Jeb was having fun.

He’d managed to get two weeks off from work over Christmas and he was making the most of them.

Some of the countryside round where he lived was really beautiful. As a keen photographer he was capturing all sorts of views using his phone. It was because he was doing this he wasn’t looking where he was walking…

He never saw the tree root that tripped him. His phone went flying, and he did too, down a steep embankment…

His fall was broken by a tree stump near the bottom, but only after he’d been falling for a long time. He was badly hurt and bleeding out, with no way to call for help. He was convinced he was dying as consciousness left him…

Abby was also out hiking. She was out there to try and forget about the fact she had just lost her daughter to leukaemia. It wasn’t really working. Then she came across Jeb…

She crouched by him. He was badly hurt, but nothing she couldn’t take care of, as she was an extremely competent doctor, before she’d had to take ‘compassionate leave’ due to her daughter’s death. She looked closer. She couldn’t believe how much Jeb actually looked like her daughter…

Jeb was always being ribbed about how feminine he looked. He said it was because he was ‘an artiste, darling’. He was also gay, which sort of made things even worse. His friends had even tarted him up in a dress, with makeup, as a laugh. One of the guys at Uni had actually dated him, as a woman, for a while. They never found out…

Abby was quite strong for a woman; she was the opposite of Jeb; she kept being taken for a man, as she was so butch and flat-chested. It was then she had an insane idea, probably borne out of grief…

She picked up Jeb, cradling him gently as she was sure he had broken bones. She single-handedly carried him back to her SUV, parked alongside the trail, and drove him back to her place.

As she also had a private practice, she had her own x-ray equipment and other tools. She was soon able to patch most of Jeb up. Then came the bit that wasn’t exactly ‘ethical’…

Feeding Jeb a certain cocktail of drugs, she wiped his memory, completely. She then fitted him with her pair of false breasts that she had used to wear when she was vain and cared about her appearance. She was happy with her own body now, so she didn’t need them anymore, but her new ‘daughter’ did…

The lower ‘bits’ were more awkward, though. How to hide them…

She took a deep breath, then got out a scalpel. Jeb’s ‘private parts’ had already been quite badly damaged in the fall, so she carefully removed them. All of them. She styled the area so it looked like a vagina, as best as she could, making sure Jeb’s waterworks would still work ok. Jeb would have to pee sitting down from now on.

She then pumped Jeb full of a ‘booster shot’ of female hormones, to help with the changes. She suspected that Jeb would probably thank her later, seeing how effeminate his body had already been…

She leaned down and gently kissed her new ‘daughter’…

Carrying on, she treated all of Jeb’s facial hair. Jeb was already keeping himself as smooth as possible; Abby just helped the process on. She also decided that she’d fit Jeb with some hair extensions as soon as she could get ones in the right colour.

She was leaning over him as he awoke…

“Gem, Sweetie! Your awake! Thank God! I’ve been so worried…”

“Uh… what…?”

“You had a big fall. Out in the woods. Please don’t try to move yet, you’ve broken a few things. I’ve patched you up, but you need to rest…”

“Where am I…?”

“You’re back at home, kiddo. In your bed. Don’t you remember?”

“Um… no… I can’t remember anything! Oh God…”

‘Gem’ started to hyperventilate, panicking. Abby stroked her head, trying to calm her down…

Gem was looking from side to side in panic, trying to remember.

“It hurts…”

“I know, I know. It should go off, soon. Please, let me know if anything still hurts in an hour or two…?”

“Will do… I think I need the toilet…”

Abby brought Gem a bedpan. A female one.

“I’d rather you didn’t get up for a bit, your bones are still knitting”, she said. “Please, be careful. You really scared me…”

Gem used the bedpan, showing her new anatomy was working correctly…

Gem stayed in bed for a week, resting. She was too tired to do much else; this was partly due to her injuries, as well as the sudden lack of testosterone in ‘her’ body. Abby nursed her through it all. Despite everything, they were drawing close…

Abby was quite surprised when Gem managed to sit up one day and kiss her.

“What was that for?”

“Looking after me.”

“I’m your mother, sweetie. I’ll always look after you.”

“I’m so sorry I can’t remember you…”

“It’s ok, we’ve got plenty of time for that. Just get well…”

Gem recovered gradually; Abby had done her best repairing her, but she ended up walking with a limp, occasionally needing a cane.

