“Agreed.”
A young beta at the front desk stood up, glanced awkwardly at the clipboard and called, “Mr. Hoshi and, er… Mr. Scar? The doctor will see you now.”
I quirked a brow at my mate as we walked to the clinic room. “Did you not put a last name on the form?”
He shrugged. “I left it behind, the same way I left my given name. This is who I am now.”
“I see,” I said. “Maybe… Maybe one day you’ll think about takingmylast name.”
He shot me a wry glance. “We’ll see.”
The humor faded into anxiety as we entered the doctor’s office. The beta gestured for us to sit and said, “Dr. Lynden will be with you in just a moment.”
“Thank you,” I said.
He left us alone. Scar gripped the arm of the chair, picking at the seam of the fake leather.
“This doctor delivered Gabriel and Raja’s babies, you know,” I said to try and distract him.
“I guess she knows what she’s doing, then,” Scar replied. The seam began to fray. I gently placed my hand on top of his to stop him from fussing with it.
“Come to think of it, I believe she delivered Dante and Lorenzo, too,” I said. “She’s like Cinderhollow’s resident baby expert.”
“Maybe we can talk about something besides babies right now,” Scar mumbled. “Like how white the paint on the wall is.”
“Okay. We can definitely talk about that. It’s, er… very white.”
Thankfully, Dr. Lynden rapped on the door a moment later, saving me from having to talk about paint. She entered with a curt nod. “Hello. You must be Scar and Ryu.” Her gaze lingered on Scar, and she added in a gentler voice, “You look well.”
He paused. “Do I know you?”
“Not quite, but I knowyou. I was working a hospital shift the day they brought you in, fifteen years ago,” she said. “I’m glad to see you’ve recovered.”
Scar rolled his shoulders. He probably felt a bit awkward knowing she had seen him at his weakest and most vulnerable. But Dr. Lynden didn’t dwell on the past long—she flipped through her notes. “It says you’re here for a fertility test, is that right?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Can I make the assumption that you two are together?” she asked.
“Yes.” I slipped my hand into Scar’s, and I felt how warm he was.
Dr. Lynden smiled. “Okay. So you’ve been trying to get pregnant?”
I nodded. “That’s right. But our last test turned out negative, and—”
“The day they brought me in, do you remember if I was hurt anywhere else? Besides my limbs?” Scar interrupted suddenly.
Dr. Lynden hummed. “Not that I can recall. But I can check your old charts, if you’d like. They should still be at the hospital. First, let’s run some tests here, shall we?”
She picked up a small plastic container and handed it to me.
“What’s this for?” I asked.
With a stern look, she raised a brow. “Scar is not the only one involved in making a baby. Hop to it. There’s a bathroom next door.”
My face flushed when I realized what the cup was for. “Oh.”
Dr. Lynden waved me away. “I’ll run my tests on Scar while you’re gone. Go on, now.”
