Dakota's Surprise Pt. 03

"That's the short story, Dakota. My point is, get a therapist to talk through your shit with. We all have it, even my straight friends have problems. There are going to be bumps ahead. Having someone who will give it to you straight is very helpful."

Dakota pondered that suggestion and said she would check it out. The rest of the dinner went a little more smoothly after that. Karen gave Dakota a lot of information on various issues that might arise, like how to go through airport security, tips on tucking, what to expect if she decided to get her boobs done, and what hormone therapy was like.

Both Hailey and Dakota did well on their finals, getting an A or A- in each class. The holiday was rather tough on Dakota. Hailey left with her family and Dakota was alone for the first time. She spent a few days with her mom, but since her mom had downsized to a single bedroom apartment, the couch was not the greatest place to stay. Dakota still couldn't tell his mom about his other life. He tried to bring it up but could never get up the nerve to let it out. He left right after Christmas and spent New Year's alone, wearing her favorite dress and getting just a little drunk.

Leslie picked Dakota up and the two of them drove to Chicago for the conference. It was a full, long day's drive, but as Leslie explained, she used her pregnancy as an excuse for not wanting to fly there. Since the school was paying for the mileage, Dakota didn't even have to chip in for gas. They got to the hotel next to the convention center late that evening, and Dakota just crashed in her room after getting checked in.

The next morning, she wore a red A-line dress and a pair of black over the calf boots that gave her a bit of a boost. Her hair was still growing out, so she had brought two different hair extension sets she had found that matched her natural hair well. The one she selected for the day gave her a nice wavy hair down to the middle of her back. Hailey had let her borrow a pair of necklaces and she put a small one on to give herself a bit of an accent. "I ought to get my ears pierced one of these days," she said to herself as she put her makeup on.

She grabbed her purse and her folio binder with many copies of her resume and headed down to the event floor where breakfast was being served. She found Leslie, who was being fawned over by many other attendees who knew her, and all were excited about her pregnancy. Leslie introduced Dakota to her friends and by the middle of the day, she had to run to the business center and print out more copies of her resume. By the end of the first day, she had already had one interview and scheduled four others with different accounting firms who were present. She also impressed a few other firms and some businesses with her knowledge and poise and promised to review her resume with their offices when they got back.

Dakota was exhausted by the afternoon of the second day when she slipped into Leslie's presentation on the future of blockchain technologies in ERP software. Even though she had gotten an 'A' in Leslie's Financial Information Systems class, much of what was being presented was going over her head. She was glad she was there since after the lecture Leslie grabbed her when a partner from a firm she had interviewed with that morning was there and just gushed to the partner about how great a student Dakota was and how her previous work experience showed in class. Since there was a cocktail reception starting after the lecture, the three headed towards it and spent the next 30 minutes talking about the accounting practice and their internship program. The partner was so impressed by her, she received an offer that evening. Dakota liked what she had heard, and that the firm's office was in Springfield and not halfway across the country was a major selling point.

The next day Dakota relaxed a bit. That afternoon she headed to the spa at the hotel and got a facial and her makeup done. There was a nice dinner scheduled for the final evening and live music afterward. Leslie had said it was normally the high point of the conference when everything was just about done, and people were cutting loose. She put on a nice pair of distressed skinny jeans and a light blueish gray satin blouse. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and clipped in an extension to go with it. She put on her black boots, grabbed her purse, and headed down to the hotel ballroom for the dinner.

She met up with Leslie and some of her friends and found a table. The dinner was excellent, and they all endured the speeches made by the conference organizers. Finally, the music started, and they all had some fun. Leslie drug Dakota out onto the dance floor with a few of her friends, and the group of ladies cut a rug. A half an hour or so in. Leslie said her goodnights, as she was getting tired. But Dakota was having fun with her new friends and stayed on.

After a while, another student, a young man who introduced himself as Dylan, started dancing with Dakota. After several songs, they sat down at her table and he went over to the bar and got their drinks refreshed. As Dakota listened to a story about surfing in Laguna Beach, she noticed her temple began to throb with the reverberations of the loud music. Figuring it was time to call it for the evening, she thanked Dylan for the drink and the company and stood up to head upstairs. As the room went all topsy-turvy, she grabbed the back of her chair to steady herself. Regaining her composure, Dakota declined his offer to see her to her room.

