The Wish

Robert Woods was a Staff Sergeant in the US Army and often found himself in Chinook helicopters that would take him to various training sites. He had done this countless times in his career and figured nothing out of the ordinary would occur this time. His team would land, silence the imaginary enemy, find the hostage, and then get out.

The transport helicopter took off and headed towards the training site without incident. Nearly halfway there, the helicopter began to shake violently. “Everyone strap in!” the pilot ordered everyone in the back.

The soldiers grumpily did so. There was little space between each soldier. Suddenly, one of the helicopter’s engines suffered a catastrophic failure. The helicopter was now out of control and headed down. The pilot radioed his position in a distress call.

“Put your heads down and brace for impact,” Robert yelled to anyone that could hear him over the helicopter’s engine noise.
The helicopter crashed landed in a field and several mechanical parts flew off on impact. Fire suppression systems immediately took out the flames. Medevac helicopters sped towards their position.

***

Evan was a student not affiliated with the military. The idea of enlisting never occurred to him even though he had lived in a military town his whole life. He had nothing against the military. It just wasn’t a good fit for him. He had short red hair, green eyes, pale complexion, and slender build. He lived alone in an apartment close to the university.

Occasionally, he would go on short walks around the neighborhood to clear his head. He had no family, and his dating life was non-existent. He figured he would make a serious effort to be social after he had finished school.

As he walked through a park, a young German Shepherd ran up to him. At first, Evan was startled by the dog and tried to keep his distance. He didn’t want to run from it for fear of it chasing him. It soon became apparent that the dog was friendly. Evan looked around to see if the owner was nearby. Seeing no one, he considered the dog tag.

“Don’t bite me, please,” Evan said as he got closer to the dog.

The dog wagged its tail excitedly at him. Evan cautiously looked over the dog’s tag. If he made a move on the dog’s throat, he figured the dog would immediately attack him. Glancing at the tag, it simply said “Rex.” There was no owner’s name, address, or serial number on the tag.

“Well, Rex, where’s your owner?” Evan asked.

The dog merely whined at him. Looking the dog over, Evan saw nothing to indicate the dog had been mistreated. The only thing that seemed odd was that the dog’s paws appeared a little dirty. “So, you got under the fence, huh?” Evan figured.

The dog neither confirmed nor denied this. Evan decided to just walk away back to his apartment. However, the dog followed him on the sidewalk. A part of Evan wanted to just get home and slam the door on the dog. Another growing part of him considered keeping the dog until the rightful owner could be found.

Evan made his way to his apartment door and found the dog close behind. Sighing, he made the fateful choice of letting the dog inside. Immediately, Evan looked up the phone number for the pound. They would know what to do. As he dialed, he reconsidered. If the pound picked up the dog and no one claimed the dog, it could be euthanized.

Evan tried once more to figure out who the dog belonged to by checking the tag. He knelt in front of the sitting dog and looked over the tag. As before, the only thing written on the tag was “Rex.” Frowning, Evan took out his camera and took a picture of the dog. At some point, he would put “found” posters around the neighborhood.

In the description on the posters, Evan wondered if the dog was trained at all. “Sit,” Evan ordered the dog. The dog immediately complied. “Lay down,” Evan ordered. The dog did as ordered. Evan gave out more orders like layover, shake, and play dead. The dog complied with every order.

Evan then took out a small ball and threw it into the kitchen. The dog immediately went after it and gave it back to him. “So, you’ve been trained by someone,” Evan figured.

***

Evan placed the dog in his car and went to a pet store. The dog followed Evan without needing a leash. However, that was the first thing Evan bought. He also bought dog food appropriate for a German Shepherd, a chew toy, and some treats. The store clerks all complimented Evan on how friendly the dog was.

With the new leash, Evan walked the dog back to the car, but it suddenly resisted Evan and started sniffing a car in the parking lot. Evan obliged the dog for a few moments and then the dog began barking at the car. Evan peered into the car’s window and saw a small bag in the backseat area. Looking at the dog, Evan realized then that the dog was trained to sniff out drugs.

Going back home, Evan took Rex on a walk and started placing posters on telephone poles around the neighborhood. As he did, he also questioned anyone who happened to be on their front yard but no one gave him any information on the dog’s owner.

On the way back, three young men came upon him. “That’s a nice looking dog. Is he yours?” one of them asked.

“Yes,” Evan lied. He didn’t trust these people who looked like gangsters.

“Hey, you want to come with us? Have some fun at our place?” another asked.

Evan found the question odd as if the gangster was hitting on him. “I’m good,” Evan replied.

As the three men got closer to him, Rex began to growl and bare his teeth. The gangsters backed away from the growling dog. “Better watch it with that dog,” they said as they left.

Evan stared at the dog in amazement. He had never seen such a well-trained dog before. He had no doubt that had the gangsters attacked him, the dog would risk his life to save him.

