Sangria Wine

The nurse takes the ear pieces of her stethoscope out of her ears and tilts her head, "Your blood pressure is still high."

You shy away from her look of concern, this is embarrassing. After waiting ten minutes for it to go down, the results are still the same. It won't go down from a static 140/80, you know that, "Doctor offices just make me nervous, I'm fine."

She hums and writes down a note on your chart. Finally she puts two and two together, "White Coat Syndrome," clicking her pen on her clipboard, "it's when patients, much like yourself, are anxious because of the people walking around in white coats."

You halfheartedly chuckle, "Yeah, haha, that's the one." You hear it every time you come in to a doctor's office. You tried explaining it to her earlier, but she put her stethoscope in her ears instead determined it was just a mechanical error.

The hypertension is never because of the doctors, but the needles—bloodwork specifically. Your mind and body are disconnected. You know it isn't a big deal, it's a split-second ordeal, boom, bam, done! It's not even that painful, it's a mere pinch at most, but for as long as you could remember you've had this issue. Although the fainting didn't start until your teen years, mostly because the nurses offering you candy wasn't enough to distract you anymore. You even know the symptoms of an oncoming episode by heart now: hearing dulls to a high pitch ring, sudden rise in body temperature, blurry vision then timber you're out like a light!

Even though you're aware of the rational side of it, the anxiety is still there.

Your hands feel clammy, as you repeat the words to yourself with a sigh: White Coat Syndrome.

This is your first time at this clinic, so they don't have that special, little note on record. Which ironically is a good thing, you couldn't be honest with her and tell her it was because of the needles that perturb you...and that you are likely to faint. You need to be here today.

The nurse wraps her stethoscope around her neck, "Alright, Ms. Y/L/N, everything checks out. I'm going to ready a room and I'll be back in a moment your receiver should be here soon."

You nod and she is gone with a click of the door. "He should be here soon," those words echo in the back of your mind. You busy your mind on something else by reading the posters around the room. They are typical ones the importance of getting the annual flu shot, hygiene and information on human diseases that can affect vampires and other supernatural. You let out a heavy sigh as you read over them three then four times for the sake of not driving yourself crazy. It occurs to you that not only do humans have a huge effect on the environment, but now we've effected supernatural beings. Way to go humans.

Three knocks on the door interrupts your reading and the nurse peeks back in, "Are you ready Ms. Y/L/N?"

You wipe your sweaty hands on your jeans and slip off the examination table. You stand still for a few seconds to stabilize your feet. You grab your coat and squeeze it as you respond through a fake smile, "Ready."