A ray of morning sun peeked through the drapes and was right in her face. Her head pounded in time to her heartbeat. She ached everywhere. She reached down to where the sheets bunched up below her pelvis and stopped. The sheets felt warm and damp against her cock. That wasn't right. Where was her underwear?

As she moved her hand down her hip, she became conscious of the fact that her arse hurt. As though awoken by that thought, pain throbbed through her. An intimate pain. She took a deep breath and swallowed. She looked down at the floor. Blood marred the sanitary white of the pile of towels cast there. She reached back behind herself, and her fingers came away with crusted blood on them. Her legs drew up, and she wrapped her arms around them as the tears flowed and wracking sobs shattered the crystalline stillness of the room.

Eventually, she looked at her phone and saw several text messages from Leslie wondering if she was ready to head out and then later wondering where she was and if she was ok. Dakota was typing a reply when she heard banging on her door. She could hear Leslie on the other side. She grabbed her torn blouse and covered herself a bit and opened the door. It shocked Leslie to see the state that Dakota was in. Dakota collapsed into her arms, crying. Leslie went into full mother bear mode and took charge. She called hotel security, who did their best to review the various security cameras to identify the person who did this. Dakota said that the person seen walking with her in the hallway was Dylan, but there was no clear picture of his face on any of the footage they could find.

Leslie checked with the conference organizers, but the only Dylan was a 52-year-old accountant from Texas. Clearly, it was not the person Dakota had danced with the night before. The various ladies who had been with her during dinner and the dancing gave their descriptions of "Dylan" but none of them had seen him anywhere before the party. Hotel security helped Dakota file a police report, but with little information to go on, there was little security, or the police could do. They collected the bloody towels and the sheets as evidence, but there was little hope.

The hotel manager felt bad for Dakota and comped her and Leslie another night at the hotel and dinner in the restaurant for that night. He was also understanding when Dakota said she would like to get a different room for the night as she didn't want to be in the bed she was raped on.

The next morning the two got up early and headed back home. Dakota was rather quiet in the passenger seat, the most noise she made was periodic bursts of tears and blowing her nose. She was thankful that Leslie had thought to grab a box of tissues from her room. The road noise was calming, and she mainly stared out the window. A couple of hours in, Leslie's phone rang, and she punched it up on the car's speakerphone.

"Hello, is this Dr. Schulman? This is Dr. Katz from the counseling office. Do you have a few minutes to talk about the email you sent me?"

"Thanks for calling Dr. Katz. Yes, I am here with Dakota, the student I told you about. We are driving back to campus right now."

"Hi Dakota, can you hear me?"

"Hi, yes."

"So, Dakota, Dr. Schulman told me you needed to talk with a counselor, is that correct?" The woman's voice on the phone was soft and caring, Dakota calmed down some.

"Yeah, um I guess."

"What is going on Dakota? Dr. Schulman just said she learned something about you, and you needed to talk with a trained therapist, and it was urgent." Dakota just sat there, staring out the window. Leslie reached over and gave her a reassuring pat. "Dakota, are you there?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm here. Ugh, I hate this. Why did this have to happen?" Tears were flowing down her face and she was crying.

"What happened honey, you are safe now, nothing is going to happen to you now. Do you think you can tell me?"

"He must have put something in my drink and then I don't remember much after that."

"I see, was it someone, you knew?"

"No, I had just met him"

"Ok, do you have any contact with him still?"

"No, I am not sure if I even have his actual name."

"Hmm, all righty then, have you told anyone else? Mom, sister, friend?"

"Not yet, I don't think I can tell my mom, she doesn't know yet about me being...." Dakota looked out the window and fell silent.

"Doesn't know what Dakota?"

"She doesn't know I'm a woman now. As far as she knows, I am still male."

"Ok, thank you for sharing that. So only Dr. Schulman knows then?"

