Page 30 of Where the Current Takes Him (Mermate #1)

Beau

B eau had not expected to be back in the clutches of the stirrup chair so soon. Fortunately, Dr. Enas informed them that there was little point in a physical exam this early in the pregnancy, and the stirrups remained empty. Instead, he’d sent a surprisingly human nurse ahead to draw Beau’s blood.

“Good morning, Beau,” she said brightly. She had a sun-bleached blonde bob and Little Mermaid scrubs. “My name’s Flora and I’m just going to take some blood to confirm your pregnancy. Sound okay?”

Beau grimaced. “Sounds tolerable.”

Flora laughed. “Fair enough.” She lifted Beau’s left arm, clicked her tongue, then checked the right. She paused.

“Looks like you have a preferred arm for blood draws, don’t you?” she said, brushing a finger over the little smattering of dotted scars. “Are you a regular donor?”

Loriun stiffened.

“Something like that.” Beau attempted a weak chuckle. “I’ve definitely had my share of blood tests.”

Flora shot him a look, but didn’t press. A tourniquet was knotted around Beau’s upper arm, and he clenched his hand into a fist before the nurse had the chance to say anything.

“Well,” she said, readying her syringe, “I can assure you that I don’t leave scars.”

Beau still opted to avert his gaze when she approached his arm, needle poised. He gazed up at Loriun, hoping the depths of his aqua eyes would distract him from the pain. The Mer’s ear fins were flexing, like he was clenching and unclenching his jaw.

“You okay?” Beau asked.

“I should be asking you that question, luae .”

“I’m fine, Loriun, it’s just a blood draw.”

“All done!” Flora announced.

Beau’s head whipped around as she pressed a cotton ball to his puncture wound.

“Hold this to your arm for me,” she said.

Beau’s fingers obeyed without thought. “How did you do that? I didn’t even feel you start.”

Flora winked at him. “I’m that good. Now, we have a lab in-house, so these results will be ready in a few hours. I’ll get out of your hair and let Dr. Enas know you’re ready for him.” She swapped the cotton ball for a circular bandage, then gathered up her supplies

“Thanks,” Beau said, a few seconds too late. He watched in amazement as the woman shuffled backward out the door. When it shut behind her, he looked back at his Alpha. “I seriously didn’t feel anything. Is that what it’s supposed to be like?”

Loriun’s fins were still flicking. “I am not sure, as our anatomy is quite different. However, I would assume that routine medical care is not intended to cause pain.”

Beau gave a short laugh. “You’re probably right.” Then his brows knitted together. “Wait, how do your doctors draw blood?”

Loriun’s stormy expression cracked into a small smile. “Our scales are tough, and difficult to break through. The undersides of our tails are much more pliable. So doctors usually draw blood from the caudal vein which runs down the tail.”

“So you have to strip every time you get a blood draw?”

At that, Loriun barked out a laugh. The sound of the door opening sobered them both instantly.

“Beau, Loriun,” Dr. Enas said with a nod. “Can’t say I expected to have you back here so quickly.”

Loriun winced. Beau’s face heated. He felt like a teenager in one of those TV dramas, except he was the knocked-up girlfriend.

He half expected the doctor to call his dad, then be grounded, or sent off to a home for unwed mothers.

Now that he thought about it, would there be homes for unwed fathers now?

Did the Mer even take issue with unexpected teen pregnancies?

He’d assume not, given the state of the species. Then there was the fact that he was a fully-grown man.

“So,” Dr. Enas said, fixing them both with a look. “The last time you were here, I asked if you had been sexually active during Beau’s Pheromone Overwhelm-induced heat. According to my notes, you said you had not.”

Beau knew his face was flaming now. “Sorry, Dr. Enas,” he muttered. “I just didn’t want to deal with any testing or exams. I didn’t think one day of the wrong dosage would put me at risk.”

“Well, as I’m sure you know now, it does.” Dr. Enas paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. “However, if you had been truthful, I could have provided emergency contraception. It is a pill, similar to the morning-after pill used by human women.”

Beau hung his head. Idiot.

“Since this was unplanned, I believe we should go over your options.” Dr. Enas drew a rolling stool toward him and sat, flipping a page on his clipboard.

Beau reached out and took hold of Loriun’s hand. The cool feeling of his skin was soothing. He heard Loriun take a deep breath.

“Since we are able to pinpoint the exact day of conception,” the Omega doctor began, “I can tell you that you are almost five weeks along. Twenty-five days, to be precise. This means it is early enough to undergo termination if you wish.”

