during exams, Dorian had empathy for days.
“I’ll be gentle,” Dr. McCabe said, “but this is going to be uncomfortable for a little while. You’ll feel a lot of pressure.”
“I understand. Just get it over with, please.”
Dorian closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and did his best not to squirm or try to kick while something was inserted into his hole. The thing widened far enough he wanted to scream, and then Dr. McCabe poked around a bit. Dorian wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. A finger rubbed around his prostate, and that might have felt good if not for the instrument up his ass. Finally, Dr. McCabe shrank it and eased it out. Handed Dorian a wet wipe to clean himself up, then let him out of that damned bed.
“All right, I think we’re done for now,” Dr. McCabe said. “Go ahead and get dressed, and then come meet me in my office.”
He grunted and reached for his underwear. The doctor left. Dorian’s ass was a little tender, as if he’d just taken the biggest, hardest shit of his life, but he’d survived it. Now he needed his doc to tell him what was going on inside his body. Instead of sitting on one of the padded chairs across from Dr. McCabe’s desk, Dorian chose to stand. Dr. McCabe didn’t seem surprised.
“Well?” Dorian asked.
“We would need an ultrasound to be absolutely sure, but during the rectal exam I discovered the small gland that produces an omega’s slick during heat.”
Okay, Dorian needed to sit down for that one before he fell over. “But I thought slick came from the descended uterus.”
“A common misconception because of how an omega’s biology works during heat. The first symptoms, including the cramping and temperature spikes, are because the uterus is descending into position to attach to the anal passage. The slick gland is located at that connecting spot, so once the uterus is fully descended and in place, slick begins to flow.”
“But.” He shook his head, not quite understanding. Then a new kind of shock and horror hit him. “Do I have a uterus?”
“Unlikely, but that’s also not something I can tell from a physical exam, hence the ultrasound of your abdominal area. It will give me a much clearer idea of what’s going on inside. X-rays will likely be helpful, too.”
Dorian took a few careful, measured breaths. “Can you do that stuff here?”
“I do have an ultrasound machine, but I’ll need to send you to a lab for the X-rays. I know you’ve already had a stressful morning but the sooner we get these tests done, the sooner we can figure out what’s going on inside your body.”
“Right.” All Dorian truly wanted to do was find Hyatt, curl up in a ball and let his bondmate comfort him. Except that definitely wasn’t happening. Not until Dorian got answers. “Okay. Okay, let’s do it.”
The rest of Dorian’s day passed in a surreal blur of driving, walking, and various tests. The hardest part was the fertility clinic, because despite the overabundance of porn videos and magazines, it took him over an hour to finally provide them with a sample. The X-ray lab scared him, because he didn’t want the tech to look at the film and see something awful. Fortunately, the tech assured him the X-rays would be sent straight over to Dr. McCabe’s office. Dr. McCabe had managed to squeeze him back into his normal schedule at four o’clock, which gave Dorian time to waste.
He sat in his car and called Samuel.
“Hey, brother,” Samuel said in a cheerful tone that made Dorian want a hug from his little brother so badly. “You caught me on a break. What’s up?”
“I went to the doctor about my problem.”
Silence. “And?”
“I still don’t know for sure.” He choked back a rush of tears. “He says I have the same slick gland that omegas have.”
“Holy shit. Does that mean you’re omega?”
“I don’t know.” Dorian described his day so far in a rush of words, his entire body now shaking with nerves and adrenaline and uncertainty. “I am so fucking scared right now.”
“I can’t imagine. I wish I was there and hate that you’re alone during all this.”
He sighed. “I wouldn’t have had to be alone if I’d gone to see a doctor when this began, just like you told me to.”
“Yeah, well, big stubborn alpha knew better.”
“I thought I did.”
“I’m glad you called me. If you’d told me a few days ago, you know I would have taken