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Cole and I walked into the designated exam room, each of us sitting in one of the plush chairs in the room. A few moments later, the doctor came in, shutting the door behind him and speaking in a low whisper so I could barely hear him.
“Did you bring it?” he asked Cole.
“Yep,” Cole said, reaching into his shirt pocket and producing the vial of Lanyon Clover serum. “Good call on the privacy, by the way,” he added as he handed the doctor the bottle.
“A lot of the people we’re helping have pretty significant trauma, understandably so,” the doctor said. “We don’t need to make today even more nerve-wracking by revealing we have a bottle of the very serum that made them require this treatment in the first place.”
“True,” I said.
“But that’s not the only reason I had you two come in here,” the doctor said as he leaned against the counter in the room. “I wanted to check how you both are feeling about things today. About Marley starting her gene therapy to become a shifter.”
Cole looked at me just as I looked at him. Seemingly, we both wanted to know how the other would respond. Cole gave a little nod, as if to say you first. I cleared my throat.
“Nervous, of course,” I said. “But also really excited to finally be starting the process. Ready to be able to protect myself and the people I care about. Ready to put all of this Lanyon Clover business behind us.”
“Good,” the doctor said, smiling. “It’s shown that a good mindset is one of the determining factors when it comes to having a smooth transition into being a shifter. I’m glad you’re feeling positive about the idea.” He sighed and gave Cole a knowing look. “And you, dear husband? How are you holding up?”
“Terribly,” he admitted. “But I’m going to be a good supportive husband to my wife the whole way through.
“Excellent,” the doctor said, beaming. “That’s another factor that’s going to be really important. Not only today, but for the next several weeks as Marley goes through this process. Sometimes, things are probably going to be a little bit scary. But stay the course, trust the process, and I’m sure everything will turn out fine.”
Cole didn’t look at all convinced. But he didn’t argue, either.
“So what’s the plan?” Cole asked after a stretch of silence. “What’s on the docket today?”
“I think we should start with the least severe cases first, so probably Travis and that Ashton fellow you told me about. Anyone else who is still able to shift, but not fully,” the doctor replied. “Essentially, we’ll start with the people who have the least distance to cross to get back to where they once were. Complications will be less likely to occur, and we can hopefully dial in our doses. Then we’ll work with the people who can’t shift at all.” The doctor turned his attention towards me. “That includes you, Mrs. Lucas,” he said warmly. “I know you’ve waited a long time and that you’re nervous. Just a bit longer, alright?”
I nodded. “Yeah, of course. I can wait,” I said with a tight smile.
“Excellent,” he said. “Well, I will get this serum tucked away in our safe, and we’ll get started. Why don’t you go rally the troops?”
“Sounds good,” Cole said, inhaling tightly and standing up. I followed just behind him, and he paused to put his hand on my lower back, giving me a gentle smile. “Let’s do this together, yeah?”
“Sounds good to me,” I agreed.
We stepped out of the exam room and back into the waiting room, letting everyone know what the plan was. A few of the more desperate shifters seemed a bit anxious to get started right away, and we did our best to calm them down. When Travis heard they would be using these injections to dial in the dosing for the rest of them, he didn’t hesitate to speak.
“I’ll go first,” Travis offered.
“You sure?” I asked. “There’s a bit of a risk involved.”
“I’m Cole’s second. It only makes sense,” he said determinedly. “It’s our job to face the risky shit first.”
“Mr. Martyr,” Cole teased. “Between you and Marley, I’m going to end up all alone.”
“We’ll be fine, man,” Travis said, giving him a little slug in the arm. “Trust the process. I’ve done it once, I can do it again.”
I had to admit I felt bolstered by Travis’s courage. His readiness, despite how horrible his gene therapy process had been, made me feel like I could do it when it was my turn.
It wasn’t long before the doctor returned, giving no indication of what he’d been doing. “Alright, everyone, let’s get you all into the shifting room downstairs. There, we’ll have plenty of room for whoever is able to shift into their fully lupine forms without breaking any expensive equipment, and no one has to separate that way as well. Just follow us down, and we’ll get started with Travis.”
There was a brief moment of apprehension throughout the room before we all nodded and followed the doctor and his medical team.
The room was even larger than I’d expected, looking a lot like a gymnasium without the basketball hoops. There were comfortable seating options and the smell essential oils amid the disinfectant, giving an air of tranquility to the otherwise sterile medical feel of the room.
In the center of the room was a large reclining chair covered in vinyl, making it easy to clean off and sanitize after each use. There was a large enough radius around it to allow space for a shifter’s first transformation. Or the first transformation in a while, in Travis’s case.
Travis exhaled loudly, rolling his neck and then his shoulders. He shook out his hands as if he could shake off the nerves I knew he was feeling. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s get this done already.”
