Rick lay quietly on the hospital bed that he had been placed in. Regardless of his dreams, what was actually happening to him, and Kathy did her best to keep him comfortable, though the best she could manage wasn't much. Partially because the best she had was theory. To make matters worse, the only thing she could do to test that theory was to take further blood samples from Rick just to test and see what state of either transformation or deterioration that his blood cells were in. A lot of it was taxing work, particularly as hours began to go by.
"Anything, Doctor Tucker?" her nurse asked to her as she checked the the latest blood sample she'd taken in the lab.
"One hour since infection," Kathy reported, "No sign of cellular decay... yet. But that's also still within the time we expected based on his extra X-Chromosome. Based on the delay we shouldn't see signs of decay until six hours have passed."
"Do you think it means the treatment is working?" her nurse asked.
"No... only that were in the window where his Klinefelter syndrome prevents immediate cellular decay," Kathy answered, "which is the frustrating thing in all of this. We can't be sure if the treatment works until after we've gone six hours, seen no signs of cellular decay, Diane has completed his transformation, and we have a male werecheetah with a serious case of Klinefelter syndrome that will be difficult to hide..."
"You said he was transgender, right?" her nursed asked.
"From what Frank told me... yes," Kathy answered, "which may mean he'd be open to even flaunting the new feminine features before opting for the surgery to be a woman... but that still won't change based on what we've seen."
Her nurse nodded, "any initial signs of transformation?"
"For the moment... his nails look like they're starting to turn into the stub claws of a cheetah and some fur is beginning to grow on the spot where Diane clawed him," Kathy answered, "but not much more..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rick woke up feeling a great deal of discomfort. His fingers throbbed and his skin itched. He raised them to look at them and through hazy vision to see stubby claws at his fingertips with a thin layer of yellow orange fur growing with a series of black spots. To him it was as he felt destined to be.
"Yes..." Rick gave a moan.
A soft clicking made him looking over to seeing a young woman injecting something into an IV. He wondered what that was and noticed some of the things that were going on beside the bed. They were heart rate monitors which Rick didn't fully understand, but figured things were normal.
"I'd continue to relax," the woman spoke, "your heart rate is normal... but your fever is still high... and while you are transforming, it's a slow process."
"But I am transforming!" Rick answered, "I'm becoming the girl I was always meant to be."
The woman frowned and patted his shoulder.
"You'll still be male," the woman answered, "I've worked with Doctor Tucker in the lab. And while your Klinefelter syndrome delays the destruction of your cells, it doesn't remove or turn off your Y-Chromosome."
"But my rebirth..." Rick began thinking of his dreams.
"Dreams aren't necessarily real," the woman answered, "and while Moon Lake has given many people a new start... it has never created any sort of thing where a person is reborn."
"But... but... everyone starts female..." Rick argued.
"If only briefly while you're still an egg inside a woman," the woman answered, "once the Y-Chromosome is present after fertilization, you are male. Even if the outward characteristics haven't shown up yet."
"But wouldn't what you're..." Rick began ask desperately.
"All we're doing is hoping to delay the destruction of your bodily cells until your physical transformation can completed and Diane Tucker can complete your transformation," the woman stated, her voice calm and assuring and to a degree afraid which surprised Rick, "none of our tests with it have shown that your Y-Chromosome is being touched by either the were-virus or by our treatment to counter the worst consequences of the virus."
The woman then went about her work and drew a blood sample from Rick's arm. A part of Rick wanted to fight, but he felt too weak to do so. The woman gave a sigh.
"You'll be fine, sir," the woman assured her, "we're doing our best to keep you alive, which is what your main concern should be."
"My chest hurts," Rick said weakly.
He looked down to look at what looked like very modest breasts covered in yellow orange fear that was growing thicker with only a dark nipple being seen through his growing fur. Aside from the fur, Rick had actually always had a chest that had looked far more feminine than masculine. Gynecomastia, the development of feminine-like breast tissue, was one of the physical signs of Klinefelter syndrome, but Rick had always treated that as a sign that he was supposed to be female, and as such, he had never really had it treated.
"I'm sure," the woman sighed, "just try to sleep..."
"Diane... where..." Rick asked.
"She isn't here," the woman spoke, "just try to sleep."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Any progression?" Kathy asked as her nurse returned to the lab.
"He's continuing to slowly change," her nurse answered and prepared to provide the blood sample she'd taken to the same tests that they had been running, "fur is covering him now and his ears are starting to round and preparing to move. Some of his symptoms of Klinefelter syndrome are beginning to become more pronounced."
Kathy sighed and nodded, "Is he in any pain?"
"Only in his chest, but mostly the result of his Klinefelter syndrome," her nurse answered, "other than that... though... his other signs remain normal. So far..."
"Two hours in..." Kathy sighed and came over to look at the blood that her nurse had drawn, "any change?"
Her nurse checked it and for the moment, saw no signs of cellular degeneration.
"No sign of degeneration," she answered, "testing it for the affect on his chromosomes make take a little while."
Kathy nodded and checked the screen that her nurse was observing the sample she'd taken through. It did show more signs of transformation, but as of yet no cellular destruction. For the moment, while Rick might only be clinging, it was clear that he wasn't in immediate danger and that gave time for Frank to try and get Diane brought to the hospital.
"Though... his mind I think may need more work right now than his body," her nurse commented, "he gave commentary that he would be entirely female."
"That won't happen," Kathy answered, "based on the test results we're getting that won't happen. The physical signs of Klinefelter syndrome may be greater... but it won't change his gender. Chromosomes aren't anything that can be turned on or off and ALL our treatment is doing is buying him time until his transformation can be completed. Even with Mr. Plunkett's unique condition... the were-virus can't make him female or a child."
"He argued that it could, and rather firmly," her nurse commented.
"He's transgender," Kathy answered, "mentally he sees himself as a woman and is likely to look for any excuse to say that the transformation will make him a woman."
"But why?" the nurse asked, shaking her head, "the surgery is a perfectly viable option and no one in Moon Lake has ever gone after gays or transgendered."
"Probably because he's a normal from outside Moon Lake," Kathy answered, "many of them tend to see us as creatures of magic, be it light or dark, depending on your point of view. Even among their scientists... which leads to the assumption that we can do things that we cannot do... like turn a human male into a female werecheetah... and since that person WANTS to be a female werecheetah... they'll believe in the "magic" a bit more. Even though the tests we're running prove that the transformation WON'T and ISN'T making him female."
"What should I do then, doctor?" her nurse asked.
"Call Frances Twist," Kathy answered, "I'm sure her wife has already informed her of what's happened, but tell her everything. That we have a transgender infected with the werecheetah strain of the were-virus. Tell her we are trying the best we have to treat him and let him ride out the transformation and that if we can manage to save his life, he will need massive therapy to either accept that he is male or to accept the surgery to change his gender... because right now... in his present state... if he continues this sort of fantasy for too much longer... even if he lives... he's going to be tremendously confused."