The morning sun chased away the strange dream. As soon as I opened my eyes, I noticed the IV bag was now empty and standing at the bedrail was mom and dad. Standing beside mom and dad where the two people from the day before. And beside them stood Linda?! Linda was dressed in a pale blue dress. Her hands were folded in front of her and her black hair was tied back and styled with a pale blue boy. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the ground.

“Good morning Jamie.” The man standing beside Linda said. He offered me a small smile and reached out his hand. Trembling, I slowly lifted my hand and took the offered hand.

“Hello, sir…” I said. I was aware that my voice was trailing a little.

“Please, call me William. I’m a lawyer. Your father contacted me. See, I help people like you. Teenagers that are transgender. I have a niece around your age, she lives here in Benton. Well, she and her older sister. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She seems to be making a big splash here.”

“I knew that girl would become a little darling. I still need to take her shopping. Maybe this coming spring we can do a little shopping spree.” The blonde women said. She blushed and cleared her throat as she offered her own hand. “Where are my manners? Please pardon me, dear, I’m Isabella Bell. And this is my husband William Bell. He’s a lawyer and I’m a former nurse turned housewife.”

I blinked and blinked again as I nodded my hand.

“Linda, I believe you have something to say.” He said shifting his eyes toward Linda who shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She sniffled and looked down at the ground. Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes as she opened her mouth and then closed it.

“Come on dear. It's okay,” The women said giving Linda shoulder and gently squeezing it.

“I’m sorry Jamie..” She said finally. “I sorry for all the harm I’ve done. I attacked you, put you in hospital. I even wanted you to get raped. I don’t know why. I just felt like you deserved it. That was wrong of me. Nothing I can say or do can take back what I did back there. You don’t have to forgive me. But I’ll to make it up to you somehow.. Somehow in the future... I hope..” She then broke down and started to really cry.

The blonde women, reached over and wrapped her arms around her and then guided her out of the ward. The sound of her sobbing followed the pair. Through the haze of the painkillers still working there magic on me, I watched them go... Feeling numb and dumb.

“Well.. Now that out of the way. You and I need to talk some business. Now I feel you deserve an update. Linda will not be returning to Benton Academy. She coming to live with me and my wife. Her father needs some time alone. He’s still recovering from a very nasty divorce. So you don’t need to worry about her.”

I nodded my head. It might be a sin and an offense to God, but I was happy as heck to hear that.

“Anyway, I’ll let you rest for a while. The doctor will be around to release you soon. If you ever need any legal help, remember I’m here for you. The Potter and Bell Family are old friends.” He looked up. “Also, my wife has a little going away gift for you.” He said smiling softly as he stood up and brushed off the front of his trousers.

“Since your being.. I’ll say going to be baptized again tomorrow. Using your new name. My wife and I, thought it best if we got your size from your mom.” He said blushing as he reached under the bed and pulled out a very long box. He placed the box down upon the bed. “Isabella picked it out for you.”

I blinked and tilted my head to the side, as I reached down and removed the top from the box. The sight that greeted me was one of the finest, whitest gowns I had ever seen in my life. I had seen such gowns in the display windows of the fine boutiques of Ridgeland, Madison, and Clinton.

“It's very pretty..” I said taking a deep breath as I gently placed the top back down. “Thank you so very much..” I said struggling to find the words to convey how I truly felt.

“And from me.” He reaching down and pulling out his wallet. Opening the wallet he pulled a small gold card, he handed me the card and smiled. “Here a little gift from the Bell Family to you, a early Baptism gift.” The card was a Visa Reward’s card. The ones you preload with money.

“Why?” I said blinking as I titled my head to the side. “Why are you guys doing all this for me?”

William took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.

“Jamie, our two families have been friends for years. You're starting a new period of your life. And as an old friend of the family, I should give what I can to help you. You have a long road ahead of you. There a lot of legal things you need to work through.” He said in a somber tone of voice.

I nodded and placed the card on the table and once more I leaned back down.

“Anyway, you look beat kiddo. Get some rest, I’ll be checking up on you.” And with that, he stood up left. And I feel back into a dreamless sleep.

***

When I woke up, the ward was quiet and the lights where dim. Taking a deep breath I rolled over and noticed the window was open and a cool breeze was blowing in from the outside. Gathering my strength, I forced myself off the bed and hobbled toward the open window. Once I reached the window, I placed my folded arms upon the ledge and peered up at the night sky.

The sky above me was clear and filled with twinkling stars. The moon was bright and full. Autumn was slowly coming to my corner of the world, I could tell by the way the wind felt as it blew across my bare arms and through the branches of the dogwoods trees that line the street that ran by the hospital.

Turning my eyes once more toward the starry heavens above. I took a deep breath as oddly enough a song from my childhood popped into my mind.

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

And so whispering that song under my breath over and over again. I watched those twinkling stars till at last, I saw one starting to fall. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and under my breath, I whispered.

“One day, I want to play Arial in our yearly production of ‘The Little Mermaid’. Pretty please..” And as I watched the star fall and fade from view. I finally allowed myself to cry. I had been holding it in you see, all the emotions from the last three days. From the harsh words of the teacher to the headmaster dogging me and my sister out to finally getting attacked! And then be expected to forgive my attacker! It was all too much. Becoming Jamie was starting to become too much. As the tears rolled down my eyes and my chest heaved up and down, up and down, I felt my throat starting to burn and I soon found myself coughing and hacking as I became choked on my own tears.

Finally, I settled down. Feeling tired, I eased myself down on the floor of the hospital. Sniffling I curled up in a tiny little ball, I eased my knees into my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Then resting my head on my knees, I started to cry again.

“I don’t want to be Jamie anymore..” I sobbed into my knees. “I want my old life back, nobody had ever attacked James, nobody even knew James existed. Not even my own sister knew I existed..”

I sobbed and I sobbed till at last, I fell asleep, my energy spent. Another dreamless sleep followed. But as I closed my eyes, I hoped and prayed that things would get better. I loved being Jamie. She could be things James could never dream of being. Maybe. Just maybe she could become Arial for that play. Maybe. Maybe she could even become a Disney Princess. When we took that often talked about trip to Disney Land.