Chapter 19

Viv sat at her desk in her sitting area. Mac had been following her everywhere in the house. Not like all up in her business, but he didn’t leave the house if she was there. He checked in with his work through phone calls and video calls, but he stayed there. She could tell he was trying; he had flowers and chocolates delivered. He even had a book that she had been looking at sent to her. The doorbell continued to freak her out, but she had been talking to an online therapist and she was working through some of it. She had been lucky enough that this one was a nonhuman. Thomas was also going to her.

The nightmares were still a problem. Not every night, but they happened at least several times a week. Mac assured her that the mind bender had been destroyed and so had any trace of his magic, but she could still hear his words. She could only imagine how much worse it would be if his magic was still influencing her. She knew they had double-checked at the hospital as well. This was just her own brain not letting go of the negativity. Her mate had rejected her before this, so her subconscious was thinking that maybe there was something to what the mind bender had said. Her therapist said it was complete bullshit. They were working on it.

Today she had a follow-up appointment with her doctor from the hospital. He wanted to check on her hand. The stabbing from the shoe had been seriously infected by the time they had found her and it had gotten into her bloodstream. They had been able to treat it and stitch her up, but it was time to see if the stitches could be removed and test the range of motion in her hand. They had been worried about nerve damage. She was also due to see her ob/gyn to make sure the damage from the attempted rape had healed correctly. It felt like it had healed, but she also couldn’t see it herself with it being at her ass. She wanted to talk to her doctor about any potential problems too. One day she wanted to have kids and she wanted to make sure the poison from the scorpion hadn’t caused any long-lasting damage. The hospital staff had thought that it had only prevented her blood from clotting and her body from healing, which was treated by the anti-venom. But she wanted to ask and was grateful that her long-time ob/gyn had turned out to be a nonhuman mate herself. D had asked around for her, trying to find out if it was safe to talk to her about what had really happened, and she had been relieved that she didn’t have to hide anything from her or find a new doctor. She was trying to find a way to tell Mac to stay at home for these appointments, at least the ob.

“Are you ready to go to your appointment?” he asked, knocking on her door.

“I am, but for my second appointment, I was thinking I could drive myself,” she said.

“Is your ankle up for that?” he asked. He loved being able to port her around and between her hand which she wasn’t supposed to move until today and her ankle, which was still wrapped, he thought driving might be a challenge.

“Oh, I forgot about that. Um. Could you stay outside during the appointment, then?”

“Sure. Anything you need,” Mac replied. Thomas had already warned him which doctor the second appointment was at. He could understand why she wouldn’t want him there.

“Thanks,” she said.

Mac helped her put on her winter coat. It was cold out and while they might miss that with the portal, he knew some medical offices ran cooler. Taking hold of her hand, he opened the portal and stepped through to the doctor’s. It helped that it was at the nonhuman hospital and porting was normal. Viv let go of his hand and went to check in at the front desk. He was hoping they had good news for her. She wanted to get back to work, even if he wasn’t convinced that she was ready. She wanted the routine and to feel normal again. Which he did understand.

“Vivian?” a voice called out at the other end of the room. Turning, Mac saw a nurse standing there with a clipboard.

“Hi,” Viv replied as she walked up to the nurse.

“Let’s get your weight and temperature real quick and then we’ll get you in a room,” the nurse said.

Mac was happy to see she had gained a few pounds back from when she had left the hospital.

“If you’ll wait here, the doctor will be right in. If the stitches are removed, they’ll also test your grip strength,” the nurse added before closing the door after herself.

Mac gently guided Viv to sit in the chair furthest from the door. He wanted to be between her and the entrance. She still had reactions to doors opening. It was getting better, but she was already on edge with seeing the doctors today. And it made sense; for a week or so, anytime a door opened it would bring pain.

“What if I have lasting damage?” she asked quietly. She was afraid of what that would mean for her job, driving, etcetera. Her therapist said they would tackle that issue if or when it happened and worrying about it now was causing unnecessary stress.

“We deal with it then,” Mac said calmly. “You drive mostly right-handed now, you’re right-hand dominant, so it shouldn’t affect things too much. Cutting things up to eat, maybe, or putting a ponytail in, but there’s ways around that too. I think you could still do your job just as well. You may have to henpeck with one hand if it’s bad, but you could still do it. I am positive that you can do things you still love if that’s the case, but I’m hoping it won’t be.”

Viv nodded, taking a deep breath. He was right. She could still drive using mostly her right hand, she could push books aside with her left if it was feeling weak and use her right hand to pick up books to reshelve. It would be okay, she told herself. Mac turned toward her, reaching across her lap and held her uninjured hand, his thumb lightly rubbing across her skin. It helped soothe and settle her.

There was a knock on the door with a few seconds of delay before the door opened.

“Good morning. Let’s see if we can’t get these stitches out,” the doctor said cheerfully. He reminded Mac of a smaller Santa Clause. Of course, he was a gnome, so that was probably why. Rounded belly, white hair and beard, jovial. He helped put Viv at ease.

