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“Now I’ve heard it all.”
She gestured for me to lean forward, and then ran her hands down my spine.
“What about drinks? Liquids?”
I was glad that I was facing away from her, and she couldn’t see me blush.
“Just water,” I lied.
She made another note, then crossed the room to grab a thermometer.
“Did he do anything to you? I can make a recommendation for counseling. I know you said that you’re not hurt, but psychological harm is just as bad.”
I shook my head silently, stopping to hold still while she took my temperature. She saw my response, however.
“Are you sure?” she asked dubiously. “You don’t have to be brave, Claire.”
She pulled the thermometer away, recording the reading.
“No, really. He didn’t do anything to hurt me. He gave me food and water, and told me to stay in the hut. That’s all.”
“Well, you’re lucky that IMRA cares so much about its employees. Reinforcements got there before he had a chance. If I were you, I wouldn’t even want to think about what could’ve happened if you had stayed there any longer.”
I knew exactly what would’ve happened if I’d stayed. Plenty of hot sex. But I bit my tongue, doubting that admitting that would be in my best interest.
I also knew that IMRA didn’t send reinforcements out of loyalty to me. They didn’t give a damn what happened to me. Even now, I was only getting an obligatory doctor’s visit so that IMRA could reduce their liability. They’d shown up for one reason – Athos.
“I’ll go get the vials for your bloodwork,” Dr. Evans interrupted my thoughts.
It took me a moment for the words to penetrate. “Wait, bloodwork?” A spike of fear shot through me.
She nodded. “We have to do some blood tests, just to make sure there are no abnormalities. Since you didn’t ingest anything unusual, I wouldn’t be too concerned. It’s just…”
“Standard procedure,” I cut her off with a sigh.
She gave me a perplexed look. “Something the matter?”
I hesitated, trying to think of an excuse. My silence must’ve lasted a beat too long, and she began to eye me suspiciously. Realizing that I was drawing too much attention, I decided to just go with it, and hope for the best.
“I hate needles,” I lied easily. “Getting blood drawn makes me squeamish.”
She nodded understandingly. “I hear that a lot, but it has to be done. I’ll be right back.”
Dr. Evans disappeared for a moment. I could hear her on the other side of the door, rummaging around.
I swallowed nervously, temporarily freed from having to hide it. I really didn’t want to do the blood work. Not because I was afraid of needles. But what if the tea I’d drank showed up in the results?
It had obviously worked on my body. I saw the changes. The question was, would Dr. Evans see them, too?
Though that was a troubling thought, and a legitimate concern, I had an even more pressing worry. Where was Athos? Where had they taken him, and what had they done to him?
I needed to find out, now. Before my blood work came back, just in case it raised any red flags. At this moment, I was just an innocent employee, one of them, who’d suffered an unfortunate mishap. In a few hours, I might be seen as conspiring with the alien, and then they’d never answer my questions.
Dr. Evans pushed the door open, balancing a tray of equipment on one arm. She walked across the room, letting the door shut behind her, and set the tray down on a small rolling table. It held all the typical tools for a blood draw, such as tubes, an iodine wipe, needles, gauze, and a tourniquet.
She pushed the table toward me, then turned around to wash her hands in the sink. I watched as she carefully dried them and put on nitrile gloves.
“How long will it take for the results to come back?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
