It was a beautiful late summer morning, the temperature was pleasantly hovering in the low eighties, and the sun was shining brightly in the deep dark blue sky where nary a cloud could be seen. The grass was full and green, the birds were singing joyously as they flew from tree to tree. It was unquestionably an overall great day to be outdoors. Chase Milan wouldn’t mind being outside to smell the fresh summer air instead of the stale antiseptic hospital air he breathed now. He looked up at the standard hospital issue white face clock with plain black numbers, dreading that it was still only ten A.M. The red second hand seemed to pause as Chase bore his gaze into the clock; mechanically it ticked another second away and abruptly paused again. This was going to be a long ninety minutes, chase thought to himself as yet another second agonizingly ticked by.

“Will you quit that,” Melissa said as she placed her delicate hand on Chase’s strong, muscular shoulders. She gently tried to message her husband’s tension away, but didn’t think it would do much good. She was just as nervous as he was.

“I think this clock is broken.” Chase rolled his shoulders in response to the attention they were receiving. “Time simply doesn’t move this slowly. Look at it,” Chase gestured to the clock hanging on the wall.

“The clock is working just fine; it’s your mind that’s broken.” Melissa turned Chase’s squared chiseled chin so he would look at her instead. “Sit down, relax. I think I saw some car magazine over on the table that reviewed all the new mini-vans. Maybe it’ll help you pick one out that you really like.”

“We are not, and I repeat this whole heartedly, not going to get a mini-van. I won’t even allow one in the driveway. The guys will make fun of me.” Chase tried to give his best little boy pout to add emphasis to his point. The effect he was trying for worked as he brought a smile to his wife’s face and her smile lit up the dreary waiting room as if summer itself decided to com in.

“You’re a family man now, remember,” Melissa went along her line of logic nonchalantly.

`”That’s why we’re getting an SUV. Either a Blazer or a Bronco but something that’s definitely cool and Black. Definitely black.”

“SUV, minivan, what’s the difference?” Melissa was glad that she got her husband to quit looking at the clock and pass the time with light banter. The conversation also gave her a much needed diversion, between her child in surgery and her husband’s impatience, there was enough to drive her up the walls.

“A minivan is something you drive to soccer practice, an SUV, however, is something that you take off-roading, and can haul lumber with and do all kinds of other neat guy stuff,” Chase explained enthusiastically.

“You never mentioned an interest in going off-roading before,” Melissa smirked.

“I didn’t and I don’t. But, at least with as SUV I can fib a little about it, tell the guys what a great adventure I have planned about going off roading someplace or another. In a minivan, the best adventure you can come up with is about shopping excursions and the fact that you fit the whole soccer team in the back,” Chase rambled as he pleaded his case.

“I see,” Melissa gave a slight chuckle. “so we’re going to pay an extra five thousand dollars so you can maintain an adventurous image. Do I have the situation figured out correctly?”

Chase gave his wife his winning smile. “I do have a reputation to uphold. Besides that, don’t forget about Neesa. We need to think about her feelings too,” he continued his argument.

“The dog has input on this too. I heard about partners becoming close and sharing intimate thoughts, but I didn’t think you and Neesa.” Melissa exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. “Did she tell you all this out loud or did she simply write it down on a piece of paper.”

“You don’t understand, honey. Neesa is a Rottweiler.” Chase practically whined as he went along with the mock conversation his wife contrived, as he finally figured out what it was.

“What difference does it make what breed the dog is?” Melissa asked as she shook her head in unbelief.

“It’s a well documented fact that Rottis simply hate minivans,” Chase explained. “Why there are dozens of reports of stolen minivans that were found to be eaten by the owner’s pooch. Sometimes the dog is so aggravated that its owner embarrassed it by buying the vehicle that, not only does the animal eat the minivan, it then goes to work on the rest of the family.” Chase grabbed Melissa by the waist and playfully started to bite on her neck sloppily.

Melissa laughed. “Would you cut that out,” she casually pushed away from him. “We’re in a public place you know,” Melissa scolded and feigned being upset, unsuccessfully.

“Sorry, but I got a little hungry.” Chase gave her a sly smile.

“You’re incorrigible, did you know that?”

