BXBX NOVEL Chapter 192 - Pounding Love
Nate helped Jaden wear his clothes back, and then they both turned to the doctor.
It was a man in his late fifties with white hair and a short, well-trimmed beard. He had checked Jaden\'s vitals and muscles, as well as his lungs.
«His body is good,» the doctor continued. «Like new! The wounds from last time have healed.»
«All right,» Nate sighed, relieved.
Scarlet was watching a cartoon in the waiting room, not really worried about her turn.
«Now, let\'s see his wolf shape... Can you release your ears, Jaden?»
Jaden watched the doctor and shook his head.
«Okay. I see... You don\'t have enough control, do you?»
«I don\'t know.»
«Do you release your ears and tail when you are with your mother?»
«Yes.»
«And with other kids?»
Jaden shook his head again.
«I\'ve heard about your white ears, though. They\'re so pretty, aren\'t they?»
«My mommy likes my ears.»
The doctor was asking questions, trying to collect information about Jaden\'s transformation.
«Why can\'t you show them to me, then?»
«Because I don\'t feel like it.»
«So, you release your ears and tail only when you\'re safe. Is that right?»
«I don\'t know. Last time, my mommy was in danger...»
«I see... Your emotions guide your transformation. Do you have control, though?»
After asking Jaden, the doctor turned to Nate.
«No, doctor. He can control it to some degree, but not completely.»
«It\'s okay,» the man reassured both father and son. «It\'s early to control it to the fullest. It wouldn\'t be weird even if Jaden struggled a little more, would it?»
After saying that, he winked at Nate. That same doctor had taken care of him when he was a child. He knew how the Alpha could struggle at controlling his instincts.
«Let\'s see how it proceeds. It\'s something that might be fixed alone as the kid grows up. If it doesn\'t, we\'ll solve it just like we did with you, Alpha.»
«Sure thing,» Nate sighed.
He had been through a short treatment, as a teenager. It helped him gain enough control to become the Alpha. Still, it didn\'t erase the problem completely.
«What about claws and teeth?»
«Those I can!» Jaden exclaimed before the doctor could come up with medicine of any kind.
He bared his teeth and showed the fangs. His eyes glowed for a moment only.
«Fangs are sharp enough. Claws are longer than usual. You\'re growing up fast, Jaden! Good job!»
«Good?» Jaden murmured.
«Yes. It\'s good,» the doctor chuckled. «Your eyes are yellow, which is also good. You inherited your nature from your grandmother. It\'ll be easier for you to control it in the future.»
«But what about... Will he become an Alpha?» Nate inquired.
«I can\'t say. It\'s too soon. And it depends on the environment he grows up in. Most often, pups start showing their orientation in the early teenage years.»
«So, we can\'t say... You told my parents about me pretty early, though.»
«You were an only child, Alpha Nate. And it was clearer.»
Nate nodded, accompanying Jaden out. He came back with Scarlet and placed her on the bed.
The doctor was cleaning the equipment, his back turned to the little girl.
«Now, we shall take your shirt off, Scarlet,» Nate said. «The doctor will listen to your heart.»
«No!» the little girl said, clenching her clothes and opening her eyes.
She was in a place of torture! Why else would they need her to take her clothes off?
«I\'m healthy!» she said. «I don\'t need to be listened to. My heart does bump-bump just like my mommy\'s!»
«You don\'t say,» Nate sighed. «My heart beats as well.»
«But you don\'t take your shirt off. I don\'t want to do it either.»
«Scarlet, don\'t act foolish,» he chuckled.
«I don\'t want to... Daddy, don\'t...» she sobbed, starting her cry even before Nate could do anything.
He sighed, sitting next to her. He passed a hand through his hair and waited a couple of seconds before starting to comfort her.
«Scarlet, the doctor here is waiting. He wants to check that you are all right.»
He patted her back, wondering if the visit would ever end.
«He\'ll listen to your breathing and heart. If it\'s all right, we can go eat ice cream with Jaden and forget about the visit.»
«I don\'t want to!»
«Scarlet, please... Your mommy would be happy to hear you were a good girl.»
«But I...»
«Alpha Nate,» the doctor said. «It\'s not necessary. I can manage like this.»
He walked to her and showed the stethoscope to her.
«Just this time, I\'ll let you do it on your own,» he said. «You have to press this on your heart.»
Scarlet observed the object and stopped sobbing. She pushed it on her chest and waited.
«It\'s good,» the doctor said. «Oh, but wait, wait... There\'s something... I shall listen better!»
Scarlet opened her eyes wide and allowed the doctor to take the stethoscope back. He pressed it again on her chest, a little lower.
«Ouch, it\'s not very clear,» he sighed. «The clothes are stopping the sound. I can\'t tell very well what it is.»
As he talked, Scarlet raised her shirt to let him examine her properly.
He couldn\'t catch Nate\'s worried face. The man was standing, in panic, waiting to hear what was wrong with his daughter\'s heart.
Scarlet winced when the bell was pressed on her bare skin.
«It\'s cold!» she hissed.
«Oh, now I know,» the doctor said with a light tone. «I can hear well like this.»
He put the earplugs back on and continued with the visit. Every time Scarlet started complaining, he would frown and pretend to be concerned. It took him a while, but he finished the visit.
«I see,» he said. «Your heart beats very well. It\'s not just healthy, but super-healthy.»
«Is it?» Scarlet said, sighing. «But what was that before?»
«What confused me? Oh, I see... It was your love for your mother.. You love her, don\'t you? You love her so much that I can hear it in your heartbeat.»