"It's Just Anxiety"

She woke up again. The subtle beeping sounds and voices in the hallway had become a comfort. When they are the music that lulls her to bed, her mother worries less. At home, it’s different. She’s not used to home anymore. 

She’s in the hospital because she is a girl. “We just don't know enough about your condition”, the doctors say. They never know enough. The female body is a mystery. 

She repeats the same phrases, “No, I'm not on my period.” “No, it’s not anxiety”, and “No, I am not okay”. She wants to scream, but what if her vocal chords differ from her fathers?