Author's Foreword and Dedication: Although written before I had met and grew to love Rebecca Anne Stewart; affectionately called Becky by all those who knew her in the chatroom. The resemblance between her and the character Becky Taylor was and is uncanny. So I will dedicate this story to her, my beloved friend and playmate, Becky Stewart. You are still very loved and very much missed…

  

One Last Shot

by Maggie O'Malley

 

PART EIGHT

Cassie staggered into the empty house and sat on the couch. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She was so caught up in her own hurt and anger that she drove her best friend away. Instead of being there for her and respecting her wishes, she had gotten caught up in her own grief. It wasn't Becky that had quit on life; it was Cassie who had quit on Becky. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Finally getting up and wandering over to the computer, she spied the print out she hadn't read earlier. She grabbed a soda and starting reading it. When she finished, she leapt from the chair. Her face was filled with hope and excitement. She grabbed her car keys and headed into the rain.

Two thoughts filled her mind as she drove. "Please let this be true, and please let me find Becky."

Ten minutes later, her second wish came true as she spied Becky walking along the roadside. Cassie pulled up to her and rolled down the window. "Becky, please get in the car. I want to talk to you."

Becky looked over at Cassie. "Cassie, I told you there's nothing else left to say. Please don't make this any worse."

Cassie wasn't about to give up.

"Becky, I found something you've got to see. It was on the Internet. If it's true, I think it could be a miracle."

Becky stopped. "Look, I told you, I'm not interested in herbal remedies, or experimental surgeries. I'm not going to do this."

Cassie gunned the Suburban and pulled off in front of Becky. The rain was pouring as she hopped out and stood in front of Becky. "Damn, you're more stubborn than Mandy! Look, I'll make you a deal."

Cassie held the computer print out in her hand. "If you'll just read this email I got off the Internet, I swear I will accept your wishes without question. If after reading this, you still want to go to California, then I will drive you to Charleston to catch your plane. All I'm asking you to do is read something. Can't you at least do this for me, pleeease."

Becky gave her a tired smile and took the paper from her hand, but the rain had all but destroyed it. Becky squinted to make out the heading. "What is Honey Buns Ltd.?"

Cassie grabbed the paper from Becky's hand and frowned when she realized it was unreadable. "It's not Honey Buns, its Hugglebugs! And this paper is ruined. We'll have to go back to the house and I can run another copy off. C'mon Becky, you agreed to read it!"

Becky and Cassie got into the Suburban and returned to Cassie's. Becky left her bag in the car, as she was sure she wouldn't be staying long. Cassie punched up the e-mail and gave Becky a copy to read. Becky sat and read it several times. When she finally put it down, she was stunned. "Cassie, I've never heard of this before. I know that they've made big breakthroughs in nanite technology. I've heard some rumors about work a research team has been doing in New Zealand, but I never believed them. Do you realize that if these nanites can do what they say they can, no one will ever have to go through sexual reassignment surgery again?

Becky sat there shaking her head, desperately trying to think rationally. "This is ridiculous. It can't possibly be true. It's got to be some scam."

Cassie wasn't about to let this opportunity go by. It could be the difference between life and death for her friend. "C'mon Becky. What do you got to lose? If you're right and it's a scam, you've lost a little cash and one day. It says they offer overnight shipping, so we'll know by tomorrow. If it doesn't work, and you want to catch your plane, I can still get you to Charleston in time to make it."

Cassie stopped and took Becky's hand and voice was filled with hope and excitement. "But if it works, oh God, if it works, you will have the body you've always dreamed of and deserved, and a long life ahead of you. I'd say this is worth waiting one day for, wouldn't you?"

Becky wasn't convinced yet. "Okay Pistol, what if it really does work and I get the body of my dreams? You are assuming it will kill the cancer. Well, what if it doesn't? Then we will have done all this for nothing, because I will die anyway."

Cassie was one step ahead. "I've already thought of that. Either way you die, right? Well...wouldn't you rather be a genetic woman, if for only a few weeks, just to say you made it. Becky, I think of you as the same as any genetic girl, but it doesn't matter to me. None of the girls we played with had a clue you were ever anything else other than what you appeared to be. You did remind me of Brian when we first met, but I never would have believed you were Brian, because I was sure you were a woman. Of course, nothing I say really matters because there's still one person that's not convinced you are truly a woman, and that person is you! I think you are always going to feel inferior. I think you will always see some semblance of a man when you look at your reflection. It wouldn't matter how beautiful you were, I don't think you would see it. Well...here's your chance to finally be a complete woman in your own eyes. Are you going to take it, or die without ever knowing?"

Becky sat down and rubbed her forehead. "I don't know what to do or what to believe."

Cassie took her hand. "You disappeared for all those years. You came back as a woman, and now you tell me you are going to die. You've put me through a lot of shock and grief. I think you owe me at least two favors to make up for all that. I got to ask for two, because no one favor could do it. I'm claiming the first favor now. All you have to do is try this Hugglebugs stuff. If it works, you still owe me one favor, but if it doesn't, then I won't even ask for the second one."

Becky knew that Cassie was right. She had put her through so much. She was entitled to these favors. "Alright, call these people up and I'll get my credit card." Becky started heading for the door and then stopped and turned. "I have one condition. I will give them any information they need, but I will not tell them about the cancer. I don't want to know if it can cure it, and besides they may some policy against selling to the terminally ill or something."

