Page 10 of 80% Beef 20% Cake (Alien Fated Mates #2)
10
J ayJay had thrown me under a flashing neon bus.
After revealing my poor health, Geo and Makir’s relentless mothering hadn’t stopped until I’d agreed to an appointment with Dr. Ten. Which was how I found myself in a sterile office the next day, covered in sweat. The more I looked around the room, the more I regretted telling them about my rare blood disease. Strange instruments of torture lined the shelves of a white wall, and a very large egg-like chair loomed in one corner.
A Nacer, his wings tucked into an impressive stair-step pattern down his back, beckoned me in with a dip of white feathers. “Welcome, welcome.” He turned to face me, his arm stuck out in front of him. “Geo has informed me shaking hands is a customary Earth greeting. I’m Dr. Ten.”
His wings would be amazing to study for costume design. I yearned for my sketch pad.
Dr. Ten cleared his throat, refocusing me. His hand was still stuck out awkwardly. My attention span was shit these days.
I clasped his warm hand with mine and shook it. “Yes, a lot of human cultures shake hands. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ginger.”
His short beak gave the impression of a wise old owl. “Now, if you have a seat right here.” He gestured toward the compact torture chamber. “Nurse Claice will scan you, and the report yielded will tell me everything I need to fix you up.”
I took three stiff steps toward the ominous egg chair. Irrational hesitation weighed down each heavy footfall. As I sat on the lip, fingers clasped along its cold edge, I felt like I’d been deceived into unwittingly participating in a villainous body snatcher program.
Nurse Claice, more attuned to my fraying nerves than the doctor, placed a reassuring, strangely human-like hand on my shoulder. Her wings were folded in a neat taper down her back. “Don’t worry, little chick. Dr. Ten was recruited to Tern specifically for his experience studying and working with hundreds of species. This won’t take but a few moments and is entirely pain free. When the med chair seals, it will darken, and a red light will analyze you. The light’s harmless, but many find it more comfortable to close their eyes.”
Before I could say another word, she placed my head and arms on the rests, tightened the straps and sealed the chamber.
“Fuck!” My teeth clenched, and I bore down on my chair as if it were a rocket launcher about to take off. When nothing happened beyond the soft sound of waves lapping against the shore, I opened one eye and then the other. Crimson, coral and carmine lasers spiraled around my body like a spirograph. The beams of light were beautiful. The palette would’ve worked perfectly for the dragon harness costume I’d created a few years back.
Bathed in the ruby glow and the lulling ocean sound, the space filled with a hesitant optimism. Would there be an advanced technology treatment for my condition? A magical serum that might cure me in one dose?
The chamber’s seal swooshed open a few minutes later, and the sanitized room’s bright white light flooded back in. Nurse Claice’s efficient hands unstrapped me.
“You did very well.” Her short beak clacked as she pressed buttons on a panel attached to the unit. “The results are uploading as we speak. The doctor will review them with you in a few moments.”
“Thank you.”
Her white feathers fluttered in response as the door snicked shut behind her.
Despite doubling up on my meds and getting excessive rest, my muscles still spasmed in pain, and now my hands and ankles were swollen to boot. I wished I’d accepted Geo’s many offers to accompany me, because what if the diagnosis was worse? Fear over what I was about to hear sent tremors down my arms.
Out of nowhere, my imagination conjured JayJay’s big hand wrapped around mine, and my feet stopped their incessant jittering. Why would thoughts of an enormous Rock Dweller calm me? I brushed it off. Anyone would find safety in the presence of someone who’d rescued them.
The vacuum-sealed door unfolded, and Dr. Ten entered, head bowed toward a data pad. “So very interesting,” he muttered to himself. “Well, I think I remember a case where….” He tapped his chin with one bony finger.
I cleared my throat.
He chirped happily. “This is absolutely remarkable. You do indeed have idiopathic blood degeneration. The symptoms you display—exhaustion, swollen joints, muscle spasms—are typical of other humanoid species with this condition.” Deep in thought, his head ticked to the side while he scrolled through the data. “The folic acid and calcium supplements you’ve been taking, in addition to your medication, will slow the disease. However, the antimetabolite is no longer effective.”
