Josie and I were sitting quietly when our parents entered the room with Doctor Holmes. The attention I was getting from Josie’s parents was enough to make me squirm uncomfortably. “If I didn’t know better, I’d never believe this little cutie-pie was Clay.”
“If you’re having trouble, imagine how I’m doing,” I said from the bed. “Everything about this body is wrong; I constantly have to move hair out of my eyes, everything’s gigantic now, and I’ve got nothing between my legs.
Mom, ignoring everything else I’d mentioned, sat next to me and ran a hand through my hair. “When I was little, I used to love it when my mother brushed my hair; I guess part of me was always sorry I never had a little girl.”
“Enjoy it while you can, Mom,” I said while pushing her hand away. “Because I’m hoping that my time as a little girl will be limited.”
“I’m afraid that’s entirely accurate, Clay,” Doctor Holmes said as she cleared her throat. “While we do have an idea how the mix-up occurred, we’re not sure why you were in the way you were. The injections should have been coded to an individual’s genetic code; Josie’s injection shouldn’t have affected you.”
While part of me wanted desperately to ask how this happened, another part was focused on the last thing Doctor Holmes had said. “Help me understand this; you said Josie’s injection was coded to her DNA, but it worked on me. Does that mean that now I’m Josie, and she’s me?”
All eyes were suddenly on Doctor Holmes as she responded, “No; you’re still you, Clay. Lord, how do I explain this?” Doctor Holmes paced around the room for a moment, “Josie’s injection was designed to give a 5-year-old girl the ability to walk again. Unfortunately, the nanites turned you into that 5-year-old girl once you were injected, while Josie was turned into a 15-year-old boy.”
“Will you be able to reverse this, Doctor Holmes?” Josie’s mother asked from her position next to Josie. “Our home isn’t suited for a 15-year-old; we’d really like our little girl back.”
“I’m afraid we can’t risk fixing this right now, Mrs. Rutherford, not without knowing how this happened in the first place.” Then, looking around the room, Doctor Holmes added, “But since neither family is suited to raise their children in their current conditions, might I suggest they each go home with the other family.”
“Excuse me?” said my mom and Josie’s at the same time.
“I merely meant that, since one home is set up for a teenage boy and the other is set up for a little girl, perhaps the children should go to the more appropriate place for each.”
“I’m sure Josie’s parents are more suited to raise a 5-year-old girl, but I’m Clay’s mother; I should be the one to raise her.” Holding me close, Mom continued, “We’ll adapt to this, just as we adapted to her muscular dystrophy diagnosis.”
“In that case, you’ll need to arrange a swap of personal effects.” Doctor Holmes said as she quickly turned towards the door. “In the meantime, I’m going to start figuring out how to reverse this.”
“Wait!” I said as Doctor Holmes approached the door. “You said you had an idea how this happened. Would you mind telling us?”
Doctor Holmes spun around to look at the crowd once more, “It’s nothing nefarious, I assure you, but we believe a lab tech put the syringes in the wrong package. She and her wife are new mothers; the baby kept them up all night, and she was tired. She assured me that it wouldn’t happen again.”
****************************
I stepped out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, wearing the dress meant for Josie. The only other people in the room were Josie and both our moms; Josie was wearing a pair of cargo shorts and a tank top. He was the first to say anything, “You look pretty, Clay!”
“Thanks, I guess; you don’t look that bad either.” Then, turning to Mom, I said, “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s outside with Josie’s father; they’re working to install Josie’s booster seat for you to sit in.”
“Wait, what?” I asked, unsure if I’d heard correctly. “Why do I need a booster seat?”
“It’s the law, Clay; everyone under 6 years old needs to sit in a booster seat.”
“That’s just great,” I said with a groan.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
<<-- Previous · Outline  · Recent Additions © Copyright 2024 Homer J Simpson (UN: homerj1987 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Homer J Simpson has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work within this interactive story. Poster accepts all responsibility, legal and otherwise, for the content uploaded, submitted to and posted on Writing.Com. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author