Chapter 3
"What am I going to do?" I was thinking on the Airplane to New Orleans. "I have to be very careful. After all, If word gets out about Mary's results, I'm in trouble." Mary knew that I was coming. She had booked my room and lined up a few interviews with one or two people. But they were not terminal. The first person had to be Male, maybe Gay, and one to two months to live, cancer being the cause.
I was not homophobic. I didn't have any preconceived notions about gays or lesbians. I took them at face value with no judgments. I called myself a concerned human. But Little Rock was a small town and the word gay caused a queasy feeling in my gut. I knew that the community might judge me unfairly because of this. And if word about my alter ego got out, I might have to move to a more tolerant community. I could hear it now, Dr. Drag Queen. God help me.
I was afraid that the word of the magic drug had already gotten outside the Queen circle. So I decided the best way to move around and see what was on the streets was to become Alice. I had been practicing the makeup and the body work and had it down to two hours from one state to another.
It was the same hotel as before. I hoped I wouldn't run into the same hotel security person as before. But chances were that anything could happen. So after an hour's nap, I changed into Alice. I was going to fit right in with the place I was going. The Roundup was a dive. It was one of the places where the transsexual hookers and hustlers hung out. It had to be the sleaziest place in the Quarter. So I had picked a very short black spandex dress with fishnets and heels. Alice was going with the whore look tonight (as usual) for a reason. If I was going to find out about what was going on, I had to look the part of someone who was interested. The makeup was equally wild. I got into the dark shadow and a lot of eyeliner. The eye-work got wild. The hair was my favorite long and curly brown and went down to mid back. I wasn't sure if I would make it down there before I was propositioned. The last thing was the fake fingernails. It was a good defense if someone got too friendly. They were glued on with super glue. I took a look in the mirror. Girl, I Didn't look like myself. There was this bimbo in the mirror with dark eye makeup and red lipstick and nails. She looked like someone I should avoid. And that was good. No one would recognize this face. Now could I get past the security guard dressed like this? We would see.
It was dark outside. So it was time to go. I would go right through the lobby and to my rental car. Hotel security spotted me and got to the door before I did.
"Let me see some ID please."
"UGH, can we go outside?"
"OK, honey. You been tricking in my hotel?"
"I don't trick."
"I don't believe you. Let me see the ID."
I thought to myself, "Ouch, Its him." I handed him the ID and showed the room key.
"I don't believe it. Its you. Doc, I would have never guessed."
"Well that was the purpose."
"I've been hearing rumors about you and the work your doing. I need to talk to you." The security guard's name was Robert.
"Lets go back to my room and talk. That's why I came down here like this. I figured I could find out what is going on, on the street. I just need to be invisible."
"Honey, you sure ain't invisible. Every red blooded man in the quarter will be eyeing you and that Ass."
"Well at least I don't look like a doctor." In the room, Robert told me all the rumors he had heard.
"Doc, do you have a candidate yet?"
"No and I'm looking for one."
"Let me make a phone call." He called a person named Billy. "Billy, come over to the hotel right now. I don't care what your doing. Come now." Robert hung up the phone and explained.
"Doc, I really am kinda nervous talking about this. I know you have your secrets. One look at you right now is enough for that. But I have my secrets too. If you haven't already guessed, I'm gay and the person who I just called is my friend who has been with me for 15 years. The management doesn't know about me or him. They think he's my brother. I haven't told them otherwise either. Billy was just diagnosed with cancer of the colon and its inoperable. The Doc at Oshners says that its gone to far for him to do anything. The second opinion I asked for was the same. My friend is dying and I think from what I've heard, he's your person."
Doc asked "How do you feel about him turning into a female?"
"Doc, I don't care what sex he is. It doesn't matter to me. I just want him to live."
I just told Robert to keep cool and let me talk to Billy. I explained that my appearance might make Billy relax and talk to him. A straight person normally wouldn't be caught dead in a situation like this.
(By the way, Transvestites could be gay or straight but to the straight community, Your Queer.)
It only took ten minutes for Billy to get there. I answered the door.
"Hello. Is Robert here?"
"Yes, please come in. You must be Billy. I'm Alice."
"Your the cancer doctor aren't you? Your the one every body in the quarter is talking about. You don't look like a doctor."
"Well, I want you to understand that the dress and makeup are a disguise and its not a thing with me."
