and done with his own money earned through hard work and solid investments. He worked for three years to accumulate over $2 million in returns on his investments, buying his own home was the biggest expense he had made and the one that set himself apart from all of the others. He wasn't alone in moving out, he just happened to be the first to do so. He would be joined in his new home by his fiance, Courtney, as the two chose to stop acting like children and start being a couple with full intent on marrying. He knew that she was risking pregnancy as he was finding it harder to avoid sex with her, but the two decided that if need be they'd accept the consequences and should she become pregnant he was man enough to support them. Their friends were avoiding this situation by moving in together but sticking to the same sex in each house. Will, Eric, George, and Scott opted to share a house but only after they returned from basic and advanced training. Conversely, their fiances Claire, Jessica, Jenna, and Stacy shared a house but were moving in after they returned from California where Jaimie was set to undergo her long-awaited gender reassignment surgery. The next week was a rush as everyone got packed and helped Michael and Courtney move into their new home while helping stock the house with necessities that made it, "Home". Valerie Finn was in tears as she realized her little boy was now a man and was ready to be his own person. Her parents Evelyn and Joseph Johnson were having trouble keeping their own pride in check as their grandson jumped into manhood with both feet and boldly proclaimed his independence from his parents. The others in the family worked hard as the 14 rested and awaited their graduation. Their younger counterparts, nine sophomores, a junior, and two freshmen, were jealous but had to feel for them as the anxiety was tough to contain. The 14 gladly helped the 12 younger high schoolers work on their finals and keep busy as they themselves started to get anxious about the finals. Reed Pena had it dawn on him that he was going to be the oldest in the neighborhood once Michael, Miles, and Jaimie moved out. He was the one everyone would look up to now, the one the youngest came to and the one the nine sophomores saw as being their guide through the next year until they themselves became seniors. He had to smile at that, he wasn't used to being seen that way but it felt right to him especially as he loved the nine like brothers and sisters. The graduation ceremony was a large event for the city and the biggest event for the school. This would be the largest audience the school had ever had attend, the 14 were part of a big extended family whose members were all going to attend in support of the 14. They would have the single biggest contingent not only in the stands but among invited guests, faculty, principals, and dignitaries up on the stage. John was among the crowd onstage as dignitaries. Louis Reagan, the unofficial uncle for the adults, was there with the city council; Jake was joined by fellow principals and, "Finn Family" members Alice Porter, Dorothy Vega, and Yvette Prince; John was joined by colleagues and family members Sean Kelly and Ben and Beth Herman. The family even had their own VIPs in attendance as the Attorney General and the Governor attended with each happily being low-key for the benefit of the 14. The Attorney General herself was there to offer Miles an internship with her office as an assistant investigator with the governor offering Jaimie his heartfelt affection as he knew she'd never accept his offer of an internship. The family took up one side of the stadium with many of their closest classmates' families joining them in a large group of their own. The rest of the families took up the other side, ether were all either people who had issues with the families or who were indifferent and chose the normal side for families. The graduates, faculty, and dignitaries took up a large chunk of the football field in front of the stage, it was a rare sight as the stadium looked "full" with over 1,200 people attending the graduation. There were complaints about the Finns getting special treatment until those who were complaining realized that with how things were set up it actually favored their own families best. The side with the Finns was the side that students lined up on allowing families to take better pictures of their graduates as they received their diplomas and walked down off the stage while moving their tassel to the other side of their caps. The Finns simply took shots as normal, they were content to take long shots of the graduates knowing that they had more chances of good pictures among the dozens of cameras among the group as well as having longer distance cameras with better lenses allowing decent shots from their distances vs. the cellphone and cheap "point and shoot" cameras most others had. The ceremony itself was your normal ceremony. Jake had to hold back tears as he happily pronounced the class as being his personal favorite thanks to all of the great things the students had done in their four years as well as the growth they had helped him achieve in his personal life. The fact that Will was graduating and through the 14 he had met, married, and conceived a child with his wife Beverly as well as adopted Will as his own son made them stand above all other classes before them. Nobody could argue against that as it was the truth. Louis had the longest speech as he was the one who knew the graduates best outside of the classroom and away from family. Being their onetime boss as well as their confidant he happily told the crowd how he had been pleased to see so many grow into fine adults thanks to their classmates and the strength they showed. He happily told them that they were not going to be topped but nobody would try, they were special and others would just be happy to follow their example as nobody could match their achievements. John was elected by his colleagues to speak on behalf of the faculty. He did his usual shtick of using the, "How" of what they learned not the, "What" as they went through life which got the graduates laughing and agreeing. He added that in 20 years several would be back there as parents with many nodding in understanding as it was inevitable for several of them. He looked towards his group and shed a tear as he talked about seeing them grow up in the past six years from kids to teens to adults. He smiled as he told about the little boys and girls who had stolen his heart as 6th graders and who sat before him on the cusp of adulthood and who were going their own way. It was tough but he admitted that they were the greatest people he knew, people who had survived tragedy, heartbreak, abuse, and upended lives only to come out better people. The crowd applauded John as Beth hugged him allowing him to calm down. Jake gave him a few seconds before starting the most anticipated part of the event. He called up Sean who for the first time showed the crowd his Army uniform complete with green beret, something few parents actually knew about and even surprised many of the graduates themselves. Sean stood proudly as he handed the diplomas to the graduates. The 14 were hugged tightly by him with Jake taking the opportunity to hug Will and Courtney as they received theirs first among the group. Sean got a surprise as Will, Eric, George, and Scott saluted him as they appeared in front of him, with Sean happily returning it and wishing them luck in the next few weeks. They weren't alone in that they were going into the military, but they were the only ones who saluted him out of respect. With the last recipients being given their diplomas the students in unison tossed their caps into the air giving a sea of red, white, and black caps. Jake happily told the faculty and city officials that changing to three colors and basing the colors on where the student was sitting was miles ahead of the old system of one color for males and another for females. They thought it was due to Jaimie but Jake explained that it was a change that needed to happen long ago due to simple uniformity and aesthetics. He had suggested it years ago but it was ignored until other schools started doing it. Jaimie ended up in black, Michael in Red, and Miles in white. Red had previously been reserved for females, black for males, and white was unused but in truth, it was a nice addition as it was the school's third team color. None of the students complained, in fact, they loved it as it made a great look overall. Will even joked that he looked better in the, "Girl's" red than the girls did getting a laugh and smile from the ladies as the most masculine of their classmates had no response to it without sounding sexist. The Finns spent quite a bit of time taking pictures with one another with Jaimie knowing they were doing that on purpose to let the other families leave. Governor Christian James happily took photos with everyone and hugged Jaimie tight as he shed a tear over her being the person who shined brightest that day. She was simply a graduate, for the first time in a long time Jaimie was just another person and everyone there that day treated her like everyone else which he happily pointed out to her. Miles received his internship offer which he agreed to, provided they ensure that what he worked on was not going to harm the state's cases. His new boss just smirked at him, Miles shook his head and complained:, "Aunt Kennedy researched the laws, didn't she?" The nod confirmed it, Miles was legally in the clear and the state was using him in the best way possible with his new bosses being eager to see what he could do especially with his pre-existing reputation for troubleshooting and research. Christina kissed him then hugged him tightly. Miles was getting a big leap into his future career, it wasn't quite as in-depth as Michael's work but it was a huge step in the right direction. With proper help from his classes, he could be on the job just as soon as he finished his degree and with Kennedy and the Attorney General giving their recommendation he was all but assured a job with the Attorney General. Jaimie politely declined her job offer. Christian nodded but added, "You are going to have to work eventually. I just had to make a final offer, I know you will need a while to recover. Just as long as I can talk with you about tough choices I'm happy." Jaimie nodded silently, while Rick added, "She will need something to keep her mind off her recovery so a simple talk every now and then about what you are considering is a big help. Plus you know how she is, if she isn't doing something she will be going stir crazy and helping others through you will be the best way to keep her mind occupied." The families went home soon after. The 14 put away their caps and gowns for the future while relaxing for several hours. That evening they were going to party and they wanted to be rested, the energy of that morning was sapped as the seriousness of the small, padded, gold colored booklet hit them. The ones who seemed the most ambivalent about the 14 graduating were the youngest family members. The preschoolers and toddlers sat through the graduation out of respect and discipline but didn't grasp that the 14 had done something major. They saw the 14 crying and thought someone was hurt or died, it took everything their parents had to make them grasp that this was a happy event and not a sad one that they had unfortunately experienced twice in the past year. The kids kept close to the 14, with DJ Lopez and Marcus Sylvester keeping their cousins close to the point of not wanting them to even go to the bathroom. It was cute and touching, especially as Jack Bollinger asked if they were leaving for good. Will hugged him tight and explained, "We don't have to go to school anymore, we aren't leaving you or mom or dad. You and Benny and Nigel and Billy will have this same thing happen to you in 16 years." The toddlers didn't fully understand until Will explained further, "You know how JD, Cat, Willow, and Julio go to big kid's school? Well, we are done with that. DJ and TJ are going to big kid's school next year, you will go to it in two years. We are still going to be around, it's just that we won't be around as often so you will have mom and dad to yourself more." After a long rest and having the youngsters calm themselves once they realized they were telling the truth the group came together at their usual gathering spot at the upscale function hall. The 14 were the center of attention with everyone crowding them and offering them advice on what to do. It was really just good fun as the 14 accepted that they were doing it for their own feelings of anxiety. The party lasted three hours, only breaking up when it was time for the youngest to go to bed. The 14 went to their respective new homes, with Jaimie, Rick, Christina, and Miles heading home as if it was a normal night. They, being the only ones required to live on-campus in the dorms their freshman year, were stuck officially living with their parents until move-in day in August. The parents knew what the 10 were going to do once they arrived but kept their joking and concerns to themselves due to younger siblings. It was expected that they'd finally go the distance with one another after between four and six years of pent up sexual energy. They had protection, whether they opted to use it and accept the consequences was something else entirely. They were adults now, they'd deal with the outcomes eventually. Michael and Courtney actually did do what their parents expected them to do. They waited five and a half years as a couple, they were ready for sex. The two went at it all night and much of the next day until the novelty wore off. They did the deed, it wasn't taboo anymore and they still loved one another despite giving in to the urges. It was just sharing their love with one another's body. The others didn't do a thing. They fell asleep after kissing their fiances for an hour. The guys drove to their own new home leaving the ladies to enjoy their own home and their new neighbors. Hannah and Pete Smith grinned widely as they watched the guys leave, not needing to say a word to the ladies about what just happened. Hannah did cause Claire to blush as she raised an eyebrow but the cousins laughed it off as Pete gritted his teeth and told them, "Don't even think of saying anything. Don't even joke about pregnancies. I love her and she loves me and as a married couple it is possible." Hannah shook her head and happily told him, "I would be happy to have your baby. We are old enough now if it happens it happens but I love you." The ladies let out a collective, "Aw" as she said that, he kissed her cheek but added, "Be that as it may, I still think we should wait. Your dad might not want to be a grandfather again and Bryan may think I am upstaging him." The four ladies hugged Hannah who whispered to them, "Next year" getting a shocked expression but understanding nods. It was something that they couldn't tell anyone else but they all understood the significance of. Hannah may be the second of their generation to get pregnant but knowing Courtney and Hannah's sister-in-law Paige she may not be the last one to get pregnant that year. The others had no intention of having sex anytime soon, they were content to be aunts to the trio's kids for the time being and the girls didn't want to explain to their family why they were pregnant so soon. The four guys had reason to leave quickly. They were trying to rest up and save their energy for their upcoming basic training and didn't want to leave their girlfriends potentially pregnant or themselves exhausted. Plus, in their minds, sex was private and none of the four wanted to do it yet especially with Stacy and Claire being cousins and Scott and Jessica being siblings. It would be too weird doing any kind of sexual act around one another. The next two weeks were spent helping the 1st and 5th graders get ready for the city's, "Moving-on" ceremonies. The teens and tweens loved helping the youngsters out with Jaimie, Michael, Jessica, and Scott getting to experience the ceremony for the first time as they hadn't had anything like it when they were their age. Their old elementary school only held an 8th-grade graduation due to the elementary and middle school being combined making a ceremony pointless. Before any of this could occur, the family had to have a special meeting. Mia Flynn needed to have a hearing to account for herself for the time since her expulsion back in February and what happened during her hearing would