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Mustard Seed: Faith, Hope, and Love

By Sasha Zarya Nexus

Chapter Two ~ Journey

What will Laura and Leira find on their journey to Johns Hopkins?

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Two ~ April 2, 2008 ~ Journey

Leira, Laura and Mark called and received permission from their jobs for leave for our testing phase and giving them a heads up for a possible extended stay for treatment. Finally, all four of them parted from her office to make preparations for their journey.

Dr. Robin already had a weekend trip bag packed so she spent most of the remaining time communicating with her friend Kathryn. Dr Robin tried to answer questions that their hurried information transfer had hinted at but not covered. In the end it would be up to the researchers to do adequate testing to get a complete baseline. But since Dr Robin was so familiar with the girls she could save time by pointing them in the right direction and perhaps already having the answer.

After they had arrived at their home, Mark and Leira set to their task of packing while brainstorming on all things that they would absolutely need for their journey and their needs for their extended stay. Leira was glad for her stipend but it meant that they would have to tap into their savings for Mark to be with her thru their entire experience. Once they had successfully made it thru their testing phase, Mark was going to see if he could telecommute to his job to lessen their financial strain.

Mark was first to finish packing and he had likewise come to a similar finish when he was considering any other items to take along. Leira was still engaged in packing when she noticed that Mark had finished.

“Mark, are you finished packing already?”

“Yes, Dear. Is there anything that I can do for you?”

“Actually Mark there is something. Do you remember our necklaces that we had sent to our jeweler to replace their string with a gold chain and to clean up?”

“Yes Dear. Would you like me to pick them up?”

“Please Mark. I’d like to give Laura hers and start wearing mine as we start our journey.” The necklaces had been lost even though her mother had tried to find them many times once she had realized that Laura was her daughter. Leira had recently discovered them in a secret compartment of one her mother’s jewelry boxes. They didn’t look as fabulous now as they had to the two young girls long ago so she had sent them to the jewelers to restore their former glory before they both could start wearing them.

“As you wish” said Mark with a smile remembering ‘The Princess Bride’ and he left to go to their jeweler.

Laura didn’t drive quite as quickly and actually made it home in 15 minutes. It was beginning to sink in that she had the potential to become a more complete woman than medical science had thus far been able to offer to those with Harry Benjamin Syndrome. She already had a GRS surgery bag packed complete with all the things she had gleaned from things written and chats with women who had undergone the experience.

Laura didn’t have the rest of the things packed that she would want for a possible year stay away from home but she did have the list on the computer that she had completed for the year abroad that she had planned from part of her inheritance from her parents. It was actually her mother, on their trip back from Leira’s wedding, who had recommended that Laura find a way to go on such a trip after she’d recovered from her GRS as a way of finding herself. Laura hoped that if her Mother was looking down from heaven that she would be proud of how both of her girls had turned out.

Using her packing list for her year abroad as a guideline Laura soon had all her packing done in a very efficient manner. Laura lost herself thinking about her past as she packed almost on autopilot. She owed a lot to her sister who would not take no for an answer when she advocated things Laura would have liked added to be whole

Laura called a cab to take her and her luggage to the airport to meet with the rest of her family, which they counted Dr Lee to be a surrogate mother to both sisters, for the trip to Johns Hopkins.

Leira had decided that with everything that she was bringing that she would take her own cab to the airport. She’d gotten done more quickly than Leira and Mark so she went on ahead so she would have time to get a Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee from Starbucks for herself and she had taken orders from the rest of her traveling companions.

Robin smiled as she saw 2 other cabs pull into the private jet area where their jet had its doors opened ready to receive the four of them and their luggage. Leira and Mark were getting out and the cab driver was helping them take their luggage to be loaded on the jet. On the other side, Laura was getting help from her cabbie to get her luggage loaded on the jet. Laura distributed the Starbucks orders to the appropriate people prior to boarding. Soon the luggage was all loaded and the four of them entered the plane. Evidentially the head researcher was hitting the ground running because she, herself, flew down on the plane to be their contact and share the ride up to John’s Hopkins with them.