Billy looked at Alice and just shook his head.
"I would have never known that you are a man. Doc, I don't care. You sure do this very well for someone who doesn't have a "thing" for this."
Robert spoke up and said he didn't really care either.
"Okay, before we get into anything deep, I need to call Mary and tell her what is going on. We had some things planned tonight. Mostly trying to hear all the stuff on the street." I called Mary at the Roundup and told her what had happened and could she come over. Mary said sure and would be over in about 20 minutes.
Billy was a very small individual. Very thin and pale. It was very obvious that this was an ill person.
"Billy, first and most important, I am a researcher and doctor. I'm not a Queen with a plan to turn all men into women. I was drawn into all of this with a surgery patient you may know as Mary. She is the one who guided me to the underground drug that started all of this. This is an experimental drug. There are 6 monkeys who have been on the drug for 10 months. The results are consistent. You will probably change sex and will have to take this drug for the rest of your live once a day. The big thing is it will keep you alive. I need to get a personal history and some of it might get very personal." I started asking Questions about Billy's diagnosis. "First, can you get a copy of your records?" Billy's voice was weak and high pitched.
"yes I can" . Billy looked like it was too much for him. He turned and looked at Robert.
"Do you know about this, I mean, I will be come a woman?"
"Yes Billy, and I don't care. I just want you to live. I can handle you as a woman."
"Doc, When they told me I was dying, I nearly lost it. I don't want to die. I will fight down to the last day. But that day is coming fast. I am getting weaker every day. As far as being a woman, It doesn't matter to me anyway. I always felt like a woman anyhow. By the way, Can I ask you a personal Question?
'Sure".
"I've done drag before and could never look completely real. You look really good. Why do you look like a prostitute?"
"Billy, I didn't want to look like I normally look and this is as far as it gets from the way I really look. Well I think you look beautiful. If I wasn't gay, I might make a pass at you."
"Well, thank you Billy. I know that no one is going to think Its me. At that point, Mary knocked on the door. Mary stared.
"Doc, You look incredible. I think you've been practicing."
"Thank you. It was fortunate that I did this tonight. Robert wouldn't have stopped me in the lobby and ID'ed me. Mary, It looks like we have our first experimental patient, If he agrees."
Mary said " I've been feeling around and there isn't too many other people who fit the profile."
"Well, Billy, do you want to do this?
"Just tell me what to do."
"OK Billy, you will have to come to Little Rock and live, for at least a year."
"Hey Doc, that's better than dying. So, go home tomorrow and pack. Your going with me back to Arkansas."
"Doc", Mary said, "how long did you plan to stay?"
"Till Monday morning."
"Well I think it would be a total waste if you didn't go out tonight. You look good enough to steal every trick in the quarter tonight."
"This isn't going to cause trouble tonight, is it?"
"No, and I will see to that."
They all went out, except Robert, who had to work back at the hotel until 7 in the morning. I had a hell of a good time that night. Things were finally "clicking". No one had any idea who this lady was. Alice got hit on most of the night. I had to learn how to say no pretty quick. With Mary and Billy with them, no one pushed it.
Saturday morning, I woke up and got out of bed. The makeup was still on. The hair was on the other bed in the room. I had such a good time, I was too tired to undo the makeup and body work. I put the hair back on and looked at the person who stood there. I thought to himself, "I really could get addicted to this." But, it wasn't in my plans to do something like this on a regular basis. What would Caroline say if she saw this. Probably that I was a pervert and that the research was a part of this sickness. I would have to deal with that later. I hadn't planed to become a transvestite. I was glad it had happened. But how long could I keep the research and this separated and secret? Was this fate? I started to take it all off. If I didn't, I might lose control and go out again. I had things to do. Doctor things. Alice would be a problem. After the shower, Every thing was packed and stored away. I looked in the mirror again. Same old Allen. Nothing new. I was kinda sad. I had to be practical. I had too much work to do and this could not be allowed to become addictive.
