"All right girls, lets go," said Carol
They arrived at Dr. Perkins office a little after 1:30. To thier surprise, he was in the lobby to greet them.
"Afternoon ladies," he said warmly. "Won't you please come inside," ushering them into one of the examination rooms."
"Let's see. Lisa, I gave you a general physical in July, and I gave Jennifer one in May...so no need to be too extensive now." Dr. Perkins simply checked the girls blood pressure, heart rate and temperature.
"Have you noticed any changes recently. Unusual hair growth for example?"
"We both have some peach fuzz coming in that wasn't there before."
Dr. Perkins checked the girls faces. "And you had just noticed it today, right? Under normal conditions, I'd say it was nothing to worry about...but if that Cromarte fool used what I think she did... You can get dressed."
He invited the three into his office.
"We won't know for certain until we get the lab results in, but I'm going to tell you what will most likely be what they find: It's called BHGHC-12 or Bovine-Human Growth Hormone Combo-12, developed in western India to improve the cattle stock. How long have you been on the team?"
Jennifer had been a cheerleader since she was a freshman. Lisa joined last year as a junior.
Dr. Perkins had a grim expression on his face. "These are slow-acting but persistent hormones. They were designed for farmers who couldn't afford a long-term regiment of treatment, the idea was that you give them to your cows for two years, and then the cow's body would start producing them naturally."
He paused, as if debating whether to continue or not. "I don't know what the dosages are, from what I could tell, she merely sprinkled them on your meals. How often did she feed you?"
The cheerleaders had team meals on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday just before games.
"Doctor, how are the girls going to be affected?"
"Carol, these girls have in all probability been given hormones designed for animals ten times their size, so by now their bodies are producing them naturally. Jennifer, you've been on the team for over three years, you're body is definately producing them if it's what I think it is"
"I don't think there will be any physical damage, you two should live to a ripe old age barring accident."
He swallowed hard, Jen, Lisa, and Carol's stomachs turned somersaults.
"But...your bodies are going to change. You'll begin to notice an increase in muscle mass and tone and increased bone density. Your breasts will start growing, and you will probably soon be lactating regardless of pregnancy. Your body hair is going to increase considerably, you'll also notice your hips widening and your genitals getting larger. Psychologically...well, it's unlikely that there will be an increase in agression, but you can expect a hightened libido." He looked at the three women staring at him with stricken expressions. "I wish I could say that this is the worst-case scenario, it is, but it's also the most likely. We'll know for sure in 2-3 days."
In a wavering voice, Carol asked; "Is there anyway to reverse the process?"
Dr. Perkins shook his head. "Not if it's BHGHC-12. With most hormones and steroids, the body will bleed them out naturally and they would stop having an effect. BHGHC-12 is self-perpetuating, in fact that is how it's produced, there's a stock of enhanced cattle and they just draw the blood and simply separate the red blood cells and the plasma."
"how long do we have till it's noticeable...if it's that b-stuff," Lisa asked in a tiny voice.
"Lisa," he gently rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'd say that you have a month, a month and a half on the outside. The hormones are slow acting, but they accelerate once they kick in. You're both graduating next year in May?"
Lisa and Jennifer smiled at each other. "Yes!!"
"I would get those yearbook and graduation pictures taken now."