After breakfast we leave the dining hall together, heading toward Dr. Lee’s office, and Salt mutters,
"Looks like we’re not exactly welcome here anymore. Sorry I got us iced out."
I shrug and reply, "Well, why worry about it? This is not a place for us anyway, not forever, right?" I mutter grimly.
Salt’s eyes, one light gray and the other almost black from that huge pupil, rest on me for a moment. I am sure he is about to fire back with something sharp, but he says nothing, just drops his gaze again and we continue down the corridor.
Eventually we step into the office where Dr. Lee is already waiting.
His smile, that standard smile of people from Sector C, greets us at the door. I find myself wondering whether all these people trade gossip about what happened, or whether the doctor simply does not care because he has his own little domain to tend to.
"How is your stay on the island so far? Has it been… pleasant?" he asks with a saccharine smile.
"The impressions are mixed to say the least," Salt replies, returning an equally oversweet smile.
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that, but perhaps the situation will improve with time. These things sometimes require a bit of patience."
Salt grimaces, and I feel a strange sense of relief seeing him irritated again. I think I actually prefer him sour and prickly rather than sunk in that heavy sadness.
"So then, we will draw blood first and then proceed with the examination," he says, keeping his tone light.
"Do you need a bit more time to prepare? I have a few emails to send, if so," Dr. Lee adds, with that particular expression that leaves no doubt about what he is insinuating.
"Maybe just a moment," Salt says, which surprises me a little, but I go along with it.
After the blood draw, the doctor sits down at the analysis machine, turning his back to us.
Salt undresses and settles onto the red examination chair with a strange grimace on his face. I know what to do and take my place between his legs.
Our eyes meet. Then he speaks so softly that only an alpha ear could catch it.
"Will you take care of my little star?" There is something sweetly teasing in his gaze that makes my breath hitch. "Will you help it get ready?"
"Of course," I answer on a breath, my eyes dropping to his spread legs.
His pucker looks even more like what omegas have at the start of heat, at least from what I’ve seen online. But I’m not going back to that topic. Salt seems strangely determined to ignore the changes in his own body, and frankly, I’m not in a hurry to analyze them either.
A moment later I lower myself and gently massage his puffy, vividly burgundy-pink ring with my tongue. He lets out a small gasp. But this time, his muscles relax much faster.
Soon I am working my tongue deeper, and shortly after that I can switch to using the ultrasound probe. The tissue really is much more yielding this time around.
Dr. Lee is clearly fully aware of what is happening. He waits until Salt is ready, then comes over and takes his seat.
The second his gaze lands on Salt’s opening, I catch a strange, quick flicker in his eyes, like it genuinely caught him off guard.
"Have you noticed any changes lately in… how you’re feeling?" he asks vaguely, his tone careful.
Salt shrugs, without looking at the doctor, then tells an obvious lie,
"No. Nothing."
Dr. Lee doesn’t comment. He picks up the probe and guides it toward Salt’s uterus.
He studies it on the screen for a long moment. Then he drags another image over, overlaying it on the current view. From what I gather, he seems to be comparing the size of Salt’s uterus today with that of the previous visit.
Even I can see it looks bigger, maybe by half an inch. But what does it mean?
Strangely, Dr. Lee stays silent, offering no comment, which is… puzzling.
