Public Purchase - Part Three

Sighing a little as I swing my legs over the bed I stare at the floor beneath me. It seems so much further away, the dangling slender yet athletic legs reaching far less further down than I was used to.

"We should probably..." I begin to mutter, only to be cut off by Aurelia.

"Get dressed?..." Aurelia muses, thinking for a moment even after talking over me. "Yeah, I mean sure. You do have to get the bus home, and that thing takes forever" she groans, throwing her head back and flinching slightly as the expected sensation of hair against her back simply doesn't come.

"Yeah, I..." I mutter, building my courage at the edge of the bed to take the first step to the ground below. However, I pause mid-thought as I look up in confusion at Aurelia. "Wait... bus?!" I squeak, weak jawline quivering at the unexpected announcement.

"Yeeeeeah" Aurelia sighs, rolling her new head around as if taking stock of all the tiny aches and pains my body had accumulated. "It comes like... three times a day. I had to get up at five to even get..."

"I thought you would just drive" I practically wheeze, my petite hands balling up the sheets beneath me. I had never done well on buses, or really any form of transport where I wasn't in control, the constant and severe motion sickness in part being what made me move to the city rather than commute in from further away.

"Can't" Shrugs a rather dismissive Aurelia, smirking a little as she has some realization. "I mean I can now I guess, but I'm definitely not giving you a lift all the..."

"You can't drive, you'd better..." I huff, my anxious mind racing at the thought of this impulse young woman wrapping my old body around a tree somewhere now that she had a license.

My own train of thought ceases as I slide from the bed, a sharp gasp escaping my lips as I tumble towards the floor. It seemed far further than expected, my heart launching into my throat as I'm met with the same sensation as missing a step while walking downstairs.

Thankfully, the terrifying sensation soon ends only to be replaced with an entirely new and odd one. Everything seems huge, from the room at large to the beds and medical machinery all around me. My blood runs cold as I find myself having to l crane my neck up to look at the looming form of my former frame, the young woman now behind its wheel grinning as she notes my own realization.

The tiled floor practically burns at the soles of my bare feet, the icy cold feeling causing me to stand on my tiptoes. Despite even this added height, I am still by far the shortest person in the room by likely a foot or more.

"How's the wea..." Aurelia begins to snarkily chirp, relishing in the reversal of her position on the height spectrum.

"You'd... you'd better not drive" I manage to croak out, fighting hard to drag my mind back to the worrying topic at hand. The humorous sight of the tiny young woman admonishing a man nearly a decade her senior was not lost on Doctor Jones, the man chuckling at the scene before covering his act with a cough. "If you don't know how to..."

"I know how to drive, mom" Aurelia huffs with a small amount of indignation, folding her arms over her now flat chest. The young woman flinches slightly as her forearms press against the firm and hairy torso she now bore, a range of emotions flickering across her face before settling back on a simple eye-roll. "I just... never took the test."

"What do you mean you never..." I grumble, wobbling slightly as I try to take my first few steps on my radically shrunken legs. I grip at the back of my gown, tugging the loose paper-like material over me as I try my best to cover the gap in the back. As pull at the opening behind me I shudder, feeling the coarse material quickly grind over and paint a picture of the body I had purchased for myself.

My waist cinches in tightly, my stomach being all but flat and taut. The petite nature of my form carries onto my shoulders and arms, the whole package leaving me lithe and far lighter than I had been for well over a decade. My chest and hips on the other hand seem to be there simply to break up my stick-like body.

A shiver races down my spine as I feel the hospital gown rub against my chest once again, the soft and malleable mounds on my chest squishing down feeling oddly sensitive compared to my old one. The sensation itself was largely focused on the firm little nubs which soon demand to make themselves known, a pair of perky little nipples quickly poking their way through the hospital gown.

My hips seem to jut out awkwardly, the wide pelvis rocking and popping as I take my first meek little steps. While rather average or small compared to other women I knew, on my new body and in relation to my tight and narrow waist they appear to be the perfect handholds leaving me with some real appreciable curves.

With my first footfall I expect it to be a fumbling mess, the image of Aurelia staggering out of bed sticking in my mind. However, as the ball of my foot touches the ground something clicks in my head. The subtle burning inside my skull that had largely subsided suddenly flares up for a fraction of a second, the sensation causing me to wince as my stride shifts to a dainty effeminate hopping between feet as I try to avoid spending too long in contact with the cold floor.

