Chapter 9 Tessa #3
“Miss Fortune,” she said now, eyes retraining on my face, her voice somehow both gravelly, yet smooth.
“I’m so pleased you are here. We’ve been desperate for virginal samples.
They’re so necessary if we’re to adequately map the trajectory of scent production and pheromones from first heat to last. The variables of sexual activity must be firmly considered.
” She smiled at me, and I think she meant it to feel beatific.
Instead, with the way her huge mouth widened, nearly stretching from ear to ear, the smile felt threatening.
“I’m glad I can help,” I said weakly, feeling smaller and smaller the longer I was in her domineering presence.
Oh, to be a fucking Alpha. I bet everything would be so freaking different.
I bet the lawyer would have been more help.
I bet the government wouldn’t have taken everything if the estate had a proper heir.
I bet predators wouldn’t have continually pushed their luck on the streets those first few months before I got… less desirable.
“Yes, wonderful.” The smile fell slightly as she picked up the clipboard, reading through Beta Love’s scrawl.
“Lovely. All lovely.” Once she set the clipboard back down, she clapped her hands lightly.
“Let’s begin then, shall we? Depending on how the scent samples turn out, we’ll decide on further bloodwork and such. ”
She must have seen the way my expression grew distrustful. My gut was roiling. I felt like I needed to pee. I hated that being nervous made me feel that way.
“Oh, don’t worry, Miss Fortune. There’s genuinely nothing to fear from me.” She smiled wildly again. I wish I could tell her not to.
The door opened again, a pop of exterior air darting inside as if the pressure had been lowered in this room.
Maybe I’d sucked it all away with my anxiety.
It was Beta Love, returned in a blue disposable robe of his own, hands concealed by blue gloves and eyes now behind a thick set of googles.
He was pushing a machine on wheels. It wasn’t very tall, maybe as high as his waist, and a weird bulbous wand device was mounted to the side.
He positioned it next to Doctor Swann and then plugged it into an outlet on the floor.
It blinked a few times, before the monitor fully awoke.
Charos Compact Ultrasound read its label.
“Set up the initial rapid tests, Love. I’ll begin sampling.”
“Yes, Doctor Swann.” He spoke with deference.
So, at least with this Alpha, he wasn’t a complete clinically cold fish.
He moved over to a hooded work surface, flipped on a fan switch, and then began setting up a very strange contraption with glass tubing, lightbulb shaped upper globes, and lower drip tips that reminded me of a watering bottle for a hamster.
Movement near me brought my attention back to Doctor Swann who was currently holding the weird wand from the compact ultrasound and playing with knobs at the front of the machine. When she seemed satisfied, she picked up the scary syringed.
I shrunk away the minute she started coming at me with both items.
Josie, sensing my fear renewed, shifted to push her body against my stomach. For the first time, the Alpha doctor gave the cat her attention.
“Hmm, I’d forgotten about that.” She quirked an eyebrow, considering, and then she turned to Beta Love. “Love, get one of the vented animal crates they used to ship in the rodents.”
He simply nodded and disappeared.
I tried to stand up, fearful of what was about to happen.
Doctor Swann gave me her face-splitting grin once more.
“I promise we are not taking her permanently. However, contamination of our samples is a possibility. This is also a very delicate process. If she squirms, causing you to move, I could miss the glands entirely. I do not wish to cause any unnecessary pain.”
“Will she at least stay in the lab?”
“Of course!” Doctor Swann crowed. “We’ll place her in the containment bag, make quick work of removing any visible hair on your robe, and then proceed.”
“But she’ll stay in the room, right?” I pressed, wanting a clear answer. These folks really liked to dance around directness.
“Yes, of course.” The Alpha soothed, in a very maternal tone as if I were a child afraid of the monster in her closet.
Beta Love returned carrying an odd white box with green lettering and screened ‘windows’ along each side. Live Animals. Keep air spaces clear. I mentally read. It was plenty large enough for Josie, but she was going to hate it.
I swallowed hard, eyes glued to Beta Love’s patient, practiced movements as he placed the transport crate down on the floor near the wall furthest from me.
He pulled out flaps of cardboard attached to the lid from where they were seated inside slits in the container’s bottom.
He felt inside the box for a heartbeat, then stood up and nodded.
“It’s clear of any droppings or debris, Doctor Swann. Shall I place the animal inside?”
