Saturday, October 19th Pt. 5
I feel a light pressure between my shoulders before his hand reaches my hair.
“Demetri?” Dr. Leroux questions. He sighs hard.
“I need him tested for Hyper-sexualization Disorder.”
His voice is quiet, sounding ashamed of what he’s asking.
“He has none of the signs of HSD. Why do you want him tested?”
“I can’t explain. At least not right now but I need it done. I will pay for it. Just let me know the cost.”
“Are you aware that sexual assault after the first shift will not result in HSD?”
Dr. Leroux seems to be having a hard time with his request.
“I do. My reasoning is not because of the sexual assault that occurred before he left.”
“Do you have reason to believe that it happened during his childhood?”
He continues to question as I struggle with remaining awake.
“Anything is possible.”
He keeps it simple. There’s something about the way he says it that makes it clear he’s not going any further with the conversation.
“Evelyn, are you familiar with the four markers of hidden HSD that have to be tested for?”
“Yes sir and considering his known fears and anxieties towards needles it’s smart for Alpha Demetri to test when I put the IV line in. I’ll be there in five.”
“Thank you Evelyn.”
“You’re welcome.”
The conversation ends shortly after.
“Intermittent paralysis?” Cassius is the first to speak.
“Can you pull the plug?” Is Deven’s first response. “Do you remember the scar on his back?” Deven asks as I hear the water in the tub start to drain.
“Yes. He was highly sensitive but I thought it was because of his current injuries not past.”
“That is correct. It’s the reason we wanted to retest but never felt we had enough of his trust to do so.”
“How does intermittent paralysis occur?”
“In humans, it’s a genetic disorder where they either have too much or too little potassium in their blood. Injury to their spine can also cause temporary paralysis but that usually occurs shortly after the trauma occurs and then gets better. It will never result in periodic episodes.
In werewolves, any type of spinal injury will heal completely if it occurs after they have shifted as long as they seek the appropriate medical care. It takes the longest time for complete recovery but most shifters will be up and walking six months after it happens and will reach full recovery, as long as they don’t reinjure it, within a year. Young children also have a very good prognosis if nerve regeneration therapy starts within three months of the trauma. It’s a very painful process of removing both bone marrow and spinal fluid from a matched shifter. The two are combined and injected into the epidural space just above the injury. The bone marrow and spinal fluid combine and attach to the damaged tissue allowing it to regenerate similar to a shifter. Full recovery for a child is nine to eighteen months depending on the severity of the injury.
The gray area tends to be with preshifts. That’s when periodic paralysis syndrome is most common. The hormone changes that occur leading up to the first shift changes how the healing mechanism works in werewolves. If a spinal injury occurs during that time, usually between thirteen and eighteen, it is the most damaging. Individuals who suffer an incomplete severance of the spinal cord will fare better than complete but both cases will result in permanent injuries.”
“Does he fit the description of periodic paralysis syndrome?” Demetri asks nervously.
“The constant pain in the area of the scar, the periodic weakness and numbness and now this. His back goes into uncontrollable muscle spasms and now he’s incapable of moving his legs yet he’s in an incredible amount of pain.”
“Sounds like periodic paralysis syndrome.” Evelyn’s voice floats in.
“Any ideas on when the injury occurred?” She asks the most basic question.
“He never told me about his back.” Demetri comments.
“Cassius, do you think you can help me in locating towels? I see why Deven wanted absorbent pads and a heated blanket.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I hear him walk away as she approaches the tub. My instinctual fears of needles kick in heavily despite the shock Deven claims I’m in. I attempt to pull myself away without any real sense of where my body is at or what it’s doing.
“Relax, Cole. You can’t fight this. I promise, no one here is going to hurt you.”
Demetri tries to soothe my growing anxiety.
“I’m going to do a test on your legs. It’s obvious that the paralysis is affecting your legs but I need to know where the feeling stops.”
“Please don’t hurt me.”
I can’t help but whine as the picture of an older doctor stabbing me multiple times in my legs with a large gauge needle enters my mind.
“No one is going to hurt you.”
Cassius tries to reinforce as I continue to hear cabinets opening and closing.
“Please. Testing numbness means she’s going to stab me with a needle.”
I’m frantic with the presence of a vision I don’t remember.
“Open your eyes.”
A second hand starts petting my head as I struggle to regulate myself enough to open them. She waits patiently for me to achieve what she’s asked for.
“Do you remember being stabbed with a needle?” She asks gently.
“No ma’am.” I swallow hard as my throat runs dry. “I don’t know where it came from. I just know it’s going to happen.” I attempt to explain my growing fear.
“Do you believe that he’s speaking about a memory?” Deven asks, seemingly shocked by the possibility.
“Yes. The council only made that technique of verifying numbness illegal five years ago. How old is he?”
“Twenty-four. He’ll be twenty-five in January.” Demetri answers for me.
“With consideration towards him being an alpha I would estimate that he would have shifted between fifteen and a half and sixteen years old so his injury is likely nine to twelve years old putting him in the timeframe that stabbing him repeatedly with a thick eighteen gauge needle about an inch long would occur. It would be very painful when an area with feeling got hit.”
Evelyn’s explanation of something I remember just enough to fear is somehow lowering my defenses towards her.
“I promise, my test doesn’t involve that. Do you have normal feeling in your arms?”
I nod slowly not liking where I think she’s going.
“I would like to show you on your arm what I’m going to do to your leg.”
“Please, don’t do this. Don’t hurt me. Please.” I plead pathetically. “I’m not a threat when I can’t move.”
“Oh, honey. This isn’t a punishment. I have no reason to believe that you’re any type of threat.”
She tries again to reassure me as Demetri encourages me to lay my head back on his shoulder. I whine and try to pull my arm away as I feel her pull it towards her. I whine even harder when I can’t get away from her.
“I promise this isn’t what you think it will be.” She finishes her statement just before I feel what I know is a needle touching my skin.
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