I feel so light, so delicate, yet strangely powerful. My legs seem rather fit, bearing a least a similar level of muscles as my slender yet toned arms. Combined with the surge of energy that had only built since I had come to I feel like I could hop about all day or run miles and miles with no problem.

The sudden adoption of a new gait is not lost on the room, Aurelia soon making huffing at the sight.

"Have you been practicing or someth..." she mutters, sucking in her new lips as she looks down at me before being cut off by Doctor Jones.

"Parts of the frontal lobe, complex motor functions are still in there. It looks like Ms. Douglas may a more adaptive..." Doctor Jones begins to mutter, trying to explain the situation before I finally pipe up in frustration at my situation.

"What do you mean you never got your license?" I grumble, fiddling with my gown as I hop back and forth in place.

"I dunno..." Aurelia mumbles, pouting a little. "I just... I wasn't at school I guess? I don't remember."

"Are you serious? How often did you just skip..." I groan, taking a pause to blow the shocking strands of slightly curly firey red hair from my face.

"You sound just like Meredith" grumbles Aurelia under her breath, rolling her eyes once again. "Let's just get..."

"Dressed, right" I interrupt, blinking a little as I realize the lengthy tangent I had gone on. "How long until..."

The sound of metal gliding over metal soon cuts off my question, the rattling of curtains being drawn over a railing snapping both my and Aurelia's attention to Doctor Jones as he tugs two sets of blinds closed for privacy. A small brown bag sits beside of the beds he cordons off, the one nearer to me resting with a large straw hat atop it.

"Your bus should be here in ten minutes, give or take" Doctor Jones, explains, glancing down at a watch on his wrist. "At least that's the time the bus to the Beau Ranges passes..."

"Yeah!" chirps Aurelia, the young woman stumbling a little as she shuffles her lanky and unwieldy frame towards the hatless bag. "That's the one, but there's another in... I think like six hours or..."

"Six what?!" I squeal, perking up at the horrible time constraint I had been given. I quickly bounce over to the other bag, letting go of the gown as I race around the bed and towards the partially drawn curtain. "What the hell am I meant to do for...How long does it..."

"Oh, it's like a... three? Four hour trip?" Aurelia calls out as she slips behind her own curtain before disappearing from sight. "And I dunno, we could like get lunch and explore the..." she chirps excitedly, her mind turning to her new life in the city. The sound of a zipper barely makes it through the short quiet moment, a low rumbling chuckle soon following. "Aaaaaactually, I think I need some time in my apartment. Ya know, without babysitting some..."

Tuning Aurelia out I quickly turn my attention to the bag by the bed. I can feel my heart race and a sweat build as the reality of the time crunch hits me. How long would it take to get dressed? How long would it take to get discharged? Where the hell even was the bus stop?!

Grabbing the hat I quickly place it on the bed, bending down to fish the rest of the clothes out.

As I bend over I feel my cheeks burn red as the gown slides away from my rear, my new backside on full display to thankfully no bystanders thanks to the curtain. I can feel the taut and tight muscles in my rear and in my legs pump into action, easily bending down with a surprising amount of flexibility.

I quickly grab out the mismatched clothes, my eyes roaming over each as I try to work out where to start. A light and breezy lime green sundress, adorned with white polka dots, seems like the main item of clothing to navigate. Next comes a heavier piece, a vintage light brown leather vest that takes some deal of effort to lift as the filled-up pockets jingle and rattle in some sort of threat to damage whatever lay within. Lastly, a pair of light brown leather boots rests in the bottom of the bag, the surface of them being heavily scuffed with mud clinging to the soles.

As I pull the boots from the bag, dropping them to the floor with a loud thud, I try to find any missing items in the clothes. My heart sinks as I struggle through the vest and the dress, not finding even a glimpse of any underwear amongst the clothes Aurelia had worn in.

"Where are your..." I meekly call out, unsure how to best ask the awkward question. "Um... under..."

"Holy shit" mutters a distant Aurelia, her delighted giggling cutting me off entirely. "This thing is so... I can't wait to get... Fuuuuck it's getting..." she blurts out under her breath, parts of her mumbling becoming lost over the chatter and the machinery beeping outside the room.

