Micky was absolutely brilliant at sport at college and wanted on every team.

The tennis serves were incredibly fast and accurate, as was the cricket bowling.

Micky also played football and rugby and played it well.

Then, one day, everything almost came crashing down…

Micky was bowling fast, as usual, but somehow, Nick had managed to get a bat on to his delivery.

The ball came whistling back, and there was a loud crack as it hit Micky.

There was a collective gasp as it happened, and Micky went down as if poleaxed.

Then there was just silence; everybody looking at the small body lying on the ground, not moving…

Someone quickly yelled for first aid, and the trainer came racing on with his kit.

“He’s out like a light”, he said. “I’m still getting a pulse, but it’s weak and thready. Call an ambulance…”

He worked away at Micky, trying to get a response.

The ambulance arrived while he was still working, as the station was only just up the road, and Micky was carted off on a stretcher…

In the ambulance, a paramedic started undressing Micky, to connect up the ECG and other monitors.

“Hang on a minute…”

“What’s up, Maggie?”, asked the driver, Pete.

“This boy’s a girl”, said Maggie, amazed. “Her breasts are strapped down, and she’s wearing a pair of underpants with a fake penis. It’s a good job, too… I wouldn’t have noticed, but the electrodes wouldn’t stick to the strap. What the hell’s going on…?”

“The name given was Micky Blake”, Maggie continued. “Anyway, whether she’s a boy or a girl doesn’t affect the fact that she’s heavily concussed and only just hanging in there.”

The ambulance raced to the hospital...

Back at the college, the Principal was phoning the emergency contact on Micky’s records.

“Mrs. Blake…”, he began.

“Andi, please”, she said. “What’s wrong? Colleges only phone if kids have done something…”

“I’m sorry to say there’s been an accident”, he continued. “Micky was hit in the head by a cricket ball on the playing field and he’s been knocked unconscious. He’s been taken to hospital by ambulance.”

“Two things,”, said Andi. “One, what do you mean ‘he’? Michaela is a girl; she just likes to go by the name of Micky. And two, why the hell did you let her play cricket? You know she’s not allowed any form of physical exercise, due to her health.”

“I’ve got nothing on file about health issues”, the principal said. “Also, I’m sure you’re aware, that this is a boys only college…?”

“What!”, shrieked Andi. “I’ll kill her! That blasted tomboy streak of hers…!”

Further research showed that all of the necessary paperwork, computer applications and records had been ‘adjusted’ by Micky to ensure that she had been able to attend, as well as Micky keeping secret the fact she changed herself into a good facsimile of a boy as soon as she left the house, by ducking into a local community centre on the way and back.

Andi had never been to parent teacher evenings and had only had contact with the school by phone. Any paperwork had all been handled by Micky, as part of her offering to ‘step up’ and ‘be responsible’. Andi had just signed where Micky told her to…

Now upset, worried and also angry, Andi headed to hospital…

At the hospital, Andi asked where Micky was, and she was directed to the Accident and Emergency unit.

Walking in, a nurse directed her to a bed.

“You’ve come at just the right time”, the nurse said. “Sit with her. Talk to her. She’ll still hear you, even unconsciously. You might even bring her out of it…”

Andi sat down.

As soon as she looked at Micky, the anger went completely,

“My sweet girl…”, she said, strangling a sob. Then she saw the bump in the sheets…

“What have you done to my baby…?”, she wailed.

“Er…”, said the nurse, who had rushed over. “We couldn’t remove the knickers with the penis in; she’s locked them on somehow. We had to remove the strap over her breasts to attach the electrodes to monitor her, but that came off easily.”

“I can’t believe this…”, said Andi. “She was never this serious at home, just a bit tomboyish. You know, she liked sport and video games. I never knew she really wanted to be a boy…!”

“Luckily, all the A&E and short stay wards are mixed”, the nurse said. “We’d have to send her to a woman’s ward for any long stay, and I really think she wouldn’t like that.”

Smiling, the nurse held Micky’s hand for a minute, then walked back to her station.

At that moment, Micky opened her eyes.

“Nurse! Nurse!”, Andi called. “She’s awake!”

Micky looked down at herself, and saw her breasts weren’t strapped up.

“Damn…”, she groaned. “I didn’t want anyone to know…”

“What, that you’re an attractive girl with a tomboy streak?”, the nurse said, before Andi could say anything.

“No, that I’m a girl in the first place”, said Micky. “God, my head hurts…”

“It’s all right, the doctor will be with you in a…”, the nurse suddenly stopped, looking at the way Micky was waving her hands in front of her face. Micky was breathing faster, and all the colour had drained from her face.

“I can’t see out of my left eye! No… no…”

Micky crumpled, and sobbed…

The ‘medical condition’ that the school hadn’t been told about was a partially detached retina in her left eye. The blow to her head had caused the eye to fail completely.

 Andi and the nurse just held her and, shortly, the doctor came over…

Later that evening, Micky was wheeled off to the Emergency Ward to rest overnight, as the Doctors wanted to keep her in for observation after her head injury. To try and help her sleep, they had given her a private room; however, she did understand that people would look in on her from time to time.