He rolled a small table over before setting out a clean cover, tools to remove the stiches, a cream, and bandages. “Let’s see what we’re working with,” he said, holding out his hand for Viv’s.

She placed her hand in his. The doctor examined it, looking closely at both sides. “I think we can take the stiches out. It looks like that part is healing well. Then we’ll see about your range of motion.”

Mac laid his hand on her leg, letting her feel he was still there, but not getting in the way of the doctor as he laid Viv’s hand on the tray. “You might feel some tugging or small discomfort. If it’s too bad, let me know so we can make sure something isn’t wrong. The internal stitches are dissolvable, so this will just be the surface ones on either side of your hand,” the doctor reminded her.

It took maybe five minutes to remove the stitches, Viv wincing a few times. The doctor wiped off the small drops of blood from the stitches and placed a bandage over the areas. “Okay. Your hand is going to be stiff, but I’m going to have you try to make a fist. Stretching and mild pain is okay. If it’s sharp, tearing, or very painful, stop and we’ll see what’s going on.”

Viv nodded, slowly making a fist. Mac could tell when it started getting painful, about halfway closed. The doctor spoke up before he could. “Stop there. Try to close each finger one at a time.” He gently grasped her hand between his fingers, allowing him to feel the muscles and tendons move.

Her thumb, pinky, and pointer fingers seemed to do fine. It was the middle and ring fingers causing problems, which made sense since that was where the damage had been done. The doctor had her try a few more movements as he gently poked and prodded.

“There may be some lasting damage, or it may still be healing. Your body has gone through a lot, and it may just take time. You have enough range to be able to do most things, especially with your pointer finger and thumb having full range of motion. I’m going to send you some exercises to do to try to help loosen any tightness. Do not push yourself. Follow the directions and if it aches, that’s okay. If it hurts, stop. If it gets worse, call the office and come in. The exercises should help, so make sure to do them each day. Ice afterward.”

Viv nodded, taking the handouts he handed her. He gave her what looked like a stress ball and small metal balls to work on her grip and motion, as well as a brace to wear on days it bothered her.

“Call if you need anything,” he said as he stood up.

Mac took hold of her newly stitch-free hand. He gently pressed a kiss to the bandage, trying to let her know that none of that mattered to him. “It sounds pretty good,” he said, keeping his voice light.

“I guess. I was hoping it would be completely healed, at least back to normal motion,” Viv admitted, her voice a little more downcast than before.

“It will get there. And if it doesn’t, we can work around it, remember? It’s not enough to affect your daily life and work. If it aches, we’ll find ways to help ease it. Maybe massage. Maybe something else. We’ll find ways to make it feel better,” Mac promised.

“Okay,” Viv said, giving him a small smile.

“Do you want to grab a coffee before your next appointment? Do we have time?” Mac asked.

Viv looked down at her watch. “I think so. There’s a coffee shop across the street from the building, if you want to go there.”

“Are they nonhuman friendly?” Mac asked. He had driven by last night to make sure he knew where to port to, but hadn’t noticed the coffee shop.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I still can’t tell nonhumans apart when they’re in human form, and it’s been a while since I’ve been there.”

“I’ll port behind the medical office then and we can walk across. I’ll be able to tell when we get there. I just don’t want to port if it’s humans and scare someone,” Mac said.

“I didn’t think of that,” she replied. “Can you get there, or do we need to get my car?”

“I drove by yesterday so I could get us there,” Mac said.

Viv nodded, touched that he took the time to make today easier on her. She led the way to the check-out desk to pay her co-pay. She hated to see what her bills would end up being as she hadn’t even checked to see if this hospital was in-network or not. She was a little surprised when the receptionist said they would bill her later, after they billed insurance. She was used to having to pay a co-pay or a deposit of some sort. Maybe it was a nonhuman thing?

Mac held out his hand, opening a portal. Viv took his hand, feeling more comfortable doing so. They stepped through, landing in a…shed?

“This was added by a nonhuman doctor who works here for those of us who teleport,” Mac said. “Let’s get your coffee so you have time to drink it. I’d like to walk you to the office and make sure you get there safely, if that’s okay? I’ll stay out in the waiting room or hallway, whichever makes you feel better,” he assured her.

Viv took a minute to think it over as they crossed the street. “Waiting room is fine,” she said. She felt safer the closer he was. Maybe her subconscious knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Mac took her hand as they crossed the street, holding the door open for her at the coffee shop. There were some medical personnel from the nearby offices, a few moms, and business professionals, but there were still plenty of open seats.

“Hi,” she said, as she walked up to the cashier. “Could I get a small mocha, please?”

“I’ll have a medium black coffee, and could we get two of the sugar cookies as well?” Mac ordered.

Mac pulled out his wallet to pay before Viv got hers out of her purse. “I asked you to coffee,” he said.

“Thank you,” Viv replied, her heart jumping a bit. Stupid girl hormones, she chided herself. The point of this was to start slow and get to know him, see if she even wanted to give him another romantic chance.

“Have a seat and we’ll bring it out when it’s ready,” the cashier said.

