You do, and she tells you everything.

"Er, I guess the only question I have is wether or not you have always had it, or if you have had gender re-assignment surgery in the past, Rachel?" You say, after a long moment's consideration.

"Nope, this all 'natural' John, if you can call it that." Rachel replies, her voice sounding bitter. "I haven't had surgery of any kind. I was born like this: a freak."

"Hey, Rachel. Don't say that." You say and reach with your right hand across the table. Your hand finds Rachel's left hand, and you squeeze it gently. "You aren't a freak, ok?"

A small, sad smile lifts the corners of her mouth slightly. "I'm pretty sure I am, John." Rachel states. "I have something that most people of my gender don't. I'm sure that qualifies me as a freak."

"Rachel,..." You start, but can't find the right words. You give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Do you know why you were born with it?" You ask.

"That part is easy to explain." Rachel replies. "My parents for years tried unsuccessfully for a child. Doctors couldn't explain why my mother couldn't get pregnant. One day, the doctors told my parents about this new experimental fertility drug that had been developed. It was unproven, but the early tests showed great promise in helping women conceive. My parents agreed to undergo the trial. After a week of being on the drugs my mother was pregnant. With me." Rachel says, with a smile and took a sip from her wine glass.

"However." Rachel continues. "The drugs had an unexpected side effect: all children that were born from women who had taken these fertility drugs were born with both male and female sex organs. Making them-me- hermaphrodites."

"Rachel." You say softly, shaking your head slightly. "I have to admit that this is the first I have heard of this. How many women was this treatment used on?"

"Twelve." Rachel replies. "All in the clinic in my home-town. The foundation quickly stopped the treatment once they saw what we were, once we started being born." Rachel said bitterly. "All the families were given money to keep quiet, and besides the parents had got what they had always wanted. A child."

"I'm grateful for the drugs, Rachel." You say earnestly, drawing a confused look from Rachel. "If it weren't from them, I wouldn't have ever met you."

"John." Rachel says, her face lighting up briefly before a frown wipes the smile off it. "There's more you need to know. It wasn't just the first born children that were affected." She continues sadly. "All babies that were born from women who had the children were hermaphrodites."

Your eyes widen in surprise. "That would mean that your sister, Amy is too." You state.

Rachel nods sadly. "Yes that's correct John. Th-there is one other thing you need to know John." Rachel says. Her expression has moved from sad and now seems to be one of fear.

You give her your most encouraging smile, while wondering what other revelations she has to share with you.

"Several of the hermaphrodite children have grown up and had children of their own, and it appears that the 'side effect' is hereditary. In other words John, my children would almost certainly be like me." She wipes a tear out of her eye, and squeezes your hand tightly, before gazing at you squarely in the eye "I love you John, I truly do. I didn't want to conceal the truth from you that if we ever were to have kids, our children almost certainly would be hermaphrodites."