"Yes, but I was planning on telling my girlfriend when she gets back tonight. She has been with her family over break."

"Planning on telling her that you're transgendered, or just about what happened?

"She knows who I am and accepts me. I just have not had an opportunity yet to tell her about being...." Dakota struggled with the next word. She didn't want to say it, but that small voice deep inside pushed her. It sounded like her mom telling her to face her issues head-on. Her hands covered her face. Tears were streaming again. She barely could say it, but she whispered, "being raped."

"Dakota, I am proud that you could say that so soon. Can you come to my office tomorrow morning? I would like to talk to you more. You can bring your friend if you like. Do you know where the university counseling office is, next to the medical center?"

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow then."

They rode in silence for a while until Dakota's phone pinged with a text from Hailey saying she was home and wondering where Dakota was. Dakota called her and just broke down again in tears. Hailey was there when Leslie dropped her off at her apartment. The two girls hugged and went into the apartment where Hailey helped put things away and then just held Dakota for a while. She offered to spend the night with her, but Dakota said she was feeling better.

The two went to see Dr. Katz the next day, and Dakota began a regular weekly session with her. School resumed, and although they didn't share all their classes this term, they continued their study time. Though they cuddled and sat close together, it was several weeks before they interrupted their study time for more intimate studies of one another.

Hailey surprised Dakota in late January when she told her she had booked a hotel and made dinner reservations for the two of them on Valentine's day. When the day came, Dakota put on her red A-line dress and pulled out a pair of black fuck-me pumps to go with it. When she saw Hailey come out of the bathroom all made up for dinner, she got uncomfortable. Hailey realized what was wrong and kneeled in front of her. With a knowing smile, she untucked the hardening cock and began to lick it. It took less than two minutes for Dakota to unleash a torrent of cum down Hailey's throat.

As Dakota re-tucked herself, Hailey touched up her makeup and cleaned a bit of cum off her cheek and the two headed to dinner. They played for hours after dinner and were exhausted the next day in class. But the smiles on each other's faces were well worth it. Right after class Dakota received a text from her mom. She was wondering if Dakota could come down alone for dinner that Saturday as she had something important to discuss with Dakota.

Dakota got to her mother's place late that Saturday afternoon. The whole drive down had been uncomfortable. Dakota shifted around behind the wheel of his old beater, missing the weight on his chest. He didn't like the bagginess of his old boy jeans. He tugged the brim of his ball cap down to shade his eyes from the sun, an addition that minimized the impact of his now longer hair. Dakota was debating if she could, or should, tell her mother about the changes in her life and what happened in Chicago. She knew from talking to Karen that this was a make or break moment in her life. The risk of complete rejection was there. She had heard and read so many accounts of parents who you thought would be accepting of a transgendered child totally rejecting them, and other cases where it was assumed the trans person would be rejected and they were fully accepted. Dakota had never been so anxious in her life.

Her mom was happy to see her and Dakota noticed that she was wearing a nice blue dress, which differed from her normal jeans or scrubs. She noticed that the dining table was already set with three places. Her mom saw the look on Dakota's face sat her down on the couch. "Oh, my," Dakota thought, "Does mom have a new boyfriend? Will he accept me?" Her anxiety level kicked up a notch.

"Honey, I have something important to tell you. There is someone I want you to meet and they will be joining us for dinner."

"That's awesome mom, what's his name?" Dakota put her best brave face on. "Where did you meet? Tell me." Dakota thought about the little she knew about her father who had left her and her mom when she a toddler. She thought about the few times her mom and tried dating and how they had failed miserably. She knew her mom battled bouts of depression and loneliness. She was pleased that she was finally getting out and meeting people, but cautious about the outcome.

"We met in the hospital cafeteria; she works in the hospital pharmacy." There was a hopeful look in Mom's eyes. How would her child react to such news?

"She?"

"Dakota honey, I hope you will understand, but I've realized I am a lesbian. Yes, I have a girlfriend and her name is Linda, and she is special to me."

"Mom...." Dakota breathed a small sigh of relief. 'This might go ok,' she thought.