***

Bringing the dog home, Evan gave the hungry dog some food and then contemplated his next move. Due to the skill level of the dog, it seemed obvious to him that the dog was either trained by the police or the military. Since military personal were everywhere that didn’t narrow it down very well. Evan contemplated going to the base, but he didn’t have clearance to do so. In the end, he decided to just call the police and report the missing dog. The police took the report, but no one had claimed a dog matching that description.

“Who is your owner, Rex?” Evan wondered.

As the days went by, Evan and Rex developed a good dynamic. Rex never chewed on any of his furniture or barked during the night. He was well-behaved in every way. None of his posters elicited any calls. Evan considered the possibility that Rex had been completely abandoned but that seemed absurd in light of the dog’s training. For the first time in a very long while, Evan had a friend even if it was a dog.

Evan would take the dog on frequent walks hoping the real owner would recognize him. During these walks, Evan felt a sense of safety from Rex. He would never need to fear being mugged with Rex at his side. For some odd reason, his masculine desire to always use his own strength to defend himself from attack was beginning to fade. He felt more dependent on the dog, and it made sense to him at the time.

***

Finally, Evan found a neighbor that recognized the dog. “Is that you, Rex?” the old woman said getting close to the dog.
“Do you know the dog’s owner?” Evan asked.

“Of course, the dog belongs to my next-door neighbor. He’s an Infantryman, I think,” the old woman said.

Evan felt an unnatural thrill go through him. He had always appreciated the military and the economic impact the base had on the town but never on an emotional level like this. “Do you know his name?” Evan asked.

“Just his last name: Woods,” the old woman said.

“When does he usually come back from the base?” Evan asked.

“He hasn’t been home in a few weeks but that’s not unusual. Some of these Infantry guys stay out in the field for nearly a month. Imagine that,” the old woman chuckled.

“If you see him, can you give him this,” Evan said giving the old woman a note with his name, address, and phone number.

“I sure will,” the old woman agreed.

Evan left the old woman and did his own investigation. Looking around the fence, he saw a clear hole where Rex had dugout. It was clear that the dog had been starving and in desperation dug its way out. The dog wagged its tail excitedly as Evan walked around the house.

“Now, to find the owner,” Evan said to himself.

***

Evan looked for anything out of the ordinary on the military newspaper website. He did find a Chinook helicopter crash in which a few soldiers were killed and a dozen others were injured. SSG Woods wasn’t listed as being killed, so Evan figured he must have been one of the injured. Evan dismissed out-of-hand the possibility that SSG Woods just left the dog to starve while he went training.

Walking around the neighborhood in the hopes that SSG Woods would be home, he ran into an old veteran. “That’s Woods’ dog,” the veteran pointed out.

“I found the dog wandering the streets. Do you know where SSG Woods is?” Evan asked hopefully.
“No, he hasn’t been home in weeks,” the veteran noted.

“I think that SSG Woods was in a helicopter accident. I think he was one of the injured,” Evan said and showed the veteran the newspaper article.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” the veteran said stunned. “He was a nice young man.”

“I can’t get on the base to see if he is the hospital,” Evan pointed out.

“Well, as it happens, I can,” the veteran smiled.

***

Using a veteran ID, the veteran was able to get himself and Evan onto the base. They drove over to the hospital and were led to his room by a nurse. “Since the crash, he’s been in a coma. I can’t say when he will wake up,” the nurse said.

“We’ll keep him in our prayers,” the veteran said.

Evan nodded but felt distracted by SSG Woods. Other than the fact that he was asleep and bandaged up in a few areas, he still looked fit. Evan could only wonder what he would have been like in his prime. With all the PT army soldiers go through, he wouldn’t be even close. His conflicted mind didn’t feel jealous; just a weird sense of admiration.
“When he wakes up, can you give this to him,” Evan said giving the nurse a note with his phone number on it. “I’m taking care of his dog. It’s a K9.”

“Sure,” the nurse said taking the note.

***
Evan went back to his apartment and greeted a happy German Shepherd. “Well, you’ll be pleased to know that your owner is alive,” Evan said to the dog.

The dog grinned as if it understood. “But, he’s in a coma. So, for the time being, you’ll stay with me. You cool with that?” Evan asked.

The dog simply barked. Evan patted the dog’s head to reassure him and then went to the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed his face was thinning out. He looked sickly and this was confirmed when he sneezed. Feeling terrible, he went to bed.

A few hours later, a window was broken into. Rex immediately started barking and then attacked the intruder. Evan got out of bed and rushed into the living room. The dog had a furious grip on the attacker ravaging the man’s arm.
“Get it off, get it off!” the burglar cried out as it shook Rex.

“Release him,” Evan ordered unsure of whether that would even work.

The dog disengaged but continued to growl at the burglar. The injured man went out the window he came and ran off. Evan immediately called the police on his cell phone. “What is the nature of your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.

“A burglar came into my apartment. My dog attacked him, but he ran off,” Evan said.

