"I have to admit I was afraid to even think about it, to allow myself to believe that the magic of True Mates could actually work. And yet it does. It really heals the body," he whispers.
"Also, the metal rod you have there, it seems to be pushed out of your body. It appears just under the surface now," I whisper, touching his shoulder blade softly.
Small shivers run along his back. It makes me smirk. Eliano always has a significant reaction to my touch.
"Maybe the body just gets rid of it, expels it." He also checks his ears, and his face splits into a wide grin. "They seem to be better too." Then he glances at me. "I’ve heard that with TMs even piercings can close up and get pushed out of the body."
Automatically, I pull up my hand and also touch my ears. They are still there, but for sure it’s a lot harder to move them around.
"I wonder if the magic has already fixed the damage in my brain," I say quietly.
"It’s possible. The only question is whether the changes are more subtle there. The brain kind of has to reprogram itself."
To know for sure, I would have to have brain scans compared, so I decide not to think about it too much, especially since I do not feel any major change in myself, though maybe slightly fewer things piss me off than before.
I don’t know what more to say more, so I just stare at his muscular back.
"Also, Salt… Your eyes have definitely changed. I noticed it yesterday, but today the dilated pupil seems smaller."
I close my eyes. I noticed it too, but I was afraid to acknowledge it, thinking it might be fleeting.
"The change is slow," I whisper. "The muscle in my pupil has adjusted to the dilation, but I hope it will gradually readjust."
My hands lift slowly again, tracing his back, brushing along his spine. Eliano doesn’t move, he lets me do it. Initiating the first touch still doesn’t come easily to me, but now I really need it. I step a little closer and press myself against his back, embracing him by waist.
I can feel his heart pounding. I press my lips to his skin and whisper,
"I’m so glad you’re back. I want… us."
Eliano lifts his hands and covers mine as they hold him.
"I want the same, Salt, a happily ever after for us."
I close my eyes, breathing in his scent and the stillness around us.
???
Another week of our life together rolls in.
The career side of my life takes a new turn as well. My tattoo sketches have piled up far too high by now, so I decide to set up accounts on a few stock platforms and upload my designs, preparing vector versions of them in the process. Meanwhile, Eliano writes investigative journalism pieces for several magazines and news sites. That’s what our additional activities look like, aside from sex.
At the start of the new week, our wristbands go live!
We get a summons from the medical office.
My stress shoots up the second the appointment time pops up on the tiny screen. Eliano and I exchange a look. I already know what’s coming once my pregnancy is confirmed.
He squeezes my hand as we walk into the office. But when we step inside, we both pause. Doctor Lee isn’t there.
Instead, there’s someone new. Doctor Cooper.
Was Doctor Lee removed from his position because he knew about the Drax situation, or did he simply resign on his own?
Doctor Cooper is an older, gray-haired beta, short in stature, wearing thick glasses behind which he peers at us. He greets us, introduces himself, and explains that he previously worked at another facility dealing with hormonal support. He apologizes for only summoning us now, saying that first he had to meet with all the pairs who had seniority on the island over us.
He takes our blood samples, and then, unexpectedly, says, "Your case is really very interesting. I would like to take a closer look at it."
I am not entirely sure what he means by that.
