Page 53 of Eat You Alive (Court Legacy 4)

“Breathe in.”

I did, deep.

“And out.”

I did that too, slowly. The stethoscope moved away and landed on my back. Dr. Sturm grinned. “New ink?”

My hands came together. “Recent. Yeah.”

Dr. Sturm nodded before requesting I breathe in once more, and I did, my feet firm on the floor. I had to sit on these exam tables during the visits, but I was so tall I didn’t bother using the foot rest.

“And out,” Dr. Sturm requested, my breath expelling. He told me good job and that I could relax.

I braced my legs. “Can I put my shirt on?”

“Yep. Go for it.”

I did right away, wanting to cover that ink. Normally, I was proud of it, a milestone.

Today, all it did was remind me of Fawn and how she’d looked when I’d been on top of her. The fear in her eyes…

I shrugged the tee on quickly, pushing the memory out even quicker. I had no time for it.

Dr. Sturm came around with his clipboard. “Everything’s looking good, Ares. Real good, and you’re not having any problems? No aches? Pains?”

My fingers threaded. “Nope.”

“How about tingling or numbness?”

“No.”

He wasn’t looking at me during anything I’d said, jotting things down.

I was glad.

I gripped the table, waiting patiently for him to finish. His pen on the clipboard ticked my pulse, but I didn’t say a word.

His writing slowed.

“So how are your classes going?” he asked, making small talk. Always did. “Must be intense. Took you a while to get in here.”

They weren’t that bad in all honesty. School was easy as shit for me. It always had been, and I’d excelled quite well in high school.

It was the art that always challenged me because I cared about it.

I braced the table. “Yeah, and sorry about that.”

“No problem. No problem.”

More writing, more jotting. Eventually, it stopped, and he faced me.

“I think I’d just like to see some blood work from you, then.” He grinned. “Routine and all that, you know? I know you said you’re doing well, which is great. Just procedure, as you know. We want to make sure you’re still in tiptop shape, of course.”

Procedure. Yeah.

I shifted. “Yeah. Sure thing.”

“You can do it on your way out of the clinic. You don’t need an appointment for the lab downstairs.”

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