novelzi Chapter 138: Test results return
Chapter 138: Test results return
The private medical wing was cloaked in eerie silence as Rose made her way down the sterile tiled corridor. A handful of staff members acknowledged her with respectful nods, but none dared impede her progress.
At last, she reached the lavish examination room, where Dr. Martina Lenz awaited her arrival. Rose's personal physician, the woman rose to greet her with a warm smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.
Rose had never needed Martina for the conventional doctor's visit. In fact, she never fell sick. But for public eyes and lessons learned from the past, those that may try to look into her would come across such necessary distractions along the way. Martina was more of a decoy more than anything else.
However, when Blake was sick, she would come to the main house to treat him. She had other specific services she rendered to Rose though.
As Rose settled into the plush armchair, she couldn't help but admire Martina's professionalism, despite the woman's true role being more about appearances than actual medical necessity. Yet, Martina's presence provided a sense of security and normalcy amidst the intricate web of secrets that defined Rose's world.
"What seems to be the trouble, my lord? I don't remember fixing any appointment with you," The elderly doctor ushered Rose towards the exam table with a comforting hand on her elbow.
Rose took a deep breath, preparing to come clean about the true reason for her visit. "No, Martina, it's not the usual appointment. I'm not in need of blood or anything like that today," she explained, her voice tinged with a hint of reassurance.
Sometimes when her imported blood, the one usually disguised in fancy bottles as wine failed to arrive on time, her doctor was the next handy option available. But rarely did that ever happen so she never really utilized that option.
"And no, I'm not here for another reconstruction surgery," Rose clarified, noticing Martina's gaze drifting towards that direction as well.
Over the years, Rose had changed certain features about herself to blend in with society. She couldn't remain the same, or else someone would straight up recognize her. However, being so much in love with herself and how she looked already, she only ever did minor tweaks, never one to go the extra mile.
But for the longest periods, she had avoided any surgery done to her facial appearance. The strange thing was, over the years, due to her healing abilities as a vampire, her features always seemed to return back to their original form.
It's like her body saw each surgery as a wound it needed to repair and fixed it..
Under the harsh fluorescent lights, Rose felt exposed, vulnerable in a way she hadn't experienced in years. She fought the urge to squirm beneath Lenz's gentle yet evaluative gaze as she detailed her symptoms.
"I've been feeling dreadfully run down as of late," Rose began, perching on the edge of the exam table. "An overall fatigue that seems resistant to rest. "
Dread coiled like a venomous serpent in the pit of Rose's stomach as she watched the older woman's ashen face, her lips pressed into a grim line. Something was dreadfully amiss.
"Well?" The single word emerged as a hoarse rasp from deep within Rose's throat. She perched on the edge of the bed, poised to bolt at a moment's notice. "What did the tests reveal?"
Lenz opened her mouth, but seemed to think better of whatever placation she'd intended to give voice. Instead, she slowly shook her head and extended the file, offering it to Rose with a shaking hand.
A thousand frantic thoughts chased each other through Rose's mind as she accepted the file. Had it been inevitable from the start? Was this some cruel twist of fate, her penance for the sins of her past?
With dismay rapidly morphing into grim acceptance, Rose flipped open the file and began to read the test results.
The words seemed to blur on the page, her vision swimming as comprehension gradually dawned. Rose blinked furiously, squeezing her eyes shut as if to dislodge the stark reality staring back at her.
It couldn't be. Not after everything she had endured, every trial and tribulation that had stood in her path.
Lenz looked at Rose, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand. It shouldn't be possible," she muttered.
"It hasn't been, until now," Lenz replied, her voice tinged with disbelief.
And yet, there it was in black and white, shattering her world into a million fragmented pieces.
The folder slipped from Rose's limp grasp, papers scattering across the thick carpet in a flurry of chaos. She lifted her gaze slowly, feeling as though she moved through a thick syrup, to find Lenz watching her with solemn understanding.
A lifetime of shared history, unspoken truths and lingering turmoil passed between them in those agonizing moments of silence. The weight of it all threatened to crush Rose beneath its enormity.
With trembling fingers, she brushed away the solitary teardrop that traced its way down her cheek.
Now what?