Doctors Here To Save The Day | One-Shot Collection |

I Have a Question (Emu & Parado)

Synopsis: After witnessing a confusing interaction with a patient that left Emu pissed off, Parad had a lot of questions and those questions just led to more and more until something finally clicked

Rating: G

-------------------------

There had been a question laying on his mind for a little while now. Parad just wasn't sure how to ask what he wanted to know. Especially seeing as Emu was very ticked off over the whole situation that had occured. The last thing Parad wanted to do was make Emu even more upset. He could already feel the anger pulsing off of Emu as it was.

The doctor was sitting at the table in CR, his hands clenched into fists and his breathing heavy. It was just the two of them here. Everyone else was working. Poppy had left to give Emu space. She had also witnessed the incident and seemed very understanding of Emu's reaction. Parad, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on and really wanted to ask about it.

"What happened back there, Emu?" Parad finally decided to ask, "Why did that guy call the patient a different name?"

Emu took a deep breath, "Because he's an asshole."

"But why did it upset her so much? That isn't her name so why did it bother her?"

"That used to be her name. Before she changed it."

Parad settled into a seat beside Emu and looked at him in confusion, "But why would she have been called a boy's name?"

"She's trans, Parad."

"What's that?"

Emu blinked at the bugster in disbelief, "You don't know?"

"No?" Parad was just even more confused now. He was supposed to know?

Emu sighed and shook his head, a slight smile forming on his lips, "Sorry. I keep forgetting you've never really dealt with people before."

"What is trans?" Parad persisted.

"Basically it's what we call someone who isn't the sex they were assigned at birth. So, when she was born, the doctors said she was a boy because biologically she was. But her brain says otherwise and tells her she's a girl. So to feel more comfortable people like that transition to the other sex and often change their names. The full word is transgender." Emu explained, "Does that make sense?"

"So... you can be born in the wrong body?" Parad asked.

Emu nodded, "Pretty much."

"And people don't like that?"

"Unfortunately there are a lot of people who think it's wrong. That you can't possibly deny biology."

"That man was one of those people..."

"Yes."

Parad laid his head down on the table, "Why do people care so much? If it makes that person happy, why would they take it away?"

"I wish I knew, Parad." Emu sighed.

...

That conversation set off a lot more things inside of Parad than he had ever expected. All of sudden, he couldn't stop thinking about that. The concept was so strange but oddly it felt like it was important to him at the same time.

Was he trans? No. That couldn't be right. Could a bugster even feel that way? How could he be trans?

The thought of being called a girl was enticing though...

No. He... he couldn't be. God he needed to talk to Emu about this. The doctor would know, right?

That was how Parad found himself approaching Emu late one evening as the doctor worked away on a last minute report. The bugster flopped down onto the couch and rested his head against Emu's leg. Once the laptop was removed, he moved his head onto Emu's lap.