"Hey!" I call out, my former voice yelping in surprise after being lost in whatever was going on behind their curtain. "Where's your underwear?"

"Oh, I didn't wear any today" she retorts in a matter-of-fact tone, a gasping breath escaping her lips as she once again gets distracted in her new sense of privacy.

"You... What do you mean you didn't wear..." I whimper, my sweet and cutesy voice wavering between shock and frustration. "You need to wear..."

"You really do sound like Meredith" Aurelia chuckles, gasping once again before letting out a long and slightly stifled moan. "It was... fuck..." she begins to state, freezing up as she softly exclaims. "It's so warm and sunny, I like to breathe ya know? With that dress it's not like anyone can tell, it's fine."

"It's not fi..." I blurt out, my shoulders sagging as I realize there's no point in fighting her on this point. There was no underwear, grumbling and complaining about it wouldn't change that fact.

With a deep breath I reach up and tug at the collar of my gown, easily pulling the cheap and flimsy clothing from my body as I bare all for the first time as my new self. My eyes practically bug out of my skull as I find myself staring down at myself, my gaze darting between my ghostly white nipples standing at attention and blending largely into the voluminous chest I had purchased for myself. Freckles dust my chest, wrapping down from my shoulder and seeming to paint another dividing line across my tan line-covered chest.

Shifting from side to side I watch in awe as my breasts shift and wobble delightfully along with my movements. Without the gown they seem to droop a little more, the heavy mounds remaining relatively perky yet holding a slight curve downwards. After each wiggle they come to rest, hanging ever so slightly to the side and creating a window for me to spy the rest of my form past them.

What I had thought was simply a taut stomach appears slightly firmed and more toned than I had expected, the low amount of fat being carried there allowing for just a hint of muscle tone to show through. Lower down I spy a messy rusty mound of wiry hair, my heart skipping a beat as I feel the urge to explore further.

Swallowing hard I manage to turn my attention back to the clothes, letting out a long sigh as I try to focus on the matter at hand.

Snatching up the lime green dress I quickly orient it, dropping the light and airy material over my head. I'm forced to wriggle and shake, groaning and yelping as I try to get my arms in place and as my hair gets caught more than once as I snake my way through the dress. With a loud gasping breath my head finally erupts from the top, my scarred and band-aid-covered hands soon fishing my curly hair from inside the dress before patting it down and smoothing it all out.

I still feel oddly naked, the lack of underwear definitely makes the sensation worse. My legs are left open to the air, with the dress brushing against them gently and constantly reminding me of just what I was wearing. My arms are completely exposed to the open air, the thick pale untanned lines along my shoulders appearing to line up perfectly with the straps of the dress.

I bite at my lower lip as I look down at my rather sizeable bust, at least in relation to my shrunken frame, my small yet sensitive nipples still demanding attention from me and the world at large as they poke through the thin and breathable material of the dress. The back of the dress also helps paint a mental picture of my new behind clearly for me, my wide hips acting as perfect real estate for a relatively large yet pert rear backed by toned muscles.

With a huff I turn to the vest, far more easily sliding the supple flexible leather over my arms and shoulders. The pockets jingle and jangle with all manner of bulging items, from discarded jewelry to a phone and a loose. As I grab the boots and hop up onto the bed I fish out a pair of familiar ceramic earrings, awkwardly poking the roughly shaped hooks through the new holes in my earlobes as I remember back to the first image I had been sent all those months ago.

As I open up the laces of the boots I slump my shoulder once again. "No socks either?" I call out, fiddling with the boots as I simply decide to slide them on. I wince as I feel the sweaty interior, the damp insides letting me know the answer to my question without a response from Aurelia.

Swinging my legs, feeling the weight of the sturdy boots practically guide my feet forward, I jump down from the bed with a loud stomp. I'm forced to hold my arms out for stability as I wobble in place, the force of the jump forward threatening to topple me over.

"If I fall..." I whisper under my breath with a giggle. "At least I'm already at the hospital."

Grabbing the large hat I decide to place it under my arm, not wanting to wear it indoors, before pulling back the curtain. Oddly enough I'm the one to finish up first, with Doctor Jones being nowhere to be seen.