determine if she was allowed back into Winnisimmet Public Schools as a student. It was standard procedure for expelled students, but for her, it was something much bigger. Mia's case was read and her academic achievements done during the past three and a half months were looked at with close scrutiny. Her grandmother, Peggy Raymond, stated she was a changed student and who was actually more advanced than a normal 5th grader but needed structure that only a normal school could give. Her previous principal, Yvette, stated she was no danger to others and acted solely under a demonstrated and adjudicated threat to her life. The fact that she was transgender was irrelevant and to Mia's relief was not mentioned except as a note that her school records prior to her expulsion were in her deadname. She sat quietly and endured the questioning of those around her while thinking closely about how she got there and why she was such a horrible student before. The state representative reviewing her case noted her quiet contemplation and observed her wincing at the actions of her past self being mentioned, keeping his reaction stoic but to the trained eyes of Yvette and Dorothy it was clear she had an impact. Alice and Dorothy stated their opinions with both agreeing that they believed Mia was no danger to re-offend and just needed a fresh start in life. Both eagerly wanted her as a student with Dorothy winning out thanks to Mia's pre-existing closeness with six incoming 6th graders as well as teachers who were used to transgender students. The state representative asked about that, he was simply told, "Their 6th-grade teacher had a transgender girl two years ago and we have had multiple transgender girls who transferred in and graduated with high praise in the past six years." There was little argument against Mia attending. The only one who would have anything to say against her were seeking Mia as a student due to financial as well as diversity reasons. Mia was only a dollar sign to them, her academic performance didn't matter. The schools wanted her solely because she was transgender and would pad to their budget and allow them to tout her as a student instead of helping her socially and academically. It took less than an hour before Mia was given the all clear- she was going to be allowed to enter school with her friends. The alternative school principal cried foul but the state representative happily pointed out that they were demanding that she be placed in their school without a reason and as she was a valid resident of the city and had successfully completed 5th grade in an alternative form of education there was no reason to deny her the right to attend middle school alongside her peers and that they were on the cusp of violating he rights by demanding she attend their school. With a stroke of the pen, Mia was cleared to attend middle school alongside her sister and friends. They then tried to prey on the bigotry of the representative but that backfired as he noted their claims and then happily told them, "I'll be sure to inform the Secretary of Education about your attempts to circumvent the rights of students by immorally placing them in your school simply because they are transgender. Know this: that young lady's family is heavily involved in her city's education system and will not let you get away with this. As previously stated her grandmother is a retired teacher but her grandfather's cousin is a longstanding city councilor and her friends' families contain multiple lawyers who have rewritten the laws of this state regarding the treatment of transgender children. Just be glad Valerie Finn wasn't here or you'd be begging for the superintendent to accept your resignation instead of firing you outright with a permanent black mark against you." Mia joined her friends at the middle school for their tour with her former classmates not noticing or realizing who she was, only noticing that she was close to the six and Nancy was calling her her sister. Her friends simply told the others that she was home-schooled by her grandmother after trouble at her old school and was going to attend alongside them. It was the truth, maybe not the direct truth but it was not a lie either. Kylie Pena and Nichole Smith were transgender like Mia but both had years of being girls under their belts so didn't have the fears that Mia had. Middle school would be their defining moments as both were unsure about themselves while their friends were maturing at a fast rate and finding who they were as people. The two girls joined Mia in sharing this uneasiness but Mia at least knew her sexuality while the duo was uncertain and only knew that they loved their friends without question. Their friends Nancy Flynn, Margaret Douglas, Dante Kelly, and Stephan Pierce were so close to one another that it was almost puppy love. The four had steadily grown closer to the point that Dante and Steven were frequently over girls' houses helping them with their schoolwork and doing anything to get their affection. To their parents it was sweet but to their friends' families, it was clear that the four were more than friends but not quite ready to admit that they had feelings for one another. In contrast to the new 6th graders, the kids at the early learning center enjoyed an easier time regarding their moving-on. They treated it like a party as they were now going to be, "Big kids" instead of little kids. To the soon-to-be 2nd graders it was sad for them as they were leaving the comforts behind in favor of a bigger school with more classes and more students as well as more responsibilities. Trinity Eliza was sad to leave her mother's classroom but knew that she needed to do this for her own good. She would miss her mother teaching her but she had cousins who were going to the school as well. Her upcoming teacher didn't have experience with transgender children but would happily help Trinity out and with her two cousins/classmates she would have a chance to thrive as her own person without the looming influence of her mother close by. Virgil York and Tyler Reagan saw the moving-on as their chance to break out of their, "Little kid" phase and be bigger boys like the new 5th graders. The school was their chance to be themselves more, without their aunt keeping close watch on them or the younger girls and boys being around them. They would be their own men, or as close to that as a seven- year-old can get. The trio met their new teacher and was surprised that she was their older cousins' teacher. Yvette had to carefully explain, "Your class is split up due to the number of students. Your classes here are bigger so your old class was split in two with half going with you and the other half going with another teacher. She sadly is not of the belief that she can teach girls like Trinity so we chose to assign your friends with you while your other classmates were sent to her class. It's not a punishment, it's the best for all around and if she doesn't like that Trinity is special then she will not be a teacher here anymore." The kids understood. As long as their friends were with them then they could endure not having all of their classmates with them. Yvette added a happy, "You are well known already so your teacher is ready for all of you. The girls certainly know how to make you three out to be great students." The, "Moving-on" ceremonies were boring to the kids but they endured the speeches and pictures and welcomes from their new principals. Dorothy, in particular, loved pointing out that his was the first time that the ceremony had been done for members of the family with Yvette happily pointing out, "It'll be commonplace soon" getting a laugh as the kids knew all too well how many of the, "Finn Family" were in school. After the ceremony at the elementary school Mrs. Shriner, the kids' new 6th-grade teacher, asked to speak with her new students. She looked over the group and saw a diverse group of kids who had a lot in common with each other but a lot of differences. She was happy that they were taking after the older kids but cautioned them to be their own people as they were now on the verge of being tween thus would be able to start finding their own identities. As she was introduced one by one she recognized several names and asked about them. Dorothy had a smirk as she pointed out, "Steven is Oscar Pierce's younger brother, Margaret is Kyle Douglas' younger sister. Steven was adopted last year so you never had the pleasure of meeting him until now. Dorothy steeled herself for the next question. She carefully explained, "Kylie is Reed Pena's little sister. You knew him as Reed Clarence when he was your student." Mrs. Shriner gasped and asked, "You were little Kevin?" to which Kylie nodded at. Mrs. Shriner cringed as she recalled the quiet, scared Reed. Dorothy nodded, adding a somber, "She is what her mother hated most but found a loving family who has given her a new life. The rumors were true and through her, you get to see just how her brother should have been as a student, one who doesn't have to put up with hate-filled rants and constant physical abuse at home." Kylie smiled at her to which Dorothy added, "It gets even more complicated. Nichole is John Finn's niece. You get the pleasure of having taught all of his nieces along with his nephews. The only one you haven't had the pleasure of teaching was Diego Vincent and Stacy Lopez." Mrs. Shriner's eyes lit up at the knowledge. She chuckled, "I guess the only one who can truly lay claim to teaching them all when he retires will be John." That got the kids snickering as they all knew it to be true and a fact that they loved dearly. Mrs. Shriner hated to do it but Kylie and Mia were told that as they were still "intact" they would have to use the disabled bathrooms and staff locker room with Nichole, Nancy, and Margaret refusing to use the girl's bathrooms and locker room without them. The solidarity made Mrs. Shriner smile while Dorothy added a happy, "We knew they'd act that way but we had to make it known already. They are true friends through and through, almost as tightly bound as their 8th-grade counterparts. You are in for an interesting year." The kids went home happy and helped their families pack for the upcoming California trip. They were still young enough to enjoy the sights but not yet old enough to want to go on their own. The only younger kids not going were Nichole and her brother Ethan, who were instead going with their mother and younger brother Nigel Jr. to England to visit their grandparents for the summer. The family as a whole wasn't going. Nigel Smith couldn't get the time off and what time he did get off he was spending in England. Melanie Lopez and Leslie Sylvester were only going away for just the weekend as they were going to be there before and after Jaimie had her surgery and had to return home to run their preschool. The new juniors were reluctant to go but did so at Jaimie's request. Jaimie didn't want them to miss out on a fun trip due to their perceived maturity. They couldn't refuse her request, it was rare for her to ask for something and given the seriousness of the situation they felt they had to comply. The family gave the four heading to Missouri for basic training a tearful send off with their fiances telling them to be careful. Sean gave them deep hugs, he was feeling like a proud grandfather even if they weren't related to him. The four left with their heads held high and visions of tough exercises, grueling heat, and hundreds of rounds of rifle shots fired. The day after the departure the family set out for California in force. The chartered plane took off with the family happily talking about where they were going to visit and what the kids would do in their downtime. John had to be coaxed into admitting that he was scared but he knew this day was coming and it was inevitable that his little girl would finally become the woman she needed to be even if nobody felt she needed it. Jaimie was quiet throughout the flight. Rick held her hand and kissed her cheek when he saw her shed a tear, knowing she was thinking about tough things. Jaimie softly admitted, "It's finally happening. For the past six years I dreamed of this day, now it's only four days away. I can't believe it. I'm going to be whole. I am going to finally be a woman." Chapter 2 Before the family could fly west out to California Jaimie had to fly out to Kansas City several days earlier. Rick, John, and Valerie joined her for the flight while their sons JD and Logan and daughters Cat and Ella stayed with their best friends/cousins the Lopezes and Reagans for the weekend. The four kids were told why they were flying out, with all four feeling bad that they couldn't join their family in order to ease Jaimie's nervousness. This was an extremely important visit as it was Jaimie's second opinion. She needed the approval of another gender specialist before she was allowed to undergo her surgery and it was felt that given her notoriety among doctors in the New England region she would get a fairer assessment from the doctor who originally diagnosed her over six years before out west. Dr. Robin Wiles had initially examined Jaimie and determined that she was suffering from gender dysphoria when John first took her into his care and gotten her a mental health assessment for other issues such as depression and PTSD. Dr. Wiles had treated her for two months before the family moved east following John being falsely accused of abuse for allowing Jaimie to wear a dress. Seeing Dr. Wiles brought up old memories about her old hometown that she hadn't addressed in years, not since her grandparents moved east. She had visited once before when she helped move her uncle Mick's family east two years before but this was different, this was even more personal. She still had festering feelings about the place that hadn't been addressed but she had never told anyone about. During her exam, Jaimie happily told Dr. Wiles about her life since they left and at the love she had for Rick. Even though it was supposed to be a second opinion the two treated it like it was old times as to Dr. Wiles in a way it was. Jaimie was honest but the longer it went on the more open she started to become and the deeper Dr. Wiles dug, breaking down Jaimie's armor and showing the real Jaimie. Dr. Wiles discussed every possible aspect of her life from her sexual orientation to her feelings of intimacy to her feelings about her penis. She didn't hold back and asked tough questions that Jaimie wasn't ready for but tried to answer fully and without holding back. Dr. Wiles knew what she was doing, but to Jaimie it felt like she was trying to trip her up and it was working. Dr. Wiles spent two hours grilling Jaimie about all aspects of her life and her deepest feelings. Just when Jaimie started to feel like this was all for nothing Dr. Wiles grinned and announced they were finished and she had done just as she had hoped Jaimie would do. She handed Jaimie a special sheet of paper with her signature already filled out and hugged her, telling her she was proud of the woman she had become and admitting that she feared that Jaimie would use her father's money to get around the system to get what she wanted not what she truly needed. Jaimie felt like she was betrayed but Dr. Wiles confessed, "I had to be thorough with you for your own benefit. I talked with your previous therapist, Dr. Eliza, and we agreed Dr. Eliza is so close to you that she felt that you should have a complete and utter inside and out grilling to ensure that nobody could claim we were just rubber stamping your surgery. I am proud of you, I was sad that I lost you as a patient but I was glad that you found a doctor who cared enough about you to ask that you make a trip halfway across the country to get a second opinion when you could have just as easily ask her colleague Dr. Bell or even Dr. Allen, who I believe was hoping got the call." Jaimie had to remember Dr. Allen, Dr. Wiles just grinned and pointed out, "I know it was a long time ago but she's the doctor who confirmed my diagnosis and who recommended you for immediate transition at home. Apparently, she has kept tabs on your family through her wife, Martha Perez." Jaimie's eyes shot open at the name. Dr. Wiles nodded but explained, "She went into private practice and met Martha when her ex-husband fought her over her money. Martha sided with her and after a chance meeting at a restaurant a few nights later fell in love and married. It was her departure that allowed Dr. Eliza to be hired and from what they told me, the rest is history." Dr. Wiles gave