Page 12 of The Emerald Boa's Lover
“Yes Dr. Charlie.” She smiled through her tears and flicked her tongue at my cheek again. “I knew you’d understand.” She hugged me and I patted her back to reassure her. “It’s a routine check-up. You’ll have to check with her, because it’s been a long time since she last came to the clinic, but I think she’s quite far along.”
“Right. I’ll do a full medical history when she arrives. Thank you.” I turned to my computer on my desk and furiously searched for the articles about Ucfeni pregnancies. They used the word gravid, because they carry eggs. Most Ucfeni females are Oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. However, there are a few sub-species that are Oviviparous, meaning they form their offspring as eggs, but they hatch through the soft shells inside the mother and are then ‘birthed’. Even rarer still are Viviparous, like mammals who gestate and give birth to live young.
I discarded the latter two journals, as Luha said Asma laid eggs. That meant she, like most Ucfeni, was Oviparous. I knew I wouldn’t be able to read everything before she arrived, but I absorbed as much as I could now, with the commitment to learning everything I could so I could help her.
An hour later a female Ucfeni slowly and nervously slithered into the clinic. She was greeted right away by Luha, who wound around her desk to hug the blue reptilian woman, before winding side by side with her towards me. I made sure to put my best smile on and my utmost bedside manner in place.
“Dr. Charlie?” Luha smiled and held Asma’s back, mother henning her as well. “This is Asma.” The woman herself looked very anxious. She had brilliant blue scales, crystal blue eyes, and a skirt made of dense silver discs. “She is your next appointment.”
“Hello Asma. A pleasure to meet you.” I stood up and offered her my hand. I had to look up, as I did with all Ucfeni, but the females were all larger than the males. She flicked a dark pink tongue out to both taste the air and swipe at her lips. Her hands were instinctively over her navel, and I hurried to pull over an Ucfeni-style stool for her. “Please take a seat.”
“Dr. Charlie will take good care of you.” Luha reassured my new patient one last time, before coaxing her to sit on the stool. She coiled her tail around the central leg to sit comfortably in the grooves and looked at me timidly.
“She’s right. I will.” I gave her my best prince charming smile, but she looked at me like she didn’t believe me.
Oh dear. My Mother hen mode went into fifth gear. I grabbed my notepad and a pen and gave her my undivided attention. We were sat at the back of the clinic, and somehow I knew Luha was going to redirect every single patient that came in whilst Asma was with me to the second and third floors. “I’m new to this clinic.” And this planet.“So please leave nothing out and tell me how I can help you today.”
She broke my heart. It was so difficult to keep my mask of professionalism on my face as she slowly opened up to me. She was 3 months gravid, which for Ucfeni was quite far along, as they tended to be pregnant for 4 months max. Some started to lay eggs at little over 3 months. She hadn’t been seen sinceat allthis time around, but Luha would check on her from time to time, and convinced her that there was this nice new doctor that would see her, so she came along. The whole time Asma was on the verge of tears, and damn it, I wanted to hug her. I couldn’t, but I wanted to.
She didn’t hide the fact she was the Ucfeni version of a working girl, and watched me for how I’d react to that news. I felt like she was testing me before she decided to trust me. Finally, a good 20 minutes later, she told me her medical history. She’d been pregnant 18 times and not one egg had survived. From what she described, every time she got further along in her pregnancy and in the last three, she’d managed to lay eggs.
Another ten minutes later and she was crying. She had no way of knowing who the father was, or if her eggs were viable this time. She held her abdomen, which wasn’t swollen like the bump I’d expect of a human female. No, her midriff, her pelvis, and the good first section of her tail were all swollen in all directions. I handled her physically and emotionally like a delicate flower as I guided her to lay on an examination table for me. I confirmed via ultrasound that she had 11 eggs…but only 4 had a foetal heartbeat. Those four had strong heartbeats, no deformities, they were a good size, and the shells were the right shape. She would lay all the eggs, when the time was right, but 7 would be unfertilised. Asma cried but reached out and held my hand.
“F-four is more than I’ve ever had before. I-I need them. I’ve, I’ve reduced my shifts and I’m working a lot less, and I’m eating and drinking well. I’m really trying.” She tried so hard to convince me, and I gave her hand a squeeze back.
“That’s great. Now are you taking any vitamins to help you? If not I’ll prescribe you some.” She shook her head with a frown.
“I can’t afford-”
“You don’t have to.” I smiled at her and walked away to the medical cupboard. One of the great things about being part of the sponsorship program is the clinic got extra funding for having me assigned here. Any medication below a certain price became free to prescribe. “Here we go. Once a day, with a drink, and after food if possible.” I handed her the pill bottle and she looked at me like I’d blown her mind.
“…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I wrote on my prescription pad, for the record, and then sat beside her bed. “With your medical history Asma, I’d like to see you frequently. I’m also going to give you the brochure on positive and negative signs when gravid, and when to come back to the clinic, even if we don't have an appointment. Even if I’m not working, come in if you have any concerns.”
“I don’t want to come if you’re not working.” She wiped her blue hand over her face. “I-I’ll see you. No one else.” I nodded slowly.
“If I’m not working, and you have concerns for your babies, you come in regardless, okay?” I was firm, but smiled at her. “However, that’s in an emergency. You can make all your appointments with me from now on.”
“Yes Dr. Charlie.” She nodded and wiped more tears from her eyes. “I will. When should I come back?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“So soon?”
“I want to keep a close eye on you.” I reassured her with a smile and offered her my hands. “Now let’s getallof you off that bed.” I nodded down to her abdomen and she took both my hands. Once she was balanced on her tail I walked her over to Luha. “Please make an appointment for the day after tomorrow for Miss Asma please?”
“Yes Dr. Charlie.” The pretty yellow Ucfeni nodded firmly at me, and I bid farewell to Asma. “See?” I heard her say behind me as I walked back towards my desk. “I told you he would be nice.”
“I…didn’t believe you.” Asma whispered back, and I frowned as I considered turning around and going back. “But yes. He was nice. I hope…he can help me this time.”
Sweet Lord, I was going to do my absolute best to do just that. The very next moment I got my hands on every single medical tome I could on Ucfeni gestation, complications, and both medical and surgical procedures. I’m an immunologist. I’m going to need a lot of help to get this right.
End flashback.
There would be no sightseeing or strolling around Orna. I needed to study like crazy. I even used my com-gem to reach out to Allico Inc and request the contact details of an Ucfeni Obstetrician, or their version of one. Not only to help me get up to speed as soon as possible, but because I’m likely to need a consult if Asma’s current pregnancy starts to decline like the last 17. Don’t worry Asma. I meant it when I said I’d do everything I can.This was also why I went into research. I get too emotionally invested in my patients and I’m devastated when things don’t end well. I can’t imagine something more heartbreaking than a patient losing their children.
I stubbornly hit the books, and hard, accepting snacks and meals that Dalahan brought me and ignoring his presence when he came up to curl up on the hammock over me to ‘keep me company’. He soon got the message I was far too busy to chit-chat and watched me making notes like a madman. I kept this up all day and scowled when the green Naga slithered over to start shutting my books. “What are you doing?”
