Her Eyes

Forty Three

"Please take a deep breath in... and then out... thank you."

The doctor removed the earpieces of her stethoscope from her ears and wrapped the tool around her neck, writing down a note on the physical examination papers she held on her clipboard. The room was silent as Esmae sat on the examination table, staring at the woman.

When she was first brought into the cold, white room with posters filled with flu prevention and testing information written in English from years ago plastered across the walls, she was amazed and stunned. Unlike the floral and warm scent of baked bread and hot soup she was used to smelling, she was instead met with the scent of rubbing alcohol and sterile tools which were polished and cleaned to perfection.

She'd never been to a clinic nor has she seen one during her time as a leaf. Even the times when she flew past hospitals and emergency centers, she couldn't see the inside, nor was she truly interested in the tall buildings that felt cold and distant.

And yet, despite being inside of one as a human, her thoughts about the place didn't change. She didn't like it much and desired home, a place where she was surrounded with the warmth of the heaters and the good taste of fresh food made by Nikolaos or his mother.

Alas, the dryad couldn't push this hurdle past herself and had to persevere. Nikolaos and Evangelia sought it to be important, and the leaf was promised a quick and easy time before she could go home. So, she went through the many procedures she was asked to: the deep inhales and exhales, answering questions about her "family history" which didn't exist in the realm of humanity, and the seemingly unnecessary palpating and blinding lights that were supposedly used to check whether she held any abnormalities.

To the doctor, who spoke perfect English with a slight accent, Esmae was completely healthy and had no issues with her body besides being slightly underweight according to the BMI she was presented.

On the other hand, Esmae was not a perfect human nor was she a human her entire life. She didn't know how to answer most of the questions presented to her, especially those that consisted of smoking, drinking, and the intake of other harmful substances that wouldn't aid in her progression as a human being.

"It seems that everything is fine with you, Esmae," the doctor said. Esmae expressed that calling her by her first name was fine when the option was presented. She didn't know why it mattered much, though she simply enjoyed hearing her name.

The name Nikolaos chose for her.

"So, with that to the side, what brings you here?" The doctor's smile was friendly, yet Esmae couldn't help and be intimidated by her professionalism. She wasn't fond of it.

The dryad was quiet for quite some time, formulating the words in her mind correctly. She wanted to sound as professional as the woman in front of her was and didn't want to potentially reveal her abnormal way of life. "We – Nikolaos and I – are c-concerned about a possibility t-that I am infertile." The words came out quite simply, and despite the words she used, Esmae's expression was quite calm, one that wasn't common for the concern being said.

The doctor kept her expression neutral, though there was a spark of worry in her eyes as she heard the words. "Infertile, you say?" she murmured, looking through the responses she wrote down regarding Esmae's social life. Indeed, it was written that she was sexually active.

How did she miss it?

"If you're comfortable, do you mind telling me how active you are with your partner?"

She didn't want to assume that Nikolaos and Esmae were married. There was no ring, after all. It would be more than intrusive.

Nikolaos, who was sitting to the side quietly, fidgeted in his seat. How often was it that he held her close, left marks on her skin, and watched her back arch with euphoria as she came undone beneath him? He cleared his throat quietly, feeling like a shadow in the small talk.