The time crunch builds in the back of my mind. How long had it taken me to get dressed? Three minutes? Five maybe? I still didn't know where I needed to go from the hospital or how to get home after the lengthy bus ride.

Bounding over to the other closed curtain I begin to button up the lower few buttons of the vest, hoping for some sort of support in the chest department as I find my gait leaving me bouncing and hopping around energetically.

As I reach the curtain I tentatively slide it open, sticking my head inside as I feel the ceramic earrings jangle from the quick movement. "Hey, how do I..." I begin to ask, my sentence twisting into a shocked squeal as my gaze locks to Aurelia.

My former self stands in a cheap black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, the simple outfit having been picked this morning to make things nice and simple. My old sneakers sit atop the bed, next to the bag along with the gray boxers I had worn just a few hours ago. While fully dressed, for the most part, something of my former self is on full display as Aurelia slowly strokes at the massive ten-inch cock spilling out from the top of her jeans.

Aurelia's face is flushed, her eyes locked to her rigid new organ as it twitches and throbs in her newly enlarged hand. She appears mesmerized by it, her expression appearing lost in thought as she gently strokes at the thick shaft.

My squealing however seems to break her out of her daze, her eyes going wide as she looks to me before hastily trying to shove the engorged member back into her jeans.

"Fuck!" she huffs in her new deep voice. "Private!"

"Sorry sorry" I squeak, closing the curtain in a frenzy without really thinking. After a short pause, the sound of a zipper emanating from Aurelia behind the divider, I speak up again. "You know, I've seen it all bef..."

"Before?" Aurelia mutters snarkily, whipping the curtain open. "Yeah, no duh, but it's not like I'm gonna walk in on you just 'cause..." she grumbles back, fiddling with her jeans as she tries to find a comfortable state for the bulge snaking down her pant leg.

"So why no socks?" I ask, cutting her off as I wriggle my toes in the moist boots with a very visible wince.

"Wh..." she begins to mutter back, narrowing her eyes like it was an odd question after being cut off. "I guess I forgot? I don't usually wear socks aside from when I need..."

"Fantastic!" calls out a familiar voice from the doorway, Doctor Jones quickly catching our attention as he approaches us with two clipboards. "Dressed, moving, any pain or concerns? How are you moving now Mr. Hu..."

"Oh yeah, it feels alright now..." Aurelia says back a little nonchalantly, still swaying a little whenever she glances down. "I... Think..." Aurelia whispers under her breath, mostly for her own benefit.

Cocking an eyebrow, Doctor Jones approaches us before holding out the clipboards. Pens dangle from the flimsy metal clip at the top, the plastic backing scuffed and scratched from years of use. He looks Aurelia up and down, seemingly not believing she had adapted to her new body yet but not quite saying it out loud.

"Here, just your discharge forms" Doctor Jones explains, placing the clipboard into my hands. "Just sign off and you're free to go, I know you're pressed for time so..." he continues to explain, only to be cut off by me as I try to read the pages.

"Sorry, are these printed..." I begin to ask, squinting a little at the clipboard in order to make the words clear.

"Oh right!" chirps Aurelia, clicking her tongue before gritting her teeth with an awkward hiss. "I didn't bring my glasses."

"You... Wait you need glass..." I begin to ask in shock, only for a defense Aurelia to jump back in.

"Not all the time, just when reading and stuff" she explains, rubbing her neck once again. "Meredith says it's 'cause I'm always reading without enough light but whatever."

"And you didn't bring them?" I ask, pouting with my new soft lips as I look up at the irresponsible young woman turned irresponsible man.

"I don't take them anywhere" she states defensively, "I always used to wind up losing them so I just keep them in my room."

Sighing I turn to Doctor Jones, giving the man a pleading look. "So, where do I..."

Pointing at the sheet, Doctor Jones begins to guide me through quickly. As I sign each section he races through a brief explanation of what I'm signing while Aurelia simply reads her own forms with a gleeful smile.

As I reach the last page I perk up, patting my pockets as I grab the bus pass in the pocket. Wide-eyed I turn to Aurelia, the thought of missing my bus and being stuck wandering for hours on end quickly settling in.

"How do I..." I begin to squeak, wincing at the high-pitched whine escaping my lips.