“Greetings! I’m Dr Kathryn Jenkins, and I will be heading up the research team that will be helping this miracle to occur. I already know Robin from college. Robin thank you so much for trusting me with this important matter.” Kathryn gave Robin a hug. “Robin can you introduce me to the rest of our group?”

“Sure Kathryn. Kathryn this couple is Leira and Mark Walters.”

“Hi Dr Jenkins. Thank you for taking us on and I am glad to meet you”, greeted Leira

Likewise Mark replied, “Thank you Dr Jenkins from me too”

“You are both welcome. Leira may I have your contract?
Leira got out her signed contract and handed it to Dr Jenkins. Dr Robin resumed the introductions, "And Kathryn, this is Laura Landers.”
Dr Jenkins smiled, "I'm glad to meet you Laura. Do you have your signed contract as well?"

“Yes I’m Laura and I am glad to meet you Dr Jenkins. Here is my packet.” And Laura handed her contact packet to Dr Jenkins

The interior of the jet looked a lot like one of the blood bank busses with the medical bays with supplies scattered throughout where ever space would permit and with chairs which could be configured as patient beds. An enclosed office with monitoring station was situated in the back of the jet near the entrance. Two of the beds were already occupied. The person in the bed farthest from the rear door where we entered was already hooked up to monitoring equipment and IV’s. It was clear from the snoring that the patient was soundly sleeping even with the noise we had already made entering the jet.

“The person sleeping and sawing logs is Terry Sommers, a doctoral student.   I started Terry’s pregnancy IV's after picking Terry up in Branson. Mo. With the intense effects of the hormones being started if was found that it was easier to include sedation in the mix, timed to take effect when the uncomfortable symptoms begin. Terry is asleep from the sedative and should be soon entering that more intense phase of the hormonal treatment.” She hated to obfuscate but Dr Terry Sommers of the Jaime's Hope Foundation was not someone who would be easy to hide.  Best guess would be that they would try to pass off the alter ego as Dr Sommers' sister.

“Across the aisle from Terry Sommers is Jason Majors, a masters student. Greetings Jason! This is Leira and Mark Walker, Laura Landers and Dr Robin Lee.”

“I’m very glad to meet you all.”

“We picked up Jason in his hometown of Eufala, AL and he’s not yet reached the phase where the sedatives kick in yet. Both Terry and Jason match the experimental parameters, who have agreed to participate in the testing phase of the research. Our added test subjects are current medical graduate students at John's Hopkins, who have received a DNA profile as part of the human genome project research.”

“Jason, I’m Leira, may I ask you why you are willing to do this for someone that you had not even met till now?”

“Well to explain, I’ll need to tell you all a little story first. Is that okay with y’all?”

“Sure, go ahead!”

“This occurred in April years ago at the Majors family home in Eufala, AL where I just came from.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Jason!" called Leigh to her sibling, who was headed up stairs. "I've got something to show you. Would you like to join me in my bedroom for a moment?"

"Coming, Sis!" agreed Jason Christopher Majors as he followed his sister into her room.

Leigh closed the door behind her sibling because this conversation could not be overheard. She directed her sibling to the bed where they sat down side by side.

Leigh Lynn Majors hugged Jaycee, who she knew to be her sister, but it was too dangerous for either of them to let that secret escape.

Leigh had found out six years ago about her sister, who had to pretend she was her brother. Leigh had found Jaycee in her room crying after her birthday party. Jaycee admitted that all the masculine gifts were too much and what she really wanted was a doll or a pretty dress. It was then that they decided that they had to keep this secret and that Jaycee had to keep pretending to be a boy. Their father had a problem with anger management but had thus far not harmed them or their mother. However both their Father and Mother were members of a hate group, with tactics like the KKK, directed against LGBT individuals. Jaycee became a very good actress in order that her parents would not have any suspicion that she was not the boy that she appeared to be.

Leigh gave Jaycee a small box wrapped in pink paper and tied up in ribbons. "Happy twelfth birthday, Jaycee!" Jaycee untied the ribbons and carefully removed the paper to reveal a jewelry bon underneath it.