“Do you think your plan worked,” Chase asked as he sat down in a metal framed chair.

“What plan was that?” Melissa sat across from her husband.

“To help me not think about the time.” Chase grabbed the Car and Driver magazine that his wife mentioned and began to thumb through it.

“I was hoping to take your mind off it for a little while,” Melissa admitted.

“You did,” Chase smiled and glanced at the clock. “For sixteen minutes and thirty-eight seconds.”

“Spoil sport.” Melissa stuck her tongue out at her husband to emphasize her point.”

A few yards away from the stale waiting room the doctor looked down at his young patient. He had performed this surgery on younger children; infants mostly. But those operations were usually correcting some genetic abnormality before it posed an imposition on the child psychologically. The surgeon had never performed the procedure on a four year old and was hesitant to do such a thing. A consultation with the child’s psychiatrist, Dr. Eagan, made it clear that what he was doing was nothing short of saving this child’s life. The surgeon knew that Dr. Eagan was stroking his ego, but she brought up other, more relevant points for him to pursue this case. Eventually he agreed, even if reluctantly so.

With his skilled scalpel in hand, Dr. Stimmer made an incision from the tip of the child’s penis, down the small shaft, and finally across the cent of the testicular sac.

“Scissors,” the doctor said clearly as he placed the scalpel on the tray.

The nurse slapped the instrument into his palm, the doctor’s hand instinctively grabbed them. The nurse then placed the used scalpel in the appropriate place for later use.

“She won’t be needing these any more,” the surgeon said of the child as he tried to induce a little levity to the room, but failed. He snipped the tissue that held the child’s two testicles that were barely descended. The now removed bits of anatomy were placed in a solution and would be properly disposed of later.

The doctor worked carefully. He rerouted the urethra so the child would function in the bathroom the way a female was suppose to. He inverted the skin and though it looked nothing like how a girl was meant to look like in that area, the evidence that the small creature on the table was ever a mall immediately vanished. The real work then began as Dr. Stimmer shaped, molded, stitched, tucked and otherwise manipulated the lower extremities of the child so gender could be determined; and that gender was now definitively female.

The child was wheeled down the hall when everything was finished. Modesty was restored as the nurse placed a small pink nightgown over the sleeping child. There was no hospital policy that required that the child be placed in pink; the hospital was impartial on the matter all together, but the nurse couldn’t resist the notion and figured the new girl would appreciate such a gesture. When she talked to Jenny the day before, the child was bubbling with enthusiasm for the upcoming surgery. An enthusiastic child was rare when they arrived; the excitement was usually reserved for departing. The nurse gently placed the child into the waiting hospital bed and attached various wires to alert staff of any unfortunate development.

The nurse couldn’t help but to think of her own three year old boy who was safe at home with his father while she covered the small child before her with a white knit blanked. She wondered what went on in this child’s life to warrant such an extreme operation and contemplated if she could make such a decision concern her own child. She didn’t want to think of such things; what parent would, and she silently backed out of the room.

Dr. Stimmer entered the waiting room and immediately noticed the doubled look of tension on the parents face as they saw he come in. The surgeon thought he could get use to that reaction, but it always irked him. As if people didn’t have faith in his abilities and always expected him to announce the worst. “You can relax now,” he said calmly. “The operation went without any complications and you’re now the proud parents of a bouncing toddler girl. Just to warn you once again that the area is extremely red and swollen, so try not to pass a judgment on my workmanship too early. As stated, we want to keep Jenny here for a week to ensure the new opening doesn’t close or an infection doesn’t set in, then you can take her home and get on with life.”

“Can we go see her now?” Melissa asked as that was the only thought on her mind. She knew the procedure was intensive and there would be a million new things to consider, but as long as she could see the child that she now called her own, she knew everything would be all right.”

“Absolutely, it’s room 140. Let me show you the way,” the doctor said as he ushered them through a door.

Chase was not one for hospitals, but this visit was much better than the first one with the child; the time when he first found her frightened and abused and it was his job to take an inventory of all her injuries. He shuddered at the images that he figured he would forever have etched in his mind. The grey tiled floor and white walls with the occasional framed posters of naturalistic scenes did nothing to change his disposition about hospitals either. What bothered him most was the ever present antiseptic smell that always told a person they were in a hospital or a nursing home, but in either case; death was always nearby.

