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“That should only last about five minutes. It’s the lactic acid building up in your body as the cells start to change over.”
“Okay,” he wheezed. Then, after a couple of seconds, “No. No, nope. Doc, it isn’t stopping.”
The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but Marley beat him to it.
“Try to get your mind off it,” Marley said in a soothing tone. “Imagine a waterfall is flowing over you, cooling down all of that burning, all of that aching. Every time you breathe, imagine it cooling down more and more of that pain.”
Travis took a shaky breath and squeezed his eyes a little tighter. “Okay,” he said. “Okay.”
Marley nodded. “Your thoughts can act like an ice pack. Just keep breathing, feel the beat of your heart, listen to the sound of the air filling your lungs.”
Travis’s breaths slowed, and the stiffness in his limbs seemed to ease.
“There you go,” Marley said calmly. “Just stay in that calm place.”
It seemed to work, much to our collective surprise. Even the medical team seemed taken aback.
We continued to keep a quiet vigil. I found myself watching the bag slowly empty, wishing each moment that it would go a little faster—not because I was impatient, but because I was worried about my friend. Travis wasn’t complaining about the burning anymore, but a faint sheen of sweat glistened on his face. Lana kept squeezing his hand in gentle support, whispering sweet assurances.
Finally, after close to an hour, the IV bag was empty. The nurse pressed a tuft of cotton to Travis’s arm as she removed the IV cannula and pressed some adhesive bandaging into the injection site. The doctor offered Travis a water bottle from the same cooler in which they’d transported the serum. He cracked it open, taking a long, greedy drink from it.
“Congratulations, Travis,” he said. “You’ve just made it through your first dose of the shifter serum. Welcome to your first day as a shifter.”
Travis smiled. “Thanks, Doc.”
“How does it feel?” Lana asked.
“Fucking awful,” he said through a laugh. “But it feels good, too.”
“Your trials aren’t done,” the doctor said. “The next session will be next week. Between now and then, you’ll feel like you have a terrible flu: aches, fever, chills. Stay hydrated and stay away from mind-altering substances. I overlooked the liquid courage today, but trust me, you’re not going to want it to muddy anything else going forward. Alcohol doesn’t mix well with the serum, and you need to be careful with the upcoming doses.”
“You got it, Doc,” Travis said.
“There won’t be a problem with the beers this time?” Lana asked the doctor.
“There shouldn’t be,” the doctor replied. “It has to do with how the alcohol and serum interact with the activated genes. Makes for a miserable time.” He gave Travis a pointed look. “You get a free pass this time, but don’t do it next time.”
Despite that Travis had said he felt like shit, he grinned brightly. He looked so happy to be doing this among the people he cared for most.
Relief washed over me to see his excitement. The injection was a success, and it marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life. One filled with newfound strength and control.
And yet, I picked up on an undercurrent of sadness in the atmosphere. Not from Travis—no, he looked downright euphoric as he leaned down to press a kiss to Lana’s lips. The sadness was emanating from my mate. My mate, who’d managed to talk Travis through that moment of panic to the surprise of everyone present. My mate, who was watching me celebrate the first session of my best friend’s transition when I was refusing her the chance to do the same. My mate, who was getting closer and closer to being the only human in the room when it came to the pack.
I placed my hand on her back, and she looked at me, diverting her gaze from the sweet scene before her. It was more of something she wasn’t experiencing: two partners rejoicing in the small steps they’d taken to being closer, to being more linked as partners on a biological level. The smile she gave me was forced.
“You all right?” I asked. “Feeling a little achy emotionally?”
“Just remembering something uncomfortable. I’ll be fine.”
“Wanna tell me?”
“Later. I don’t want to ruin the moment for them.”
I wanted to press, but she looked away from me to focus back on Travis and Lana. Jack moved closer to the couple with the camera.
Marley was right. Now wasn’t the time to dig up her painful memories.
Still.
