Chère
1340 Words
*Ariella*
I awoke in a cold sweat, my heart racing as my phone rang. It was 7:30 in the morning.
“Ari… get dressed… your ride is waiting, you’ll be late.” Masons voice said before I could even greet him.
“Sorry…” I whispered.
“And… I’m sorry Ari… I should have never yelled at you like that…” he admitted, “Please just get down stairs and meet Miss Anna… make sure you and the baby are okay…”
“Okay…”
“I love you Kiddo…”
“I love you too Mason...”
I scurried from bed as I hung up the phone, pulling on some joggers and a shirt before scrubbing my face and slipping my tennis shoes on and trotting out the door.
I looked at the text from Carter.
8am at Eastwood Health Center. Anna Hayworth will pick you up at 7:30 in a blue pickup, license plate xxxxx.
I peeked from the door of the hotel. A sparkling, brand new, blue truck sat in the concierge overhang. A short dark skinned woman with a colorful scarf wrapped around her head and a fluffy bun of black, curly hair stuck neatly on top. She had on a long dress that hit the ground and beautiful intricate bracelets as well as a rosary on her neck. She smiled at me as I walked timidly from the door.
“Ariella?” She asked softly, I nodded and she motioned me over, reaching her hands for me, which were adorned with heavy gold rings. “C’mere baby.” She ordered with a New Orleans drawl. She kissed each of my cheeks before she turned and opened the truck door. “Na’, get in child. Or we gon’ be late.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
She hurried to the drivers side and pulled from the hotel and sped off down the road. The can of the truck was absolutely silent until she clicked on the radio on the touchpad and tapped her finger along to a jazz song as it played.
I squeezed my fingers against my knees, staring into my lap as she drove.
“Na’ what you frettin’ ‘bout Chère?” She said, not removing her eyes from the road.
“Oh… uhm… Nothing Ma’am…” I responded in a chalky voice.
“Na’ don’t you be lyin’ to Miss Anna baby.” She laughed.
“Sorry Ma’am…” I began, “I uh… I’m worried about the baby… I didn’t find out for a few weeks… I’ve been drinking and not eating well.”
“Oh, Child, by the time I had my 5th I ain’t know till I was almost 4 months in, he turned out just fine.” She giggled with a warm tone. “You’ll be just fine.”
I nodded and as we pulled up to the clinic doors loading area. I looked up at the 8 story building and swallowed nervously.
As she threw the truck in park she pulled open the center console and handed me two cards. An ID and an insurance card. “Na’ get on child. Bring back pictures.”
I looked back to the building, a frozen feeling coming over me.
“Don’t worry child, it’s a wolf run clinic.”
I looked at her quickly and shook my head “I… don’t know what you mean…”
“Oh, stop it Child.” She snickered with a smile, “I been an ally to the wolves since before you were even a glimmer in ya daddys little eyes.” She winked. “All the staff here are wolves, they’ll know.” She motioned to the building, “Na’ Git, you gon’ be late.”
“Thank you ma’am…”
“Eleanor.” The doctor said as she walked into the room. The name given to me by the ID Miss Anna had handed me.
“Yes ma’am.” I responded, sitting straighter in my chair.
“I’m Dr. Fawn Le Font…” she said as she sat at her computer. She was tall and beautiful with a neat blond bun.
“Nice to meet you…”
She began by looking at a chart and clicking a pen as she scribbled a few things.
“Have you ever had a heat?” She asked
“Yes ma’am…”
“Last heat cycle?” She asked.
“About a month ago…”
She went through a few more questions about my medical history, jotting down the things I knew then started on family history.
She nodded. “Perfect… and the babies father?” She asked.
I paused. “We… aren’t on speaking terms…” I responded as I dropped my head.
She scribbled something on her paper pausing as she watched me. “Alright dear… let me get a few readings on you and then we can get the ultrasound going…”
I nodded as she began listening to my chest with a stethoscope. She made a “Hm…” noise with her mouth as she moved.
“Is… everything okay?” I asked. She nodded.
“Your heartbeat is sort of irregular… I noticed your oxygen levels were a little low as well, and you told the nurse you had been having headaches and chest pains?”
I nodded, “Yes ma’am…”
“You said you and the father weren’t on speaking terms, can I assume he isn’t your mate?”
“No… he… he is…” I swallowed, my throat drying. “I uh… rejected him a few days ago… We came to an impasse…”
“Did he accept?”
I shook my head. “No…”
“Well dear, I think you may be experiencing a bond related medical condition…”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Well, even without marking you can develop a bond with someone… since it wasn’t fully severed you may be suffering from Emotional Bond Dependency… EBD is actually a very common thing we see with she-wolves who aren’t speaking with their mates…”
“So what does that mean for me… will my baby be okay?”
She nodded. “Of course! You both should be fine after some time…” she looked back to her chart for a moment. “EBD is a subgroup of stress Cardiomyopathy, it means your heart muscle has weakened from extreme stress. I’ll give you some papers on the syndromes. And I’m going to prescribe you a yoga and meditation routine with some education papers on the best exercises to do to strengthen you back up. If you’re diligent you should be perfectly healthy in a few months…”
I nodded “thank you.”
“Now, I do have a few other suggestions for you.”
I nodded as she left and stepped back in with a small packet of papers.
“Being away from your mate will be a stressor. EBD causes intense emotional and physical pain, and both of you will feel the symptoms of your mate's pain. In other words you will share symptoms and they will likely get far worse before they get better… I suggest you remedy the disconnect with your partner and spend some one on one time. It’s the quickest and easiest way to diminish symptoms…” she circled a section on a paper. “This section goes into some better detail on EBD.”
“How… long would the symptoms last if I didn’t reconnect with the father?” I asked.
“Well, that depends on the depth of your bond. Most take a few weeks, some can take months… We try to push she-wolves to seek their mates out to relieve symptoms, it’s the best pain reliever in this scenario, because it can affect both of you and the baby. But we of course understand that not everyone can do that…”
I nodded. “Thank you for the info ma’am…
“Let’s get the nurse in and we will do your ultrasound okay?”
- Writer
