Visiting the Doctor Again

*Rose*

The feel of my arm entwined with Shelby’s is comforting. We walk down the same passage we once walked when I first arrived here almost two months ago.

“Do I look pregnant? Are there any signs I need to be on the lookout for? I know a pregnant woman pukes… a lot. I haven’t puked. Also, I read somewhere they pee often. How do I know if I am peeing a lot or have just been drinking too much of that pineapple juice? I read that pineapples can be harmful to pregnant women; do you think I should switch to mango juice instead?” I ask all these questions fast and in succession.

Shelby whistles. “Slow down, girlfriend. All this worrying is also not good for a baby, so chill. We’ll soon find out if you are. I don’t know if I can answer the load of questions you just piled on me. I’m not even sure if I remember all of them with you talking so fast.”

I exhale and chuckle.

When I’m nervous, I do tend to talk fast. Sometimes, I end up tripping over my own words. I’m wondering what the doctor is going to say. I am nervous. I want to be pregnant, but I’m also afraid that if I am pregnant, then that would mean the end of my time with the Alphas, and that would mean the end of my duties here is getting closer. After having the baby, that would be it.

Wait, if I’m not pregnant despite my magical uterus, will the king replace me? Would it mean that I’ve failed? I’ve done everything I could have.

After each time I spent with an Alpha, I would lay on my back and look like a fool with my legs up… except for that one time with Eli. I’m sure his seed was washed away by the lake water. I hope a fish doesn’t end up ingesting his sperm. Was that even possible? I doubt it, but I could picture a little fish hybrid with gorgeous red hair. Aqua-wolf… I need to stop watching those sci-fi films. I’m having crazy thoughts. I’m not sure how everything works. Could one get pregnant if they had sex in water though?

I want to ask Shelby, but I know she will just tell me to calm down again. I can’t help but bite down hard on my lips. The little pain that it causes is enough to take my mind off everything, if only for a little while.

Shelby brings up her other hand and squeezes my arm. Sometimes I feel like she can read my mind as she always senses when I am worrying or not all right. I’m grateful to have her here with me right now, supporting me. I’ve known her for just two months, but already I feel like she has become more than just a friend to me. She is my confidant and sister. I feel so close to her, and if I were to leave this place, I would miss her so much.

“You’ll be fine,” she reassures as her eyes meet mine.

I smile at her, and she returns the gesture. I think I love her… is it allowed to love another woman? I don’t feel like I would want to spend a night with her or anything…. Neither would I want her watching me as I bathe again, but I have come to care deeply for her.

A wave of disinfectant floods my nostrils when we walk into the doctor’s office. I smile and breathe a sigh of relief when my eyes land on the smiling face of Nurse Nancy, who is seated behind the counter.

“Hello,” she greets us with an air of welcome. Her cheery voice kind of undoes the knots of anxiety that were gripping me.

“Good morning, Nurse Nancy,” we say in unison.

Nurse Nancy directs us to sit in some chairs on the left side of the room. I keep fidgeting as we wait for her to come and attend to us. I am so nervous; I am struggling to take much-needed oxygen into my lungs. Shelby keeps patting my arm reassuringly, but I can’t help the surge of nausea and lightheadedness I am suddenly feeling.

Wait? Weren’t these pregnancy symptoms?

“Take this little cup and please go fill it with your urine in the bathroom over there.” Nurse Nancy is standing in front of us and talking. She points to a door at the far end of the room.

I swallow hard and nod as I accept the little cup she hands me. I leave Shelby sitting and make my way to the bathroom, my legs like jelly.

After managing to fill the cup with my urine, I wash my hands while I look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I’m amazed that I had any urine since Vienna had been instructed to make sure I drank nothing when I woke up. She had said something about not diluting the specimen. Whatever that meant.

A lump has formed in my throat, and I feel like I’m going to puke. I pick up the little cup and make my way back to the waiting room.

Nurse Nancy takes the cup and asks me to go into the inner examination room, saying that the doctor would be there with me soon. Again I find myself on the bed with my thighs splayed open and feet in stirrups. Wasn’t there another way to do these exams?

Well, I will try to look as pretty as I can for the doctor. As I wait for her, I find myself trying to think back to what the doctor's name was again. Doctor Poltergeist? No, that doesn’t sound right. I squint my eyes at the bright light shining above me. Doctor Pentecost? I shake my head again. Why was I finding it hard to remember her name?

When the doctor comes in a few minutes later, she’s with Nurse Nancy and Shelby. Ah, did Shelby really have to be in here to see me like this? Well, I could use some moral support though.

‘Dr. Pendergan,’ I silently read the name printed on her lab coat. Ah, so I wasn’t too far off with her name. I had the ‘P’ right.

Shelby smiles at me as if she's trying to transfer comfort to me through the tilt of her lips. I manage a tired smile back.

I try to prepare myself as much as possible for the internal exam I know is coming.

“Hello honey, I hope you are all right,” the doctor greets me as she smiles.

“Good morning, Dr. Pendergan. I am well and you?”

“I’m great, honey. Now I’ll just do the same little examination we did the last time. Just relax,” she gently demands.

Relaxing is easier said than done, but before I know it, she’s removing her gloves and the exam is over. Well, that wasn’t so bad. She takes a chart that Nurse Nancy hands to her.

Before she talks, Shelby raises a hand. "Give us the dumbed-down version, Doctor," she says. I know how doctors like using the medical jargon, and personally, I'd have let her amuse herself, but Shelby wasn’t shy about asking for what she wanted.

I'm too nervous and scared of her verdict.

The scowl on her face shows she's not pleased by Shelby’s interruption, but soon she’s back to smiling again.

“Everything looks okay. You are in good health and at your peak, but you are not pregnant yet.”

I look up at Shelby. How was that for the dumbed-down version? I had failed to get pregnant. My uterus is not as magical as they assumed. Four strong Alphas and none of their seed has been accepted by my eggs. Maybe my eggs are just as stubborn as I am. Or maybe they are a bit lost on what to do with the seed. I assume my eggs are as inexperienced in these matters as I am.

I shake my head. Why am I acting like my uterus and eggs have a conscience of some kind?

The doctor smiles encouragingly, but I'm too distraught by the news to smile back this time.

"So what do I do? Tell me, doctor. How can I improve my chances of getting pregnant? I'll do anything."

She shakes her head. "You have to keep trying, honey. It would have been quite a miracle if you had gotten pregnant within the first month. Because of the uniqueness of your womb, it appears you ovulate twice each month. This means your chances of getting pregnant fast are very high. Pray to the Moon Goddess, and soon it will happen. Don’t dwell too much on it. Stress produces hormones that are not conducive for conceiving, so relax."

Shelby clears her throat rather too loudly. I know this is her way of saying, ‘I told you so.’

I feel sad that I’m not pregnant yet, but also glad as this means I get to spend more time with the Alphas. This might be a blessing in disguise. The Alphas are all different in their own ways, but they all bring their unique flavors to my table. Oh, how I relish in all they have to dish out for me, and I crave more.

This means I get to spend more time with each of them. My Alphas…. Yes, that sounded right. At least for now, they all belong to big-nosed and double-horned uterus breeder me.

Take that, Emily.