"Milo, great to see you again," Dr. Cole says, stepping into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," I tell her, relaxing into the seat. I never thought I would be back in this exam room, seeing as she had advised me just a few weeks ago to go off my hormones.
"How was the heat?" she asks, her face as professional as ever.
"Longer than usual. It lasted five days."
She nods, jotting notes on her clipboard. "Any other symptoms?"
Crinkling my brows, I look up at her. "What do you mean?"
"Lubrications levels, knot satisfaction, fever, water intake, sleep levels?"
The questions make me blush but I answer anyway. This woman has seen me with my pants down, I can answer these embarrassing questions. "Uh, there was more slick than usual, a lot more. My partner used one of those knotting toys, it helped to calm my heat. Not better than a real one, but good enough to take the edge off. I-I didn't take my temperature throughout the heat, so I don't know. My partner made sure I stayed hydrated and ate a little. Sleep wise, I napped in between bouts of heat, but other than that, not much."
She nods her head, jotting that all down, but then sits back in her chair. "That sounds about what I expected with the symptoms you were showing in the hospital. How long has it been since your heat ended?"
My eyes flicker over to the calendar on the wall, quickly counting the days since my heat ended. "Eight days."
"Alright." She stands up to walk over to the small sink in the room, quickly washing her hands before snapping on a pair of gloves. "I would like to run a few blood tests. But first I want to check some things. Is that alright?"
Nodding my head, I sit up in the chair. She comes over to me, first listening to my heart and breathing, and then taking my temperature. One she has the bases down, she starts to massage down my neck, making me wince when she gets to the junction of my shoulder.
She hums, finger gently brushing over the area. "Looks like your scent gland is swollen. That can be caused my mate separation, especially during a heat."
"My husband and I are in the process of getting a divorce."
"May I ask who you spent your heat with?"
"A friend," I tell her, shrinking in on my self.
"No judgment," she says. "I'm just asking because spending your heat with another can cause the body to go into overdrive. Seeking out one's mate is the body's way of protecting itself. It should go away on its own in a few weeks. If it starts to bother you, put a warm compress on it."
Her hands continue on, going along each of my arms before she has me laying back on the table. When her hands massage over my stomach, I can't hold back my wince. It is an aching pain, something that I only notice when she presses on it.
Her hands feel along my stomach, gently massaging the area before pressing down a little harder. Once she is done, she helps me to sit up before going to jot some notes down on her clipboard.
"Is everything alright?" I ask, worry settling in me. My body is already screwed up enough. I don't know if I can handle another thing going wrong.
Dr. Cole looks up at me, a small smile on her face. "Everything seems fine at the moment. The pain in the torso area is most likely from the harsh heat. All the hormones are causing your normal bodily functions to go into overdrive. Your body just seems to be settling at the moment. The swelling is most likely from the uterus expanding during your heat. Again, it should settle down within a few days."
"So, everything is fine?"
"At the moment, it looks like everything is perfectly fine. But I would like to take some blood samples in order to run a few more tests."
She goes over to one of the drawers pulling out a sanitary package containing a tube and needle, a small tube connecting the two. I have always hated needles, but I just endure the small prick, watching as she fills the tube half way before pulling the needle out.
"The results should be in by the end of the week. Hopefully, I will be able to tell the full extent to which the suppressants have affected you." She pauses, setting the tube in a small tray on the counter, before focusing back on me. Her eyebrows are scrunched in contemplation. "You said in the hospital you had no idea how the suppressants got into your system?"
"No idea," I tell her. "There isn't a way my body could have done this on its own?"
She shakes her head. "No, your body would only release those types of hormones if you were already pregnant. Tell me, how were your heats while you were on the fertility treatment?"
My nose scrunches up as I think back on those previous heats, not liking the alpha my husband has turned out to be. It wasn't until I spent my heat with Ollie that I realized how little he cared for me during those vulnerable times. "Mild, nothing like this last one was. They only lasted two days at the most, and I could stand to be knotted only twice a day."
She lets out an understanding hum. "That makes sense with the suppressants that were in your system. The fertility treatments should have increased your heats, made them stronger, not shorter. Was every heat you experienced while on treatment that mild?"
I give a shaky nod of my head, not liking what she is implying. "Yes, every one was mild. I always woke up with a horrible headache, though, and it would last for up to a week after my heat ended."
