FORTY-FOUR | MEDICAL ADVICE

"Huh, this place is cool." I look around the cute cabin halfway between the edge of the territory and the infirmary. There's a main room that's set up like the Azure's infirmary and the back room that's the private office of the Doc. Doc was tending to a human in the front room when we got here and told me and Mikyle to wait in her office.

There are long shelves that cover most of the wall parallel to the door - filled with orderly lines of millions of multicolored vials. None labeled. I've chosen to sit in one of the two folding chairs placed in front of a tidy desk near the adjacent wall, while Mikyle stands by the door, silent as the grave. I try not to fidget in the uncomfortable silence that hangs between us - heavy with words left unsaid, so I continue to examine my surroundings. As I look around, fascinated by the various pictures and cards from Azure Pack members, the Doc comes in.

"It's nice to see you again, Scarlett." Doc Blythe smiles at me warmly and takes a seat beside me rather than the one behind her desk. I like that, how she tries to make me feel like we're friends.

"Hey, Doc." I smile back at the woman and look up at Mikyle, still hovering by the door.

"A little privacy if you would, Mikyle?" Doc Blythe asks the man, using her smile on the vampire.

"Fine." He sighs and walks out, but leaves the door open. He's been oddly compliant, but I can't tell if it's cause of what I did to him or the respect he has for Doc.

"That's better. Now,"She turns her attention back to me, analytical eyes sweeping over me so quickly I almost miss the motion. "How have you been?" *Direct*. She knows this isn't a social visit.

"Oh, you know," I shrug, fiddling with my fingers absently before looking back up at Doc. Still, despite the fact that I'm now aware I can control another just by using my words, I know I need to get to the bottom of this... Even if I really hate answering people's questions. It always feels like a major invasion of privacy - or spilling my guts to some stranger.

"Now, Scarlett, if you're not going to be honest with me, I'll have no choice but to pass your health screenings on to my vampiric associate." Doc scolds me, the corners of her lips going down a fraction.

"Okay," I sigh, sitting up a little more. *So much for evading annoying question*. "It's been weird, Doc." I choose my words carefully while also trying sum everything up in a short and sweet way.

"Care to elaborate?" Her eyes narrow a bit, and I just know she's aware of my tactics. *For an older human, this lady is sharp.* A surge of respect for the woman loosens my tongue.

"I've been having more Bloom-stuff happening to me," I begin on a rush, then once I start being honest, the rest flows right out. "I can't seem to get warm and my hands are shaking more each day. And...well I've been having nightmares, too." There's a slight weight that rolls off my chest when I admit it aloud. I absently wonder if this is what it's like to have a confidant.

"How's your blood consumption?" Doc asks after a second, her face that mask of professional calm that tells me she's not too surprised.

"Uh, minimal, I guess," I try to keep the answer honest and based off something measurable. "One meal and a few cups of tea a day." I sum up the totality of what I know to be my intake of blood. After Mom ruined the surprise in her stew surprise, I made her divulge just how much she was spiking my food with, but only after she made me promise to continue to eat as if I didn't know. I'm slowly getting used to it, the fact that I need blood to survive, but I make sure she uses donor bags now and not herself as the source. It makes me feel less disgusted with myself somehow.

"Alright, and how much blood do you put into each cup of tea?" Doc's voice has gone an octave higher, sending a slice of fear through the pit of my stomach.

"Well, Hale gives me these sugar cubes-" I break off mid-sentence, not really sure how to describe the little suckers, but Doc comes to my rescue.

"Yes, they're called sin-a-cubes among the vampires." She grimaces openly, probably sharing my disgust about the deceptive things.

"Why- never mind." I shake my head and smirk. I probably don't want to know the answer to my unspoken question. "About two." Two if I want my coffee just this side of sweet and one if I want it a little on the bitter-side. Lately it's been two.

"T-two?" Doc Blythe's eyes widen, her composure slipping with her surprise. "That's not *nearly* enough." *Huh...is that a hint of fear in her eyes?*

"I don't like super sweet stuff." I shrug, not really sure what the problem is. And since she's not being as forthcoming about why the low consumption is an issue, I feel my chatty mood subside.

"Then please consider getting donor blood-"

"No." I narrow my eyes at her. "I've barely gotten used to the idea of the blood- sin-a-cubes and the stuff Mom puts in my food. I don't think I'm ready for the hard stuff yet." I grimace when I use the term, but, if I'm being honest - that's how I'm starting to think of blood as - a drug.

"I see."Doc seems to recover a bit, her face reverting back to that calm mask. "Well, then I'm afraid your transition won't be any easier. Vampires normally start supplementing meals with donor blood a year in advance of their Blooming. From what I know, in by doing that, the transition is made more fluidly." I shift in my seat, this time discomfort from the cold within has stirred me - just the thought of taking something to make the symptoms ebb... *Well-played, Doc. If this is a tactic she uses to get kids to drink their medicine, she's a better doctor than I originally thought*.

"I'll think about it." I decide, not liking how easily my resolve on the matter is now beginning to crumble.

"Alright. Well, in the meantime, there is another, more temperamental, option." Doc stands and goes over to the shelves in the center of the room. "Potions."

"Potions?" I raise an eye at the woman skeptically. Doc Blythe smiles dryly at me over her shoulder.

"Yes, as cliché as it sounds," Doc pulls a few vials from the upper shelves and begins mixing them into a large beaker. "My associate is a witch who makes potions." *Because, of course she knows a witch-doctor*. "I spoke with him the other day and he mentioned a simple concoction he made for some other hybrids in the Pack. Of course, your situation is a little different since you're what we call a pure-hybrid. Both your parents have full lines, centuries of pure blood," She lifts the dark liquid up and swirls the stuff. "Potions are like trying to dam a river with sticks. It'll take the edge off your symptoms, but not for long." After an experimental whiff, she dumps the liquid into a larger vial with a pipette attached to the stopper and passes the tube to me.

"I'll take it." I say quickly, reaching over the chair she'd sat in to grab the delicate glass. Doc pulls back at the last second, a look of apprehension crossing her face.

"There are some side effects-" She begins slowly, playing with the stopper. *Seriously? Why can't I seem to catch a break?*

"Side effects?" I frown, trying not to pout like a five-year that hasn't gotten their way. But that's how I feel, watching her absently toy with the bottle of elixir.

"Nothing in this world's free, honey." She finally sounds like a human when she says it like that. Scolding, wise in the ways of hardship, annoying.

"Alright. So what are they - these side effects?" I sit back in my chair, ignoring the shaking that's started up in my finger again. The spazzy digits keep up their freaky little dance even when I ball my hands up into fists in my lap. *Twice in one day? I need this stuff* - now.