It was nearly half an hour before the Dr. Arrived to check on Jen, and she was still no closer to getting dry. In fact her mother had suggested she climb back into the bath and had lined it with towels to make it more comfortable.
Jenny was lying in the bath, wearing her now dripping wet bathrobe, with Dr. Yates Peering over her; her mother was sitting across the bathroom on the floor while the rest of the family waited anxiously downstairs for news. Jen felt very uncomfortable being examined like this, by a Dr. She’d never met, and him touching her skin so often.
“Well Jen, I can’t see a single thing medically wrong with you” He concluded with a sigh.
“Then why am I all wet?” Jen shouted furiously, “There must be a reason!”
Yates Stood up, “There might be, buts it’s not medical. I’m sorry but this really isn’t anything that I’m familiar with, I’ll call a colleague of mine who specialises in skin conditions.” He said as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket and walked out of the room.
Jenny looked at her mum, “I’m scared”.
“I know sweetie, we’ll sort this out don’t worry.” But her mother’s voice cracked as they spoke and Jen realised her mother was as scared as she was.
Jen looked down at herself; her bare legs glistened like oil as she rubbed them together in irritation. But this caused a strange cramping to start in her knees.
“Ow!” Jen gasped.
“Everything ok?” Her mother asked anxiously, Jen nodded bravely, “Just cramp”
But the sensation was growing, Jen closed her eyes as the pain increased and then subsided, becoming a dull throbbing. When she opened her eyes again she started to scream. Her knees had fused; although the shape of both knees remained and it looked like she’d just pressed them together tightly Jenny found she was unable to move them apart. On closer inspection she discovered the skin had neatly joined, trapping her legs. But her thighs and lower legs remained separate and independent.
“Oh my god! Jenny? Are you ok?” Jen’s mother was now leaning over the edge of the bath, frantically trying to comfort her daughter.
“My knees mum! My knees are stuck together!” Jenny wailed, the Dr. rushed back in along with the rest of the family that all piled around the terrified girl.
“What happened?” Her father and Dr. Yates demanded in unison.
But Jenny was unable to answer them as the cramping sensation returned, making her dizzy with the momentary pain, When her head had cleared she looked at the shocked faces in the room and realised the join at the knees had spread slightly, about an inch in both directions.
“I’ll call for help” The Dr. said, rushing out of the room.
“I’m scared mum!” Jen wailed.
Her mother held her hand as the cramping sensations returned every few minutes, causing her legs to fuse further and further. The join had reached mid thigh before it stopped, but continued to fuse down to her ankles. Dr. Yates described it as the first case of post-natal sirenomelia in history, but still couldn’t explain the continued wetness.
Several emergency physicians arrived as the joining sensation reached Jen’s heels; this caused her feet to be pushed into a pointed position. The entire room was full of medical staff taking readings and measurements, the sleeves of her bathrobe were cut so they could take bloods and analyse the water on her skin. Several men started to analyse the way the skin on her legs had fused while Dr. Yates recounted her transformation to several other men.
Jen’s mother had stayed with her but the rest of the family had been taken downstairs as there wasn’t enough room for everyone in the small room. As they’ left Jen had heard her little sister say the word ‘mermaid’.