Beau’s throat constricted.

“If you opt for termination,” Dr. Enas went on, “it is also early enough to go the medical abortion route, which involves two pills. This will cause you to pass the fetal tissue on your own, and is less invasive.”

Beau tried to imagine himself sitting in the bathroom, enduring the bleeding and cramping as he waited for his little mistake to evacuate his womb. A shiver passed through his body.

“Another option is surgical abortion. This method is more invasive, though some patients report it as being less painful due to the use of anaesthesia.”

Again, Beau pictured himself, strapped into the stirrups, letting Dr. Enas vacuum his uterus. Despite the aforementioned anaesthesia, he couldn’t prevent the flinch that seized him. Another procedure, another invasion.

“And if I decide to keep it?” he heard himself say. Loriun’s fingers tightened in his grasp.

Dr. Enas gave him a searching look. “If you decide to continue the pregnancy, I will provide you with prenatal vitamins, a course catalog for human Omegas and their Alpha partners, monitoring equipment, and a list of recommended midwives. I am your doctor, Beau. I will provide you with the highest quality care regardless of your decision.”

Beau peeked over at Loriun. “I think… we should take some more time to discuss it.”

“Of course.” Dr. Enas scrawled something onto his clipboard.

“This is a big decision, especially at this stage of your pairing. You have six more weeks to weigh your options. After that period has passed, medical termination will no longer be an option. The surgical procedure will remain available for you until the fetus has reached twenty-two weeks. For now, I will supply you with prenatal vitamins and the course catalog, and treat the pregnancy as if it will continue. If you decide not to terminate, I will have the monitoring equipment sent directly to your home.”

He finished his scribbling and looked back up. The amber of his irises seemed to glow. Beau noticed that lilac scales were more visible on the doctor’s skin, and his fins waved from either side of his tanned face. Perhaps he only assumed the fully humanoid appearance for new patients.

“Do you have any further questions?” he asked.

Beau’s brain felt as though it were spinning out. So many thoughts, yet nothing was complete enough to exit his mouth.

Loriun saved him by speaking up first. “What classes are available to Alphas?”

Dr. Enas reached into his lab coat’s pocket and produced a thick booklet.

“I’ll let you take a look at this, but essentially, the majority of classes are on human biology, mental wellbeing, and birth support.

Couple classes focus on hybrid childcare and birth.

Alphas are, of course, welcome to attend exercise classes with their partners as well. ”

Loriun nodded, eyes flicking over the pages.

“How long would I be pregnant for?” Beau said at last. “I know it takes human women carrying human babies forty weeks, but I never learned about male Omegas and hybrids.”

Dr. Enas did not look surprised. “Human Omegas appear to follow a natural gestation of forty weeks regardless of sex or gender. Mer are gravid for two months, but our eggs require another year of external development before hatching.

Beau was taken aback. “A year? ”

Loriun looked up from his catalog. “You did not know?”

“You were stuck in an egg for a year? ”

Loriun let out a surprised laugh. “If you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous, but I can assure you that I do not recall any of my time within the egg. As a counterpoint, I would like to point out that you were trapped inside the body of another human for nearly ten months.”

Beau’s mouth snapped shut. Valid point.

Even Dr. Enas was holding back a grin. “Did you have any other questions, Beau?”

“Uh… I guess I just want to know how similar a pregnancy like mine is to a normal human pregnancy.”

“In the past twenty years of hybrid births, most of the pregnancies mirrored their human counterparts,” Dr. Enas reassured him.

“Though interspecies unions are still in their infancy, if you’ll pardon the pun, research thus far has shown no major differences.

If you would like firsthand experience, I recommend speaking with another human Omega on the island.

You can also find support groups online, if you prefer. ”

Beau nodded slowly. Am I really going to do this?

“Would you like me to put you in contact with another male, human Omega who has experienced childbirth?”

“That’s okay.” Beau’s thoughts flashed to Jaime and his four children. “I know someone already.”

“Excellent. Well, if that is everything for now, I’ll have you return to reception, and Tioa will handle your prenatal vitamins.” Dr. Enas stood. “If you have any further questions or concerns, I am always happy to assist.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Loriun rumbled. His scarlet facial fins flared, and Dr. Enas’s wavered in turn before he stepped out of the exam room.

“What’s with the fin fluttering?” Beau asked, running a finger along the delicate membranes.

Loriun let out a shuddering breath. “It’s like a human handshake. Except more sanitary.”

Beau gave a short laugh, dropping his hand. “Can’t argue there.”