Discharge papers for Sam, and something for Katie

"Yes, I'm all done. Come in." Your distinctly feminine voice still sounds unfamiliar to you as you answer.

The door opens and a woman enters holding a clipboard. She eyes you a little suspiciously. "Mr. Smith?"

You shrug. "Yup, that's me. Although, They said I was supposed to be Katie now? What's the deal with that?"

The woman stared at you as if processing the medical miracle you represent, a man literally in a woman's body. You can't be sure but she seems to think you're some kind of pervert. "A patient was admitted under the name Mr. Sam Smith. That patient is you. Until you are discharged, this hospital recognizes you as one Mr. Sam Smith." She glares at you a moment longer and then states, "I have your discharge papers, Mr. Smith. Please follow me."

You are led to a small room just off the main lobby where she invites you to sit at a desk. Instinctively, you start to spread your legs a little as you sit, but the tight pencil skirt stops you and then you realize you feel no actual need to do so. You sit quite comfortably with your legs closed. You take a moment to appreciate the way your tights feel rubbing together as you shift in your chair.

The woman clears her throat and hands you papers. Mechanically, as if she's done it a thousand times, she explains what they are, why she's showing them to you, and where you need to sign. She reminds you that you need to sign these first documents as Sam Smith. Now that you're not literally dying, you take a moment to actually review what you're looking at. Just boilerplate stuff for the most part. The hospital is legally required to show you the documents for things like billing, insurance, treatment, discharge, etc., so you can confirm that all data are correct. Nothing here to technically agree to; that was all done before the operation. But still it's a nice review.

The hospital took possession of Sam Smith. The identity. All of his assets, his name, even his body. In exchange, all medical bills, fees, and charges were waived, and the hospital agrees to give a certain sum of money to one Katie O'Brien. That document requires you to sign both, interestingly enough. Once as Sam and once as Katie. You sign your old name easily enough, but when your pen hovers over the line with the words Katie O'Brien printed beneath it, you hesitate. This is it, you realize. This is the end of your life as Sam Smith, legally, forever. You put your pen to paper and scribble out a surprisingly feminine signature.

The woman seated across from you watches you closely. You don't understand why she seems to hate you, but it's starting to bother you. She sighs and slides another small stack of papers across the table to you. Right on top is a temporary ID with your new face and name on it. "Probably should have had you sign this first, but it doesn't really matter. As long as they match, we're happy."

You put your name on the ID, making your new signature and the ID card itself, legal.

The woman sighs and collects all the signed documents for a file. "Alright. Thank you, Miss O'Brien. Here are the final things we need you to sign."

Hearing it said out loud for the first time feels surreal. You are Katie O'Brien. That's you she's talking to. You smile a little. A new lease on life, how exciting.

Same as before, you are being shown review documents that had already been agreed to as part of Sam Smith's original paperwork. You are not getting the things that Katie O'Brien owned in her life. No car, apartment, assets, investments—do eighteen-year old kids have investments?—or anything else. That has all been dealt with by the state, and is not up for grabs anyway. You aren't exactly sure how this all shakes out, legally. You have her identity, but also not. You sign a few sheets of paper, and by the end, you have a clear picture of your arrangement. You own literally nothing but the clothes on your back and the bank account the hospital has given you. The sum of money is fairly substantial, enough to get a good start, certainly. But it will not be enough to live on for very long. You can stretch it a bit with sound judgement, of course, but you will need to find a source of income.

"And lastly, Miss O'Brien, we need you to sign this." It's a Non-disclosure Agreement. In it, you agree to not reveal to anyone that you used to be Sam Smith, or really anything else about your past life. You have to surrender all claim to any of it, ever again. Sign that document and not only are you Katie O'Brien, but as far as you're legally allowed to say, you have always been Katie O'Brien.