Page 14 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

The perky brunette nurse pointed to the door with a yellow-painted finger. “In here,” she said. “Dr. Kohler will be down to see you in a moment. She’s finishing a rotation on the other end of the hospital.”

Then, and not for the first time since the nurse had called my name from the waiting room, she shot the dragon and necromancer a dirty look as Titus slipped past her and into the room ahead of me.

I’d asked them to come, and we’d, rightfully, left Bryce to wait.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a wary tone. She watched Julian with a critical gaze. “You’re not assigned here today.”

“No, I’m not,” Julian replied, squeezing my hand. “But I’m here anyway.”

“Okay…” Her reply was slow, her tone doubtful, and her eyebrow rose as she warily looked between us. Titus had moved to the other end of the room—back to the wall near the wall-mounted computer—and crossed his arms.

Meanwhile, Julian ignored her and led me to the pink examination table. He frowned at the gown draped over the edge.

I hadn’t noticed it at first, but once Julian focused on the garment, I couldn’t look away.

My palms began to sweat. I’d been locked away the last time I’d worn one of those, not to mention that changing meant that some kind of exam was expected.

Titus stepped forward, snatched the item, and threw it into the trash before he resumed his previous position. A rather dramatic reaction, considering they probably just bleached the crap out of these gowns and reused them between patients, but the sentimentality was still quite touching.

It was enough to cause my rising panic to fade, in any case.

“She’s not going to have an examination today,” he said.

The nurse glanced at her chart and raised her eyebrow. Her hoop earrings jingled in the movement. “If she’s not going to—”

“Just let it go.” Julian crossed his arms, moving between us.

I peeked around Julian’s arm.

“Just get comfortable,” she told me, no longer looking at the two men.

“And if you need anything, ask for me: my name is Catalina.” She pointed at her nametag—a bright white rectangle against her hot pink scrubs.

“Just make sure you don’t let their status intimidate you.

In some spaces, that sort of thing doesn’t matter.

Some of us still take our day jobs seriously. ”

My heart beat wildly, but she’d already slipped from the room and closed the door by the time I thought of a response.

Instead, I looked to Julian, who was still watching the door.

“What did she mean?”

“She probably thinks we’re pressuring you to let us stay.” Julian shrugged. “And that we have no business being here.”

“Technically, we don’t,” Titus pointed out. “But that’s how Catalina is. I’m sure she suspects. Did you see the way she was looking at her?”

“Miles should talk to her about Bianca soon. She’ll figure it out eventually,” Julian replied. “She won’t let up if she thinks we’re hurting her.”

“What’s that?” My pulse raced. Why would she think they were hurting me?

“What you see here is a nurse—and a witch—actually doing their job,” Titus answered. “She’s also not easily intimidated. It’s a good trait; she’s clearly on your side, even if it means questioning us.”

But why? “Is there a reason she’s not scared of you?”

“She’s an Officer. Her name is Catalina Garcia, and she’s Miles’s Tongjun,” Julian explained, leading me to the seat. “She’s ambitious but quiet.”

Tongjun…

I sat down and dangled my feet over the edge of the chair.

Jiayi had mentioned her once. She’d said Catalina was too softhearted to get involved in her and Xavier’s questionable research.

But she didn’t seem timid. Although, to be fair, Jiayi and Xavier’s affinity for human-skin-bound books written in blood ink might break some highly regarded medical ethics.

But she and Ada marked the last of the Tongjun quintet. I’d already known Du Yun, even though I’d been avoiding him, and then there was Xavier and Jiayi.

The door opened and Dr. Kohler entered the room.

“I came as soon as I heard,” she stated, coming directly to me. “What’s going on? It must be important for you not to want to wait for your appointment.”

“I—I…” My words faded as my throat closed. I touched my fingers together and stared at a discolored portion of the tile floor.

This was it—it didn’t matter that Julian and Titus were in the room. What I felt was beyond embarrassment. I didn’t even want to be here, but…

Like I’d told Titus once, I was afraid that something might be seriously wrong with me.

It wouldn’t be so bad, so long as there was no exam.

“It really hurts,” I admitted, my voice a near-whisper.

There was a pause before Dr. Kohler finally asked, “What hurts? Your husband only says you fainted.”

Stupid Bryce. If he was going to drag me here, he could have at least been specific.

My thoughts halted. This time, I pulled myself out of my tangent and took a low breath, trying to focus.

She was waiting but I had no idea where to begin.

“Mother,” Julian’s calm voice washed over me, smoothing the edges of my nerves. “When did you and Bianca last discuss reproductive health?”