Jaimie a big hug as she escorted Jaimie out. Rick saw the tears in Jaimie's eyes and hugged her while John thanked her for helping out. Valerie kept quiet before thanking her for the time and patience to help her daughter twice. Dr. Wiles smiled and told them, "If she wants to repay me she could always name her firstborn after me." Jaimie and Rick both shot back, "Gladly" with Jaimie adding, "Believe it or not Robin was Rick's grandmother's name." Dr. Wiles was only joking but the two were more than willing to do just that even if it was a very slim chance that they'd ever had the chance to do so. The four left with Jaimie feeling especially happy. She asked that they make a special stop before the flight back which John and Valerie had no choice but to agree to. Rick was puzzled to which Valerie mournfully explained, "She is going to visit her friend Sylvia Palmer's resting place. Sylvia was special to Jaimie as she was the first person to show compassion to her after her parents were killed. She was close friends with Jessica and was interested in dating Scott before he fled east." The visit was somber with Rick placing flowers while Jaimie asked that they do something to give her a better burial than the pauper's grave her mother put her in. Valerie made a phone call while John kept the two distracted knowing full well that Valerie was going to ensure things went her way quickly. After a few minutes, Jaimie was told "Sylvia would be given a proper burial close to her father and the county would be paying for it due to them not giving her a proper one in the first place. I declined to do that, they are paying for the exhumation but your dad is paying for the proper headstone and new plot in a private cemetery near St. Louis out of respect for the memory of her as his student." It was a small token but it meant a lot to Jaimie. Rick asked if her father knew getting a somber, "He was unaware of it and was going to pay for it but this is something we had to do for her. I couldn't put him through this pain again, he doesn't deserve it. He has given the name of the nearest cemetery which was all he needed to do." On the way back to the plane Jaimie told Rick stories about the duo leading to more stories with Jaimie feeling better and getting a lot of anxiety released that she had been holding back all visit. Dr. Wiles' letter hadn't fully relieved it, but talking about good times that she hadn't thought of in years exercised the last of her demons from Missouri. The foursome arrived back in Massachusetts the next morning and prepared for their flight the next day. The others were already ready but the youngest Finns waited until the last minute to finish packing as they wanted John and Valerie to give the all clear. The two saw right through it, they wanted their parents to think about something else after knowing it was very taxing out in Kansas City, they knew their family all too well and it was just what the three needed at that time. The flight was easy and quiet as the family didn't say much. Ella and Logan stayed close to Jaimie, both knowing this was major surgery and wanting to keep her from feeling bad about it. JD and Cat normally did this for Jaimie but saw the younger cousins and knew to keep them occupied while letting their older siblings help directly as well as allow them some special bonding time. John was a nervous wreck. He was the one who was taking the surgery the hardest as he hated seeing his kids in the hospital. Jaimie was his darling, seeing her hurt always caused him to revert to being the timid, scared, crying child he had been for years and even though he had months to prepare he couldn't stop himself from feeling terrible about the whole situation. No father wants to see their child in pain. Even if it was for a good reason, he still hated to think that she was stuck in bed for a few days and had to deal with pain and discomfort. He barely endured his daughter Ella being in the hospital for three days, Jaimie being in the hospital for a week and then her recovering across the country from him was almost too scary to comprehend. Mid-flight, their plans for the week were discussed among the adults. The teens had their list of places to visit while the kids had one and only one place on their list: Disneyland. The adults smirked as the teens would enjoy that as well but they'd never allow themselves to admit it to their parents. Valerie thought something over and asked Lupe Toro to lead the shareholders of Jaimie's Place, a home that the group sponsored that dealt with victims of crimes who needed a place to stay, to visit the home. It was the first time that they would be visiting it since it opened. None of them had a direct hand in its operation, it was overseen by trusted friends and hired social workers. She asked that they visit the house so they could see how it was doing. Lupe was a bit reluctant but Deborah agreed to do it with all seeing that it wasn't an option. Lupe agreed but had them know that she wasn't happy to visit a place that held so many painful memories even if it was to help out so many more people. They needed to do it, but she feared that things may not have changed. John was stoic about the planning. He volunteered to take the kids while the ladies dealt with Jaimie's Place. It was clear why he wanted to take the kids but it was also good reasoning and hard to refute, he needed the distraction and the kids were best at getting him distracted especially Cat and Logan. The plane landed and saw the group heading off to their hotel in several buses. The kids marveled at the LA County sights as they drove on, noticing just how different they were compared with London or Boston. The only ones not interested were those who had been there before: Deborah, Reed, Miles, Patrick Peterson, Lupe, Reyna, and Tyler, Willow, and Lindsay Reagan. John talked with the teens about their plans and as expected they wanted to visit mature sights but weren't opposed to Disneyland, they knew he'd expect them to say it as it was one of the most famous landmarks in all of the LA area and was a place that had things that they could enjoy as well as be alone with their significant others without getting too intimate. The usual LA locations of the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, and the Walk of Fame were mentioned with John agreeing to all of them but asking that they space them out over the week. He did ask that they not overdo things just to keep their minds off of Jaimie which was met with a shared look of humor as they knew John was doing the very same thing. The family split up for the night with John knowing that the next day was the most critical part of the entire trip- Jaimie's final examination. There was still a slim chance that she may be refused surgery if the doctors felt that she wasn't ready or the letters weren't enough. He hated to think of that, it was everything she wanted but until the signatures were on the paper and the pre-surgery instructions printed she was still at the mercy of the doctors. John took the 22 younger kids out for the morning to a nearby amusement park. It was small and had a unique theme but it was what he needed at that time. The teens and tweens opted to go with most of the adults to Venice Beach and attend a TV show taping at one of the studios. John had Willie Pena, Dan Lopez, Mike Daniels, Mick Jones, and Jake Bollinger with him making it a lot easier on John as their wives opted to give them father-child time with their kids especially as the youngest rarely had the chance and John was most at ease around them rather than the other adults. John was the lead and chose the park specifically because it had just about everything a kid from the youngest toddler up to the 11-year-old kids could enjoy. The total theme of it was magic with several specific parts devoted to a single story or character but all having an interconnected magic theme. The teens and tweens knew who they were and laughed as the stories were often revolved around changing genders both accidentally and intentionally. John chose it because it was a subtle reminder of why they were there and with Mia, Trinity, and Kylie among them it was a big help to be in a trans-friendly environment even if they never told anyone they were transgender while there. John refused to enter the, "Bikini Beach" area of the park, telling the kids he wasn't about to tempt fate and earning himself a big laugh as the other dads went inside. John simply watched the kids run themselves ragged while enjoying the fun. It wasn't until he had to change Brent Jones' and Marcus Sylvester's diapers that he snapped out of his trance but his smiling nephews were just what he needed to not dwell on the reasons for being there in the first place. As he sat outside with the two toddlers he talked with other parents who were waiting for their kids to tire themselves out inside the water park. The parents were surprised at how well he was able to manage the kids and the other dads but John admitted it was just a fact of life with having so many kids close to one another, directly related, or sharing a strong friendship. Brent clung to John and fell asleep while Marcus grunted and looked at other people getting snickers at the antics of the two as they seemed to know he was talking about them even if they weren't being talked about. Marcus seemed to nod at the attention but kept stealing glances at John to see if he was still paying attention to him, showing it was all a game to him which the others gathered immediately. John happily explained that Brent was his only niece or nephew who ever gave him any kind of attention while Marcus was true to his family's tradition of ignoring John until he was old enough to want him to buy him things. He carefully explained about being an uncle to both but that the two weren't directly related but were both his nephews. Two of the mothers casually asked if he was aware of the number of transgender kids in the park as a test of John's reaction to the kids. John knew this and casually added, "I do and I actually have three in my group who are transgender. I may be the unofficial leader of my group but I am not afraid to admit that we are part of the number of transgender kids who have been welcomed here today." This caught them off guard but it smoothed over any potential awkwardness. John sighed and added, "We are out here in California due to my eldest daughter having surgery like the one the kids are going to have when they are older. Her final consultation is occurring right now which is why my family is at the park. She is the young lady who pretty much caused our family to come together over the past six years and who has changed the lives of dozens if not hundreds. Most of the kids in my group are here because of the ripples she has caused, all of which are positive with some of the ripples being caused due to themselves being transgender like her." The kids were seen playing with various kids, several of whom were clearly just starting to transition. John smiled at seeing that, the girls were smiling and the boys acting like they were any other boys. John couldn't help but feel pride at them making the other kids' day by simply being themselves. A little boy and girl came out looking for their mother and saw her talking with John. They smiled at him with John smiling back. The kids were energized and their mother happily told John, "This is the best they have felt in a while." John added, "The kids noticed right away she was just starting out, they have been there before and wanted her to enjoy herself. I just hope she isn't too energetic later." More kids came out causing the impromptu gathering to break up as the kids went to their parents. John's group were reluctant to leave but they were reminded about the other attractions in the park getting them to finally exit. The girls and boys thanked them for being nice to them, getting happy smiles and thanks from the kids for doing the same showing the parents that John wasn't kidding about the kids being used to others like themselves. The kids asked for and were given permission to visit the, "Spells R Us" store to pick up a gag gift for the tweens and teens. John couldn't resist a joke and the elderly man who served as both mascot and cashier was happy to play the part for the kids especially when he heard why they were there. He was sympathetic to Jaimie but happy that the family was doing something for her that he had seen so many kids unable to do before especially young ones with families who didn't understand their need to be their true selves. Lunch was in the, "Eerie Saloon" with the kids enjoying the fun atmosphere of the Old West as well as some of the actors and actresses working the stage show. The kids giggled as the adults drank birch beer, sarsaparilla, and root beer and treating them as alcohol. The place was a nice respite from the normal park restaurants and was true to the magic and gender change theme of the park. The longest amount of time was spent in, "Cynthia's Storyland" that was based around the, "Cynthia Chronicles" by Portia Bennett, a personal favorite of John's and who had purchased copies of her books for Ella for summer reading. It featured a fun house, miniature golf, tunnel roller coaster, and teen magicians performing simple tricks while dressed as characters from the stories. The youngest kids were thrilled more with the magic tricks than with the rides but at that point they were tiring out fast and had trouble keeping from getting into trouble with the three two-years-olds getting into a slap fight marking it as their cue to leave. The day was a rousing success with John happy that the kids were acting much better. The only hiccup was Logan keeping close to John after they left with Logan refusing to let him out of his sight. Ella kept to herself but she could tell what was bothering Logan and while refusing to tell John what his problem was she did make mention that it was a good feeling, not a bad one. At the hotel Logan and John sat in the suite and watched TV while resting up for dinner. John sensed Logan needed to talk so he tried hard to bridge the subject with him. Logan tensed up and asked timidly, "Why are you avoiding Jaimie? You should have been there with her today but you didn't go? Why?" John felt shame at the question and fought for the right words. He finally looked down at the scared Logan and confessed, "I can't see any of you in pain and even though I know Jaimie needs to have her surgery it hurts me to know that she will be put under for a while and no matter how good the doctors are there is always a risk that she may never come out of it. I'm scared that I could lose her just as I was scared I could lose Ella back in April. I love you kids with all my heart but it's something no parent wants to see- their child being put under for surgery." He hugged John tight. He was in tears as he confessed, "I hate it too. I don't want to lose any of you. She is the best sister and I can't see her hurt." The two hugged tight. Ella herded Cat and JD out of the room so they could calm themselves. Even though she was two years younger than her brother, she still knew when to leave him alone and seeing their dad in tears it was something they both needed to get out of their system. The twins understood, hugging her for showing she cared and not saying anything further. John led Logan out to where the other three were and ushered them downstairs to dinner. The rest of the family noticed Logan and John's closeness and shared a knowing nod that the two were closer than anyone would care to mention. John was glad nobody asked how he was doing as he didn't have the heart to lie nor did he want to be asked that as he knew they'd start keeping a closer eye on him as they usually did when he started to show signs of anxiety attacks. Valerie and Jaimie were the last to enter with Jaimie all smiles as she hugged John and Logan. She knew they were waiting for her to tell them how the appointment went but it wasn't the right time or place to do so. Valerie just gave a subtle nod to John which he understood to be that it was all set, relieving some tension but creating more in him. After dinner Valerie and Jaimie told the two about the appointment. John was fearful but kept himself together while Logan hugged her tight, whispering, "Please wake up, I don't want to lose my sister." John gave her a glance that told her to not dig further, it was something he needed to say but digging deeper would do more harm than good. Once the kids were in bed Jaimie hugged John tight as he explained why