Micky had not said a word to her mother, or anybody else, since A&E. She had completely withdrawn. Her mother had sadly walked out, and gone over to the café to sit, drink and wonder what to do next.

There was a phone call in the ward from reception.

One of the nurses then came in.

“Your friend Nick from school is here to see you”, the nurse said. “He’s worried about you…”

“No!”, said Micky sharply, the first she had said for ages. She then turned away and stayed like that until the nurse went away.

Micky was ashamed, ill and scared. She didn’t want her friends finding out she was a girl, she hated not being able to see properly, and the headache was getting worse.

Eventually, she pushed the nurse call button.

“Can I have anything for my headache yet?”, she asked, “It’s really getting worse.”

“Of course you can, kiddo”, came the soft voice.

Micky turned round and looked up.

The nurse that had helped her in A&E was standing there.

“Hi, I’m Sarah”, she said. “Let me get you something…”

Sarah went out, and shortly came back in.

“I’ve checked, you can have something”, she said, handing Micky two pills in a paper cup and a small plastic beaker of water.

While Micky was taking the pills, Sarah sat with her.

“Why did you do it?”, she suddenly asked.

“What?”, Micky replied.

“Be a boy. You must have known you’d be found out sooner or later.”

“I’ve been at that school for over six months!”, Micky retorted, indignantly. “I must have done something right. What business is it of yours, anyway?”

“I think the girl in front of me is quite attractive”, she said. “With the possible exception of the bump between your legs…!”

To Micky’s amazement, Sarah then bent down and kissed her.

“I’m into girls, by the way”, she said. “I’ll even let you wear the trousers, if you like…”

Sarah walked out, a swing in her step. Micky could just stare with her mouth open…

Sarah looked in a few hours later and noticed the ‘bump’ had gone.

Micky had removed her specialised pants, and chucked them in her property bag, where her strap had already been put.

Perhaps there were some benefits to being a girl after all…

Later, Andi came back in; she had been sadly sitting in the hospital café, wondering what to do.

Finding out where Micky had been moved to, Andi knocked on the door and came in.

Sarah was sitting with Micky, who was sitting up in bed.

“Pull up a chair”, Sarah said. “I’ve been having a ‘talk’ with Micky…”

Andi realised that Sarah was trying to help; she’d also noticed the body language between the two of them.

It also seemed to be helping Micky. At least she wasn’t shouting at anyone and everyone now…

Sarah, with Micky’s consent, explained everything to Andi. She was also using her proper name…

“Michaela is fed up with being bullied at all the mixed and girls schools and colleges that she has gone to. She thinks she looks way too ‘butch’ to be a girl and this is what is causing all the trouble. She’s inadvertently made everything worse, not better, by being a tomboy…”

“I’m only a part-time nurse”, Sarah continued, “I’m also a youth counsellor. I’ve come across a few cases like this in my career. The only thing is, I can’t ‘officially’ help Michaela.”

“Why not?”, asked Andi.

“It’s against the rules to get involved with my clients”, Sarah said, “and I’m definitely involved with Michaela…!”

To Andi’s amazement, Sarah leaned over again and kissed Michaela, and she kissed Sarah back. The two then hugged.

Andi, instead of being angry, just chuckled quietly.

“You’ve already done a great deal for Michaela”, Andi said. “you’re the first person she’s shown any kind of affection to for years. I’m not sure how ethical it is for a nurse to be getting ‘friendly’ with a patient, but I’m not going to say anything. I love my daughter too much to spoil her happiness.”

“God, mum…”, Micky said, tears in her eyes. “I never knew! You never showed it… and I’ve treated you like absolute garbage…!”

“Show me a mother that’s never had a stroppy teenager”, said Andi, with a shrug.

“Only thing that will probably put a spanner in the works in our relationship”, Andi continued, “I told the college that you’re a girl…”

Micky’s reply wasn’t printable…!

The following day, Micky was discharged, with instructions to rest until the following week at least.

Sarah visited every day, sometimes staying for hours at a time. As she did, she found out more about Michaela.

Michaela also started asking her questions about what she could do next…

“Funny you should ask that”, Sarah said. “You’d actually finished your Psychology course that you were on; the sports were just for fun, weren’t they?”

Michaela nodded.

“Anyway, you’ve got a top-grade pass. Your qualifications are plenty high enough to get a counselling job with me, and your practical experience will be a great asset. Of course,”, she said, with a wicked grin on her face, “that means we can see more of each other…!”

“You sure you won’t find it too distracting working with me…?”, said Michaela.

“Not at all”, Sarah said. “After all, you’ve got the qualifications and the job as Micky, not Michaela. You’re going to be working as a guy…”

“What…!”, said Michaela…

“You passed your exams as Micky. The application that went in is in the name of Mr Micky Blake. Seeing as all your ‘patches’ are still in place to make you show up as a guy, when people check...”

“I told you that you’d be wearing the trousers in this relationship”, Sarah said...