Mac led them over to a corner booth, letting her slide in first before taking his seat. “I thought I’d make dinner tonight. Does spaghetti and meatballs sound good? Garlic bread too? With or without cheese, your choice.”

“I’d like that, it sounds good. I like garlic bread either way, so whatever way you like it sounds great.”

“I’ll make it half and half then. D likes his plain and I’m not sure what Thomas likes.”

“He eats it any way too. He’s a bit of a bread whore,” Viv confided. Not that she was much better. She loved anything bread.

Their coffees came and she looked at the leaf design they had created on top. “I love it when they make designs in the coffee,” she said.

“I’ve never really gotten one, I drink plain old boring black coffee,” Mac said. “It is pretty fun.” He wondered if he could figure out how to make them at home. It couldn’t be that hard, could it? He would watch some YouTube videos and practice when she was asleep or at work. It would be fun to surprise her.

Viv ate her entire cookie and her coffee. He wondered when he would stop cataloguing what she ate, maybe when she was back to her normal weight. He took the cups and plate back to the counter. He held her coat out for her to put on, glad he had grabbed it before they left. Even the short distance they had to cross over to the office building was a cold walk.

Mac sat in the waiting room while she checked in. He noticed she was favoring her ankle and he hoped she would be willing to go home afterward to rest it.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said when they called her name.

Mac nodded, pulling out his phone to check his email and text with D’s mom to get a few more wooing ideas. He had a book and games on his phone if it went long.

Viv followed the nurse back, changing into the dreaded paper gowns. She hated these things. She always felt like she was going to moon someone in the hallway when the door opened. She sat sideways on the table, not wanting to put her back to the door.

“Hey, Viv,” her doctor said as she knocked and entered. “I see you’ve been through a bit of an ordeal. The hospital sent over your records,” she added, holding her file.

“Yeah. I. Is everything in there?” Viv asked. She really hoped so. If she didn’t have to tell the story again, she would be happy. Her therapist kept telling her that talking about it would help her heal, but talking to someone outside of Thomas, her therapist, or maybe Mac seemed like a lot to her right now.

“Yes, they sent the reports with your statement and someone named Mac’s statement as well. What brought you in today?”

“I wanted to make sure everything was healing. I don’t feel any pain there anymore, but I also can’t see it. And I wanted to make sure the poison wouldn’t affect anything when I wanted to have kids or the babies themselves.”

“Scoot on down and put your feet in the stirrups and I’ll take a look,” her doctor instructed. She kept her gaze lowered as she asked the next question, as if knowing it would make it easier for Viv to answer. “The report says they didn’t penetrate, is that correct?”

Viv nodded, then realized she would need to use her words. “As far as I know. They held me open and she tried to, but I got loose, I think. I passed out before she tried again, but Mac says he stopped her and they did an exam at the hospital when I was unconscious. It doesn’t feel like it was an internal pain,” Viv said.

Her doctor nodded, leaning down to look. “I’m going to do my own exam, just to make sure, if that’s alright?”

“Okay.” Viv tried to relax and not tense up, breathing deep. She normally didn’t have both entrances examined at the gynecologist, so it was a weird experience.

“Easy, almost done,” her doctor said, her voice soothing.

It took a minute but she sat back up. “I didn’t find any internal tears or scarring, so I believe the hospital report is correct. Everything looks like it healed nicely. There are a couple of scars where they must have pierced the skin while holding you. Next part is completely up to you. I can do a vaginal exam, even use a small scope to try to see if there is any scarring or damage from the poison. It sounds like he used his to affect your healing and blood clotting, so I don’t believe it was directed to your organs, but I can check if it would make you feel better.”

“Yes, please. I think it would make me feel better to know for sure,” Viv replied.

“Okay.” Her doctor leaned back down, pulling out a speculum. “Little bit of cold and pressure,” she said.

Viv concentrated on breathing deeply, staring at the ceiling. She had never been more grateful that her doctor put funny comics and memes on the ceiling tiles.

“Everything looks good so far. I’m going to use the scope to get a closer look, but you shouldn’t feel anything,” her doctor said.

It took another couple of minutes before she sat up. “Everything looks healthy. I can’t see into the ovaries from here to examine the eggs, but I don’t see scarring or unhealthy tissue. We’ll keep a close eye on you if you decide to become pregnant, just to be on the safe side, but I don’t think you’ll have any issues. Give me a call when you decide to try to become pregnant and I’ll call in a prenatal vitamin to take. Once you have a positive test, give us a call back and we’ll set up a plan. Any questions?”

Viv shook her head, sitting up.

“I’m glad you’re healing and you’re alright, Viv.” Her doctor squeezed her shoulder on the way out the door.

She got dressed and checked out at the counter. She could see Mac from here, he was sitting in a chair, looking at his phone. As if he could sense her, his head popped up and he smiled at her.

“Already to go?” he asked when she walked into the waiting room.

“I am. Do you mind if we go home? My ankle is getting sore. I haven’t been on it this much at the house.”

“Nope, I think it’s a great idea to give it a rest.” Mac found an empty corner in the hallway and opened a portal to the house. It would mean less walking for her this way.