In Aid

11. Stress and Relations

The sound of the front door opening prompted me to my feet. I left the bedroom and peered around the wall at the end of the hallway to see that Aubyn had come back. A shorter man in a long white coat was speaking swiftly to him in a language I didn't understand but was starting to detect as Aubyn's native tongue. Aubyn nodded along, his brows pulled together as he listened to the man.

Aubyn looked around the room, his eyes finding mine without difficulty. He made a quick gesture for me to come over to him, and I did, feeling uncharacteristically meek in the presence of another non-human stranger. When Aubyn introduced us, the stranger bowed his head in greeting and gave a toothy smile.

I stepped back a bit upon seeing the man's fangs. I couldn't tell if he was supposed to be like Aubyn, or like Sang.

"This is Dr Stanley. He is a vacura. I brought him here to take a sample of your blood for testing," Aubyn said, placing a hand on the small of my back and using his other hand to remove the mask he wore.

"Is he going to taste it to test it? I don't know how I feel about a bloodsucker drawing my blood," I said.

Aubyn steered me over to an armchair and pushed me down into it. "Do not be impolite. He is here to do his job as a doctor. Nothing more."

Dr Stanley and Aubyn exchanged a few more words and handed over a few papers stapled together that they wanted me to sign. It was about my medical history and permission to release my medical records. Having done it before, I breezed through the paperwork and handed it back. There wasn't much to record.

The man nodded once he scanned the papers, tucking them into the pocket of his briefcase. He set his case down on the coffee table, opened it, and started taking a few instruments out. One thing my eyes immediately glued to was a set of needles.

I squirmed in my seat. "Don't I have to fast before a blood test? I've been snacking all day. Can't I do it tomorrow?"

"No."

"B-But I'm not feeling very well," I said quickly. It wasn't a lie. I felt as if I was about to break into a cold sweat all over. I didn't like needles. "Look, I don't like anything that can pierce my skin."

Aubyn stepped around to the back of the chair and placed his hands on my shoulders firmly. "I told you before that I bite fairly hard. If you cannot handle a tiny needle, how would you be able to handle me? I have sharp canines that can easily break your skin."

The idea was intimidating, but I still hated needles more than the thought of Aubyn's canines breaking through my skin. "Aubyn, please. Can I do this another day?" I asked. I felt as if the walls were closing in.

"No."

Watching Dr Stanley set up was freaking me out. With every vial taken out, my chest felt like it was about to explode. My heart was working overtime. I wasn't scared of much but needles downright terrified me. "Aubyn, I'm going to pass out."

"You will be fine."

As soon as Dr Stanley turned to look at me with the needle in his hand, fight or flight kicked in, and I chose to flee. I didn't get very far. My behind only got an inch or two off the seat before I was pushed back down firmly. "W-Wait!" I yelled, grasping at Aubyn's hands on my shoulders. "I-I can't do this."

Dr Stanley looked at Aubyn with concern, then looked down at me. He said something to Aubyn that I couldn't understand.

"Fine, fine," Aubyn said in English. "Do not move from this chair, Zedikai."

I wrapped my arms around myself, not being able to do anything but stare at the needle in Dr Stanley's hand.

Aubyn came back shortly with something black scrunched up in his hand. "Do you trust me?" he asked me.