“Here you are,” the surgeon gestured as he stood by the open door. “We’ll talk more later.”

Chase allowed Melissa to walk in first and as she stood at the foot of the child’s bed chase stood next to her. Jenny’s eyes, naturally were closed as she was in a drug induced sleep. The child looked so peaceful and angelic that Melissa felt a warmth inside her radiate and she could have sworn she physically felt her love for the child grow even more.

“There she is,” Chase said as he wiped a tear from his wife’s cheek. “Our daughter.” He knew he stated the obvious, but hoped it would let the idea sink in further. The operation was an extreme measure, and though he agreed to it, Chase initially had his doubts.

Melissa replied by gently squeezing Chase’s hand. She moved quietly to the child, as if any noise she made could wake the slumbering child. She brushed a few strands of Jenny’s long blonde hair out of the child’s thin face. Though the toddler was still slender, Jenny no longer looked like the grotesque skeleton that Melissa first saw. A good twenty pounds, all of them much needed, was added to the child and the sunken eyes and stomach were no longer evident, nor did Jenny look like an under nourished infant anymore.

“You know what,” Chase interrupted the silence that was far too much for him to bear. “I really believe that this was the right thing to do. I can feel it in me some how. Jenny is now complete.”

“About time you figured that out,” Melissa replied with a hint of playful sarcasm as she went to her husband to be engulfed by his embrace.

The child slept peacefully in the sleep that most children have. Chase and Melissa each took turns watching over her, making sure that if at any time Jenny would wake up, at least one of them would be there to greet her. As chance would have it, Chase had just returned from a brief errand and as if on cue, Jenny began to stir. Chase noticed the small pinky that rested on the child’s chest begin to wiggle. He nudged his wife and nodded in the hands direction. In a second, Melissa’s face lit up with happiness; knowing the child was going to be fine. Chase giggled softly to himself as other fingers began to move and tap the soft cotton of the child’s hospital gown. He fancied that perhaps wakefulness was not an immediate event and the child was saying good morning to each body part in the same way Chase taught her to say goodnight to them as he tucked her in at bedtime.

The hand slowly made its way to the child’s face. Jenny flexed her hand twice and upon making two balled fist, she rubbed the rest of the sleep out of her eyes. After she returned her hands to her side, the child opened her big blue eyes that weren’t as bright as they normally were because she still suffered the effects of the anesthesia. As if their position was common knowledge, Jenny turned her head and looked directly at her smiling adoptive parents and smiled right back.

“Doctor make fall off,” the child asked after a moment. “Make Jenny all girl?” After knowing her parents were with her, that was the most important question in the world for the toddler.

“Yes baby,” Melissa answered as she gently took the child’s soft, warm hand. “The doctor made that fall off and now you’re a girl like your friend Christina.”

An odd look of relief came to the child’s face and she gave a contented sigh. “Well, it’s about time,” the child said in a perfect mimic of Melissa who often said those same words whenever Chase took his sweet time cooking or finishing chores.

The adults couldn’t help but laugh at the way the child made the comment.

Chase adjusted the hospital bed so the child could sit up and view the room without being in an uncomfortable position. He put on the Disney Channel; which was decidedly Jenny’s most favorite station, and ever though he didn’t watch the programming designed for preschoolers, Chase found it joyful to watch the child’s reaction to the shows.

“There’s my little patient,” the nurse said as she entered the room holding a small bag.

“Hello,” Jenny said cheerfully to the nurse as she diverted her attention away from the television.

“How are you feeling, sugar plum,” the nurse asked in a thick southern accent as she glanced at the digital numbers that displayed Jenny’s bio-signs. The nurse scratched the numbers on the chart that was held by a clipboard at the foot of the bed.

“I’m all girl now,” Jenny said with a big smile, displaying a pair of dimples.

“I know. And such a pretty little girl you make.” Though the nurse didn’t know of all the horrors of this particular child’s life or what brought on the drastic change, the sheer joy that Jenny displayed and her comfortability of self made the nurse believe that her parents somehow made the right choice.

