Eve   Chapter 48   by Topsy   © 2010 Topsy   Woman

 
Previously:
 
Eve is in hospital, she has collapsed before finding out what was wrong.
 
Now the story continues.
 
Eve Chapter 48
 
I'd like to say I remember what happened next but no, nothing, until I hear mum's voice.

"Come on Eve, I know you're in there."

I opened my eyes gently, not very aware of my circumstances. My eyes were blurry, my head fuzzy. I wasn't sure I could feel my body. Now I know what a hangover feels like.

Then there was another voice.

"Eve, I'm going to wash your face then give you some water to drink. Don't try to say anything yet."

Something was moved out of the way then I felt a flannel, a straw was put in my mouth and I started to suck, coughing immediately. I tried a bit more water as the nurse spoke again.

"Eve, don't try to talk yet. You've been ventilated and your throat will be sore. I'll give you something to help you sleep for a bit."

So, nothing again until someone was gently shaking me. I opened my eyes, which were clearer now, and saw mum next to me.

"Eve, good you're awake."

I had a go at talking and nothing came out, mum held the straw to my mouth and I drank. Now I was aware of that annoying beeping and I could see lines going into my right arm. So, I'm wired into the mains?

"Mum?" I croaked.

"Yes dear."

"Where am I?"

"You're back in the same room. I've been here the whole time, although they wanted me to go home last night."

"Last night?"

"Yes dear, it's Tuesday afternoon."

"How?"

"Look, rest for a minute. I don't want a nurse to tell me off for encouraging you too much."

She offered me more water, my head was less fuzzy but definitely not clear. I still couldn't really feel too much in my limbs, what did they have me on? I closed my eyes.

"Eve?" That was a male voice. "Eve?"

"Yes?" I croaked again, more water.

"Good, now how many fingers can you see?"

"Stop moving them and I'll tell you."

"That's okay, we've reduced the anaesthetic a little to let you focus. You might start feeling a little discomfort."

Discomfort is another word for pain, it just sounds better. I could now feel my limbs and my head started to clear. I was a little more aware of my predicament so I looked around a bit, just moving my head from left to right. Apart from the lines in my arm, there was a pipe down the size of the bed.

"You bastards."

"What do you mean?"

"Catheter."

"Eve, we had to, honestly, we'll explain more in a while. Get some more rest, We'll be back at six."

"Mr Evans, can Eve have visitors?"

"I'm sorry Mrs Jones but I think it's best if Eve probably doesn't have any excitement today."

"Okay."

The room was empty when I next opened my eyes, although I wasn't aware I'd closed them. Now I could really feel my body, and it hurt. There was a call button by my left hand, I pressed it. It took a minute but a nurse arrived.

"Hello Eve. I'm Julie."

"Hi Julie. It hurts."

"It will, but the doctor said we had to reduce the anaesthetic, to bring you back to planet earth. Do you want a drink?"

I nodded, Julie picked up a control panel and pressed a button, my head started to rise slowly. She adjusted the pillows and gave me a cup, it tasted wierd but she insisted I drank it.

"That'll help you get your energy back, there's also a little something in there to help the pain without sending you back off to sleep."

"Where's my mum?"

"We sent her home to have a shower, I suggested she needed one," she giggled, "I had to promise we'd really look after you."

"Yeah, she's a bit protective."

"So would I be for my daughter, if I had one."

"So what did they do to me?"

"Sorry Eve, I think it's best that comes from the surgical staff. I do know some of the detail but I might get it wrong so it's best I don't say too much. What I can say is that you were lucky you were here."

"Why?"

"I shouldn't have said that, sorry. I tend to say too much."

"I get the idea. Don't you have someone else to see to?"

"No, I'm your nurse until ten tonight. I was just waiting for you to wake up and I dived out for a wee, we're not supposed to use the loo in your room."

"It doesn't look like I'll be using it soon, you see this?"

"Yes, but that's because you'll be in this bed for a few days. Right now, Eve I need to change your dressings. This will be uncomfortable and it may hurt."

She pulled up the blanket and fitted a pair of small slings, she called them stirrups, and had me put my feet in them, slowly.

"We don't want to tear the stitches, so gently does it."

When she removed the dressings I wasn't too worried, until she got to the last piece of gauze, I screamed.

"Sorry Eve, but it had to be done. I need to wipe the area, but I promise I'll be careful."

Fifteen minutes later she had just about finished when Dr Roberts and Mr Evans returned.

"Hello Eve, I see you've met Julie. That's a nice job, can you drop Eve's legs down please."

A minute later I was covered by the blanket, Julie stood to one side so the doctors could approach. They pulled chairs to the bed and sat, Julie then passed me some water to sip.

"Eve, I'm sure you are wondering what happened?"

"Yes, you could put it that way."

"When you passed out yesterday afternoon we had to take you straight back to theatre, there was just time for your mother to agree with us, although it would have been a formality at the time. What we had found by comparing the various scans was a set of female reproductive organs, plus some unexplained growths."

"Oh."

"Our first task was to open your vagina, that released a build up of clotted menstrual blood, I believe you are currently experiencing your first period. Did you have any discomfort before you arrived yesterday morning?"

"Yes, since Sunday morning, so I'm really a girl?"

"More like a young woman who's experiencing late-onset puberty, I believe that is in your notes."

"Dr Khan did mention it. So what about the growths, do I have cancer?"

"No, we used an endoscope via a small incision, a keyhole, below your bikini line. The probe identified twelve more growths, about twenty to thirty millimetres diameter, around your womb and ovaries. I removed these through the keyhole and they were analysed yesterday evening. They were fibrous and, as far as we can see, benign."

"So did that throw the earlier scans?"