“Calm down, Ma’am. Is the burglar still in the apartment?” the dispatcher asked.

Evan let the dispatcher’s mistake slide. “No,” he answered.

“Police will be on the scene shortly,” the dispatcher said.

***

Police did arrive shortly and asked Evan some questions. He was dressed in a jacket and pants, so they wouldn’t confuse his gender like the dispatcher had. “Nice dog you have there,” the cop remarked.

“Yeah,” Evan said giving nothing away.

“Seems well-trained. Is the dog yours?” the cop asked.

“Yeah, I mean, why wouldn’t it be mine?” Evan asked defensively.

The cop shrugged and looked at the broken window. “We’ll look around the neighborhood, but I doubt he will come back. Not with that dog here.”

***

Evan wasn’t sure what to make of the confrontation. The dog had protected him again, but it also felt emasculating. He wondered if that really mattered anymore. Feeling weak and sick, Evan invited the dog to his room and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Evan felt horrible. He could barely get himself to the bathroom. The dog followed, seemingly concerned for his condition. Looking at the mirror, Evan could tell he was losing weight. There was a knock on the door. Opening it, a fix-it man with a new windowpane appeared.

“Here to fix your window,” he said brightly.

“Come right in,” Evan allowed.

Evan touched Rex to assure him the man was friendly. The fix-it man went straight to work on the broken window. “Good thing you had the dog. A lot of young women have been robbed on the streets and had their houses broken in around here.”

“You don’t say,” Evan said feeling uncomfortable with the insinuation.

Evan waited for the man to fix the window. “Thanks,” Evan said as he left.

After he had left, Evan furiously took off his shirt and looked himself over. He was a skinny kid but nothing to indicate he looked like a girl. Touching his nipples, he noticed they were a little sensitive. Shaking his head, he put his shirt and sweatshirt back on. The whole town was just crazy.

***

SSG Robert Woods awoke and immediately a nurse was at his side. “What happened to my men?” he asked.
“There were two fatalities and several injuries. I don’t know their names,” the nurse said.

Robert nodded. “How bad is it?” he asked referring to himself.

“You had a concussion, broken arm, and some broken ribs,” the nurse told him.

“I need to make a phone call,” Robert said realizing something important.

“I’ll get you a phone. You had a visitor. She left a note for you,” the nurse said giving him Evan’s phone number.
Robert didn’t recognize the phone number. Instead, he decided to call his girlfriend, Laura. “Laura, this is Robert. How’s Rex?” he asked urgently.

“Oh, you’re finally awake. That’s great,” she gushed.

“Rex, how is Rex?” Robert repeated.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been at your place,” she admitted.

“You were supposed to take care of Rex if anything happened to me,” Robert said angrily.

“I’m sick of babysitting that damn dog. You love that dog more than me,” Laura shot back.

“Fuck!” Robert realized Rex had been left alone for weeks. He didn’t need verification the dog was dead. He already knew what this meant. “Laura, we’re through,” he said angrily and hung up.

Robert felt himself having trouble breathing as he felt stressed out over his dog. Getting his priorities straight, he called his platoon leader. “Sir, I just woke up. What’s the status on my team?”

“Your team is good, Sergeant. We had two losses from weapon’s squad. Everyone else is healthy now,” the platoon leader said.

“I’ll be back up as soon as I can, Sir,” Robert promised.

“You take all the time you need,” the platoon leader replied.

Robert looked over the strange number he had been given. Hoping against hope, he called Evan’s number.
“Hello,” Evan answered.

“Ma’am, you gave me your number while I was out. I was just wondering why,” Robert said.

Evan bristled at being referred to as a ma’am but let it slide. “My name is Evan,” he clarified the situation. “I have your dog, Rex, with me,” he said.

Robert became teary-eyed to hear that his dog was alive and well. “How is he?” Robert asked.

“He’s great. He’s a good eater,” Evan said awkwardly.

Robert nodded his head relieved. “So, how did you come by him?” he asked curiously.

“He was wandering the streets; must have dug under the fence. I figured if I sent him to the pound, it wouldn’t have gone well,” Evan said.

“You made the right call. So, it may take a little longer for me to get out of here. I’ll compensate you for all your trouble,” Robert said.

“Oh, it wasn’t much trouble,” Evan said embarrassed.

“All the same, I’ll call you when I get discharged,” Robert said.

“Sure thing,” Evan agreed.

Robert then sighed with relief and fell back to sleep.

***

Evan turned to the dog. “Well, your owner is awake now.” The dog barked as if it understood. Evan felt conflicted not wanting the dog to leave. The dog seemed to notice Evan’s emotions and licked his face.

“It’s alright, Rex. I’ll miss you, too,” Evan smiled sadly.

That night, Evan had unusual dreams of Robert being in bed with him with Rex at the foot of the bed. He couldn’t see himself, but Robert was acting weird giving him a kiss while being bare-chested under the covers.