Jenny blushed as she soaked up the compliment. Though the past was beginning to be a nightmarish faded memory, she could remember when no one ever spoke such words or any other words of kindness or praise to her.

“I brought you a little something to help keep you busy and pass the time,” the nurse said as she slid a table over the child’s lap and locked it in place.

“A present! For me!” The child’s eyes lit up even further. “Goodie, goodie,” Jenny clapped her hands enthusiastically as she waited for the gift.

“Sure thing, sweet pea.” The nurse pulled out a thick coloring book and a big box of Crayola crayons, all 164 colors of them. The child continually smiled as she opened the large book as fast as she could to find a picture to start coloring. The nurse found the action a heartwarming sign of appreciation.

“Thank you, thank you,” Jenny squealed happily and would’ve hugged the nurse tightly if she hadn’t known to stay confined to bed.

“It’s my pleasure, sugar plum,” the nurse said and then smiled at the child.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Melissa added and Chase nodded in agreement.

“And thank you for brining in a little ray of sunshine.” The nurse looked down at the child who was busy picking out which crayon should be the first one used. “I can tell you are bringing her up right. I’ll be back a little later on to check up on things.” The nurse walked out the door.

“If you only knew what we had to go through to get to here,” Melissa thought and then turned to watch her reward for sleepless nights, limitless patience and what seemed to be an endless amount of tears.

Jenny looked up and stopped coloring all of a sudden. “No more Je’my,” a thoughtful expression came to her face.

Chase looked up at her when she used the boy’s name she’d abandoned, what seemed like a long time ago. He had started to doze off in a chair, but was wide awake now.

“What’s that honey?” Melissa asked, her attention was now also fully on the child.

“No more Je’my. No more Case. No more Missa,” Jenny stated with unmistakable certainty, as if she had just unlocked the mysteries of the universe.

“Really?: Melissa gave the child a quizzical look, wondering what in the world the little girl was trying to say. “Who are we then?”

“Missa now mommy,” the child pointed at who she was referring to. “Case now daddy.” She smiled at Chase as she pointed and crinkled her nose in such a way that it always made Chase’s heart melt when he saw it.

“And who is this precious little thing laying in the bed, I wonder?” Chase asked as he knelt by the bed and Melissa stood behind him. Her hand gently rested on his shoulder as she leaned in so she wouldn’t miss the child’s expression when Jenny spoke her next line.

“I’m their little baby girl, Jenny.” The child smiled and hugged herself tightly.

“That’s right,” Chase gave a big smile back. “And we love our little baby girl Jenny. Now don’t we?” Chase looked up at Melissa.

“More than anything in the world,” Melissa said and felt proud of all she and her husband accomplished with the child. “And she should never forget that, should she?”

“Nope, not ever,” the child said gleefully and stretched out her arms.

Melissa leaned in and allowed Jenny to hug her as she gently patted the child’s back. She then gave the little girl a sloppy kiss on the cheek for good measure.

“Jenny,” Chase said as soon as his wife and child separated. “I have to go and take care of a little surprise for you. I’ll be back later though, okay?”

On hearing the word ‘surprise’ the child’s face lit up even more; if such a thing were possible, as she looked at Chase with her big blue eyes. “Is the surprise candy?” she asked eagerly.

“If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise would it?” Chase smirked.

“No,” the child answered, disappointed she would have to wait to find out what the surprise was. “But I still hope that it’s candy. Yum, yum.” Jenny playfully rubbed her belly.

Chase smiled. “Give daddy a kiss.” He leaned forward and got what he asked for.

“Mommy go to?” Jenny asked with a slight look of concern.

“No, I’m going to stay here with you.” She looked at Chase and nodded.

“Well, I’m leaving the two most beautiful girls in the whole wide world,” Chase said with his flair for the dramatic. “But I shall return.”

