A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Nineteen

"Henley?" someone calls.

Blinking open my eyes, I realize that I had fallen asleep at work. My head quickly jerks up, and standing right in front of me is Dr. Greene, who has a concerned look on her face.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asks me, leaning against the nurses' station as her eyes take me in.

Taking a deep breath, I try to force my tiredness away, but it doesn't seem to help. Nothing I have been doing has been helping with this tiredness. Graduation was two weeks ago, meaning that I have been able to sleep in every morning. And my nightmares have died down a little bit with no recent mutant activity. So, I'm averaging ten hours a night, and yet I still feel as if I am only getting three.

Braeden has been worried sick, wanting me to go to the doctor, but I have been telling him it is nothing to worry about. But I have never been so tired that I have fallen asleep at work before. Maybe there is something terribly wrong with me.

"I- I'm not quite sure anymore," I say, slumping back against my seat and raking my hand through my hair.

Dr. Greene purses her lips, looking worried and making me feel even worse. She is an amazing doctor, and if she is worried about something, then I should definitely be worried as well.

"I'm going to order a blood test for you," she says, standing up and motioning for me to follow her. Together we walk into one of the small patient rooms next to her office, where she has me sit on the table as she snaps on some gloves. "I want to make sure that the Kava isn't having any ill effects on you, which can happen from time to time, that's why we like to monitor it."

She doesn't hesitate to put a wrap on my arm and start feeling around for a blood vessel. All I feel is a small prick when she eases the needle into me, and my blood is collected into a small vial that she is holding.

"Have you been having any other symptoms besides the exhaustion?" she asks after she is done getting a blood sample and putting a band aid on my arm. "Nausea, dizziness, or anything along those lines?"

Shaking my head, I watch as she places the blood vials onto a small tray, which has my name printed on it. "No, not really," I say. "Just exhaustion, and I guess I have been eating a little bit more than usual but nothing that I was too worried about."

Dr. Greene nods her head, typing everything I say into her computer. "All right, well, I am going to get these samples to the lab. Why don't you lay down in here until the results are back? I'd rather have you sleeping in here than nodding off at the nurses' station." She gives me a small smile before standing up and diming the lights as she walks out the door.

Taking her advice, I lay back on the bed, wrapping my arms around myself to get comfortable. Honestly, I could probably sleep on the floor, I am that tired. It is only a matter of seconds before I manage to fall asleep, my mind drifting off into another unremarkable dream.

A knock sounds from the door, causing me to wake up. Slowly, I push myself up from my reclined position, so that I am sitting by the time Dr. Greene comes back into the room. She has an odd look on her face, and my heart starts to pound.

"What is it? Is something seriously wrong with me?" I quickly ask, wringing my hands together in my lap.

Dr. Greene sits down in her chair, setting my file down on the counter. "No, nothing is wrong, but there is definitely something to blame for your exhaustion and heavy eating. Or, I guess I should say someone,"

My eyebrows crinkle in confusion. "What?"

"You're pregnant, Henley, probably around ten weeks going by your hormone levels."