Logan said what he said. She confessed that she was scared too but Logan didn't deserve to be scared that way. John tried his hardest to hide his expression but she saw that he was the one who initiated it and was feeling the same way. Valerie gave them some privacy so they could talk. Jaimie hugged and kissed John and asked that he stop thinking that way, she didn't want him or Logan worrying about something they couldn't help no matter what. John tried hard to fight her words but her tears started flowing which always caused him to lower his guard and give in to her requests. Once he calmed down she confessed that she was happy that he loved her that much. She feared the worst but hoped for the best. She would have Rick by her side and if she died she would die having done something she needed to do. It was the truth and no matter what she would always be his first child even if she wasn't the oldest. Jaimie left to go to her room and ensure that Cat and Ella were asleep. John hugged and kissed Valerie, then shed tears as he asked her to ensure that Jaimie came through. Valerie didn't respond, she let him fall asleep knowing that nothing she said could cause him to calm down and see reason. He loved the kids too much to let himself see anything except the worst until Jaimie was out of the hospital and entrenched in her temporary lodgings at Miguel Toro's home. The next morning John had to go out for the day with the kids to keep himself from getting anxious. This was the big visit for all of them as it was the trip to Disneyland and even Jaimie was going along. John could barely hold himself together but Logan kept him occupied all day as the two walked around the park and rode as many rides as possible with the intent of keeping the other from overthinking about the next day. Their closeness was surprising to much of the family until Jaimie told the others that they were trying their hardest to keep from breaking down over her surgery the next day. John's past behavior was well known but Logan being the same way was a shock. Ella groaned and told them all that he was like that all the time but nobody ever noticed it, causing most to cringe at them not knowing all too much about the real Logan that only his sister knew but it was forgivable given that they had only been part of the family for four months. Logan was a little reluctant to take pictures with the various mascots especially Cinderella and the other princesses. Ella teased him about his crushes with Logan blushing deeply over it. John casually asked Ella if she still had a crush on Mickey Mouse or Goofy which immediately caused Cat and JD to snicker as Ella fought for a comeback and to hide her deeply blushing face. John seemed to calm down with Logan around him just as Logan did the same around John. It was odd but Valerie sensed that the father and son may have shared more than just a last name. They may not be genetically related but the way both acted it was closer than any of the others, even closer than John had been to Michael and Jaimie before the twins were born and Miles joined the family. Valerie smiled at the thought. Logan was John at age 10. He was a reflection on John's past, nobody except John could understand Logan's thoughts and nobody except Logan could break John's angst-hardened exterior. JD may be John's son biologically but he was acting more like Michael and Valerie than John, Logan though was fast becoming how John was when she first met him seven years before. Michael and Miles had kept away from their parents but seeing Logan and John being so close caused both to feel like they were being replaced. Cat shook her head at them talking and grumbled, "Uncle Louis said he is just like daddy. Mommy said Logan is acting like him as a kid. Maybe daddy needs Logan so he doesn't get sad with Jaimie in the hospital." The youngest Finn had gotten her older brothers to think deeply about the scene. Cat didn't understand what was going on but she did know that the two were acting differently and she remembered John acting upset when Ella had her surgery in April. In her nearly 5-year-old mind, John and Logan were doing what dads and sons did. JD was close to Jaimie as Cat talked with the boys. JD looked at Jaimie with concern and asked:, "Why is Daddy so scared?" Jaimie did the only thing she could do, she told the truth. She carefully explained, "Daddy is scared about the surgery. He is always this way whenever one of us is sick. He was this way when Nichole was hurt, when Reyna was hurt, when Cat was sick, when Ella had her surgery, even when Daisy had her surgery and when Miles ran away. He loves us more than we will ever know and it's part of being a dad to worry about your kids when they are sick or hurt or have surgery." JD asked why he never acted like that towards him, feeling left out. Jaimie shook her head and had to tell him, "You are lucky, you haven't had that kind of attention yet and I hope you never do. You have been the one who always kept us and him distracted and forced to think clearly. It's what Logan is doing, but Logan is like daddy so they are helping each other. They love us, it hurts a lot to see a loved one in pain especially when you know you can't help them." John was the one person everyone looked up to. JD saw him and Logan talking and walking silently, they were closer than the others were so it made sense to JD. He had always had Miles helping him and most recently he had his cousin Julio as a close friend so it was understood. He smiled at knowing his dad cared so much about them especially now that he had someone closer than anyone else. The family spent hours inside the park enjoying the various rides and attractions. It was tough keeping the youngest kids from overexerting themselves as they rushed from ride to ride. The teens mostly kept to themselves during the day and kept Jaimie occupied whenever she wasn't having alone time with John or her younger siblings. After a dinner that Jaimie was sadly unable to eat and a fireworks showcase that made the youngest kids silent in awe, the family left the park for the hotel. Jaimie was silent throughout the drive back, knowing that in just a few hours she would be getting ready for her long anticipated surgery. John himself had to fight back tears as he saw Jaimie contemplating the significance of this night, the last night anyone could ever claim that she was male due to a piece of useless flesh between her legs. The group was met at the hotel by Melanie and Leslie, having just flown in that afternoon. Marcus bounced wildly in his carriage as he saw his mother while Julio and DJ Lopez rushed to their mother's arms. The kids' older sisters didn't say a word about their actions, they were relieved to have them taking the kids off their hands for the weekend even if only for a few hours. Jaimie tearfully hugged both as they led her inside with strict instructions to get to bed. The others followed behind, with the youngest kids thinking that it was meant for them as an order even if it wasn't. Their parents were relieved, the teens simply sat around the lounge in quiet contemplation until the kids were asleep and everyone was back outside. John kept to himself as the others watched. He was in deep thought about the next day's events and was recalling all of the memories of Jaimie he could think of. Melanie came out and hugged him tight, her embrace and kind words of encouragement about her being fine calmed him a bit but not enough to keep him from fearing the worst. Logan had the same embrace from Leslie. She sighed at the sight, Logan was following in John's footsteps and if not for the family things would have been terrible for the little boy. The two were of one mind and that mind was focused solely on Jaimie. The others started to trickle upstairs to their rooms leaving John and Logan alone. John embraced Logan who himself was trying hard not to appear scared but failing badly. John could only muster a timid, "She's going to be fine, we just have to give her space and let the doctors help her. Olivia will be there to help out as will Rick. She wouldn't want you thinking the worst, she wants you to see it as a good thing for her." Logan nodded silently while hugging John. The two were led upstairs with Valerie putting both to bed. John was going to be the first one awake no matter what but she still had to ensure he was asleep. Logan wouldn't be far behind him, but she knew John would take Logan out for a bit so they wouldn't dwell on the surgery yet. Valerie's prediction was true as John was the first one up followed closely by Logan. The two were dressed and eating when she stirred. The only surprise was Logan and John unintentionally dressing the same with the same t-shirt and shorts as well as similar sneakers. It was sweet and went even further to the point of proving that Logan was taking after John in multiple ways. Jaimie was next to awaken and had to stifle a laugh at the two. Miles and Michael saw their outfits and shook their heads at the unintentional similarities. Cat and JD snickered at it with JD happily hugging the two, knowing they needed one. Ella shook her head and grumbled at them being too alike. The group went down to breakfast and had all eyes on them as John and Logan were in sync to the point of being robotic. Leslie and Melanie nodded to one another, they were unintentionally helping the other avoid breaking down. The dads caught on quickly and kept the kids from saying anything about them with the usual jokers specifically being told to not talk about it due to the importance. The combined Finn/Lopez/Jones/Sylvester/Peterson family drove to the hospital that Jaimie was going to undergo surgery at. Jaimie had her final meeting with her surgeon followed by a nurse helping her prep. She had Rick by her side throughout with Valerie, Melanie, Lilly Peterson and Leslie ensuring she followed all instructions thoroughly. Outside, John waited for the all clear to see Jaimie one final time before she was wheeled away. He had to endure Sarah Jones and Alison Eliza telling him she was going to be fine but despite hearing two doctors assure him she was alright he still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. The duo knew best not to try to reason with him while he was that anxious, they instead kept him focused on paperwork and double-checking to ensure everything was filled out properly. Finally, they were told they could come inside. Jaimie was in a gown and laying on a gurney but had a huge smile on her face. John shed a tear at the sight, hugging her tight and telling her to please not overdo things. Logan cried openly, hugging her tight as he saw her. It was a touching sight, the two strongest of them broke down at seeing Jaimie. They were led out by Lilly and told to enjoy themselves that day, they needed to do that for everyone else or the others would start to worry. They led their cousins out, with all feeling like this was going to be the toughest day they would ever have. Before leaving the hospital, John made a personal stop. He entered the hospital's small chapel and knelt down to pray. It was something that nobody had ever seen John do and given his penchant for avoiding religion, it was thought that he may be an atheist. John knelt down and asked that the higher power please not take his daughter from him yet. She had a lot to give the world, she didn't deserve to go when so many who had wronged the world did. He never said a word, he let his mind do the speaking as in his view you didn't need to speak with your voice when the higher power already knew what you were going to say and the true intent of your words. Logan entered behind him and did the same, not saying anything to John but offering his own silent request that his deceased mother, surrogate uncle, and aunt try to keep Jaimie from joining them. He shed a tear, it was hard to do but he didn't want to lose his new sister especially as it would hurt his new family more than any person could ever hurt them. The two got up and left, with John making the sign of the cross as he had been trained to do as a child before his anxiety and depression forced him to give up on religion classes. Logan did it out of respect to what John did, knowing that if John did it then he should do it too even if he didn't know why. It was touching and John felt a strong sense of pride seeing his son trying hard to follow him, it was a simple act but it meant more than Logan would ever know. The group left the hospital in silence without anyone making any mention of the stop. Ella tried to ask what happened but neither said anything. Dan offered a quiet, "It's a private thing" which she seemed to get the gist of. The others left it alone, the kids knew not to ask and the twins were content to let it go. John led the group to their destination, the LA Zoo. The teens weren't keen on going until they learned that it was near the Griffith Observatory so it wouldn't be too bad overall and it had a lot to offer that they hadn?t seen before as well as being world famous. It was better than doing a boring studio tour, and staying close to the younger kids kept the teens from thinking about Jaimie. John and Logan walked through the zoo and marveled at the different animals with each finding ones they liked. Ella was getting annoyed at the attention John was getting until Michael and Miles told her why they were so close that day. It made her feel terrible but it was what she needed to hear, they were worried sick and without the distraction they were going to think the worst about Jaimie's surgery. The two kept close as the family finished their lunch and drove to the observatory. The kids were happy to take pictures of the surrounding landscape and Los Angeles itself. The fact that they were able to see one of the most famous landmarks in all of Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign, made it worthwhile for all of them as it was a ?must see? attraction that everyone knew about. The family spent the day at the two sites and finally returned to the hotel in the late afternoon. John was eagerly awaiting word from the hospital but hadn't gotten a phone call yet that Jaimie had awoken. He wasn't told anything from his wife, sister, or sisters-in-law. He spent the evening getting more and more anxious. His mother and father-in-law were having trouble keeping him settled down and feared the worst themselves. John tried to remain stoic but everyone knew he was broken up inside and fighting breaking down completely. Finally, the call came from Valerie. Jaimie hadn't awoken as she should have. She was still under and they feared she might have had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. Her heart stopped twice while under and they feared she might have slipped into a coma. Jaimie was fighting for her life. Chapter 3 Jaimie was in a hazy fog as she suddenly felt herself coming around after being put under for surgery. She wasn't in her body, it was clear by the fact that she was in a long sky blue dress with matching gloves and shoes that she wasn't in the hospital or back home. She was dead, or she thought she was dead given that there was no rational explanation except that. Jaimie walked through the fog until she saw a bright light up ahead. If she really was dead she hoped it meant she was going up instead of down. She feared the worst, maybe the zealots were right and she was condemned to damnation for daring to go against God's chosen path for her? As she approached, she noticed that it was a large clearing. There were people there, most of them she didn't recognize and hoped they were not waiting for judgment like her. The few she did sent a shiver down her spine, they were the last people that she wanted to see in life or in the afterlife and if they were there it didn't bode well for Jaimie. The crowd parted. There was a clear differentiation between the sides. She realized now what was going on, Jaimie Finn was on trial for the crime of changing genders. Her afterlife was on the line. The "Send her down" crowd was made up of Lord Harry Smith, her beloved uncle Nigel's brother and her cousin Ethan's biological father. With him was Nelson Hogan, the man who assaulted Junior Kelly and Kylie Pena as their kindergarten teacher. They were joined by Ted Blue and Marlene Saunders, her sister Ella and brother Logan's uncle and former stepmother. They weren't the worst of the crowd, the ones who scared Jaimie the most were her parents. Jamie and Loretta McKinnon sneered at their daughter with angry looks and quietly mumbled angry insults about her being a freak and deviant that