I was researching Billy's past. Billy had been an administrative assistant. He was a very talented individual. He was 38 years old. But when he had come to the room that night, he looked fifty. He had been with Robert for over 15 years. I could not understand why Robert wanted to work as a 7 dollar and hour security guard when Billy, at one time, made over 50 thousand a year. That would be a good question to ask later. But I suspected it had something to do with pride and keeping busy with something that liked to do. Billy had to stop working 6 months earlier when the cancer treatments had weakened him to the point that he had difficulty with an 8 hour day. The Gay couple had good insurance and enough money to be comfortable for years. As the first legal patient/volunteer, Billy would not be charged any fees for the drug or the care. I did not consider Mary really the first patient as she had been taking the illegal form of the drug for at least a year. She was already female by surgery.
I had made arrangements for Billy to stay at my home. I figured that someone of Billy's talents would come in handy. So it was time to go home. Billy had made arrangements for most of his things to be shipped to my home. Billy had packed light for the trip itself. It was going to be a tough trip for him in his weakened condition.
I introduced Billy DeLeon to Dr. Caroline Rodgers. This was going to be a very very interesting occurrence. Billy had been told to keep very quiet about the New Orleans trip. Alice was the my business only. So when questioned about how the two had meet, Billy said he had been referred to the Doc by a friend. It worked. Nothing else about New Orleans was asked by Caroline. I took some blood for the testing. Then I introduced Billy to the chimps. Caroline gave both Billy and I the latest update on all 6 chimps.
"Five of the six chimps are responding to the drug as expected. One of the 4 new males are not responding. After some additional blood work and testing. I've discovered why. He doesn't have cancer. He has a heart condition. And its operable. Dr. Gurber, some one has slipped a joker in the deck. I think this was deliberate. I'm glad we started the drug on him anyway. It shows that the drug is cancer specific, and that's very good."
"Well Caroline, I have enough proof to convince myself about this stuff. Now we have to convince everyone else."
After all, the stuff was infallible. I had given the male drug to a male and nothing happened. I had given the Female drug to a female. Nothing happened. Then I had reversed the process and given the male drug to a female and then female to male. The stuff worked. Time for more chimps. But where in the hell would I put them?
Billy was watching Caroline and Allen work on his blood specimen with great interest.
"I've always wanted to know what happened to all that blood that I've given over the years. What are you looking for?"
I spoke up and said, "we are looking for a specific blood cell that shows up with cancer. We are also doing an H I V test. Before you say anything, we do it on every chimp and every human we come into contact with. Its strictly a precaution. And by the way, yours is negative."
"Well thanks Doc. But I already knew that. I was tested at the hospital. And I've been monogamous for 15 years."
"Good. Well your blood work is done and I don't know what your doctor told you but, your a sick puppy."
"Thanks for the positive feedback Doc," Billy said with a smile.
Good. I thought to myself. He's got a sense of humor. He'll need it.
Caroline quite didn't know how to talk to Billy. It was like she thought he was a glass doll. For the first couple of days, She was very formal. Billy was a very outgoing individual. So he stopped her and said "if you are going to be around me a lot, please call me just Billy. I promise that I will not bite like your patients. I might be a little sick right now, but when this stuff starts to work, I will get better and I will want to work with you and the Doc. I want to help. I've also volunteered to help with the research and paperwork. That is what I used to do for a living." Caroline asked Allen later about this.
"Oh yes, he used to be an executive assistant. I talked to him about helping us with the project when I was talking to him about being the first patient. He agreed to be my executive assistant with the project. He will also be involved with the picking of future patients. He is also familiar with the government and how to talk to them. I need that a lot."
Caroline expressed the one thing that he was hoping wouldn't come up. "Aren't you afraid of what people will say when they hear that a gay man is staying at your house?"
"Caroline, what do you think they will say when they find out what we are doing here? Its bound to be more than they can take. Let them talk. It will all work out." I was secretly hoping for the best. This was a small conservative town and I had no idea what to expect.
Billy also was talented with the computer. He knew how to manipulate data programs for maximum use. It only took a couple of hours for him to figure it out. He also started to get to know the chimps. The research data had to go into the computer. So Billy had to take the hand written data sheets and put them into the computer. The chimps seemed to like him so I got him involved in the care of them quickly. Billy had started the drug after the blood work had begun that first day. It would take at least one month for him to get where he could last a whole day without getting tired. It had been one week and he could last till 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
The chimps blood was being tested daily. The daily observations showed that the first 6 cancer chimps were progressing and getting better. The female was changing to a male and the male chimps were changing to female. The only chimp not changing was the male from the second group with heart problems. He was not improving at all. I had decided to keep the chimp and continue the therapy to show the drug had no effect unless it had cancer cells to react to. But the chimp would have to have an operation for a clogged artery on the heart.