"Open it!” Leigh prompted. Jaycee opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver locket on a silver chain.

Jaycee hugged her sister and gave her a peck on her cheek and told her," Thank you so much, Sis!"

Leigh returned the affection and prompted again, "There is more! Like I said before, Open it!"

Jaycee did as she was told and inside the locket were pictures of 2 infants. "That's me and you as babies! I hope you like it!” Leigh told her sister.

"I love it, sis! It's a wonderful present. Thank you again" Jaycee hugged her sister again.

Jaycee's face furrowed up with a frown. "There isn't anywhere I can keep it. I can't risk being discovered which is why I have denied myself feminine things."

"I know, sis!" Leigh comforted, "That's why it isn't engraved yet but I'll do it when we are both adults. I can keep it for you in my Jewelry box until you have a place to keep it yourself."

Jaycee was relieved," That's wonderful Sis. Thank you for looking out for me!"

"That's what big sisters are for." explained Leigh who was 2 years older than Jaycee. She continued, "I'll have another present for 'Jason' at his party but this is the real one."

Jaycee smiled, "I'll think about this present when I have to be properly pleased at something that Jason is supposed to like."

Leigh observed, "You are quite the actress. I wish you could be yourself. It's not good for you to keep all this bottled up inside you, sis. I hope you never forget it’s only a part you are playing for now!"

"I love you sis!" exclaimed Jaycee

"I love you too!" replied Leigh She thought that Jaycee was too good an actress at times because she threw her parents off by acting like a bratty brother instead of the loving sister she was really.

Leigh took the necklace from Jaycee. She had not worn it but Leigh knew that if she had put it on then she could not have been able to take it off. She put it in a special place in her jewelry box to keep it safe for Jaycee as she had promised her.

As her sibling got up from the bed, she had begun acting again and it was Jason who rose.

"Thanks for showing me that, Sis. Catch you later!" Jason opened the door and stepped thru it.

"Later, Jason!" Leigh called after Jason as he left. She treasured these special times and hoped all was well with her sibling for now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:”You see I’m transgendered, even if I have had my reasons for not transitioning yet. If my help is needed to save your baby, I’ll freely give it. I’m an adult now and I can’t live forever in fear of my parents. The end result of completing the project totally would leave me with a complete female body and that’s how I would leave things. I would really appreciate your gift to me if I am the one chosen to receive it. In any case this testing gives me the reason to get off the fence and a chance to jumpstart transition. I am confident in these doctors’s ability even though it hasn’t been tried before, to save both you and your baby”

Thank you JayCee! I look forward to getting to know you better, You're a good person!"

“Well now with the introductions done, lets all take our seats so we can take off. Laura, once you are settled, we need to get you started on a hormone mix via IV so you will be ready for pregnancy and that the test results will be as close to the actual transplant conditions. I’m looking forward to getting you all settled and then for you to meet our team in the morning and get to work with the testing.. Leira, I’d like you to take a bed opposite Laura. No hormone cocktail for you of course. I’d like to do some initial monitoring of your condition.”

“Of course, Doctor Jenkins” both sisters spoke in unison and then giggled as they took their places on the beds.

Mark found that the over wide aisle was configured so that a chair could be mounted along side either bed with plenty of passage around it. Dr Jenkins removed one of the chairs from the back row and shoed Mark how to install it beside Leira. Meanwhile, Dr. Robin and Dr Jenkins started the IV for Laura and secured it for the trip. They also saw to placing the sensors for the monitoring of Leira’s condition and that of her unborn baby. Once finished with their work, they took chairs opposite each other and Dr Jenkins signaled to the pilot that the jet could be now moved as needed in preparation for taking off when they were cleared.

Leira had Mark look into her suitcase and pullout the necklace cases to give to her. She opened one and admired the work that the jeweler had done to restore and enhance it.  She remembered fondly the day that the nice Sunday School teacher had given both her and her sibling the necklaces.

Their pilot made the trip to John’s Hopkins very comfortable and very quickly. With it being after hours, all of them were taken to their living quarters within the research center and settled in for the night.