Evan awoke with a start and felt a tingling sensation on his lips as if he had been kissed. Rex eyed him with concern wondering if there was a threat nearby. “It’s okay, boy,” Evan assured the dog. “Just a dream.”

***
The next morning, Evan got a text message that Robert had been discharged from the hospital. A battle buddy had taken him home. He suggested that Evan meet him at his home to deliver the dog. “Well, you’re going home, boy,” Evan said to the dog.

Putting the dog in the car, Evan drove over to Robert’s house. He was waiting outside heavily clothed to cover up his injuries. His face was bruised up but otherwise normal. Evan opened the car door allowing Rex to run up to Robert.

“There you are, Rex. Have you been a good boy?” Robert patted the excited dog.

“Exceptionally so,” Evan said without going into detail.

“Thank you so much for taking care of him. It means a lot to me,” Robert said appreciatively and shook his hand.
Evan noted that Robert was several inches taller than him and a lot bigger. Normally, this would intimidate him but for some odd reason, it drew him closer. He felt butterflies in his stomach as an Adrenalin rush went through him.

“Well, it was nothing. Rex was great to have around,” Evan said sincerely.

“I’d like to treat you for dinner if that’s alright,” Robert offered.

“Okay,” Evan said without thinking.

“How about Outback Steakhouse at seven,” Robert suggested.

“Sure,” Evan said blankly.

“Well, I’ll see then,” Robert said awkwardly.

“Yeah, see you then,” Evan repeated and went back to his car.

***

On the way back to his apartment, Evan felt a sudden loss at not having Rex around. Maybe, if he stayed in contact with Robert, he would see the dog occasionally. But that wasn’t right. The two of them had nothing in common other than Rex. Men didn’t do that sort of thing. It was bad enough he was going to meet Robert for dinner. He considered calling it off but felt that would be rude.

As evening fell, Evan looked at his appearance. He still looked sickly, and he noticed that he was in need of a hair-cut. He combed his hair to make it look more boyish and then thought to add peach make-up on his sunken eyes. As he was about to do so, he stopped himself.

“What am I doing?” he wondered.

Putting the make-up down, he couldn’t remember when he had bought it. It wasn’t something he would normally have. Putting on a jacket, he arrived on time to the steakhouse. Robert was there to meet him as he entered.

“Table for two,” Robert smiled.

The waitress took the two of them to a booth. Robert was wearing casual clothes putting Evan at ease. Robert proceeded to order Evan a steak dinner and thanked Evan again for taking good care of Rex.
“So, I noticed Rex is really well-trained,” Evan said.

“Yep, he’s a very special dog. I used to be his trainer,” Robert said.

“I had a burglar and Rex attacked him,” Evan admitted.

“No shit? How did you get Rex off of him?” Robert asked.

“I just said ‘Release’ and he did,” Evan recalled.

“He won’t do that for just anyone. He must really trust you,” Robert said knowingly.

The two talked about the dog for a while, ate dinner, and then went separate ways. “Look, the army doesn’t pay too well, but I want you to have this,” Robert said giving Evan an envelope.

“It’s not necessary,” Evan said embarrassed.

“I want you to have it. Believe me, this whole thing has saved me a lot of heartache,” Robert said appreciatively.
“What do you mean?” Evan wondered.

“My ex-girlfriend was supposed to take care of the dog if anything were to happen to me. She had no intention of following through on that. It’s hard to really trust people,” Robert said.

Evan felt strange as he heard this. It was as if he had stepped into the role of his ex-girlfriend. “Well, thanks,” Evan said not looking at the size of the check.

“See you around,” Robert said with a smile.

“Yeah, see you,” Evan said and figured that would be the last time he would see either Robert or Rex.

***

Evan hesitated to open the envelope. When he finally did, the check was for a thousand dollars. Evan was a student and all of his expenses ended up being collected in one big debt. The check would go a long way to making life more comfortable. Still, Rex had saved him on two occasions. It felt wrong to cash in the check and especially so from a recovering army man that has just woke up from a coma. He took the check and tore it up.

Evan didn’t see Robert around, but he saw signs of him and Rex everywhere he went. Every time he saw a service member, he did a double-take thinking he saw Robert. When he walked around the neighborhood, he would occasionally see a dog that reminded him of Rex. Secretly, he had a fantasy that he would see Robert walking with Rex down the street. On the other hand, he dreaded such a confrontation.

When he dreamed, it would be of Robert. After getting a good look at the man, Evan’s dreams became more intense. He could see and imagine more details, most of all Robert’s face. Evan would wake in a cold sweat.
“It’s impossible. I can’t be gay,” he said to himself. He then realized that he felt no sexual urges over the last several weeks, not one random erection. He figured it was due to his cold that was not going away. Evan didn’t have the money to see a doctor, so he just tried to ignore it.

As time went by, Evan continued to lose muscle mass and let his appearance go. He had neglected to get a haircut and just let it grow long. He just needed to get through the semester. His dreams changed as well somewhat to his relief. Instead of Robert being in his bed, he imagined a sexy red-head being with Robert. He hoped that would be a reality for him. He was a good guy after all.

