The Crow and The Wolf

Chapter 23

23.

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"You heard what the doctor said; start eating more. I'll bring you something tomorrow morning. Rest, my dear," Mr. Edgar assured her before giving her a hug, and she watched as the old man walked down the path, away from the pack house, towards his home.

When he was out of sight, she made her way to the pack kitchen, making sure not to draw too much attention to herself as she recalled her visit to the doctor this afternoon.

Mr. Edgar had accompanied her, and although his presence there made her feel better, she still got stink eyes and death stares wherever she walked. Valeria could hear their torment and the words that were thrown at her. She felt the solitude with every step she took beside the old man.

Valeria remembered how the receptionist had looked at her when she had to sign in for her appointment. The nurse had slightly growled at her in disgust, and she remembered the way the nurse gave her the papers to sign, making sure not to touch her.

Mr. Edgar could only glare at the nurse before pulling her away to sit down in the waiting room.

Dr. Magyar had called her into the back; she smiled and got up to walk with him. "You'll find me here," Mr. Edgar had assured her.

She shook her head, pulling him to his feet, saying, "You already came this far, Mr. Edgar, please. I can't continue if you're not there."

They followed Dr. Magyar to his office, where Valeria lay on this bed. He proceeded by smearing this cold gel substance, amniocentesis, on her stomach before grabbing the monitor screen and bringing it into view. He placed the ultrasound scanner on her stomach and started moving it around for a few moments, looking for something, before pausing and pointing at the screen.

"There's the little bugger, coming along just right," he said, looking further at the screen, "you're about a month and two weeks in, and everything seems to be coming along fine, no problems."

He wiped the gel off her stomach, and Valeria pulled down her shirt to cover her stomach.

"Do you have any questions?" Dr. Magyar asked her after throwing away his used gloves in the dustbin.

"Is it too early to know the due date?" she asked.

"Well, we won't exactly know the due date as it's still too soon, and because we don't know the rank of the father's pup despite having yours, we can say your due month is October, but I want to push it and say latest November, but I will know more in your next appointment," he said to her.

He turned away from her to look at the monitor before clicking away at her keyboard, "Valeria, I just want you to consume more protein and carbohydrates; you are eating for two now."

"Yes, Dr. Magyar, I will," she nodded, feeling her wolf scowl at her negligence.

"Okay, if there are no more questions, that would conclude our appointment, and I'll let the nurse send you details about our next appointment," she gave him a nod.

Both Mr. Edgar and Valeria stood up to leave and were almost out the door before Dr. Magyar called out to her, "How's your mother?"

Valeria looked at Mr. Edgar before looking back at the doctor. "She's doing the best she can".

The doctor gave her a nod before letting them leave. The walk back to the packhouse was quiet, and all she could think about was her mother. How was she, really?

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The moon rose high above the mountains; it called out the warmth in the soil and made the snow sparkle and the trees gleam like Christmas trees. Enticing the night creatures to come out and play as Valeria heard the hooting of a howl about a kilometer away from the pack house.