The spent evenings wrapped in each other’s arms, in front of a blazing log fire, looking through photo albums. ‘Gem’ was convinced now that the baby pictures were her…

Abby had started spreading the ‘paper trail’ of her adopted daughter, Gemma. She’d left her fairly young but had returned to her to help when she heard that her ‘other’ daughter had died. It was on her way to see Abby that she’d supposedly had her accident…

When Abby returned to work, after her leave, she wanted to bring Gemma with her to meet everyone. Gemma, however, had refused, to start with…

“I’ve nothing to wear, Mum!”, she cried. “Also, my hair is an absolute mess! I look like a damn boy!”

Abby hugged Gemma as she sobbed.

“Ok… girls shopping trip first…!”, she said. “Also, I’ll treat you to a salon visit.”

Gemma squealed with delight…

Her new hair was incredible. Just the extensions that Abby had promised, as well as a beautiful bob that had massive bounce to it.

Then they picked the dress…

The sleek, shiny LBD with a side split left absolutely nothing to the imagination…

Abby even treated Gemma to a gorgeous set of heels to go with it.

“Now do you feel you are ready to meet people?”, Abby asked.

Gemma nodded, eagerly…

Heads turned when the pair walked into the hospital reception.

“Wow…!”

“Dr Davis, nice to have you back. And who is this…?”

“This is my daughter, Gemma, who’s come back home to me. She’s the main reason for my recovery.”

“And she is for mine”, Gemma said, kissing her…

Abby’s meeting to reinstate her was a formality, everyone wanted her back.

It was while they were showing her around that they discovered what Gemma was good at, as well.

Before being an artist/photographer, Jeb had been a nurse. It was because of this he spotted something that was very wrong…

“Mum, you need to check that patient over there”, she said.

“Gemma, what are you…”

“Mum, please!”, Gemma said. “There’s a real problem…!”

Abby walked over. She then realised what Gemma had spotted. The young girl’s skin colour was ashen, and she wasn’t moving. She wasn’t ‘just sleeping’ as she was supposed to be, according to her chart, she was comatose…

“Gemma, help me!”, she cried.

Gemma and Abby moved into action, like a well-oiled machine, training taking over. Abby soon found the injury that the previous doctor had missed…

The young girl was soon treated, and stable. Abby just stared meaningfully at the administrator…

“I don’t know how that was missed”, she said. “Thank god you two were here…”

“Seeing as you appear to be qualified, Gemma, had you ever considered taking the entrance exams and working here?”, she asked. “We could really do with you.”

Gemma took the job on the spot. She breezed through the entrance exams. Abby insisted on having her as her ‘assistant’, seeing as they worked well as a pair.

At home that evening, Abby managed to locate Gemma’s original ‘identity’ online, and found out about his nursing qualifications.

She also found out about why he had quit…

A patient had died on his watch.

It hadn’t been his fault, there was nothing he could have done; because he was so ‘delicate’, despite managing to be a nurse, he took it very personally. He had handed in his resignation the following day and walked out before anyone could convince him otherwise.

He then had spent the days until Abby had ‘found’ him as a fairly ordinary freelance photographer.

He had been an exceptional nurse, though. Abby was lucky to have ‘her’. Especially as it seemed her training had come through completely intact, despite the induced amnesia.

Wait a minute, it couldn’t have! Training was memory, not entirely instinct!

“I was wondering when you’d work it out”, came a voice from behind her.

Gemma was standing there, a smile on her face…

“I remember everything, ‘mum’”, she said. “I also love what you’ve done to me. You’ve given me what I always wanted; a fresh start in life, as well as making me a woman. I love you for it…”

“You’re not angry?”, Abby said, astonished.

“Nope. Couldn’t be happier. You’ve changed my life, alright, but it’s for the better, now. Thanks, mum!”

Gemma hugged Abby and kissed her. Tears ran down Abby’s face…

Gemma never said anything to anybody. Jeb was a loner; he didn’t have any family; he’d only really bought the phone in the first place because he was fed up with lugging a DSLR around, and he wanted to take good photos. He wouldn’t be missed at all. He’d always regretted leaving his job as a nurse but could never pluck up the courage to return.

Now Abby had inadvertently given him everything he wanted. The fact he’d saved her in the process was a real bonus.

Mother and her new daughter, happy together, headed into work, a spring in their steps…