started to make Jaimie recall them as people before they perished trying to take her to conversion therapy to stop her from thinking that she was a girl. She looked over at the other side, the side that appeared to be people in her favor. She didn't know most of them, in fact, only three were known to her directly. She felt horrible, she didn't know how to react to them yet she felt that they were no danger to her and were there for her benefit. Jaimie saw that Logan and Ella's biological mother Linda Brown was giving her a loving look which filled her with warmth. Beside her doing the same was Juan Perez, her great-uncle Jorge's favorite nephew and one of the most amazing men she had ever met. The final person she recognized was her paternal grandmother, Catherine Finn. She hadn't seen her grandmother in four and a half years, not since Jaimie's tearful goodbye at the hospital and to Jaimie's surprise, she looked years younger and much healthier than what Jaimie remembered. Beside Catherine was a man who looked vaguely like her dad but strongly resembled her aunt Karen and uncle Roland. The man happily embraced Jaimie and told her he was proud that she was turning into the woman she was. He introduced himself as her grandfather, Brent Finn, sending her stepping back in tears at meeting the man who had made her dad what he was as a person and whose legacy of trying to improve the world while helping those who need help influenced her dad and aunts. Jaimie looked at the others with them. Brent smiled brightly as he introduced a tall, slim, beautiful woman whom he called, "Lady Karen 'Sammi' Smith." Jaimie hugged her tight, knowing this woman was the woman who gave birth to Ethan and who was a strong influence on making him accept Nichole as a person while unintentionally making his grandparents accept Jaimie's family as an extension of the Smith family as a whole. Next up was a woman whom Jaimie could tell was her cousin Nichole's mother. She looked just like Nichole and if not for her father's hair and eyes Nichole would have been mistaken for the younger sister of this woman. This was tough for Jaimie, she didn't know what to say as she didn't want to upset her because of her association with her aunt Karen who had won Nigel's heart after her death. Jaimie happily told the woman, "Your daughter is becoming so beautiful, she looks just like a younger version of you." She smiled brightly at that, adding a surprising, "Please, call me Aunt Gemma. I am happy that Nigel found someone to love now that I am gone. Your aunt is what I hoped he would find in a woman and I am pleased that he got the son he deserved in Ethan, Bryan, and Nigel Jr. Hannah is a great sister as is Emma, she is in good hands and has the best possible role models for how you should act as a woman in her sisters and all of your cousins." Finally, Jaimie was introduced to a woman who had strong masculine features but who was also very feminine in appearance. Brent nodded to her as he gave Jaimie the indication that she was alright with her. He happily admitted, "This young woman is Leslie Brown, the person who opened our eyes and who made it so Louis Reagan, Walter Gorman, and I helped others like her. She is your unofficial aunt and namesake for both my son and daughter. Your aunt Katie is a direct beneficiary of having known us, and through her, you were helped become who you are." Jaimie thanked her with all her heart, barely containing herself with Leslie hugging her tight and shedding tears of her own. She looked up at Leslie and saw that she wasn't quite like her but she also understood why given the rough times she had to go through during the dark years of the past. She had not had her opportunity to fully transition but she meant a lot to the family regardless. Next up for Jaimie were two men whose deaths harrowed tough, taxing times for their children but whose presence was still felt years later. The elder of the two introduced himself as Jerry Peterson while the younger introduced himself as Harold Morris Jr. Jaimie shed more tears at hearing the names, they were the fathers of Bryan and Hannah Smith and Claire, David, and Patrick Peterson. The two were pleased to tell her that she had done more for her cousins than she would ever know simply by being herself and trying to help her cousins as friends and family. Harold added a soft, "She is just like me to the outside world but inside she is trying hard to be like you. You may be younger but your cousin Hannah is always going to be in your shadow and that is driving her to be her own person thus making her into a better person. Thank you." Jerry added a warm, "My little girls needed you and through you, they have become greater than their biology. She may not have known me but your aunt was right to say that I'd love Daisy as my daughter, she is just like my sons and was the bridge between her sister and her brothers that was needed. Claire is the woman I knew her mom to be at the same age and the boys are better men than I could have ever hoped they would become. Just by unifying the Brown and Peterson families, if only for a short time, you helped make right years of wrongs. And you may have given my good friend Vance Taylor a chance at love. He has had a taste of it in Lilly, his heart belongs to another and it's only a matter of time before he stops fooling himself and mans up to try to be the man that she needs." There were two more people, ones she didn't quite know. One was a tall, lanky British gentleman and the other a tall, skinny, small breasted woman. Both had looks of pride at seeing Jaimie, with the British gentleman nodding in approval. The gentleman laughed as he told her, "I guess I should have done a better job at the wedding a year ago, I am Alistair Young." Jaimie shed a tear over seeing him, knowing that his death had harrowed in a tough year for the Smiths as her cousins had to deal with duties as nobility as well as having private lives and military lives. Jaimie mumbled a soft, "I didn't think it was my place to speak to you with your health so frail. I didn't want to say or do the wrong thing and the family knows I'd spot something wrong with you even if you hid it. I didn't want you hurt or feeling bad, you deserved enjoyment." Alistair smiled at that, it was just as he expected. The lady next to him stood tall over her and hugged her tight, telling her affectionately, "You reunited my daughter and my wife. You helped bring my wife out of her doom and gloom. You made her see that I was alive in the spirit of others." Jaimie started to realize just who this woman was. Jaimie only said, "Deborah's mother" getting a nod and soft, "I am Jaimie Thomas, you know my wife Dorothy quite well and thanks to your dad's foundation you have reunited my daughter and wife and caused those who harmed us to face justice for their crimes. I can't believe how beautiful she has turned out and how much stronger Dorothy has become. Motherhood suits her, even if she won't have another child she has mothered hundreds of you children over the years as a teacher and principal. Thank you." The last person she saw was the one who caused her to openly weep. Sylvia Palmer was standing there holding a baby and told Jaimie affectionately, "She is going to look so much like her father. Robin was a good name but Sylvia Robin Samuels sounds better. I know you don't think this will ever happen to you but time is different here than out in the regular world. I am only telling you this because I believe in you, I know you don't belong here and you will make it back to your family. I am proud of you and jealous that you have had a love that I never got. You deserve all of what you have, and I am grateful that I got to see you at the start and will see you when the time really is right for you to join us." Just seeing her friend calmed Jaimie and filled her with love that she never knew Sylvia had for her. She felt more strength than she had ever thought possible just from talking with Sylvia but the closer she was to her supporters the more she felt like she was going to win whatever was going on. She saw her parents scowling at her but didn't feel intimidated by them, she saw her grandparents and felt like they were truly there to help her instead of punishing her like her birth parents were. Jaimie steeled herself as she walked forward towards a large seat that held a figure of light. She couldn't tell if it was female or male but she felt like this being was whatever she imaged it to be and that the true form didn't exist, only what her mind thought it should look like. It didn't matter to her, all she saw was something great which seemed to please the entity without it having to say a word and the respect she gave went a long way towards making a verdict. A man dressed in red and a woman in white appeared before her. They announced in unison that they were there to decide Jaimie's mortal and eternal fate. Jaimie tensed at hearing that but felt herself grow stronger as her supporters and detractors fought one another over her. She didn't want them to do that, she just wanted to be judged on what she did rather than what others felt she should do even if it meant she was going down instead of up. The entity looked at Jaimie and announced that it had a verdict but there was justice to be done for several of the witnesses in attendance. Jaimie didn't respond, instead standing tall and accepting whatever came her way. The man in red was told to begin, with the entity gazing at Jaimie's parents as they were ready to say something against her and the trial as a whole. Jamie McKinnon was asked about Jaimie up to the point of their deaths. Her father was fast to blame her for everything that had gone wrong with the family up to and including him losing multiple jobs as her actions were told to multiple people around their town after people had seen her acting girly and mentioning being a girl inside. He didn't hold back, he blamed her for every single problem even if it wasn't her fault and tried to pretend to be innocent and not at all at fault. Jaimie had to hold back tears as her father's true face was shown as it became twisted and distorted the more he talked and ranted. He never noticed the changes to his face; in fact, he continued onward without much thought about what he was saying. At the end, he looked like some demonic being more than the man he once was, to which the entity pointed out, "You are as you truly are, you distort the truth to fit your views on things regardless of how wrong you are so your appearance is distorted. You are lying about your child, you were at fault for failing to show up on time to work, constantly drinking on the job, constantly berating your coworkers, slurring your managers, and finally listening to the recommendations by a man who was insanely jealous of you and who openly coveted your wife as his own and carried on a sordid affair while you were at work. You know this to be true yet you blame your child for all your problems rather than face them yourself." Loretta McKinnon was called up next and was just as virulent as her husband. She twisted facts around to accuse Jaimie of doing unthinkable things with the girls of their town and trying to get boys to sleep with her despite being only having just turned eight-years-old when they died. She claimed to have heard it directly from witnesses but Jaimie knew them to be lies as nobody in town would have anything to do with Loretta once her husband started drinking heavily and was fired from his first two jobs. It was heartbreaking to hear her say all of that, Jaimie always loved her mother but to hear what she really felt about her was tougher than any challenge she had faced before. As Loretta talked her legs started to turn red and glow until her pants caught fire followed by her tongue. The more she spoke, the more fire blew from her mouth. She never noticed this, in fact, she continued on until it was just a consistent, "Whoosh" sound as if coming from a flamethrower. The entity put up its hand and announced, "You have spread nothing but lies and misinformation about your child. You know your child never did any of those things, in fact, you know very little about your child. You know that your child wished to be a girl but had only acted on it twice with both times being in your presence. You attempt to make Jaimie out to be some beast preying on children when that could not be further from the truth. You speak lies knowing full well that they would inflame hatred towards your child. Your true reasons were simple: you hoped that Jaimie would be removed from your home or killed by others so you would not have to deal with either Jaimie or your husband allowing you and the doctor to be together. Therefore, you shall inflame all around you as you speak until you learn to speak truthfully and with meaning. Given that I sense no remorse nor see any possibility of you seeing that you were wrong you are to be sent to the darkest reaches of the underworld to light the way." The entity halted them from leaving, telling them firmly, "You were ready to have your child killed unless your child believed in your beliefs and saw the world as you saw it. Well, your views were falsehoods and evil perpetrated by people who had no interest in helping you or Jaimie. Their interests lay solely in the money they would make from you paying them to help you out. You deserve nothing less than damnation but your child would never allow that. I am therefore going to be lenient on you and give you a chance to redeem yourselves. It is up to you to do so, but you won't know where or when you actually redeem so you will always be on guard and act just or risk eternal damnation rather than temporary limbo. I doubt either of you will be redeemed but your child feels the need to try." The McKinnons were led away with Nelson Hogan being called before the entity to state his case. Nelson stood proudly with his chest swelling the more he preened, he hadn't said a word yet and he had never met Jaimie but his arrogance was oozing outward. Jaimie noticed that his chest expanded outward, as did his body. Nelson was blowing up, becoming larger to fit his inflated view of himself. Nelson was asked about the children he taught in school. He was eager to point out how many of his children had gone on to become honors students in the various schools that they attended, both public and private. He touted his master's degree which not many of the teachers in any of the school systems in the Boston region had at the time of his hiring. He was then hit hard by questions about Junior and Kylie, the two students who had brought his world down around him two and a half years before. The sneer on his face was evident as he blamed them for what happened to him while saying they lied to get rid of him and that they were the only students who had ever come close to failing his class. He didn't notice he was starting to float as he inflated further, making the hot air coming out of his mouth all the more apt as it was clear he was lying. The entity then asked about the children whom he had molested at home and over the summers while away from the school. This caused his ego to deflate quickly sending Nelson downward. The entity pointed out firmly, "You call two children names when you yourself are abusing children mentally and physically and most horribly of all: sexually. You dare to blame them for having you fired yet you yourself were caught abusing them. You have a high sense of yourself so you will spend the rest of your days as an overinflated balloon down below where they have a special place just for you and your kind. Those children were not responsible for you abusing them, you did so out of malice and the people who are going to enjoy hitting you with weapons trying to deflate you have a strong hatred for those who harm children." Nelson was dragged below with the sounds of screams and pleading could be heard while the smell of sulfur looming in the air long after he left. Jaimie shuddered at the sounds and smells but felt bad for Nelson. He had a serious ego problem but she didn't want to think he deserved even that punishment, he was a monster but she didn't think it was deserving of damnation like that. It was almost too much to think about but there was nothing she could do. Harry Smith was up next. Harry thought he would get off easily and paint Jaimie as some kind of poor deviant who deserved to be sent down below to keep her away from well mannered, well respected, and normal people. He didn't hold back, he felt he was right even if he was wrong in the eyes of the