An hour later, Chase found himself at home in the guest room that the child claimed as her own since the very first night Chase brought the beaten and battered being home. That fateful night when he thought her life was torn and shattered beyond repair and he failed to realize that her life would actually begin to be pieced together. The room was now bare, all the furniture was moved out to the hallway and Chase began the process of transforming the guest room into something appropriate for his daughter. She was no longer a guest anyway and the room felt wrong for a now permanent fixture in his life. Chase filled the power sprayer with the soft pink paint and went to work. Darker pink plastic borders were added where the walls met the ceiling as Chase worked up a decent sweat. While the paint dried, he pieced together the four post canopy bed that would be the centerpiece of the room. It took Chase almost four hours to complete the project, a project that included a bench by the window and building a large toy chest that was to sit at the foot of the bed. Even though the room lacked any personal affects like pictures and various child friendly knick-knacks, Chase was pleased with the job he accomplished. When he looked at his watch, Chase knew it was time to return to the hospital to relieve his wife. Though there was still one project left, Chase knew that it could wait until later on that night.

Before going directly to the hospital, Chase stopped off at one of his favorite and special places. He walked along the grass and stood before the white marble statue of Jesus. The setting sun that cast the bright orange rays behind the likeness of the Son of God gave the place an even holier ambiance than Chase ever felt before. He knelt down before the statue of Jesus that had one arm stretched out forward, something he only did when he was sure no one was looking and he prayed.

“Lord,” he spoke softly. “Thank you for my family, keep them safe. Though when I first saw that child, I did not see the point of all that suffering. And when it was decided to change Jenny into a girl, I had my doubts. But now I see the wonderful design of your plan and I thank you for adding the happiness and joy of the child to my life. Amen.”

Chase decided he better get back to the hospital promptly and that he better not arrive empty handed. He made a quick detour to the local McDonald’s drive thru and finished the trip.

Melissa was sleeping in the chair as Chase walked into the hospital room. Jenny took her eyes off of the TV and smiled. Her finger quickly came in front of her mouth and she “shh’d” Chase before he could even say a word.

“I brought you a happy meal,” Chase place the cardboard box on the table in front of the child as Melissa stirred to wakefulness.

Jenny sensed her mother was waking up and spoke normally. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said joyfully. “A happy meal is a great surprise.” She didn’t forget why her dad said he left and dug into the box looking for the toy.

Chase chuckled. “I’m glad you approve.” Chase had forgotten how little things seemed like big rewards for preschoolers and figured he would let the child believe that the meal was the surprise he was referring to when he actually did something on a much larger scale.

“It’s about time,” Melissa said as she stood up and stretched.

“I got side tracked,” Chase said apologetically. The original plan had him only gone for two hours or so, not four and a half. “I brought you a grilled chicken and fries though,” Chase held out the bag of food.

“I can’t be bought by a simple value meal,” Melissa said mockingly.

“Then how about this.” Chase tenderly kissed his wife to the snickering delight of the child that found them much more entertaining than television.

“That’s much, much better. You’re forgiven for being tardy.” Melissa smiled.

Chase settled into the chair and began eating his Big Mac. His being there allowed time for Melissa to stretch her legs and get a much needed breath of fresh air.

“Sweety,” Chase said as he knelt by the side of the bed.

“Yes daddy.” The child gave him a peculiar look.

“Mommy and I need to go home so we can take care of things and go to sleep. Can you be a brave little girl and not worry when we’re gone. A nurse will be here to keep you company, and you can watch TV and color all night long.” Chase knew that most children were afraid to be left alone, but considering Jenny’s past, he doubted his appeal to logic would be that much of a success and prepared to do a lot more pleading.”

“You promise to come back in the morning,” Jenny said in her small voice that quivered with uncertainty and fear.

“Jenny, I will always, and I do mean always, come back for you,” Chase said with determination, as if he spoke to something on a grander scale beyond this one night.

“Okay, you can go.” Jenny gave a faint smile.

“Thank you, Sweety.” Chase brushed the few strands of hair out of the child’s eyes. As he sat back down and watched as the child stared at him the half dozen strands returned in front of her face, as if they were destined to be there.

Melissa came back into the room fifteen minutes later, her eyes were more alert and her body more relaxed than when she left. She looked first at the child that was busy coloring a happy little seal balancing a ball on its nose, and then at her husband who was too busy watching the child to notice anything else. “Maybe I’ll leave and come back in later,” she said in mock disappointment.

“Mommy’s back.” Jenny put down her red crayon and clapped.

“I can see that honey.” Chase winked at the child. “Hi baby.”