Uh-huh. Tell me something I don’t know.
“How are you liking your time on Tern?”
Why did doctors insist on small talk? “Well, last week, the most horrific beast I’ve ever seen trapped me in a volcano.”
Dr. Ten’s small eyes filled with concern.
“Then, last month, I had to be rescued when the same bastard worm shook the ground so hard it blocked the entrance to the rocky outcrop’s cave with a giant boulder.”
He cocked his head to the side, clicking his beak with a sound oddly close to a tsk .
“And I’ve nearly frozen to death in an avalanche.” I sighed. “Honestly, my return to Earth in a couple of weeks can’t come soon enough.”
Dr. Ten’s beak opened and closed, but no words came out.
Judging by his silence, honesty had been the wrong approach. I blamed my lack of filter on the uncertainty. Tell me what to do about my antimetabolites already, would ya? But I didn’t want him to think humans were ungrateful, so I put on my fake smile.
“Ah…What I meant to say is that it’s been awesome. Thanks. My best friend’s happy and married to a wonderful Lornian.” While it was true, spewing polite BS had never been my gig. “And I’ve taken part in so many exciting cultural exchanges. But my favorite part has been learning to ride a hoverbike.”
He pulled a stool from under a table closer to me. “It pleases me to hear that. Perhaps you won’t take the news I’m about to give you poorly after all.”
What?!
Dr. Ten’s wingtips fluttered. “Your expression tells me I’ve said the wrong thing again. Nurse Claice is forever warning me not to scare my patients.”
My feet drummed a nervous beat against the floor. “Just rip the bandage off. Don’t sugarcoat it.” I clutched the edge of the egg chair in a white-knuckled grip.
“I don’t believe ‘rip the bandage off’ and ‘sugarcoat it’ are translating correctly, but I gather from your trepidation that you would like the worst news first.”
OMG, this guy’s killing me.
“Yes. Please…tell me.” I forced calmness into my voice, despite wanting to physically tear the words from his throat.
“Very well. You’ll have to remain on Tern until your red blood cells have returned to the acceptable range allowed for travel. The Intergalactic Federation of Interplanetary Travel has protocols in place to prevent disease transmission, and at the moment, your low red blood cell count makes you vulnerable to contagions. I’m sure you understand.” His beak clicked as if urging my agreement. “These precautions are necessary in light of Tern’s recolonization. We must remember that the Yurstille we live in now was built in the aftermath of a plague.”
What the ever-loving fuck?!
Was the room getting smaller, or was it just me? I grew dizzy, and my vision dimmed. “You’re telling me I have to stay on Tern indefinitely?”
“Only until your RBC count has increased.” His beak opened in an optimistic smile.
I ducked my head between my knees and sucked shallow breaths through my tight diaphragm. “My RBC count hasn’t increased once since my diagnosis.” I wheezed at the floor.
Water ran in the background as I fought through my dizzy spell.
Dr. Ten passed me a cool cloth. “Ginger, you have nothing to worry about. Please be calm. I have wonderful news in that regard.” He scrolled through pages and pages on his data pad. “Ah…here it is.” He shook the data pad over his head like a trophy. “There is a case… Note that this wasn’t a study with a human subject, but of a species that shares similar DNA. I believe the outcome would be successful. As you know, other species, including Lornians, are quite compatible with humans.” His beak clacked in the Nacer version of a chuckle.
I was too familiar with Lornian and human compatibility now that I shared a house with newlyweds. Much to my dismay, Makir and Geo liked to get naked in the kitchen. My design book overflowed with mock-ups for JayJay’s new clothes from all the times I’d dashed to the sanctuary of my room. But what did that have to do with anything?
Dr. Ten projected a video on the white wall from his data pad. “Here, the amino acid contained within Rock Dweller sperm strengthens the red blood cell wall and allows proper oxygenation.” His long fingers moved as if following the words to a karaoke song as the image of the fortified RBC changed shape. “A second case study with Lizzard sperm has also proven successful.”