others surrounding him. Harry didn't notice his own changes. His tailored suit and patent leather shoes changed to a dress and high heels. His hairy arms became slender and hairless while his nails became manicured and painted. He looked like a beautiful woman but still sounded and acted like a man. The entity was almost amused. It announced, "You paint this young person as being a deviant but for years you yourself enjoyed dressing as a woman without anyone around. You were a terrible brother and uncle, all because you feared your secret getting out. This was the real reason for your betraying your family, driving away your brother and niece, and trying to kill your brother, niece, and parents. Little did you know, your parents would have supported you and your wife would have been happy to help you experience your feminine side. Despite being entrenched in aristocratic thinking they loved you no matter what and would rather you indulged every once and a while rather than keep it bottled in. They loved you, but your fears caused you to become a pawn of a criminal mastermind who in the end killed you to get rid of the biggest witness against him." Harry cringed at the truth being told to all. The entity continued, "For your punishment you will dress as a woman until such time as you have paid your penance for your crimes against your family. As much as I would wish you worse for causing her death your lovely wife was going to die no matter what in the next two years so you only hastened her death and made the best possible outcome happen for your family. You aren't entirely getting off, it will be a hard punishment with hundreds of horny male demons ensuring that your time is never spent alone. But it will end at some point in the future. You aren't truly evil, just easily misled thus you aren't damned merely punished." As Harry was led away Ted and Marlene knew they were in for a tough time. They tried to claim they were innocent and that they had no contact with Jaimie thus didn't deserve to be there. The two were in tears begging for mercy but it fell on deaf ears. The entity looked at both and let out what sounded to be a laugh. The two shuddered as they combined into one then split again. They were told, "You, Marlene, told a vicious killer where to find your ex-wife while you, Ted, abandoned your family, was adulterous with your sister's wife, and tried to frame an innocent man for crimes that you yourself committed. The both of you were killed for your own actions. You two will get the chance to live again, but you are going to live with a family who is deserving of children. I sentence you to reincarnation as the unborn children of a transgender woman and her girlfriend and within minutes you will be conceived as identical twin brothers. As much as I hate to do it, one of those boys is destined to become female and her own trials and tribulations are meant to be a driving force for both her family and herself as she makes mistakes but learns from them." Jaimie's eyes went wide as she realized what was going on. The entity didn't react but it was clear it knew that she realized the implications of the action against Ted and Marlene and just who was going to be the, "Mother and father" of the twins even if she didn?t vocalize it. The entity let things lay as the case against Jaimie ended with nobody else against her and no actual evidence to support sending Jaimie down for eternal damnation. The man in red disappeared while the woman in white called Brent and Catherine forward. The two calmly told the entity that they were proud of Jaimie and what she had done for so many people including their three children. She was what they needed in life, she had made the Finn family a name to both respect and love in Winnisimmet after years of disappointment and pity. The fourth of their children, Roland Finn, was asked about by the entity. Catherine had to think and explained, "He is beyond redemption by mortals. He created two lives which he ignored for years and only tried to become involved with when it was needed to make his own life better. He tried to destroy countless other lives including an innocent young man whose only crime was being the unwanted son of his associate. He was given a last chance by all of us and blew it. He is our child but even parents can't always help. He will atone for his crimes as we all have, but I fear he may be beyond help by any mortals. There is goodness inside of him, but it?ll take a lot to reach it." The two were sent off but didn't go down, instead, they waited. Next up was Sammi who offered her assessment of Jaimie's impact on her own son and the family as a whole as he told her in their brief time together with the Smith family before her death. She was happy that Ethan would have a cousin to idolize and ensure that he found his own way in life and with whom he could confer as only orphans can. She was the embodiment of the cousin that he had secretly dreamed of having but was denied by his father for the reasons that the entity had explained before. Sammi did the same as Catherine and Brent, refusing to leave until the hearing was over. Next up was Nichole's mother Gemma. She was quick to explain that her daughter was deserving of someone who understood her as only Jaimie could and who just wanted to be her family and not use her for their own means as so many people had done before. She was happy to point out that she was the big sister that Emma and Hannah couldn't be even if they were her actual sisters. Their shared bond was too strong for anyone else to understand. Gemma was led off to where the others were with Jerry replacing her and doing the same as Gemma. He was proud to point out her bringing together his niece as well as finding his sons the loves of their lives. He didn't care that his eldest son wouldn't pass on his genes without help, he was happy that he found love with a kind woman who cares about him deeply and is his best friend as well as his lover. Harold was just as quick to point out that Jaimie had fulfilled his desires of Karen finding love again and that she had made his children into better people than he could ever hope. His family name didn't live on, but his genetic line did. To him, that's all that mattered, as long as the two had a husband and wife that loved them then it was all irrelevant in the end. The two went off with concerned looks but the entity didn't react. Alistair got up and in his most charming voice told about Jaimie being responsible for many of changes his sister-in-law had made in her and her husband's life thanks to speaking with the elder Smiths. Their health improved and they had started to make the lives of several people in their surrounding village better through employment and volunteering. Jaimie had spoken at length with the Smiths and although he never had direct contact he had been present for many meetings and loved hearing about her life and it, in turn, had opened his own eyes to many people whom he had known who were like her, who were gay or bisexual, and who had suffered indignities of being ostracized and shunned by the community. Alistair left only to be replaced by the elder Jaimie, who stood both defiant and supportive alongside the younger Jaimie. She smiled at her young namesake, the person who had caused her ex-wife to find a new lease on life and who had gone on to help so many others. Jaimie was ready for a battle but the entity didn't give her one, the elder was being honest and showing her true feelings about her wife. The elder Jaimie spoke about Jaimie ensuring that dozens if not hundreds of children were protected in multiple states now that those states started to take being transgender seriously and ensure that crimes against them were fully prosecuted. She happily told that her own daughter had been given a real life away from her daily horror that her family inflicted on her and that she had given her ex-wife the gift of motherhood again even if it was to a teenager and two eager to please young women. The younger Jaimie saw the gleam in the elder's eyes and knew that she was going to reveal something more. The younger listened in shock as the elder Jaimie admitted, "My ex-wife has found love with a man who has himself been feeling terrible. He has battled internal demons for years but after Jaimie's family made him date he found that he missed the love of women and will seek out love but needs a spark. My ex-wife is the same, she doesn't need to pass on her genetics thanks to her large family so she wants love and attention that only a person can give. She is fighting her feelings of betraying me but I know they deserve to be together and thanks to Jaimie both will settle their internal strife and become one. They won't conceive, but they can give a loving home to someone who needs it in the future." Jaimie sat down next to the others and gave way to Linda and Juan who both extolled the virtues of Jaimie the sister and cousin. Linda was adamant that Ella and Logan deserved a big sister who cared so deeply about them that she risked failing tests to ensure that they had a proper night's sleep after bad dreams and stomach viruses and that they took their medicines to ensure they were healthy enough to return to school after the virus cleared. Juan simply went for the heart of the matter and pointed out just how many children were born and lived better lives due to Jaimie. That included his own niece Mia Flynn, who would have either been beaten to death or committed suicide to escape her painful life and whose own aunt Tanya and cousin Sam would have died if not for Jaimie's family being friends with James York, Sam?s father and Tanya?s husband. Juan was adamant in his defense, it was from the heart and even though he only knew her directly for a short time her impact on him was life-shattering in a great way. The second to last person to speak was the one who had been deceased the longest. Leslie Brown split into two people, with Jaimie seeing Leslie?s male form of John Green for the first time. The two looked at one another with sadness but looked at Jaimie with great pride and love. They didn't need to say it, they were proud of her and all that she had done and were glad that their legacy was intact. The two spoke in unison as they told the entity that Jaimie was the embodiment of what Leslie Brown hoped to become. John Finn and Leslie Sylvester may have been Leslie's male and female namesakes but Jaimie was her legacy. She didn't deserve to be put on trial, she didn't belong there at all. She had unfinished business to attend to, she had hundreds of patients counsel and help be who they should be and others who suffered from serious mental illnesses who needed a caring and understanding doctor to monitor their medicinal intakes and help make changes as needed. The entity asked what she meant. Leslie merged again and she pointed out firmly, "She is the victim of an error, of someone doing something horrible for the simple reason that they couldn't be bothered to check for allergies and previous reactions or to stop their wild party life for the sake of their job. She is a brilliant person, she is a mentor to many and a role model for hundreds. She was destined to become a psychiatrist and help the lives of children for decades to come. She doesn't deserve to die, she needs to live so that many others will live." Once again Leslie broke apart and then smiled at Jaimie before combining again allowing Sylvia to finally stand up and tell the entity, "She is the greatest person I ever met and is beloved for a reason: she is a good person. She caused a lot of chaos in her life, but it was due to others trying hard to make themselves into different people to appeal to the worst in people and cover their own crimes. I know I am damned for taking my own life but Jaimie never hurt anyone and certainly doesn't deserve to die because of a mistake someone else made. She is pure of heart and pure of mind, I would gladly go down if it meant that she got to live and continue on her path of making the world better for others. Please don't take her away from her family and friends. Please, don't." That was the last thing that was needed by the entity to form its opinion officially but it had already formed it right at the start based on Jaimie's actions and true feelings of compassion for those who had none for her. The entity needed to hear Sylvia's plea before it announced that Jaimie was not going down or up, she would return to her body and live again. Lights were shone on all of the others as they ascended with the lady in white doing the same. Those in attendance, the people who died months and years before, ascended to where they belonged to rest in eternal peace. Jaimie shed a tear as she saw them going up. She called out to Sylvia, "I'll honor your memory. Please, you have four of us who loved you and will name our daughters after you. Please, keep grandma and grandpa and all of the others company. You are not forgotten." The entity proudly told Jaimie, "You were here for a special reason, you brought out the truth in all of those who were here. Your friend needed to confess her true feelings about you, your grandparents and great-aunt needed to show their legacy was intact, your cousins' parents needed to make their feelings known to someone even if you will never remember this. And your semi-cousin needed to express just how thankful he was for your family. Good luck young lady." With that, Jaimie felt a rush as everything dissolved around her in a blinding light. She became aware of her surroundings, she noticed she was back in the hospital with Rick by her side holding her hand. Her mother and father were beside Rick with her brothers and sister on the other side of the bed. Jaimie was back in her own body. She was awake. She was alive. ---------------- The dream she had was so realistic. It felt like it was real but she knew it wasn't real. It was all in her mind, a vivid recreation of the people she had known or had seen pictures of in the past. They were all images of her subconscious manifesting as people but were really the voices of her living family trying to encourage her to wake up from her anesthesia induced slumber. Jaimie took a bit of time to fully come out of her coma but once she was she was just glad to see her four brothers and two sisters again. Rick being there caused her heart to flutter, especially as he had tear stains down his face from crying over her. John and Valerie didn't say anything yet, only hugging her while trying to calm their own selves down enough to form words. Ella, JD, Logan, and Cat were led out by John who himself needed to leave or he'd break down further. He had barely gotten any sleep since the news that Jaimie wasn't awakening as she should have been. Once they noticed a problem the hospital transferred her to a larger hospital as the one she was at wasn't equipped for her needed care necessitating a hasty bit of maneuvering by John to arrange the transfer while Valerie oversaw Jaimie's care. The truth was simply that they needed to get Jaimie away from themselves before the family demanded answers that the hospital didn?t have. The hospital hierarchy was not about to cross the Finns especially as they were some of their best clients and who had a strong backing from the medical and legal fields. They weren't going to cover up for anyone, they just wanted Jaimie to be safe and receive proper care and that meant elsewhere. Outside the room, John called his in-laws to have them tell the other family members that Jaimie was out of her coma and doing better. He then drove off with the four, meeting up with the others while Michael and Miles stayed back to ensure Valerie didn't overdo things and await Rick's mother Olivia and father Richard's arrival so Valerie herself could go out and relax. She may have been Jaimie's mother, but she was out of her depth and was better off away keeping John and the kids occupied while Richard and Olivia ensured Jaimie herself relaxed and improved further. Jaimie tried to recall what happened, the dream faded and the only thing she remembered was she was in a hazy place but couldn't remember much more. She didn't try to vocalize it, she just left it alone. She saw her brothers trying hard not to talk and felt relieved that they were normal, it was how they reacted before and knowing them they wanted to get away as soon as possible before they had to admit that they were scared for her. The attending doctor came in and examined Jaimie. He looked over her charts and was going to say something but thought best to await Richard and