“I’m glad to hear that.” The receptionist’s eyes crinkled in a genuine smile as he reached for the light in the first exam room.
This room was slightly more sterile, likely for health and safety reasons, but an antique lamp still stood in the corner, and the examination chair at the center had been made to resemble a recliner.
“Please wait here and the doctor will be with you shortly.” The receptionist backed out of the room, closing the door as he went.
Despite the clinic’s best efforts, the harsh fluorescents in the room made Beau tense up. He moved the few steps to the exam chair and perched himself on edge. His fingers intertwined and the knuckles went white.
There were stirrups on either side of the chair that he really didn’t like the look of.
“Beau, everything will be fine,” Loriun rumbled, his eyes on Beau’s face. “I’m sure you are healthy, and the process is quick.”
Beau sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his history with doctors and hospitals. Trauma-dumping on a veritable stranger was bad manners. Still, he couldn’t entirely prevent the flashes of memory resurfacing. The nauseated sensation of having too much blood drawn. Stress tests that only ended when he was certain he would die. Internal biopsy samples taken without pain relief.
By the time the doctor entered the room, the sound of the door handle turning had Beau practically jumping out of his skin. He was another Omega. He wore the white coat any human would expect, and was fully retracted into his humanoid form, though the edge of his lilac ear fins were just visible.
“Good morning…” The doctor glanced down at a tablet in his hands, “Beau. I’m Dr. Enas. My deepest apologies, but we only just received your medical history from your previous doctor last night. I’ve only had time to skim your most recent tests. It looks like all your hormone and pheromone levels are normal, and none of the tests produced worrying results.”
From a leather chair by the wall, Loriun murmured, “See? Everything is just fine.”
Beau’s muscles loosened by only a fraction. He knew he’d have to receive a physical exam, but didn’t exactly know what that entailed. Would they force him onto a treadmill and see how long it took him to fall unconscious? Or just jam an unreasonably sharp probe up his ass?
The doctor was still staring down at the tablet, a line in his forehead growing deeper and deeper. His wide, amber eyes darted across the screen, reading something that was evidently quite lengthy. At last, he looked back up at Beau and smiled, though something about it felt forced.
“All we need to do today is a rectocervical exam. You likely haven’t had one before, but I assure you it is quick and painless. I’ll step out of the room for a few minutes so you can change into a gown. You’ll find them in that cabinet over there. Perhaps your Alpha should also…?”
Loriun ran a hand through his shock of ginger hair and got to his feet. “Of course. I’ll give you some privacy.”
Within moments, Beau was alone.
Chapter 10
Beau
Anxiety coiled and thrashed in Beau’s gut as he slid his jeans off and unbuttoned his shirt. He knew that one more invasive procedure on top of all the others shouldn’t bother him this much, but he could count the number of men who’d been granted access into his body on one hand. Okay, maybe two hands. And a foot.
When Beau pulled the decorative cabinet open, he found gowns in a range of sizes, each one patterned with fish. He couldn’t stop a nervous giggle from slipping out.
He placed his clothes in the designated basket at the bottom of the cabinet and returned to his chair, trying not to look too closely at the stirrups. Now that he was sitting still, he could hear a muffled conversation taking place beyond the door. One of the voices sounded like Loriun. It was low and somehow urgent. Or angry? Had the doctor found something wrong? Did HIPAA even exist here?
The voices fell silent, and a few moments later, the two Mer returned. Dr. Enas’s forehead was still lined with concern, but Loriun’s face had completely transformed. His eyes blazedin their sockets, and his long fingers were clenched into fists. A muscle in his sculpted jaw was flickering.
Something is definitely wrong.
“Beau,” Loriun gritted out. “I understand that you may not want me in the room for this kind of exam. Would you like me to wait outside for a few minutes?”
Is that what he’s angry about? Does he not want to leave?
The thought of having the ethereally beautiful Alpha in the room with him while a doctor stuck a probe up inside him was thoroughly unappealing.
“Maybe, just for a few minutes,” Beau replied in a small voice.
Loriun reached for the door handle without question. “I will be just outside if you need me.”
Despite the embarrassment of being spread eagle in front of the Omega doctor, the exam truly wasn’t all that bad. It was over in less than two minutes.
“Everything looks good, Beau,” Dr. Enas said, peeling off his gloves. “You seem to be a perfectly healthy, young Omega. Now, I’ll need to see you again when you’re ready to start growing your family. We’ll reduce your suppressant dosage in safe increments until your body is ready for heat cycles when the time comes. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Is there something wrong with my file?” The question had circumnavigated his mental filter and traveled directly to his mouth.
