found no words to express. He thought with regret about the lost manhood he would never be able to fully experience. Then he thought of the sensual texture of feminine clothing and wondered if he would ever be truly happy with the way things now

were.

Tracy was the first to arrive in mid-afternoon carrying a beautiful bouquet. She silently held Chrissy's hand for several moments while tears filled her eyes and rolled down each cheek. Finally, she said, "I ... I'm so delighted for you! Now you really are one of us," she cried happily.

"I'm glad you're so happy for me,' Chrissy stated with obvious sarcasm. "No one asked me about it!"

it."

"Come on," Tracy chided.

"You're gonna love

"Love what? Maybe how I look?" Tracy frowned. "Well, if you want a boyfriend, you'll have to leave here to find one. A girl lover is certainly a possibility though," she added suggestively.

"Oh?" Chrissy asked. "I thought everything was plutonic here."

"As long as you had that male equipment we couldn't very well let you think otherwise, now could we?" She looked toward the door then leaned over and whispered conspiritorially, "Actually, Mattie and Alice have been known to cause each other to pant occasionally."

The truth dawned on Chrissy. "Yea, that's right! I don't ever remember seeing one without the other."

Tracy added, "But all of us want to stay away from any real prick, especially when connected to those disgusting sperm bags. Yuck!" she grimaced. "Tracy! That's terrible!"

"Well," she defended herself, "I don't mind a

little fun between my legs. But I'm not going near men again. My face can't stand the pounding and I don't need another pregnancy, either!" "What?" Chrissy asked with a jolt. "You were pregnant? I didn't know you had a child."

Tracy looked off into a distant but still painful past. "I don't!" she declared bitterly. "The bastard belted me and I miscarried. 1 filed for divorce as soon as I got out of the hospital. I'm not taking that chance ever again." Chrissy tried to sooth her pain and bitterness. "Not all men are like that."

"Ha!" she replied, then pointed a finger. "You'll probably get your chance to find that out, personally. There are a lot of nice things about being a girl, some of which you already know. But making love is one of the best. The problem is choosing the right partner, and that is a lot harder than it sounds, especially if you want that partner to be a man."

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what men want, # Chrissy smiled knowingly.

"Don't bet on it!" Tracy responded firmly. "You have to go by a whole new set of rules now, deary. Just be careful and don't rush into anything. We all care for you very much and we certainly don't want to see you hurt. Besides, right now you have your recovery to worry about. Then there's a whole new world for you to explore, the world of true womanhood." She hugged Chrissy tenderly. "Oh, my dear, I'm so happy for you!" Later, Mary came to visit. She brought a sheer white negligee for the patient. greeting was pleasant but strained.

it?

Their

Finally, Chrissy asked, "Mary, why did you do Why the spiked coffee? Why did you help set me up for this? Did you really think I would be better off as a girl?"

She answered calmly but regret could be