Olivia as well as Jaimie's aunt, Sarah Jones. He knew that they were all medical professionals and would ensure that Jaimie was not going to overdo things especially given her history of trying to comfort others when she herself needed to stay put. Sarah and Richard arrived with Olivia following behind a couple of minutes later. She firmly told Valerie, "Keep him occupied for the rest of the trip. It's out of his hands now, you know as well as I do that there's nothing that he can do to speed up her healing so make him do things. Try to enjoy yourself too. It's your trip as much as his." The doctor gave her an odd look to which Sarah inform him, "Jaimie's father is notorious for having anxiety attacks whenever the children are in the hospital and he can't do anything to help them. It's just a precaution, the kids know to keep his mind occupied but he still requires Valerie's focus overnight." The doctor understood, with him telling them that it'd be best to limit his interaction with Jaimie. Valerie let them talk with Jaimie. She didn't have to say a word, she just needed the facts. It was going to be a tough time for John, but Valerie knew that the doctor was right and he needed to stay away. The doctor was straightforward, explaining to Jaimie, "You had an improper dosage of anesthesia given to you due to your anesthesiologist rushing through preparations. He had been out late the night before and was still hungover and should have never been allowed inside the hospital but he talked the nurse into allowing him into operating room. When you didn't awaken as expected the doctor tried to cover up his mistake but was caught by other nurses. He again tried to change your records to reflect it to be your surgeon's error but your records were already flagged by the hospital. He has been fired and will face disciplinary charges for his recklessness and may face criminal charges for falsifying medical records as well as working under the influence as alcohol was still prevalent on his breath hours later." Jaimie seemed to understand what was going on. She asked if she was going to have any issues to which the doctor somberly admitted, "You will have to be closely monitored in the future if/when you should need surgery. Your particular surgery was trickier than the ones we normally utilized as you had less skin around your penis and scrotum to work with due to the atrophy of your penis and scrotum even with exercises that you had done to increase the skin size of both. Due to your age and weight it was tricky and your reactions should have been monitored closely but as you were told, it wasn't done right. Thankfully, despite the issues, you didn't suffer any sort of brain damage or internal issues due to an unforeseen reaction but we will keep you here for two weeks to ensure that you don?t have negative issues despite appearing to be fully recovered." Olivia somberly told Jaimie, "I'm staying with you until you go east. You need my help. Miguel has said you are free to stay at his house for as long as you need, I don't think you should come home until at least a month from now. You need to rest and recover in peace. At home we all know that you would never allow yourself that luxury." The decision was final, Jaimie was staying put until Olivia gave her the all clear. Rick kissed her hand to show his support with Jaimie not saying a word. Olivia had put her foot down and once she was acting as a nurse there was nothing anyone could do to change her mind. Sarah, Richard, and Olivia left with Valerie to give Jaimie some privacy for her next visit. Jaimie was visited by Alison Eliza with Alison hugging her tight. Alison was quick to tell her, "I'm not trying to be your psychiatrist, I'm here as your aunt. It might be a good idea to talk with Deborah or Katie about this, maybe even Kennedy. As much as you try to act like you are fine, I know from past experience that you will have depression and feel like you made a mistake or that Rick is making a mistake by loving you. Let them talk you through this, only they can help you as only someone who already has been through it can understand what you are feeling." She hit Jaimie right where it hurt- her logic. She knew the feelings of doubt and about her maybe having made a mistake were creeping in. Jaimie did start to feel bad about the whole thing, she felt like maybe having your heart's desire come true wasn't all it was cracked up to be especially as she had already had to suffer a horrible reaction to the anesthesia. Alison saw her twitching and thinking. It was working. She told Jaimie she'd tell the trio to expect a call, nobody would know about what they talked about and nobody would dare say anything if they did find out about it. They cared too much about her to not hold their tongues and let her sort herself out with the trio helping her through the rough patches. Rick stayed with Jaimie, holding her hand as she drifted off to sleep again. She was trying hard not to think about her life being complete but it was tough. She felt like it was all a sham, she was never truly going to be a woman no matter what he had in her pants as no matter how much she changed her body she could never carry a child and never give Rick his own offspring. She shed a tear and fell asleep. Rick texted Deborah to ask her to come by the next day since Jaimie wasn't going to ask her to come by thanks to her stubbornness and refusal to allow Deborah to miss out on time with her husband or her mother-in-law. Deborah expected this and texted that it was going to be a long talk so he might want to take some time off, he knew it meant that they were going to have the usual motherhood/adoption/biological kids talk with Jaimie being told that it didn't matter which no matter how many times he had told her it didn't she still felt otherwise. That night Jaimie's dreams were filled with images of babies and of her holding a newborn child in a hospital nursery while the baby's real parents watched close by, showing a look of anger and frustration that she was holding their child. Rick looked upset that he couldn't give her a child and her apologizing profusely to him for failing as a woman. He stormed off leaving her to cry to herself as the babies cried at the noise causing Jaimie to be chased by angry parents and nurses. Jaimie was startled awake the next morning. Rick was back, this time with Valerie and Deborah. Deborah gave Rick the hint to leave with Rick kissing Jaimie and telling her that she was doing fine. Valerie made herself scarce as Deborah told Jaimie firmly, "He's not going to leave you just because he can't father a child with you. You should know better than that, he would be insulting his own sister if he did that. He loves you with all his heart, when you were in your coma he was inconsolable and had to be taken to the hotel by his aunt. You know how much Patrick loves me, he tells me repeatedly that he loves me no matter what. Rick is the same way, only he is more in love with you than any of the others. He loves you unconditionally and doesn't care one bit that you won't carry his child. He just wants you to be his wife and together you will be the strongest couple in our family." Jaimie expected all of this and tried to find a counterpoint. She crying and mumbling, "He deserves a real woman better. I'm not a real woman, I'm just a fake who mutilated herself. He deserves one who can give him everything that he needs. He deserves to have an offspring, not a fake who only gives him pleasure. Pleasure only lasts so long before he tires of me." Deborah started laughing. It was exactly what she expected Jaimie to say as it was the exact same thing she herself had told her mother and Patrick. It was the usual postoperative depression that many women suffered from, but with Jaimie, it was even more false than hers had been. Deborah looked her right in the eyes and countered with, "He doesn't want a girl just because she can have his child, he wants you. He has only ever had eyes on you. He had crushes before but he is madly in love with you. You are the only image in his head from the moment he wakes up to the second he falls asleep. He loves you no matter what. He can have a child another way, there are egg donations and surrogate pregnancies. There is adoption and frankly, he believes that's the best thing for all as you two get to give love to a child who needs love more than he needs to shoot sperm. He loves you and he will always love you no matter what you may think." She dared Jaimie to counter her words. Jaimie did what she always did when she lost an argument and turned over to look away. Deborah had a smile on her face, it was Jaimie's usual look of trying to fight for a comeback but not finding one. It was Jaimie's lost argument face and was tempered by the fact that she was visibly crying and fighting back admitting Deborah was right. Valerie re-entered with Rick who hugged Jaimie again and told her firmly, "I love you no matter what and I don't care about being a father. You are insulting your cousins, your brothers and sister, and yourself. I would happily give a child a home than going with some girl who doesn't love me the way you love me. You will be the best mother and it'll happen some day. You are already mothering every one of the kids so don't you dare say you aren't a mother because you act like one every day." Rick sat with Jaimie for several hours until Rick was kicked out by Olivia. Olivia hugged her tight and once Rick was gone told her firmly, "I don't know how many times we have to tell you that we don't care about biological grandchildren. We just want you six kids happy. You make Rick happy like no one else ever has and I swear it's true love between the two of you, not just puppy love that grew to real love over time. You belong together. Reproduction doesn't matter, love does. Am I any less of a woman because I can't have more children? No. And neither are you." She realized Jaimie was on the verge of tuning her out and knew that she had to do something drastic. She sighed and admitted to her, "I'll share a deeply held secret that nobody else knows: Richard was adopted. He isn't his father's 'real' son. His father couldn't have children due to disease so he adopted a young runaway who was found on his family's land. He loved Richard like his own flesh and blood and despite their obvious difference in looks, nobody cared one bit about it. So the Samuels name is what really matters, not DNA. You and your children will carry the Samuels name, even if Rick never really 'fathers' a child you will have children. You will make a fine mother, it won't happen for a few years but you will be a fine mother. I am proud to one day call you my daughter." The two sat in silence as Jaimie ate her dinner of soup. Being out for three days was tough on her body, but thankfully she was able to start eating again. It was expected by Jaimie but it was still tough on her emotionally as she knew she was going to be slowly weened into regular food. Olivia revealed the bad news, the next day she would see the results of the surgery. Jaimie was scared, she hated blood and bruises and she knew from talking with Al and Reyna that she would see both. She couldn't fully see her vagina due to the packing but it was still a big leap for her just seeing the results even if she couldn't see all of it. The next day was just as Jaimie expected. Rick was kicked out of the room with him happily leaving but telling Jaimie it looked worse than it really was. He didn't explain what he meant but Olivia softly whispered, "He watched videos about the surgery and the aftercare. He wanted to know what was going on and how to help you. He knows you won't want him to see you down there, but the man loves you too much to not help you out." Jaimie stared at the bandages and saw the bulge left by the packing. The nurse helped remove the bandages so Jaimie got to see herself down there for the first time, shedding a tear as she saw the bruised and swollen orifice that was now her vagina. The stitches were holding tight and there was a little blood but less than she thought there would be, it looked worse than she envisioned with Olivia telling her warmly, "You look better than the girls did. Granted you didn't have car debris, shotgun pellets, and additional lacerations to your legs to deal with but still, your surgeon did a fabulous job." This bit of unintentional disclosure caused the nurse to give a concerned look. Jaimie firmly explained, "My cousin Nichole, her daughter Al, and my future cousin Reyna were all severely hurt resulting in their needing gender reassignment surgery. Reyna was 13, Al was 11, and Nichole was eight when they were forced to undergo surgeries due to their injuries." The nurse looked at Olivia who carefully explained, "Two were from assaults, one was from a horrible car wreck. They are underage, but it was medically necessary. There was no other choice, it was done under strict supervision from social services. It's not something they are proud of but it was done with the best interests of the three children in mind." Jaimie felt bad that someone thought so badly about them regarding something that wasn't much of a choice. Jaimie sadly added, "Reyna was kidnapped and shot with a shotgun by two deranged men who tried to kill her because they were humiliated and fired from their jobs for fraud and embezzlement. Nichole saved my life from three people who wanted to hurt me because they were part of an abusive family who hated me because I?m transgender and accidentally exposed how terrible they really were. Al never wanted to be a girl but the car accident caused her to be mutilated beyond repair. The hospital hated doing the surgeries but it was what was best for all three." The nurse noted Jaimie's sad expression and left it alone, telling her warmly, "You thankfully have help beyond a live-in nurse and oversight by three doctors. It's a shame that they were forced to undergo the pain and trauma so young but hopefully they have recovered. They had you to help, so you should have a lot of help yourself if you let them help you." Jaimie smiled at that with Olivia adding, "My daughter Al is now boy crazy and she took to being a girl a lot better than anyone should have to." Jaimie casually added, "The other two were transgender, Al never was but had to endure being a girl even if she never wanted to become one. She's doing much better and we all can't believe how amazing she has become in just a year and a half." The nurse left thinking that they were an odd family but a good one. The fact that there was such trauma at such a young age was scary but knowing they had support helped ease the thought. Jaimie was an intriguing patient and opening minds of others without knowing it. Jaimie was soon visited by Katie Eliza who insisted on bringing her daughter Trinity with her. Jaimie specifically told her parents not to let Trinity, Mia, and Kylie visit her as it wasn't right to her that they come given they were so far away from their own surgeries. Trinity's bright face immediately caused Jaimie's anger to subside as she realized Trinity wasn't jealous and was doing her usual life brightening routine that always managed to make Jaimie happy no matter how bad she felt. Katie sat down next to Jaimie and told her firmly, "Just drop the wallowing in self-pity act that you are trying hard to cover up that Alison, Rick, and Olivia discussed with you about yesterday. I know it when I see it. I lived it, as did Kennedy and Deborah. It isn't like you and it?s impacting your recovery. Your body may be mending but you need to let your mind mend as well. You need to see that you are a strong, smart, feminine woman who has the heart of an amazing young man who also happens to be the most handsome man in the city. Don't you dare tell him I said that, I'll deny it and ensure that Cat and JD put itching powder in your panties for the next year." Trinity snickered at hearing that. Jaimie felt a little better as she saw Katie trying her hardest to be her aunt and not her friend. Katie was always honest with her, she was the one adult who could understand her better than any other person and whom Jaimie could turn to due to her not being directly related to her as Deborah and Kennedy were. Katie herself knew what Jaimie was going through, she had the worst case of depression after surgery out of all of the family. She had it worse than Jaimie had, when Katie underwent her surgery she only had her mother and father with her while Jaimie had dozens of people ready, willing, and able to help out. Jaimie needed her there and