"Is that ok Dakota, do you still love me?" Dakota saw her look away as look at an old portrait of the two of them hanging on the wall behind her.

"Of course I do! You're my mother, I will always love you." Dakota hugged her mom.

"Oh, that is such a relief, I was worried that you wouldn't accept me or Linda. I so wanted to tell you at Christmas and when Linda..."

"MOM I'm Trans..." Dakota blurted out her heart racing as the adrenaline of the moment coursed through her body.

"Wha...?"

"Mom, sorry I have wanted, no needed, to tell you something as well. I realized I am really a woman."

"Oh, baby." Rachel put her arms around Dakota and hugged her. "I wondered if this would happen."

"What do you mean mom?"

"All through high school I knew about your dresses in the back of your closet."

"You did?"

"Of course, I'm your mother... I love you no matter who you are. You are my child." The two women cried and hugged. Both happy and relieved to tell the other who they were.

"Mom, how long until Linda gets here?"

"Probably an hour, she is just getting off shift now."

"Um, would it be ok if I changed? I hate these boy clothes. I have a bag in my car with some real clothes."

"Please, you can use my bedroom or the bathroom if you like. I would love to meet my daughter. Do you mind if I gave Linda a heads up, so it does not surprise her?"

"Sure mom, I'll go get my stuff and change."

Dakota was on a high when she walked out of her mother's bedroom after changing. Rachel gushed over how cute she was, and Dakota twirled around, showing off her green skirt to her mother. When Linda arrived, she was also giddy to meet Rachel's daughter. After dinner, Linda pulled Dakota aside.

"Dakota, can we talk privately for a minute?"

"Sure Linda, what's on your mind?"

"Well, as you can see, I like your mom and I was wondering how you might feel if I asked her to move in with me?"

"Linda, my mom can do whatever she wants. I can tell though; I have never seen her happier than tonight. I am happy she has found someone to love."

"Thanks, sweetie, this means a lot to me, and your mom."

"What are you two talking about behind my back?" Rachel walked back into the room.

"Honey, I was just asking your daughter if it would be ok if you moved in with me."

Rachel put her hands over her mouth and squealed. "Really?"

"Rachel, I love you. I want to share my life with you. Will you move in with me?"

"Yes, I would love that. I only have two months left on this lease anyhow." Dakota smiled as she watched her mother kiss her girlfriend.

"Dakota, we will always welcome you in our house," said Linda.

That night as Dakota drove back home, she called Hailey and let her know the news. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders coming out to her mom. She wished she had been able to tell her about Chicago but felt uncomfortable doing so with Linda around. Maybe sometime later there would be a good time for it.

Dakota and Hailey were sitting at a table in a quiet corner of the library, studying. Dakota noticed that Hailey was distracted and looking off into space. Dakota could tell she was engrossed in her thoughts as she was playing with a lock of her hair again.

"What's wrong?"

Hailey's head snapped back, and she brought her attention to Dakota, "Huh?"

"Everything ok?

"Yeah, everything is fine." Dakota didn't buy it.

"Are you sure? You have been rather distracted lately." There was a look of concern on Dakota's face. He could tell something was bugging her, but couldn't place his finger on it.

"I'm fine, really I am. I'm just stressed about my internship opportunities. You have it so easy, already having one lined up."

"I see."

Dakota thought about pushing further, sure there was something more going on, then backed off. "Don't worry, you'll get one Hailey."

Dakota returned her attention to the textbook she was trying to figure out. As she shook her head trying to understand the calculus being used in her finance problem, she missed Hailey's exhale at having avoided a more difficult conversation.

The rest of the school year progressed, and Dakota made plans for her internship that summer in Springfield. The hardest thing was finding a place to stay for the summer. She found another transgendered woman who had a room to rent in a house 15 minutes from the accounting firm. One spring Saturday she got up early and drove the 6 hours out to Springfield and met Kelli and saw the place. It was a 1970s ranch house. Dakota would have a furnished bedroom and a bathroom to herself. Kelli said she worked at a marketing firm and was otherwise a homebody. Dakota signed some paperwork and headed back home.