Cassie acknowledged the condition and called the customer support number. She put the call on speakerphone. Becky told them she was a post-op M to F transsexual who wanted a genetic woman's body of similar size and age, with maybe a few little improvements. Cassie giggled when Becky asked for the improvements. Becky looked at her and mouthed the word, "What?" The entire call lasted less than twenty minutes and when they hung up they had a confirmation number for a guaranteed UPS Red delivery by noon tomorrow.

The blonde had to take meds, so she headed out to Cassie's car to bring her bag in. The strawberry blonde hit the redial button and waited for an answer. "Excuse me, Hugglebugs Customer Support? Great! My name is Becky Taylor and I just placed an order. Is it possible that I can add an extra can of spray? Super! No... Not the same formula. Permanent? Yes, definitely. Okay, here's exactly what I want..."

Cassie hung up the phone as Becky walked in.

"Who you calling, Pistol?"

"Oh, I thought I'd order a pizza. You think you might be able to eat something? You really ought to try you know." Cassie's eyes lit up and the impish smile returned. "Hey maybe we can get the same delivery boy we had in high school. I'll let you borrow my blue nightie?"

A house slipper buzzed over Cassie's head as Becky hollered. "You're a goof, you know that?"

Cassie was so glad to see Becky smile and was so excited about tomorrow, but she hadn't lost touch with reality. Her friend was sick and dying. If this miracle didn't work, she would have to say goodbye to her friend forever.

It was shortly before noon when the UPS man pulled up. Cassie ran out the door and met him before he could get to the house.

Becky watched from the doorway and thought to herself, "Cassie's more excited about this thing than I am!"

Running inside the house, sitting the box on the dining room table and then running to the kitchen to get a knife to cut the packing tape, Cassie's hands were shaking as she held the knife above the box.

The pale, sickly blonde reached over and grabbed her hand. "Okay Doctor Gannon! This isn't 'Medical Center' and you're not doing open-heart surgery. We're just opening a box. Maybe you better let me cut the tape before you destroy whatever's in here or lose a finger." Becky ran the blade across the top of the box and split the tape. Cassie opened the box flaps and pulled out two spray bottles, and a booklet.

Becky eyed the two bottles suspiciously. "Hey, why are there two bottles?"

Cassie jumped in immediately. "Uh...one bottle makes the change and the other makes it permanent."

The younger friend frowned. "I don't remember that lady saying it took a second bottle to make it permanent."

The coach remained adamant. "Oh yeah, she did! I remember exactly what she said."

Raising her hands and surrendering, the blonde sighed, "Okay, I believe you. Let's just get this show on the road."

Cassie opened the instruction booklet and read silently to herself. After about a minute, Becky lost her patience. "Pistol, you want to read that stuff out loud, so we both know what's going on."

The comment broke Cassie's train of thought. "What? Oh, sorry about that." She smiled and then paraphrased for Becky what she had read. "It all looks pretty easy to me. The nanites do all the work. All we have to do is follow the directions exactly. So, you have to do exactly what I tell you to do, okay?"

A smile and quipped, "Yes. Mother," was her answer,

The mother of two smiled when she said that and thought, "Little does she know." Her mind then snapped back to the task at hand and she immediately took command.

"Okay, I think we need to go up to my bedroom, unless you want to give the mailman a show he'll never forget."

The two women climbed the stairs and entered Cassie's bedroom. "Okay girl, the first thing you have to do is take off all your clothes, everything!"

Becky's eyes grew wide as she repeated Cassie's last words nervously. "Everything?"

"Oh for Pete's sake Becky, don't go getting all modest on me. You're the one who said we could hit the showers together and neither of us would be embarrassed, right?"

Trapped by her own words, Becky stripped until she stood naked before Cassie. Cassie was tempted to make a comment about how realistic everything looked, but thought better of it and pressed on. Glancing back and forth between the book and Becky, she continued.

"I have to spray the contents of the first bottle all over your body, even in your mouth. It's very important you get complete coverage." She hesitated for a moment, and then continued again, emphasizing the importance of her next statement. "Okay, this part is very important. It says, immediately after spraying, you are to put on an eye mask, lie down, try to remain still, and don't speak until I tell you."

Becky looked puzzled. "Why in the world do I need to wear an eye mask, and why can't I talk?"

Cassie responded defensively. "How am I supposed to know? I'm no doctor. I'm just the dummy reading the instructions. Now, are you going to stand their naked and argue with me, or are we going to turn these nanites loose?"

Becky smiled and shook her head. "Release the nanites!"

Cassie grabbed the spray bottle in one hand and the eye mask in the other. She raised the bottle and prepared to spray when Becky raised her hand to signal stop.

"I want to say something while I can still talk. Win, lose, or draw with this stuff. I want to thank you. Not just for this, but for everything. I've been so lucky to have a friend like you. I love you Cassie."

Cassie had to fight to hold back the tears. "I love you too, but save the thanks until were done. Maybe you won't like the finished product."

Becky smiled at Cassie. "No matter what happens, I'll be satisfied."

Cassie began spraying Becky's body and thought, "I sure hope you're right kid, cause there's no turning back now."

To Be Continued...

  

  

  

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