Is this a joke?
My jaw dropped, and I snapped it shut again.
“Rock Dweller…sperm?” I liked JayJay and all, but sex with him had been a very quiet, far away blip on the radar. Relegated to my dreams and fantasies only. Although his firm, warm lips against mine had been as real life as you could get. And holy hell, the guy was huge and I had no doubt that under his destroyed pants he hung long and large. Too large.
“Or Lizzard.” His wing tips bumped up and down with soft flutters as if this were the best news ever. “My treatment plan revolves around their ejaculate. Besides the semen, please continue to take your folic acid and calcium supplements and eat lots of dark leafy greens.” He powered off his screen, strode to the sink tucked into a nook, washed his hands, and sanitized them with a wand thingy in preparation for his next patient. “Also, your liver is showing higher than optimal levels of toxins from your medication.” His eyes almost crossed as he turned to stare down the length of his beak at me. “I assume you’re aware it’s dangerous to alter the recommended dosage?”
I bit my lip. Busted. But my brain was stuck on needing Rock Dweller sperm. “Where do I get Rock Dweller sperm? Is it, like, a prescription in pill form or something?” Never had I thought a question like that would leave my mouth.
“Unfortunately, my lab isn’t equipped to stabilize the amino acid and hormone, so it could take some time to develop an oral treatment off-planet.”
“So ingesting is a no-go?” My shoulders slumped in relief at not having to drink a cloudy tapioca milkshake of JayJay’s jizz. Even the thought made me gag.
Dr. Ten muttered, but I could hear him perfectly. “Humans really do need things spelled all the way out. I’m advising you to have intercourse with a male Rock Dweller or Lizzard of your choice. Though Raz is the only male Lizzard currently living on Tern. The study on Yagras showed bodily fluids needed to be given on a regular basis before remission occurred. The hormone present in their semen allows the amino acid to carry through your vaginal walls into your bloodstream, rebuilding your red blood cells.”
Desperate, I blurted out any other thing that might help. “What about the mushrooms? JayJay found mushrooms in the volcano. They totally helped.”
Dr. Ten’s eyes widened before his fingers flew across the datapad enlarging an image and flipped the screen toward me. “The hiti mushroom?”
I nodded frantically at the picture of the same mushroom JayJay had harvested from the dark crevice. “That’s the one.”
“I must get some for my stores.” The tiny white feathers on his eager face lifted for a second. “While an incredibly helpful find, hiti mushroom is a fever reducer and analgesic. I’m sorry to inform you that it won’t assist in RBC regulation.”
When I continued to sit there, unspeaking, his voice softened. “This must come as shocking news, but the possibility of your disease going into remission should outweigh any physical discomfort. The two case studies indicate that once RBC levels have been optimized, the body will begin to manufacture its own quite readily. There are no guarantees, of course, but it is promising.”
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “It can be a strictly medical transaction. There is no intimacy required. If you want to return to Earth, there’s no other course of action.”
And that was the final nail in the coffin. I stood and exited his office in a trance.
“One moment,” Dr. Ten called, catching up to me, passing me a vial of pearlescent liquid. “If you choose to proceed with this treatment plan, and I highly recommend you do, I wish to provide you with the option of pursuing birth control.”
I left, my mind spinning like the shimmery contents of the vial in my pocket. The streets of Yurstille turned into a labyrinth in front of me. Had I even said thank you to Dr. Ten?
My maniacal laugh scared away a woodskie who pecked at a blue puddle. The agitated bird burst skyward with its seagull- like call. It appeared spring was around the corner on Tern. This was the time of year I should’ve been putting forth proposals for new design contracts.
Instead, I stumbled as images of little round Rock Dwellers with human hair took over my ability to reason. I quickly forced them away, smoothing my hand over the vial in my pocket. Definitely not ready for that.
This prescription was garbage. Compatible must mean something different to Nacers. Had Dr. Ten, with his fancy videos of Rock Dweller sperm and their amino acids, even considered the size difference between a human and a…King Kong? It would never fit, even if I wanted it to. Which I didn’t. Right?