The dog that Caroline had suggested that I put on the drug was doing quite well. It was a male to female transition. The animal was doing very well. Caroline was very happy as there was a cure for some kinds of veterinary cancer. The owner of the animal had been warned that there would be a small problem. The dog wouldn't know that it had been changed into a female. It would have to remain inside and not be allowed around other animals. It would fight other males and other females would fight it. Nature wouldn't be kind to it. I was thinking to myself about that. It seemed that the humans wouldn't be much better.
The zoo called and inquired about the first two chimps. I had decided to allow the chimps back into the zoo's custody. I would supply the drug and if the zoo would continue to provide referrals to the program. I would not charge for anything other than the drug. I hadn't even thought about a name for this stuff. I would have to come up with one soon.
Zoos all over the country wanted to participate in the program now. I hadn't been one for publicity and didn't wish to get any especially now. But it was starting. A television reporter had been snooping around and asking questions. Finally, the man knocked on the office door and asked to see me. Margaret and Claire were blocking him in the front office when he came up to see what the commotion was.
"I'm Joe Hill from the local TV station. I would like to talk to you about your research."
"Well I'm not ready to talk to the media about it now. It's still very new and dangerous and I wouldn't want any one to think that we have a new discovery. I won't be ready for at least a year."
"Ah come on Doc. The zoo says you cured their dying chimps with this new drug. Did they tell you everything Mr. Reporter?"
"Just that it saved their lives."
"Well it has a nasty side effect and we aren't going to announce anything until we can fix the side effect. If we cannot do that, then we may only use it on people who have no other choice. I'm not ready to talk to you yet. If you do this story, I will call you irresponsible and trash your information as much as I can. I will not have you getting peoples hopes up over nothing!" "Sounds like you are hiding something Doc."
"Yes I am and I'm not talking to you yet. GET OUT. Margaret called the police.
When they arrived, I filed a complaint against this reporter so that he wouldn't bother them again until he called them. As far as I was concerned, that was never. But the attention had started. The following day, A newspaper article came out about the chimps and their miracle cure. The article mentioned a minor side affect, but nothing more. That was good. I didn't know how much longer I could keep a lid on this stuff. I and Caroline had been working on the genetic mutation part of the drug. The D N A X-X and X - Y pairs were changed around by the drug. It acted like a steroid. But for the drug to cause a reversal of cancer cell growth, it had to do this. The mutation changed the cancer cells and restructured them as the opposite pair of chromosomes. The whole body followed suit and DNA mutated into the opposite sex. Once the reaction started, the body had to have a supply of the drug in the blood or new cancer cells would grow out of control and kill the patient. That was why the patient would change sex in a year. I couldn't get around the side affect. It was part of the body's way to get rid of the cancer.
I was now ready to publish the initial results of the monkeys to the drug. This was going to open the "Pandora's Box" of interest to the public and doctors all over the world. Billy had been on the drug a month. Several zoos all over the country had been using my drug and reporting the blood work and results directly to me by computer modem. 99 % of all animals who were put on the drug had cancer and reacted favorably. There were some problems though. 2 monkeys who were so severe that the body's defenses were gone, had died. After the autopsy, It was discovered that the drug had started to work. It had been administered to late. So there was a time factor. There had to be a certain level of body strength to allow the drug to work. This would be important later to human patients.
Just as I had expected, the clinic had been rampaged by news reporters and phone calls by concerned people all over the world. So many people with cancer were looking for a quick fix. My answer to any person who wanted to be on the program would have to be put on a waiting list. It would be a year before I could allow another patient on the human part of the experimental program.
Billy was remarkable. All kinds of people were watching the clinic. He came and went all the time and when asked who he was and what he did there, He answered, "I'm the person who feeds the animals. I don't know what your talking about ." But at 2 months, Billy was growing breasts. They were at a size "B" already.
"Billy !" I proclaimed, "Your mother must have had large breasts."
"Yea Doc, Don't kid me about this. She was big and it looks like I'm headed that way." Billie was reporting a great deal of discomfort in the abdomen and chest. But for the amount of change occurring, it was minor. It had caused some small irritability in Billie's behavior, but after a few weeks, it went away. The blood work, which continued on a weekly basis, showed a high amount of endorphins. The body was actually helping with the pain. This stuff continued to amaze me. This research would take years.