needed her thoughts even if she herself couldn't ask for her help. Trinity left the room with Rick in tow, making him take her down to the lobby to wait for the two to finish. Olivia made herself scarce, knowing what was going to happen next. Katie gave her a nod of thanks before looking Jaimie in the eyes and hugging her tight. Once Katie calmed down, she confessed, "I was worse off than you are when I had mine. I was so depressed that I was suicidal. In fact, Dr. Bell had a nurse come by every 15 minutes to ensure I didn't do something to myself overnight. She never told dad about that, but she made me talk with her every day after she got off work even if only for a few minutes. Please don't do something to yourself, you have too much to live for. You have Olivia to talk with. You have Deborah. You have your cousins. You have your friends. Don't let this get the better of you, we love you too much to let you do something horrible. We love you. I may have Tyler and Willow as a niece and nephew but you are my favorite niece among all of the kids. You are the girl that I wished I could have been and you are the woman I hoped to become. I may be a lawyer and teacher, but you have had nothing but love and support since you transitioned and it makes me feel amazing to know that you are my greatest legacy in life and the reason for my having a wife and three amazing children. Please, don't hurt yourself. I couldn't live with the pain. Please, don't." Katie gave her another tear filled hug, trying desperately to calm herself while Jaimie was left to think about what Katie told her. Olivia crept inside to which Jaimie apologized for ignoring her when she was trying to be a good nurse to her. Olivia countered with a firm, "You have a lot going on in your mind beyond just the surgery. You could have died. You honestly could have passed away in your sleep thanks to that lazy bum. You are the strongest among your generation of the family yet you are laying here physically the weakest. You need space and time to think, I am here for you when you need me. Just don't try to overdo things, I love you but I won't let you go overboard trying to do things. You are still hurt and need to rest and recover." Jaimie fell asleep, napping with a smile on her face as Olivia texted Katie and Deborah that she was starting to come around mentally. The two texted back that it's early but she just needed a face to face to snap her out of it. Katie added that Trinity was upset that Jaimie wouldn't talk with her even if she knew that Jaimie didn't want her to feel bad about not having her surgery for another 11 years. Olivia shook her head at the pushing away of the girls. She was their idol, they needed to see her and by pushing them away they were concerned they had done something wrong. Jaimie meant well, but they themselves needed to tell her they were proud of her and happy that she had fulfilled her dreams and become whole and that they would gladly wait until they were old enough for their surgery. Jaimie's mind was a storm of activity as she kept replaying what Deborah, Olivia, Katie, and Rick had been telling her. Everything pointed to them truly loving her and wanting her to stop thinking the worst about herself. The fact that Richard was adopted loomed large in her mind as it blew away all of her arguments for Rick leaving her for a real woman, his legacy was his name and that lived on no matter what thanks to Rick's brother Thomas. He wasn't blood to Rick, but he was no less his son than Rick was. She knew they loved Thomas equally as Rick and Al, even if his children were not biologically Richard's grandchildren they were still his grandchildren nonetheless. It was tough to admit but even Jaimie couldn't fight anymore. She loved Rick. She wanted his children. She would be a mother, their name would live on even if their DNA wasn't the same. They would all be named, "Samuels" and would be the family's legacy. In the morning Jaimie made a reluctant phone call to her aunt Kennedy to ask her to talk with her as she needed her advice. Kennedy expected this and told her that she was bringing Mia and Kylie with her. She needed to see them, the two were upset that Jaimie was avoiding them and feared that she was going to do something horrible to herself if they didn't see her. Hearing just how much her depression and attempts to stay away were harming her loved ones was making Jaimie feel even worse than before. Instead of depression, she now felt guilty. She tried to rationalize her behavior but she knew the girls better than any of her cousins and she knew that Kylie cared about her as a big sister and Mia was feeling that she was not good enough to be Jaimie's cousin let alone a member of the family because Jaimie was pushing her away. Kennedy took the silence to be a good sign. Jaimie needed to know just how she was affecting others and that the kids were more than just kids, they were younger versions of Jaimie. She felt great pride in Jaimie being forced to accept this guilt, Kylie knew just what to do and Mia was able to draw out the maturity in you that you never realized you had just by asking innocent questions. The trio arrived just as Jaimie was having her breakfast. The nurse gave them an odd look but Olivia informed her that this was a family therapy session between like people. The nurse cocked her head then slowly realized that the trio was like Jaimie and it was all for her sake. Olivia gave them their privacy with Kennedy shutting the door behind her. Kennedy was firm in telling her, "They are upset that you pushed them away. They know what almost happened and they know why it happened. They aren't going to be scared off because of an error, they aren't going to be upset that you have had something happen that they won't have happen for seven years. They just want to make sure you are alright because they are family. They care about you, we all do." Jaimie shed a tear which was followed by the others doing the same. She tried hard to find the right words but couldn't. Kylie was eager to hear her speak with Mia trying to not look upset over her being pushed away nor eager to know the truth directly from Jaimie. Kennedy boldly told her, "It'll hurt down there for a while. I was stuck in the hotel next to my hospital in Thailand for a week after my discharge so I had nobody but the occasional nurse making the rounds to talk with. You at least have a nice hospital, Rick, and Olivia helping you get used to your new body." The girls snickered at that, with Kennedy groaning and telling them, "They aren't doing what you think they are doing, she barely has the energy to sit upright let alone do other things. Plus it'll be a few weeks before she is healed enough to even think about doing that. You know about dilating, she will have to do that and it's not fun and it'll be a while before she does it for pleasure." Kylie asked if she still hurt, getting a somber, "It hurts but not as much as it should have. I was in the coma during the worst of the pain, I guess that's the only benefit of the doctor's mistake. Now it's a dull throb with pressure, almost like I am constipated or have to go to pee badly." Kennedy nodded at hearing that. She knew others who had the same procedure as Jaimie who felt the same way. Kennedy sighed and added, "It's a different surgery than you two may likely have. Because of her losing her testicles six years ago and her penis atrophying she needed additional skin to make up the vagina, they had to take some from her inner abdomen and upper thighs. Thankfully it'll blend in with the scar on her upper leg and will be covered by shorts or leggings so only Rick will see it." That part set the girls off giggling while Jaimie blushed. She had to admit that she was right, only Rick will ever see that area on her. That doesn't count the doctors or Olivia when she helps change Jaimie's bandages once she is released and her scar was already known to her friends so they didn't think much of it and anyone who did notice it would believe it was only from the assault on her three years before. Mia reluctantly asked, "Are you happy now? You are all girl and nobody will ever mistake you for a boy again. You won't have people angry at you for being different since nobody can say you are different now. You are all girl." This caused Jaimie to get upset and look Mia straight in the eyes. She firmly told her, "You are not now nor have you ever been a boy. You were a girl who wasn't allowed to be her true self. Nobody can say you are a boy, no boy would wear your beautiful skirt and blouse nor wear your training bra. No boy would show off their budding breasts like you are doing." Mia looked down and blushed. Jaimie told her authoritatively, "You are going to need a bra shortly. I know Great-Uncle Jorge's family are on the large side, if you were male you'd have boobs no matter what. Seriously, you are growing fast and it won't be long before you are bigger than your sister." Turning to Kylie she added, "You are the same way even if your mom wasn?t as large. The boys are going to start trying to be your best friend. Don't let them get too close. Some may actually like you, but most will only want to see your new boobs. You and Nichole don't know if you like boys or girls yet but that doesn't mean boys won't try to date you just so they can feel your boobs. They are tween boys, it's what they do most of the time around girls." Kylie was in tears at hearing that. She looked at Kennedy and who told her, "I know that you like girls, I saw the way you stare at your friends and it was the same way your cousins stare at one another. It's alright with me if you date them in the future but you have a long ways to go. You are a smart, sweet, understanding, caring girl which will win over the hearts of one of your classmates if not a young lady at college. Before you ask, you dad and I just want you to be happy and if you like girls then we will support you no matter what." Jaimie added, "Nichole is leaning towards boys. She doesn't know that I know but I saw her looking at pictures on her laptop last week. It wasn't normal pictures, I think Aunt Gabby needs to tell her a few things about internet security soon because I don't like where she was looking at." Kennedy gasped at hearing that. Kylie nodded, adding, "We were looking at guys on the iPad. We were tired of the kids making fun of us for not liking one or the other. They were saying that we should just date each other but we don't like each other that way." Kennedy hugged her tight with Mia smiling at Jaimie for unintentionally forcing the issue between mother and daughter. Jaimie felt a lot better than she had in a while, Mia added, "There are no girls in our class that will date us. They all like guys, not girls. The only ones who may like girls hate us." This was getting more interesting for Jaimie. Kennedy thought it best to end their little meeting and continue the talk about their sexuality elsewhere, hugging and kissing Jaimie goodbye as they exited. She told her firmly to call her if she was feeling bad, she knew what she was dealing with and didn't want her closing herself off from the world again. Jaimie tried to call Reyna Toro but she was in an important meeting which Jaimie realized was her visit to Jaimie's Place that she herself had been unable to go to. She did the same with Deborah but she only got her voicemail and a text from her aunt Lilly that they had something important happening that they didn't want Jaimie to be concerned about. Jaimie finally Skyped her cousin Nichole for advice and thankfully got through to her. Nichole grabbed her brother Ethan and forced Jaimie to talk to them for the next two hours while they rested before dinner. Ethan blushed at seeing Jaimie in her pajama top and without a bra but knew she needed to be comfortable. Nichole giggled at his being so timid around girls especially his cousin. Jaimie figured it was time to get her to tell the truth and added, "He's not the one who is looking at guys online. By the way, Aunt Kennedy is making you and Kylie talk with Aunt Gabby about the dangers of those kinds of websites. Aunt Karen is not going to be happy but she will understand why you did what you did. Those girls are jerks and jealous that you are turning out so beautifully and will be the best looking 6th grader in your school. Well after Mia, that is. Sorry to you, Kylie, Nancy, and Margaret but she is simply beautiful." Ethan gave her an odd look to which Jaimie explained, "The kids in her class were teasing Kylie and your sister about not liking boys or girls yet. I finally got Kylie to admit she likes girls and I caught Nichole looking at guys on the computer last week. It's perfectly natural, you will start doing that very soon. I know Logan already gets flustered over seeing beautiful girls as he nearly fainted when he saw me in my prom dress and the dress I wore to dad's reunion. It's no different than you are around Francesca and Courtney, by the way." The two went silent as the discussion sank in. Nichole found her voice and asked that Jaimie ensure she wasn't punished too badly for looking at the pictures. Ethan tried to say something but Jaimie countered him and ensured his cooperation under threat of Cat and Ella ensuring he didn't say anything, Cat would ensure that he was punished while Ella would make him so uncomfortable that he would not be able to stop blushing for a week. After the duo had to sign-off to go to dinner Jaimie fell asleep and awoke to see her father, mother, brothers, and sisters around her. Jaimie realized that it was the last day of their trip, they were leaving the next day so they were spending time with her. Rick and Olivia left them alone with Olivia telling Ella and Cat not to fuss over Jaimie earning her reluctant agreements from the duo with Rick adding the same to JD and Logan who didn't respond. Ella and Cat fussed over Jaimie's blanket and sheets, trying to ensure she was comfortable until they couldn't hold back anymore and hugged her tight. Logan and JD did the same, with Logan having tears in his eyes. It was touching to Jaimie, they were trying their hardest not to say the wrong thing to her which was straining to the boys especially Logan. John was silent while Miles and Michael told her about what she had missed during the week, knowing that she would want to know as Rick hadn't told her anything about the trip since she had awoken. She smiled at the antics of the kids especially Logan who got John to open up and relax. It was just what her dad needed and it was why Jaimie was relieved that Logan and her dad were so close now, they complimented one another and were the counter each other in a way nobody else understood. She was jealous that the group spent a full day shopping and seeing sites along Rodeo Drive then along the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame with John trying not to have a smile at some of the actors and actresses and musicians who were honored. Valerie grinned as she added, "You will visit it after you are released, it's good exercise and it's a must-see. Plus it's nice retail therapy for you: just don't overdo it." The talk eased Jaimie's fears that they were going to worry about her all week. John hugged her tight and confessed, "We had a lot to do but we were thinking about you and hated you not being there. It just isn't the same without you especially knowing you were struggling to come back to us." Michael added, "He is upset that he missed most of the real action behind the scenes at the baseball game that Uncle Miguel got everyone tickets for. You wouldn't have liked it because you don't like crowds. Just be glad you didn't go, it was just as you expected only this time someone else got in trouble and put in their place because of their actions." Jaimie was shocked but Miles countered, "Don't think too much about it, Uncle Miguel simply got a lot of people in trouble who deserved to be in trouble for what the had done to Reyna in the past that they tried to keep hidden from him. It was amazing and is going to be epic when the full impact is felt down the road. You would have reacted badly, but he acted brilliantly. I think he was trying to be like you with how he made them look terrible." The family left, hugging Jaimie tight and telling her to keep in contact but to also to rest and to enjoy herself. Olivia re-entered and ensured Jaimie settled in for the night, hugging and kissing her before she left. She saw the change in Jaimie and was glad that she was finally on the mend mentally but it was going to be a long four weeks in California for her.