She grabs her clipboard, writing a few things down. "Yes, with the conflicting hormones, a headache is one of the milder symptoms you could have experienced. You are lucky that the suppressants and treatment have stopped."
She looks up then. "Is there any sort of vitamin or medication that you take every day?"
Nodding my head, I try to remember the name of the vitamin. "It was a type of daily vitamin, but I haven't taken it in weeks with everything that has been going on. Why?"
"Could you bring those in next appointment? I would like to have a look at them. And for now, continue to not take them."
"Okay," I say, worried about what I might have been putting into my body. Aaron had been taking the things for years, told me that they had all the essential vitamins that we don't get from foods. He is a doctor, so he knows what he is talking about. "When should I come in next?"
"As soon as possible. I believe I am booked out for the next week and a half, but talk to Marisol at the front desk, she'll get you scheduled. Would you like me to call you with the test results, or just wait until next appointment?"
"I'll just wait until the next appointment," I murmur. "I know I'll just stress about them if I am not able to ask a bunch of questions."
"Alright." She stands up then, gathering the tray with my blood sample, along with her clipboard. "Well, then, I will see you in the next week or so, Milo."
With that she walks out of the room, leaving me to gather up my stuff and walk to the front desk. Marisol is a sweet older beta, finding me the next available appointment, which is indeed two weeks away. She promises to call if any sooner appointments become available, and I nod my head before walking out to my car.
The rains had started up again, and with it being fall, it has started to get darker at earlier times. It is only a little after six, yet it is already dark outside.
Milo is already home when I get there, making something for dinner. Emmie greets me at the door, as per usual, allowing me to carry her around.
"What did the doctor say?" Ollie asks when I walk into the kitchen. "Everything alright?"
He quickly puts the lid on the large pot which he had been stirring and moves to stand in front of me. Knowing that he is worried, I allow him to lead me to the living room, having us both sit on the couch.
"A few symptoms that come from being separated from Aaron and the harsh heat, but other than that, Dr. Cole thinks that I am fine. She says that it is a good thing that the combination of suppressants and fertility treatments have stopped because I could have had way worse reactions than my headaches. She is running a few blood tests to see if my hormone levels have gone down, and I won't know the results until I go in for my next appointment."
"That's good, right? Now you can start to heal," he says, wrapping his arm around my waist when I rest my head on his shoulder. Emmie just lays in between us, pawing at our hands if we dare to stop petting her.
"I guess. I just wish I knew how I got suppressants in my system. They seem to be what really messed my body up. I just don't understand." My words come out somewhat muffled since my face is buried in his shoulder, but Ollie seems to understand well enough.
"Okay, don't hate me, but is it possible that maybe Aaron slipped you the suppressants somehow?"
His words cause me to pull away, watching him with incredulous eyes. "I know that you don't like Aaron, Ollie, and he isn't exactly my favorite person either right now. But we were trying for a baby. The whole reason he left is that I am infertile. Why would he be giving me suppressants?"
Ollie shrugs his shoulders. "I wouldn't put it past that asshole. He has never treated you right."
His words sting. I know he isn't saying anything mean about me, but his words are still painful. I had thought Aaron was the one for the longest time, loved him for years. I never understood why my family had never liked him, and while he is an overbearing alpha, I just thought that was normal. Ollie's words make me think of the subtle jibes Aaron had used to make to me when we were together, something that I always brushed off. It makes me feel stupid for not noticing, and even more stupid when I realize that I was the only one blind to his abuse.
Shaking my head, I pull away from him, pushing up from the couch. "I think I am going to lie down for a little bit."
"Milo, wait," Ollie says, catching my wrist in his hand. "I didn't mean to upset you."
His words and worried tone cause some of the hurt to settle, but I really would just like to have some time alone. "I know. I just need to have some time alone, I think. I'll be out for dinner."
His hand eventually falls away from my wrist, allowing me to escape to my room. I know I am being irrational, looking too much into Ollie's words, but I can't seem to help it. After everything that has happened, it seems like the wound I thought was healing is still aching.
Emmie follows me into my room, curling up on my bed when I lay down. She has always had a knack for knowing when someone is upset. And she just lays there, silently keeping me company as the tears fall over my cheeks.