Feeling a hole in his heart, he ventured over to a pet store. Subconsciously, he made have hoped that Robert and Rex would be there. Wandering inside, he quickly realized that dogs were not available to be adopted. He felt oddly drawn to the collection of cats. Nothing had attracted him to cats before. He always thought of them as something women liked. As fate would have it, Robert and Rex did show up.

“I didn’t think I would see you here. Are you looking to get a cat?” Robert asked with a smile.

“No, actually, I just found them amusing is all,” Evan stammered.

Robert nodded. “I couldn’t help but notice you haven’t cashed my check.”

“I can’t accept it. Your dog saved my life twice. He brought me some needed company,” Evan said hoping Robert wouldn’t become angry with him.

“I don’t think you realize just how valuable this dog really is,” Robert interjected.

“He’s really smart,” Evan agreed.

“You don’t look too good,” Robert noted. Rex appeared to agree with a concerned whimper.

“I’m fine, really,” Evan said but felt suddenly weak. He fell to the floor and passed out. Rex immediately started barking as Robert took out his phone to dial 911.

***

Evan awoke at the nearest hospital which happened to be inside the base. The doctor approached Evan with a sympathetic face. “Evan, are you taking any medication?”

“No,” Evan shook his head.

“Well, your blood work indicates a high level of estrogen in your blood. The only way that could happen is if you were taking hormone treatments,” the doctor said.

“I’m not taking anything,” Evan denied.

The doctor nodded understanding. “We’re not sure what is wrong with you. How do you feel?” he asked.

“A little better,” Evan said.

“How long have you felt sick?” the doctor asked.

“Several weeks,” Evan admitted.

“I can’t give you any medication until I can diagnose the problem,” the doctor told him.

***

Evan came by Robert’s house and knocked on the door. He could hear barking in the background. Robert opened the door and gave Evan a surprised smile. “Hi,” he said warmly.

“I just wanted to thank you for what happened at the pet store,” Evan said awkwardly.

“No problem at all,” Robert downplayed.

“So, we’re like even,” Evan said.

“Let’s not think of it in those terms. Maybe, we could be friends,” Robert offered.

“Yeah, sure, but we’re in two different worlds. We have nothing in common other than Rex,” Evan said.

“Maybe we can go on walks, throw a Frisbee around,” Robert suggested.

“Yeah, sure,” Evan said. He felt flustered by these new feelings. He knew in his mind that his connection with Robert was odd but in his heart, he wanted to be around him for any reason at all.

“Alright then, some of the men in my platoon like to play basketball or football. I’ll give you a call,” Robert said.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Evan said awkwardly and headed back home.

***

On the way back to his apartment, Evan checked his mail and went inside. Looking at his mail, they were all addressed to a person named Eve. Confused, Evan opened the mail and found his bank statement, credit card statement, and utility statement. If it were just a typo, it would only affect one piece of mail, not all three. Double-checking, Evan logged into his bank account and found that his name had been changed to Eve.

Evan froze at the name change thinking he was now a victim of elaborate identity theft. He checked his accounts and found nothing out of place. He decided to play it safe and call up his bank.

“Hi, the name of my account has been changed. I’m concerned that I have been hacked,” Evan said.

“Yes, Ma’am, I will look into that for you. If you could give me your account number,” the customer service agent requested.

Evan wanted to yell at the agent. He didn’t sound like a girl, but everyone was treating him like he was. “My name is Evan,” he said peeved and gave his account number.

“I do apologize for this inconvenience, but it appears that the name listed on the account is Eve ___,” the agent said.
“Since when?” Evan asked impatiently.

“Since the account was open back in…,” the agent said and then gave some more details on the account.

Evan wasn’t following. None of this made any sense. He hung up before the agent could finish. Pulling out his wallet, he found his ID card. It had Eve as his first name and under sex: female. Evan let the card drop thoroughly spooked.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw a girlish looking face look back. It would be understandable if someone were to mistake him for a girl. Taking off his shirt, he was still flat-chested but his nipples were still swollen. He was still a boy even as the world said otherwise.

***

Evan joined Robert at the park. He was still weirded out by his accounts but figured he could solve them after the semester was over. A growing part of him wasn’t even concerned by the mistake. Robert’s squad was present with a Frisbee.

“I brought Evan here because we’re one man short,” Robert explained.

“A civilian, Sergeant?” one of them mocked.

“Hey, let’s see what the lady can do,” another said.

Evan bristled at the comment. “They’re just trash talking. Don’t mind it,” Robert said softly to him. “Hey, knock that off,” he said to his squad.

Evan wasn’t so sure after everything he had been going through. Looking around, Evan noticed Rex obediently lying down near the group. The teams were divided with Evan on Robert’s team. After one game, Evan was beat and Robert could tell.

