Chapter 25: Homecoming

Once again, the Bailey house was festooned with streamers and balloons. On the credenza was another sheet cake with ‘Welcome Home!” drawn on the icing. A smaller crowd this time, though.

Besides her five siblings, the party included Abel, Fernanda, and Bonnie Douglas—Nia’s best friend. Nia was still recovering from her medical ordeal, still markedly pale, and moving slowly.

Once the party was well-established Leah took the floor to make an announcement.

“Guys, we’re going to go ahead and have the cake now, and then the boys will be leaving us so we can have ‘girl time’ without them. They’re going to some movie with exploding spaceships and alien monsters or something.”

“Aw, I like alien monsters. After all, I share a bedroom with Val.”

“Very funny. Ha. Ha.”

“I guess your sense of humor is coming back,” observed Leah.

“Not all the way back,” snarked Val.

Nia stuck out her tongue.

“Let’s have the cake now, and then the boys can go watch ‘Captain Jerk’ and his green-skinned alien girlfriend, or something.”

Half an hour later, all of the girls were lounging around the living room.

Bonnie raised her hand.

“You’re not in school, Bonnie. Just tell me, what’s your question?” said Leah.

“I’d like to know what happened to Nia. Nobody will tell me anything.”

“It’s entirely up to Nia how much information she wants to be shared.”

Nia just smiled. “I’m tired of this, well, pussyfooting around. Leah, you understand this better than I do; you explain what happened to me.”

“I’m sorry, Bonnie, but I need to answer your question with another question. Are you having periods yet?”

“Um, not really, just a few spots in my underwear. But my mother has explained it and bought the necessary supplies for me.”

“Good. Well, here’s the thing. Like many, but not most girls, Nia’s periods have started even though she’s only 9. This wouldn’t be a problem except for her hymen, her cherry. There’s no hole in it. For the vast majority of young women, their hymen is either missing, broken, or has at least one opening. But not Nia, she had a complete layer of skin over her opening, which prevented any flow from escaping her body. It’s called imperforate hymen, and most doctors are aware of it as a possibility they need to check.

“I feel bad because I didn’t take her to the doctor before this, where her condition could be diagnosed and dealt with, by making a little slit in this useless bit of skin.

“With me so far? Good. So this is the reason for her trouble. The mass of blood...”

Leah continued to describe what happened. Her voice became thick and her eyes teared as she described the ambulance ride and the hours that followed, while they waited for a doctor to explain what happened.

“And this happened partly because I didn’t bring Nia when Val and I went to the gynecologist. I feel awful about that, but I’m glad that she is healing and back home with us.”

“I’m the same age as Nia; do you think I should go to the doctor?”

“Bonnie, I have no medical training, I don’t know. You should ask your mother. I will say, though, that since you are seeing spots, you likely don’t have the issue that Nia had. There are all kinds of, um, social things about hymens that need to be discussed with your family, not with me.

“So, who wants seconds on cake?”