After several months, the attention started to fade. I figured it would when no one was admitted to the program other than one patient. Billy could no longer hide the breasts he was growing. The other reaction was that the genitals Billy had were shrinking at an alarming rate. He came in to the office one morning and proclaimed that it was almost gone. I stopped feeding a chimp and asked Billy to show him. By now, the shy executive assistant would drop his pants on command. It was totally amazing. There was a small spot where the penis was and the scrotum sack was gone.
"Billy, you will now have to start dressing as a female. I've been meaning to have this conversation with you for a while. Now, I think is the time."
"Doc, I don't feel like going through with all that makeup and shit."
"For you to become the ambassador I need you to be, it will be necessary. Especially in public. Now at first nothing elaborate. Do you know how to do the makeup and cloths?"
"UH, just a little."
"What if I got Mary or one of your old friends from the Quarter up here?"
"Uh, OK I think. Doc, I knew this was coming, But not so fast."
It's surprising to me to. Billy's breasts were still growing. The hips and rear end were now also developing to a nice female form. The skin and features were rapidly changing to. Billy had been complaining about cramps and discomfort in the chest and genitals. It was something I had been expecting. The human body going through such rapid changes was bound to have a small level of discomfort. It was now difficult to hide the "new woman" here. The endorphins level had maxed out. So it was time to prescribe a minor pain medication.
Billy also had been eating quite a bit. His body was in metamorphosis. So he required quite a lot of energy. At this point in Billy's metamorphosis, it was 5 months. I had decided to allow Billy one more month of freedom. But he would have to take the complete female role at 6 months. Billy was completely over the cancer that had almost killed him. He would now have a new body also.
Well the big day had arrived. 6 months into the program, Billy was now Billie. The ladies in the front office would look at Billie and just wonder. After all, it was very hard to believe that the change was so profound. The other thing was that Billie's facial hair disappeared and the skin had softened. This stuff was going to put a lot of people out of business. Billie would continue to wear casual stuff like jeans and sweat shirts. But she would now have to take on the complete role. I needed Billie to dress super feminine so I could show her off. This had been planed and set up from the beginning. Mary flew up from New Orleans the next day.
"O my god ! Why did I not meet you sooner Doc? Billie just look at you. You are beautiful.
"Mary", I said, "Quit fondling the merchandise. We need your help. Billie needs makeup training and dressing help. She doesn't know any thing about colors or coordination.
"Well, Doc, Who is paying?"
"Well I guess I am. How much money can I spend ?"
"Come on Mary. We need to be conservative. I'm not made of megabucks. 500.00 is what I got on hand."
"Well Its not like we were in New Orleans. After all, Billie is now the real thing. That black hair is going to be beautiful."
"Mary!"
"OK OK Doc. Conservative."
"Yes, remember we are going in front of a bunch of stuck up doctors who would just love to find something wrong with this. Lets don't give them any ammo, right?"
"Yea Yea conservative."
"You know, dress for success suits and good looking stuff. I think I can trust you."
"Don't worry Doc, I will make the money count."
The next day, Billy was presented to the office staff. Claire was the first to speak up.
"Doc, is this what you've been doing all this time?"
"Remember ladies, Billie was dying of cancer. Its now gone. Billie will now live a full adult life span. With just a little side affect."
Margaret, who had been watching Billie all along, kinda knew what was going on and said, "Be nice Claire. This was not a chosen thing. It was this or death."
"Yes Margaret, That is exactly the point. I don't care what anyone thinks about the change in sex. They are still alive. We will have to help them with the transition. That is where we will need you two's help. I will need a psychological profile and history of every one who goes through this program. We will need to console him on every aspect of being the opposite of what they were."
Claire spoke up again. "You mean women will become men too?"
"Yes." Doc explained to Claire and Margaret the process and how it occurred and the metamorphosis actually worked.
"Boy this place will be busy from now on", Claire said.
"Yes you are right. How do you ladies like the way Billie looks?
"If I didn't know before hand, I wouldn't have never guessed", Claire said. Billie was wearing a nice coat dress and just a little makeup. Mary had done a wonderful job on picking the wardrobe. Doc had not seen the rest of it. This was going to be very interesting......................