My face heated as Dr. Kohler replied, “Reproductive health?” She’d never sounded sterner. “Please tell me you aren’t—”

“Not that,” Julian interrupted, squeezing my hand. “The script you signed—it’s for this. She has had severe abdominal pain and has never come to you about it.”

“You’re in pain every month?” Dr. Kohler asked, tone cautious. “Since when?”

“Not every month…” I corrected, turning my attention to my knees again.

“Then when?” Dr. Kohler questioned, and I could feel her eyes on me, but I still couldn’t look up.

“It’s worse when I get my period,” I answered.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Dr. Kohler spoke once more, even more slowly than before. “And how often is that, Bianca? You told me you were regular.”

It was too late to back out now.

“Whenever.” I shrugged. “Maybe a few days every couple of months. Sometimes longer.”

I could feel her stare. “When did the pain start?”

“Um…” I shifted in my seat. My face felt inflamed, my shoulders tense, and I could barely respond. “B-before I was a-adopted.”

Dr. Kohler didn’t say anything right away. Instead, the weight of her silence pressed against my chest, and I could feel Julian tense beside me.

I held my breath and clenched my fists in my lap.

“Since before you were adopted.” Dr. Kohler’s voice was careful. “You mean to say you’ve been in pain since you were eight?”

I shrugged, staring hard at the speckled tile floor.

“And you never thought to tell me?”

I forced a laugh, even though my throat felt tight. “I felt… I could handle it.”

Dr. Kohler inhaled sharply. “No,” she said, voice firm. “I can’t believe that you’ve been living with untreated, unmanaged pain for a decade.” She cut herself off, exhaling slowly through her nose before adjusting her glasses. “We need to figure out what’s causing it.”

My stomach twisted.

I knew what was coming before she even said it.

“I’m going to need to do an exam.”

“But—” Panic flared through me. “We don’t need to do that. The little pills Damen gave me work much better than the Tylenol.”

Dr. Kohler’s chest swelled, and for the first time, I could slowly see her start to lose her patience.

But it was Julian who responded.

“You can’t just pop a bunch of Tylenol!” Julian protested. “Is that what you’ve been doing?”

I pressed my lips together.

“Bianca,” she began, and I could see she regained her composure. “Do you mind if I try something first?”

“Um,” I bit my lip. “W-what?”

“Can I touch you?”

I leaned back, pressing against Julian, as my pulse skipped. “W-why?”

Even though she was my doctor, we’d rarely had any physical contact—and when she did, she usually wore gloves.

“I am a necromancer,” Dr. Kohler said in an even voice. “I can sense any biological irregularities you might have. I need to have some measure of understanding of what is happening.”

“Okay,” I replied, breathless.

“Afterwards, I still might need to follow up,” she warned. Then she glared at the boys. “Do you want them to leave?”

I shook my head.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “What if—”

“No.”

She looked at me, sighing, before taking off her gloves. “Okay. I’m going to touch your arm.”

Dr. Kohler pushed up my sleeve. She hovered her hand over my bare forearm. Close, but not quite touching. Her eyes met mine as she waited for my acknowledgment. “Is that okay?”

What if things were worse than I thought? Since my mouth was dry with fear, I shrugged.

Her fingers brushed gently over my skin, and she pressed her palm against my arm. She closed her eyes as she sucked in a slow breath.

Julian held my other hand, and a low, nervous tension radiated from him while Titus remained still as a statue across the room.

It seemed like everyone was waiting for Dr. Kohler’s feedback.

It was longer than expected before she finally opened her eyes and pulled back. Her serious expression never lightened when she straightened.

“Bianca,” she said cautiously, “I’m going to need to examine you.”

The hair on my arms stood up. Titus moved to my other side and Julian’s trepidation grew as his hand tightened on mine.

What had she found that was so terrible?

“Why?” And even more importantly, why couldn’t she tell me?

“Your energy is blocked, and I can’t make a diagnosis without actually seeing,” she replied, her voice steady but firm. “But it’s enough to make me concerned. You should, in all honesty, see a gynecologist. I can talk to—”

“No,” I cut her off, my voice tight.

“But—”

“No!” My glare burned into her, but she barely flinched.

Julian leaned forward. “Can’t you just start treatment without an exam? Until she’s ready?”

Dr. Kohler shook her head, sighing. “You know I can’t.” Her gaze settled back on me, cautious but unyielding. “There are too many possibilities. If I treat the wrong thing, I could make it worse. We need to be sure first.”

My stomach twisted. “What could it be?”