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I waited uneasily for the doctor after she left the room. I hoped to the Goddess this was nothing, but my intuition told me I was about to receive life-altering news. My donor kidney was failing; I was convinced of it. Which meant I’d have to go back on dialysis and wait on the transplant list again. I worried I’d never reach the top of the list, or if I did, my body would reject that kidney, too.
I choked back my worry when the doctor entered the room. He wasn’t anything like I expected. I thought I’d be meeting with an Anichi healer, but this man had large white feathery wings growing out of his back. The doctor was tall, with broad shoulders, and although he looked to be twice my age, his skin was perfectly smooth.
I must’ve been gawking, because he said, “I take it you haven’t seen an angel before.”
I snapped my mouth shut. “No, sorry. I thought the doctors here were all Anichi.”
He eyed me like he thought I might be joking. “Not all of them. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
I repeated what I’d told the nurse, then dove into more details about my diagnosis and transplant.
Dr. Malach leaned back in his chair. “And you’re here because you’re… tired? How much have you been sleeping?”
“I’m sleeping just fine,” I replied. “I wouldn’t say I’m tired. It’s more than that. The fatigue encompasses my whole body. It feels like when I was first diagnosed with lupus. That’s why I’m worried.”
“When was your last period?” he asked bluntly.
I was taken aback. “Is that relevant?”
“We should rule out hormonal fluctuations first,” he stated simply.
What was this guy saying? That I was overreacting because I was a woman?
“I get my period regularly,” I bit harshly. “I’m familiar with the effects my hormones have on my body. I’m telling you this is different.”
He paused for a beat. “Very well. Let me examine you.”
He reached out his hand, and I hesitated.
His tone grew bitter, like he was annoyed with me. “Anichi are not the only ones with healing magic. I can assess you as well, unless you’d like to wait and make an appointment with another doctor.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I’d like answers today, if possible.”
I placed my hand in his, and his magic filled me. Angel magic was very different from Elementai Soul magic. When I’d first come here and met with Dr. Metzi, her magic was warm and inviting, encompassing my whole body in a gentle light. Dr. Malach’s magic was harsher, almost piercing as it swirled deep in my gut. It was like he was prodding for something inside of me. I winced, and he dropped my hand.
He quickly typed something into the computer, then turned back to me with a cocked eyebrow. “A regular period, you say?”
“Pretty regular,” I replied. “Usually anywhere between twenty-nine to thirty-one days.”
“And how late are you this time?” he asked in an accusing tone. He placed his hands on the keyboard, awaiting my answer.
I furrowed my brow. “I’m not late. I should get it today or tomorrow. I’m not fatigued because I’m PMS’ing.”
“No, I know,” he said with a light, almost mocking chuckle. “You’re fatigued because you’re pregnant.”
I reeled back in my chair. I couldn’t have heard him right. I quickly glanced at the computer. “No, you must have the wrong chart pulled up. I’m not pregnant.”
He gave a cocky smirk. “You misunderstand, Miss Taylor. I’m not reading your chart. I’ve just diagnosed you.”
“Diagnosed me?” I repeated. “With… pregnancy?”
He said it like I was sick with a parasite, not pregnant with a child. He had to be wrong.
“That’s not possible,” I insisted as he continued typing things into my chart.
“Are you married, Miss Taylor?”
“Yes,” I answered automatically without thinking about why he’d need to know in the first place.