"The bus stop is just near the main entrance" Doctor Jones explains, roughly pointing in the direction of the elevators towards the end of the hall. "There are signs and it has its own dedicated area, you can't miss..."

"You wanna catch the 510 to the Exchange" Aurelia cuts in, passing her form back. "It'll turn to the 510 to Beau, but you don't have to worry about being late. I told them I was going to be at a friend's place so they won't freak if you're..."

"And how do I get home home?" I ask, bouncing a little as I hand my own form back to Doctor Jones. "Like, when do I get off the bus? Where is your..."

Aurelia chuckles as she staggers slightly to the bed, grabbing her new sneakers and boxers before fishing around in her pockets. "You can't miss the town... seriously" she jokes, her tone turning a little dry as she follows up. "There's only one stop and it always stops there for like... thirty minutes, so it'll be hard to screw up. As for getting home..." she continues, fishing out my former car keys with a beaming smile. "Score!" she cries, jingling the keys excitedly.

"Aureli..." I begin to whine, only for her to stick out her tongue at me.

"It's Jordan now" she giggles, taking a deep breath. "Gonna take a bit to get used to having that."

"How do I get hooooooome?" I whine further, inching closer to the doorway as I desperately try to make some progress to the bus stop.

"Oh right, it's like up past Main Street? I think at least. Left at the intersection from the bus and like up to the dirt path leading... It'll be in my phone, or just like ask for a lift from Mom or..." she rambles, her eyes looking up and darting around as she tries to give directions to a place she had never really thought about in the past.

However, I don't let her finish. From the moment her directions end I bolt for the door, bounding forward with surprising speed. "Thanks Doctor Jones" I call out as I race past the man, my arms holding my pockets and my hands clutching my chest tightly in an effort to restrain the painful tugging with each step.

"Chat lat..." I hear Aurelia begin to ask, her voice disappearing into the background as my ears are filling with the sound of my own heavy breathing and the sounds of the hospital.

As I reach the lobby I bolt for the front door, barely stopping as I squeeze my tiny frame out through the slow-to-open automatic doors. In the brief moment I'm forced to slow to wait for the doors to notice me I find my eyes darting to the metal frame and the measuring tape stuck to the side.

My gaze looks up at my former height, the six-foot-four marker sitting now impossibly high for me. As my eyes glance further and further down I find my gaze coming to rest at the marker for around five-foot-one, my stomach sinking as I realize that I was adding a little height to that thanks to my boots.

Launching myself out into the open air I'm immediately hit with a burst of warm air. My hair whips about my head, strands of red locks filling my mouth, while my long dress billows around me distractingly. Shaking my head from side to side, clearing my vision, I finally spy a large boxy vehicle in the distance idling with its doors open.

Whimpering a little I start to run, gripping my chest tightly with one arm as I use my large straw hat to wave to the bus in the hopes of catching the attention of the driver. My heart sinks as I watch the doors begin to close, a wave of emotion crashing into me as I feel as though I'm about to cry.

However, my efforts to catch the driver's attention seem to work as the doors quickly pop back open as I reach the final stretch to the stop.

Redoubling my efforts, my tiny legs pounding the pavement as my soft gentle voice pants heavily, I quickly round the bus stop and leap up onto the steps. My eyes go wide as I reach the vehicle, the once relatively large, yet definitely manageable, steps now looming large and ominously on the high-floored bus.

As I carefully take the steps up, clutching at the railing as I climb, the doors slam shut behind me as the bus pulls out of the stop.

"Cutting it a little close young lady" chuckles the elderly man behind the wheel, shaking his head a little. "Nearly missed ya there."

"Y... Yeah..." I pant, wiping at the sweat building on my forehead with my arm. "Tha... Thank you for..."

"No problem" the driver chirps back, "Always happy to hold up 'round the hospital."

As I go to say something more, holding up the bus pass, the driver just nods at me before tapping on a small device by the hand railing and then to a sign requesting that passengers don't speak to the driver while the bus is in motion.

Nodding to him, and more than a little desperate to sit down as I feel my shrunken frame jostle and shake thanks to the rough ride of the bus, I quickly scan my pass as I turn my attention to the bus at large.

As I reach the seats I find the bus...