“You alright?” Robert asked sympathetically.

“I’ve just been a little sick the last few weeks,” Evan said.

“Well, take it easy,” Robert allowed. He then turned to his men. “We’re going to play a new game. I’m going to throw the Frisbee, and you have to get it before Rex does.”

“Sargent, that’s impossible,” one of them doubted.

“No complaining. We’re doing this. Whoever beats Rex gets a late call Monday,” Robert promised.

Robert then threw the Frisbee around with Rex easily out racing the men each time. Evan noticed the happy dog and began to wonder. Everything that was happening to him had started the moment he first met Rex.

***

After the men were exhausted trying to outrun Rex, Robert called it a day. Evan waited patiently for the other men to leave. “There’s something odd about your dog, Robert,” Evan said finally.

“Yeah, I know. He’s one of a kind,” Robert smiled as he petted Rex.

“I mean, beyond the fact that he’s well-trained. The moment I first met him, strange things have been happening to me,” Evan said.

“What kinds of things?” Robert asked concerned.

“Look, this is what I mean,” Evan said taking out his ID. “Look at the name.”

Robert glanced at the card. “It says Evan.”

Evan took the card back. For him, it said Eve. “I’m sorry. I must be losing it,” Evan said putting the card in his pocket.
“It’s alright. How about you come to my place? We can have lunch and talk things over,” Robert offered.

It was an odd invitation, but Evan felt compelled to accept. “Sure,” he replied.

***

Evan felt like he was on auto-pilot as he entered Robert’s SUV and arrived at his place. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to take a quick shower,” Robert said and disappeared.

Evan felt weird as he imagined Robert naked in the shower. This was a bad idea being here. His feelings were becoming too overwhelming. Evan stared at Rex who was watching him from a sitting position. “How? Why?” he asked Rex.

The dog didn’t answer. “You’re doing this to me. How?” he demanded of the dog.

Rex simply gave him a doggy grin. “What do you want from me?” Evan demanded of the dog and then noticed a picture frame of Robert and an unknown woman.

Robert was in his military uniform at a Ball with an unknown blond woman in a white dress. A surge of envy went through him as he saw the picture. Evan then realized what was happening and gave the dog a look of horror.

“Oh? That’s my ex,” Robert said embarrassed and took the framed picture away. He was wearing a towel around his waist exposing his muscular legs and upper body to Evan. He took the picture out of the frame and trashed it. “She was supposed to take care of Rex but flaked out on me,” Robert said bitterly.

“I see,” Evan said still stunned.

“Yeah, I still have to move all her stuff out,” Robert said annoyed.

Even felt a thrill go through him; somehow he still wanted her belongings to still remain in the apartment. With each passing moment, he was losing himself. Robert came back fully clothed in casual clothes. “When is your lease up?” he asked.

“In December,” Evan said without thinking.

Robert nodded. “You know, we could help each other out. We could be roommates. I could use someone who could watch over Rex while I’m gone on trainings.”

Evan had crossed the threshold from admiring Robert’s service and who he was as a man to lustful thoughts. He could barely concentrate on Robert’s words as he spoke. Was it him that had cast the spell or the dog? Evan glanced at the dog for an answer, but the dog gave nothing away.

Evan needed to put a stop to all this. He needed to end his connection with Robert or lose himself. The best way, he figured, was to come out as gay and frighten him away. He walked up to Robert with a serious expression.
“Robert, I…like men,” he said finally.

Robert gave him an odd look. Evan felt frozen with fear. Would he look at him in disgust, would he get hit or shouted at? “Well, of course, you do. I didn’t figure you for a Lesbian,” he smirked.

Evan took a few seconds to catch on. He looked back at the attentive dog and then back at Robert. “I…,” Evan stuttered.

“Are you feeling alright, Eve,” Robert said getting closer to him.

Evan felt like he was now a few inches shorter than before as Robert came closer to him. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

“It’s probably you getting off the birth control pills,” Robert figured.

Evan simply stared. None of this was making any sense. “Right,” Evan agreed and looked for an excuse to escape.
“It’s only natural. Your hormones are all out of whack,” Robert said.

Evan agreed but for a totally different reason. Despite the strangeness of the situation, he felt oddly attracted to Robert. The desire to kiss and hold him was becoming stronger by the moment. “I think I need to go to the store,” Evan said lamely.

“What for? We just stocked up,” Robert said confused.

Stocked up? It was as if they were already living together. Evan reached for his pocket and noticed that his car and apartment keys were gone. Feeling something odd on his left hand, he saw a wedding ring on his ring finger. His nails were slightly longer than before.

“Oh my God,” Evan realized.

Suddenly, Rex began to bark as if he were distressed. Robert went over to the barking dog. “What’s the matter, boy? It’s just Eve,” Robert said.

Evan looked down at his clothes and noticed he was wearing tennis shoes with a pink stripe. His jeans were tight like women’s jeans. Dumbfounded, Evan went to the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. His face looked feminine and his red hair was short but girly. No one would think his face belonged to that of a boy.