“Just so, Love. Thank you.” Doctor Swan still held the syringe, still held the smile warping her face, and still seemed perfectly prepared to sink a needle into my body.
Beta Love approached, lifting his arms to reach for Josie when he was near enough to seize her. Josie immediately recoiled, hissing and batting at him with one clawed paw.
“Let me do it,” I whimpered, tugging her to my chest and standing.
Beta Love flicked a look at Doctor Swann, who nodded.
I moved past Beta Love, feeling his gaze and the doctor’s eyes on my back.
I spoke softly to Josie as I moved, saying it would only take a little while, she wouldn’t be in the cage for long, it was okay.
All okay. Saying that was feeling more and more like a lie.
For me, Josie cooperated. She looked up at me with trusting eyes as I placed her in the crate and then picked up the lid.
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” I sung in an offbeat melody as I lowered the lid.
The second I couldn’t properly see her; I felt a lump in my throat.
“Sorry,” I whispered before walking back to the wide chair and the waiting doctor.
When I sat down, I risked a glance at the container.
Josie had her face smushed against one of the vented mesh windows.
I’m glad I couldn’t see her eyes. She’d definitely be judging me.
“Now, let’s get you cleaned up.” Doctor Swann was armed with a lint roller, as if she’d materialized it from thin air.
She ran it down the front of my hospital robe with swift, efficient strokes.
“I will have to talk with your brother, Love, about a future protocol for ensuring this isn’t a factor again.
” Though her voice was pleasant, by the way Beta Love reacted, you’d think she slashed him across the face with a bright red branding iron.
“Yes, of course. He should know better,” Beta Love stammered.
I wasn’t sure why, but my instinct prompted me to defend the pink suited Beta who’d let Josie stay with me.
“Beta Love… I mean, the other Beta Love. Your brother, Beta Love.” God, that was really confusing. “He was super kind. He shouldn’t get in trouble for me bringing Josie.”
Doctor Swann patted my shoulder with one gloved hand.
Her eyes crinkled at the corners sympathetically.
“No, of course not. But we all must keep to a standard to ensure the very best results. We haven’t dealt with your…
particular situation before,” she craned her neck and tilted her head to flick a glance at the animal crate.
“Now that we have, we must create a new procedure.”
“I guess that makes sense,” I mumble stupidly.
Doctor Swann placed the lint roller in Beta Love’s waiting hands. “Trash that, Love. In the biohazard. Then please finish your earlier tasks. I want the fresh samples immediately tested.”
Beta Love just nodded a little, scurrying off. I watched him as he dumped the entire lint brush—what a waste; it still had so many sticky layers left—and then returned to the hooded workspace.
“Now, please hold very still, Miss Fortune.” Doctor Swann. Doctor Swann’s smile. Doctor Swann’s hands holding the ultrasound wand and the hateful, terrible, very sharp needle.
She pressed the ultrasound to the right side of my neck first. She adjusted her pressure, and the position, while keeping her eyes on the machine’s monitor. All I saw were wobbly lines and strange, misshapen circles. She, of course, knew what she was looking at.
“Ah, there we are. Beautifully sized for your age, and quite full. I’ve a feeling this will be easy.” Doctor Swann looked at my neck, then back at the ultrasound reading, then back towards her prize. “Here we go.”
As the needle approached, I closed my eyes. I couldn’t help it. I winced, sucking in a breath when the sharp tip pierced my skin. I counted in my head. One, one thousand. Two, one thousand. Three, one thousand. By the time I reached five, she’d finished.
“That wasn’t so bad,” I said before opening my eyes.
“Yes! One down, four to go!” Swann triumphed, holding up the large needle.
Viscous, shimmering pink fluid danced inside the glass shaft.
She held it up to the light. “Beautiful. Such a lovely color!” As I watched, she pushed the needles end into a lavender tipped, collection tube.
Once she’d emptied the syringe into the vial, she set the tube in the holder and then frowned down at the collection of tools.
“Love,” she snapped, “I need three more aspirate grade syringes. You have only given me one.”
Beta Love nearly fell hopping off the tall metal stool he was perched atop. He raced to a cabinet, flung it open, and grabbed what was needed. He was huffing and limping a little when he brought it over to his Alpha boss. “I’m so sorry, Doctor Swann.”