"Not by itself, it would appear that when the scans were done your womb was contracted and the growths fully obscured one of your ovaries, that would have caused confusion, especially as it also looked, at the time, as it you had testes, which we removed yesterday morning."

"So why wasn't this picked up previously?" I was getting a little concerned.

"Because no one person had reviewed all the scans, if they had then they would have come to the same conclusion as us, only several weeks earlier. It was the video from the endoscope that confirmed our suspicions."

"So what now?"

"You'll have to stay a little longer. What appeared to be a penis was an extended uretha, I've rerouted your uretha to the normal location and there are several sutures there holding it in place, we've had to fit a catheter because of that. I'd like to see your period finish and the bruising around your vagina go down. It's important that the tissue around the uretha is knitted, but I used dissolvable stitches there. Around the edge of the vagina I've used normal sutures which will need to be removed. You'll have to be cleaned and dressed every six hours until you're discharged, I'll want to take a close look tomorrow."

I started crying, I think they were tears of joy, but I then realised that if I was having periods ...

"Can I have a baby?"

"I don't see why not, although we'll have to do some tests, but your mum might suggest you wait. You also don't want to rip your stitches."

"I certainly don't expect her to be pregnant at least before she finishes school." Mum had walked in.

She came over to me and hugged me, "you are my daughter, no-one can say otherwise."

"She is, now you really do have to get Eve's birth certificate changed. I'll write to the relevant authority."

I had tears in my eyes again, "thank you Mr Evans, you don't know how much this means to me. Can I have visitors now?"

"Yes, you're awake and aware sufficiently but just be careful with those stitches. No more than fifteen minutes though. Also I don't want anyone jumping on your bed, and no sex yet."

"Not until I've finished my period?"

"Not for several weeks."

"Mr Evans, when can I take Eve home?" Mum looked serious now, I wonder if she was getting ready to have 'that' talk with me. Of course I'd had sex education classes at school, as a boy, and I knew Claire's biology so I couldn't learn any more, could I?

"A few days, I'd like to see most of the stitches out. I'd also like her period to finish. I suspect this one started two days ago, on Sunday, so we could have three or four more days."

"It's my seventeenth birthday on Sunday and I'm due to go back to school on Monday, that will be the first time since the summer."

"We'll see, Eve, you have had several hours of surgery and could be in a lot of trouble if you left here too early."

"I see. What's next then?"

"We'll arrange for an ultrasound in the morning to see how things are, and a CT scan on Thursday. Those images should be clearer now. You do know that we'll have to check you again every two months for a year and annually after that, as a precaution."

"Right, I think I understand why."

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then Dr Roberts will see you each day that you remain and will co-ordinate your discharge. All the information will be in the discharge letter, you'll get a copy. If you have any questions in the meantime ask me."

"Okay."

He left after shaking my hand, he also gave mum a kiss on the cheek. Julie was still there and asked a simple question.

"Hungry?"

"You kidding?"

"I'll get the menu. By the way, visiting finishes at eight."

Julie disappeared out of the door, mum then handed me my mobile. I knew exactly what to do.

"Mum, you haven't told Sharon or Aunt Sue, have you?"

"No, I thought you would like that honour. Just remember it's half past six, not the middle of the afternoon."

I had already dialled Claire's number.

"Hi Eve, are you coming home?"

"No, I have to be here for a few more days."

"Oh."

"But they've told me you can visit, just no jumping on my bed."

"As if?"

"Seriously, and I have some news."

"Tell."

"When you get here."

"Give me five."

I hung up then called Jenny, "hi cuz."

"Hello, you survived then. What did they find?"

"Not telling unless you come to see me."

"I'll let mum know."

Mum's phone started ringing and I heard Sharon's voice and some moaning. They would see me in the morning, I could guess the groans were from Claire. Apparently there were doing something important and wouldn't be finished for an hour.

Aunt Sue called her next, they'd be here in fifteen minutes. Julie arrived back with a menu but warned against anything too heavy because of the anaesthetic and painkillers. I chose the soup and some fruit. Normal meals would start in the morning, if I was up to it.

Of course, the soup arrived about the same time as Jenny. She went to launch herself at me but mum stopped her, there was an instant sulk.

"So what did they find?" She's always direct.

"I'm a girl."

"We know that."

"Seriously, I'm having a period."

"Woah! You're not kidding?"

"No, apparently I can get pregnant, have a baby, all that stuff."

"So, new woman, when do you get home?"

"Not sure, there's a lot of stitches down there." I pointed, as if it was necessary.

"Why didn't they know before?"

"I didn't have a vagina, that was the problem."

"Yeah." Jenny stopped analysing the situation and started giving me the gossip updates. Most of it I didn't need to hear. Mum and my aunt were discussing things as I started eating the soup. It wasn't too bad, and it was food, I hadn't eaten for 48 hours.

Jenny and aunt Sue left after half an hour, mum gave me a kiss and then left. I thought I would get some peace but Julie returned to change my dressings. My legs went up again.

"I'm afraid we'll have to do this again at about midnight then at six in the morning."

"Can you not wake me?"

"Wish I could, but I get the feeling you'd wake soon enough, you'll be quite sensitive."

"Yeah."

"Congratulations by the way, I understand you wanted to be a girl anyway."

"That's right, it started when I was in here for a brain tumour a few months ago."

"It's strange how things sometimes just work out right."

"I know, but until now it never worked out for me, ouch!"

"Sorry, that looks a little sore. I'll put some cream on it."

"Thanks."

"By the way, you asked about your twin. I've asked someone in records to look it up. We should know more tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Julie worked on me for a bit longer before she could drop my legs. I now picked up a banana and had a munch. I must have dozed after that.

I was woken by a nurse called Wendy who changed the dressings but didn't say much, I presumed it was around midnight.