Robert entered the bathroom unannounced. “The both of you are acting really strange,” he remarked.

Evan felt conflicted about whether to bolt or continue with the fantasy. A part of him even thought this was some kind of lucid dream. “I need to call Laura,” Evan attempted to excuse himself.

“Who’s Laura?” Robert wondered.

“Your ex, don’t you remember?” Evan asked.

“That again. Why are you so jealous of my exes? I never cared about your ex-boyfriends,” he smiled.

Evan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was as if reality had completely changed. The scar on Robert’s head was gone from the crash. “What happened to your scar?” Evan pointed at his head.

“What scar?” he asked confused.

“There was a helicopter crash. You were in it,” Evan said.

“There was no crash,” Robert said touching his cheeks. “The air assault mission went exactly to plan. You don’t have to worry about a helicopter crash. Statistically speaking, they’re rare,” Robert assured him.

Evan thought long and hard as to what was going on. Somehow, reality had changed where the crash had never occurred, where the soldiers had not been killed or injured. In this reality, everyone thought he was a woman. For the sake of those who were now alive, could it be worth it to just go with the flow?

“You want to tell me what’s really going on?” Robert asked skeptically.

“I want a baby,” Evan blurted out.

“Well, that’s the first thing you’ve said that’s made sense today,” Robert smiled and then kissed Evan.

Evan went with the kiss feeling another man’s lips and tongue for the first time. It was more passionate and aggressive than he thought kissing would be. As he embraced Robert, a small part of his mind wondered what would happen if they went further. As far as he could tell, he still had a male body. How would Robert react to him having a penis?

Robert fondled his chest as if he had breasts underneath his sweatshirt. Each touch of his nipples made him tense up in pleasure. He didn’t care if he was flat as a board as long as they felt this good. Robert was thoroughly turned on with his erection visible from his shorts. He took off his shirt giving Evan a good look at his muscular hairy chest. Evan began to wonder why he had such a long fascination with the female breast. This was truly more interesting to look at.

Robert led Evan over to the bedroom that they apparently shared. Robert went to take off Evan’s sweatshirt when Rex intervened interested in what the two horny humans were doing. “Come on, Rex. Let’s have some privacy, alright,” Robert shooed the dog out of the room and closed the door.

Robert went back to taking off Evan’s sweatshirt and throwing it aside. “Robert, I’m flat,” Evan said awkwardly.

“What are you talking about? Don’t you feel these,” Robert said touching his flat male chest.

Suddenly, Evan’s swollen nipples expanded and breast tissue began to build underneath. Evan watched wide-eyed as his breasts fully formed in Robert’s hands. They reached C-cup and stopped growing much to Evan’s relief. Robert didn’t seem to notice the change and leaned down to kiss Evan’s new female nipple.

Evan gasped and hung onto Robert’s body as he felt pleasurable shocks go through him. His nipples were so sensitive he could barely stand it. With the sudden transformation of his chest, Evan figured the rest of his body would change in due time.

“Babe, you must have planned this,” Robert said pleased.

“How do you figure?” Evan asked sighing with each kiss and lick to his nipple.

“You’re not wearing a bra,” Robert said obviously.

“Oh yeah, you got me,” Evan said sheepishly.

Robert nodded and took off his shirt. Evan waited in fearful apprehension as he took off his boxers as well. Could he really let himself be penetrated by that? As a male, he had been a virgin. He didn’t have any experience in knowing what girls felt during sex. Maybe, if he just sucked him off that would be enough.

Evan went to his knees and held Robert’s erect cock. A part of him anticipated Robert telling him to stop; that this was all a joke or a test. Robert didn’t seem a bit surprised. Looking at Robert’s cock, Evan knew then that he would have to go through with it to cement this new reality. There was nothing to go back to. After a few seconds of apprehension, Evan took Robert’s cock into his mouth and began to suck on him.

Robert grunted as he was being sucked. Evan had no idea what he was doing. He just hoped he wouldn’t hurt him with his teeth. All the while, Evan’s hips widened slightly and his waist narrowed. His stomach became flat. All of his body hair was already gone.

“I’m good and hard,” Robert said withdrawing. “You want to get pregnant, right?” he asked her.

Evan simply nodded. Could it even happen? He couldn’t imagine having a child grow inside him and then give birth nine months later. Could Robert really make that reality for her?

Eve quickly unbuttoned her jeans and got them off. She touched herself and still felt a small penis. Robert gave her an expected look. “I have to trust this weird spell,” she said to herself.

Taking off her panties, she wondered if Robert would freak out. Instead, he kissed her tenderly and stroked her penis and shrinking testicle. He rotated his thumb around the head of her cock as if it were a clit. The spell was altering his perspective just as it had with her breasts. Feeling secure, she let Robert rub her some more.

“I’ll help you get warmed up,” Robert said and led Eve over to the bed.

