Short Stories by Robert A. Heinlein Vol 1 Part 26

"'A healthy little girt. Five pounds, three ounces. "

"I relaxed. It's something, to have made a baby. I told myself I would go somewhere and tack "Mrs. " on my name and let the kid think her papa was dead -no orphanage for my kid!

"But the surgeon was talking. "Tell me, uh-" He avoided my name. "did you ever think your glandular setup was odd? "

"I said, "Huh? Of course not. What are you driving at?

"He hesitated. I'll give you this in one dose, then a hypo to let you sleep off your jitters. You'll have "em. "

"'Why? I demanded.

Ever hear of that Scottish physician who was female until she was thirtyfive? -then had surgery and became legally and medically a man? Got married. All okay. "

'What's that got to do with me? "

"'That's what I'm saying. You're a man. "

"I tried to sit up. What? "

"Take it easy. When I opened you, I found a mess. I sent for the Chief of Surgery while I got the baby out, then we held a consultation with you on the table-and worked for hours to salvage what we could. You had two full sets of organs, both immature, but with the female set well enough developed for you to have a baby. They could never be any use to you again, so we took them out and rearranged things so that you can develop properly as a man. He put a hand on me. "Don't worry. You're young, your bones will readjust, we'll watch your glandular balance - and make a fine young man out of you. "

"I started to cry. "What about my baby? "

"Well, you can't nurse her, you haven't milk enough for a kitten. If I were you, I wouldn't see her-put her up for adoption. "

"'No! "

"He shrugged. "The choice is yours; you're her mother - well, her parent. But don't worry now; we'll get you well first. "

"Next day they let me see the kid and I saw her daily - trying to get used to her. I had never seen a brand-new baby and had no idea how awful they look - my daughter looked like an orange monkey. My feelings changed to cold determination to do right by her. But four weeks later that didn't mean anything. --

"Eh? --

"She was s.n.a.t.c.hed. --

"'s.n.a.t.c.hed? --

The Unmarried Mother almost knocked over the bottle we had bet. -- Kidnapped - stolen from the hospital nursery! " He breathed hard. -- How's that for taking the last a man's got to live for? --

"A bad deal, " I agreed. -- Let's pour you another. No clues? --

"Nothing the police could trace. Somebody came to see her, claimed to be her uncle. While the nurse had her back turned, he walked out with her. --

"Description? --

"Just a man, with a face-shaped face, like yours or mine. -- He frowned. -- I think it was the baby's father. The nurse swore it was an older man but he probably used makeup.

Who else would swipe my baby? Childless women pull such stunts

- but whoever heard of a man doing it? --

"What happened to you then? --

"Eleven more months of that grim place and three operations. In four months I started to grow a beard; before I was out I was shaving regularly... and no longer doubted that I was male. -- He grinned wryly. -- I was staring down nurses necklines. --

"Well, " I said, "seems to me you came through okay.

Here you are, a normal man, making good money, no real troubles. And the life of a female is not an easy one. --

He glared at me. -- A lot you know about it! "

"So? --

"Ever hear the expression "a ruined woman'? --

"Mmm, years ago. Doesn't mean much today. --

"I was as ruined as a woman can be; that b.u.m really ruined me - I was no longer a woman... and I didn't know how to be a man. --

"Takes getting used to, I suppose. --

"You have no idea. I don't mean learning how to dress, or not walking into the wrong rest room; I learned those in the hospital. But how could I live? What job could I get? h.e.l.l, I couldn't even drive a car. I didn't know a trade; I couldn't do manual labor-too much scar tissue, too tender.

"I hated him for having ruined me for the W. E. N. C.

H. E. S., too, but I didn't know how much until I tried to join the s.p.a.ce Corps instead. One look at my belly and I was marked unfit for military service. The medical officer spent time on me just from curiosity; he had read about my case.

"So I changed my name and came to New York. I got by as a fry cook, then rented a typewriter and set myself up as a public stenographer - what a laugh! In four months I typed four letters and one ma.n.u.script. The ma.n.u.script was for Real Life

Tales and a waste of paper, but the goof who wrote it sold it.

Which gave me an idea; I bought a stack of confession magazines and studied them. -- He looked cynical. -- Now you know how I get the authentic woman's angle on an unmarried-mother story... through the only version I haven't sold - the true one. Do I win the bottle? --

I pushed it toward him. I was upset myself, but there was work to do. I said, "Son, you still want to lay hands on that so-and-so? --

His eyes lighted up-a feral gleam.

"Hold it! " I said. -- You wouldn't kill him? --

He chuckled nastily. -- Try me. --

"Take it easy. I know more about it than you think I do. I can help you. I know where he is. --

He reached across the bar. -- Where is he? --

I said softly, "Let go my shirt, sonny-or you'll land in the alley and we'll tell the cops you fainted. -- I showed him the sap.