“No, I’m baby and mommy’s honey.” Jenny put her hands on her hips as she sat straight up.

“Oops, sorry, my mistake,” Chase said as Melissa chuckled. “I love you both so much that I forgot who was who.”

“Don’t worry Jenny. I’ll help him keep it straight,” Melissa said as she made her way to Chase’s lap.

“How about we get out of here for a while and go home,” Chase asked as he rubbed his wife’s leg.

“But what about,” Melissa motioned her head towards the child.

“It’s okay with me,” the child let the adults know that she understood that they were talking about her. “Daddy promised to come back tomorrow.”

“Is it really okay, Sweety,” Melissa asked the child.

“You promise too, Mommy,” Jenny said in a tone that sounded like it was half a question and half a demand.

“Of course I promise to come back. I’ll never forget to come back to my little girl.”

“Daddy say same thing. Now give Jenny kiss,” she asserted.

Melissa got to the child first and gently kissed the girl on the cheek and received one back as was the established custom. Chase followed and as he moved in to kiss the child, Jenny quickly turned her head and gave him a peck on the lips. She giggled as Chase’s surprised look.

“I gave daddy a mommy kiss,” the child still giggled.

“You sure did.” Chase smiled. “We promise to see you very early tomorrow morning and we’ll bring something you like.”

“Nessa?!?” the child said happily of Chase’s K-9 partner.

“Sorry, Honey.” Chase didn’t like to disappoint the child, but had no choice in this instance. “The hospital won’t allow her in, but we’ll bring you something nice.”

“Okay,” the child pouted slightly as the adults backed out of the door.

“Night baby,” they said in unison.

“Don’t forget your promise,” The child said softly and decided the day was long enough and it was time to go to sleep so she would be awake upon her parents’ arrival the next day.”

“Wow,” Melissa said as she walked into the room her husband had worked on so diligently and caused his tardiness. “You really transformed this room into something that Jenny is really going to love.”

“I was really tired of it looking like a guest room, you know?”

“Yeah, that’s understandable. She is our daughter now and the house deserves to have a place that looks like she lives here too.”

Melissa went to work on adding those touches that only a mother could add. She arranged knick-knacks in just the perfect order, mad the bed with special ballerina prink linen and bed spread. Dark pink and white window treatments were added and a small statuette was placed carefully on the window sill. As Melissa added the finishing touches, Chase finished the doll house he was constructing.

“So, what do you think?” Chase asked as he made a grand motion to his project.

“That’s bigger than the girl, Chase.” Melissa was awestruck not only by the size, but also by the exquisite detail of the kit.

“I know that.” Chase smiled. Something in him loved going overboard. “But you didn’t answer my question, what do you think of it? Pretty good, huh?”

“I think we’re going to spoil her,” Melissa said as she turned to her husband.

“Is that really a bad thing,” Chase added thoughtfully. “I mean after what she’s gone through, she deserves a little extra pampering. Don’t you think?”

Melissa smiled. “You’re right. Just don’t forget to save some spoiling for me.”

“You know, a few months ago we wouldn’t have been waiting for the house to be empty so we could have some privacy.” Chase wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist and pulled her into him.
“It’s definitely empty tonight, no one to walk in on us.” Melissa wrapped her arms around her husband’s strong shoulders and received the gentlest of passionate kisses, knowing it was Chase’s special talent to make her melt by his touch.

“We shouldn’t waste this opportunity,” Chase lifted his wife from the back of her thighs and slung her over his shoulders as if he was abducting her.

“What are you doing?” Melissa shouted and laughed at the same time as she hung upside down, looking at the back pocket of Chase’s jeans.

“Me Chase, king of Jungle. Me take you back to tree for hanky-panky.” He tried his best Tarzan impression that never did seem to come out the right way.

“Let me go you beast,” Melissa plated along and slapped him on his firm buttocks.

“Woman pay for that one. Watch out Cheetah,” Chase said as he stepped over the large Rottweiler that was laying in front of the doorway.

Neesa raised an eyebrow and watched her master go into the master bedroom and slam the door behind him. The dog returned her head to its front paws and stared into the child’s empty room. She whimpered softly at the absence of the child and kept guard until she would return.