Eve lay on her back wondering what he would do next. She still didn’t have a vagina yet as Robert came closer to her. Unexpectedly, Robert put his lips on her cock and began to suck. Eve gripped the sheets hard as the head of her cock became more sensitive. Nerves expanded inside her cock increasing her pleasure. Eve cried out unable to keep it in.
Robert continued to lick what was left of her balls. They shrank until they became part of her labia disappearing forever. Right below the base of her cock, her body opened up. Robert placed his tongue inside her for the first time as her vagina began to form.

“Oh fuck,” Eve gasped as she felt a foreign presence inside her.

“You like that?” Robert asked her.

“Oh yeah,” Eve admitted.

“Well, I don’t think you’re wet enough,” Robert smiled and kept going.

Eve closed her eyes and tensed up her whole body as her cock disappeared into a clit. Her vagina became deeper and a womb began to form inside her. Ovaries grew and began pumping estrogen into her body. Her first egg formed and was ready to go.

“Okay, Robert, let’s fuck. Take me now,” Eve said feeling ready.

Robert obliged getting on top of her and carefully aiming his cock towards her vaginal entrance. Eve watched mesmerized as inch-after-inch of Robert’s cock disappeared inside her. “I know we’ll get it this time,” Eve said feeling more confident they had been sexually active for a long time.

“I hope so,” Robert agreed.

Eve braced herself as Robert began thrusting inside her. Every thrust stimulated her clit and the sensitive nerves inside her vagina walls. She didn’t have to worry about having her hymen broken. This was not the first time they have had sex in this reality nor would it be the last.

Eve instinctively wrapped her legs around Robert as she was being fucked. Robert was all over her kissing her lips, neck, and breasts. It was too much for her to handle all at once. She suddenly felt a rush go through her as she felt her first female orgasm. She clutched Robert tightly and cried out loudly not caring if anyone heard.

Robert increased his pace and then Eve felt a man cum inside her for the first time. “It’s happening,” she realized as Robert’s sperm was making its way to her egg.

“We’ll have to try a few more times to make sure,” Robert smiled as he finished.

Eve was stunned by what had just happened. She had just had sex with a man. They were married and would soon have kids. It was obvious that Robert was oblivious to the change in their reality. It was the dog. Rex did this.

***

Eve took a shower and felt the water come down on her sensitive nipples for the first time. She looked over at her collection of women’s shampoo and tried one. Her hair was now longer and thicker now. She wondered if she should keep it long or short. She figured she would ask Robert’s opinion. As for Robert, he would always have a short military hairstyle. She was now an army wife, a position she never could have imagined for herself.

Eve stepped out of the shower, clumsily wrapped a towel around her waist and breasts, and then a second towel for her hair. She exited the bathroom and entered the living room. She no longer had to worry about being awkward in front of Robert. However, Robert wasn’t in the living room.

Rex perked up as he saw her. Eve froze at seeing the dog. In a way, she was now Rex’s new owner for good. “You did this didn’t you?” she accused playfully. “Bark if you did.”

Rex barked at her and wagged his tail thinking she wanted to play. “Well, if you did, thank you,” she said touching his ears.

“If only I could make you as happy as I am right now,” she said thoughtfully.

***

After a few weeks of blissful love-making, Eve felt all the signs of pregnancy. As promised to Rex, the couple went to a dog shelter. At first, Eve was a little self-conscious about her looks and voice in public, but Robert didn’t seem to notice anything out of place. For him, she had always been a woman and always would be.

The two greeted the dog keepers and told them what they were looking for. “I think we have just what you’re looking for. We found her recently wandering the streets,” the dog keeper said and pointed out a beautiful female German Shepherd.

“Any tag?” Robert asked.

“There was but no address, phone number, or serial number. It just had the dog’s name. Of course, you’re free to change that name if you want,” the dog keeper said.

Eve looked at the name on the dog’s tag: Laura. “Laura’s a strange name for a dog,” Eve remarked.

“How about Lory?” Robert suggested.

“I like it,” Eve agreed.

“Rex will be so happy,” Robert predicted. He then turned to the dog keeper. “We’ll get that one.”

The dog keeper opened the cage and immediately Lory started wagging her tail excitedly. Eve knelt down so she was eye level with the dog. “I’m going to take good care of you, Lory. I’ll teach you all sorts of tricks just like Rex.”

Lory gave an agreeable bark. “I’ll fill out the paperwork, honey. You want to take her to the car?” Robert asked her.

“Sure,” she replied. She then turned to Lory. “Let’s go home.”

***

Eventually, Robert would deploy again leaving Eve to take care of the house and the two dogs. Robert came back to the states right before Eve was to give birth. After several hours of painful labor, Eve gave birth to a son. “That looked really painful. I wish I could switch places with you,” Robert said appreciatively.

“Careful, Robert, wishes sometimes come true,” an exhausted Eve smiled back while holding her newborn son.

End