Page 106 of Killaney Blood

Once he's gone, Dr. Tanner turns to me with a gentler expression. "Are you okay here, Lyra? And I don't mean just physically."

The question catches me off guard. "I... yes. I'm okay."

"I like to ask all my female patients if?—"

"Oh," I cut her off. "No, nothing like that."

"Good," she says with a smile.

She puts down a thin paper sheet on the bed and asks me to lie back on it and pull down my leggings. I comply, feeling oddly vulnerable. I've stitched up countless wounds, set broken bones, even dug bullets out of flesh, but I've rarely been on this side of medical care.

"The blood is coming from inside me."

"I see," she says. "I'm going to check on some things, okay?"

I nod.

She begins her examination with gentle hands. When she presses on my abdomen, I wince slightly.

Her eyebrows lift slightly, but she doesn't comment. Instead,

"Does that hurt?" she asks.

"No," I lie, then catch myself. "A little. It's just tender."

She nods. "Is it possible it's your period?"

"I don't think so, but I don't track it very well."

"Any cramping? Dizziness?"

"No."

She studies me for a moment, then says, "I'd like to examine you internally, just to be safe. Is that alright?"

"Sure."

I stare at the ceiling as she inserts her fingers, checking.

She twists her wrist and stops. "Any pain here?" she asks.

"No."

"What about when I inserted?"

"No."

"Okay, tell me if anything hurts now," she says.

I shake my head. "No, nothing."

"Nothing seems torn," she says after a moment, removing her hand and snapping off the glove. "But I'd like to run a quick test. Can you pee in a cup for me?"

I sit up slowly. "What? Why?"

"Just routine. Let's rule some things out."

She hands me a small plastic cup from her bag. I take it and head back into the bathroom.