Magius (magius) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-04-08 23:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, magius, tessa |
Who: Magius and Tessa
Where: Sunburst Medical Clinic
What: a checkup
When: Tomorrow morning, 04/09
Warnings/Rating: PG-13 for medical stuff and brief talk about sexual behavior
Status complete
Doctor Magius was a quiet man. Today, he was working his usual one half-day at the clinic, and headed to see his next patient.
Tessa supposed it would have made more sense for her to see someone at Irvine General, but it felt too much like going to work, so she went to the clinic for her check-ups instead. She didn’t have any particular concerns, but working as a paramedic, she got exposed to a lot of nasty things. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten so much as the sniffles; even so, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Magius came in and smiled to her, warmth and welcome in his eyes and words. “Good morning, Tessa. How are you?” She had been in a few times, and he was sure he would find her in perfect health once more. “Here for your regular checkup?”
“Yessir,” she said, returning the smile. “Have to make sure I stay healthy for work.” And for Zach, but they could get into that later. “Have you been busy today?”
He frowned playfully at her. “Now, Tessa, please. You know better. Call me Magius, or if you must, Doctor. I’ve known you for some time, and you know me. I don’t stand for all of that formality.” He nodded to her next question. “Oh the usual. Some broken bones, some minor ailments, checking Miss Brenner’s warts, and Genevieve Tyler’s pregnancy. All the usual joys.” He smiled, for he truly did enjoy this. He finished checking her chart, then nodded. “Alright. Sit upright and take a few deep breaths for me.” He listened to her breathing, and her heard sounds, the stethoscope, as required by law, freezing cold.
"Sure thing, doc," she said, the playful scolding familiar by now, and almost as much a part of the ritual as the cold stethoscope. She didn't complain; she figured it was her just desserts for all the times she inflicted cold stethoscope on her own patients. She did as she was instructed, holding off any further chit chat until Magius was satisfied with what he heard.
When that part was done, he put the stethoscope aside and nodded. “Everything sounds good. How has your physical life been? Have you been engaging in any sexual activity, or other greater than normal exertions?” He fetched his ear and nose scanner, and moved to her side, gently moving her hair from her ear as he peered in.
“Just the usual self defense classes, and work. We haven’t had any major, major emergencies since the Blue Death, and that whole through-the-looking-glass incident. But,” she added, “I am in a steady relationship now, so yes, I am sexually active on a fairly regular basis.”
“Good, good...” Magius smiled wider when he heard the news and clapped her on the shoulder. “Well done, young lady! Congratulations! And I assume you are taking all due precautions? Have you had an ob-gyn appointment since you started having sex regularly?”
"Thanks," she said, smiling at the thought of the adorable, adventurous young man who'd geeked his way into her heart. Zach had been unexpected, but she didn't want to imagine life without him.
"I had an exam when I renewed my birth control prescription, " she said, "I can double check my calendar for the exact date but it was around the time Zach and I started seeing each other exclusively, which was in February. I wanted to be safe and prepared if and when we became intimate, especially since I'm the experienced one in the relationship."
“Good.” Magius checked a few more things, then nodded. “Everything appears normal. Any complaints, anything you’re concerned about?” He always liked to be thorough.
“Nothing that comes to mind,” she started to say, but then she backpedaled. “Well, there is something. Are you familiar with the Dreamers, and how some of them...change?”
“I have heard much about them, yes. I would say it was so much hogwash, except that so many seemingly intelligent people believe it.” He peered at her, then nodded. “Do you?”
Tessa sighed. It was such a strange thing to try and understand, even now that she’d experienced it. “I started having the Dreams in December or January,” she said, “And I have to admit, I have wondered if there might be any physical changes. Not that I’m worried about growing an extra limb or anything as dramatic as that. Just curious if anything would show up in my exam.”
Magius sat back on a stool in front of her, listening. “Hmmm. Well. We could run a battery of the usual suspects. Blood, chem panel, urine, if you like. Those are within a yearly check-up’s part and parcel and would be covered by the insurance.”
He hmmed. “And if you were really curious, we could do an Xray I suppose.” He wasn’t sure what to think, but his job was to assure and reassure patients and Tessa was an old friend. He wouldn’t want to let her down.
“I don’t think we have to do an X-ray,” she said, after a moment’s consideration. “Unless you find something out of the ordinary that would indicate a need for it. I appreciate your bearing with me, though. I know it’s kind of a strange request.”
“Nothing wrong with being curious and wanting to nail things down. I’ll collect blood and saliva from you, then give you a cup for the urine.” Magius nodded and went to collect his materials. “I hope nothing too bad has happened to you?”
“Not particularly,” she said. Most people would say that having more energy and stamina were positive changes. She’d just rather be safe than sorry, if there was a downside to her powers.
He gently rolled her shirt up her arm and swabbed her skin, then wrapped the tourniquet around her arm to start a injection site for taking blood. “Good.”
Tessa knew the drill for drawing blood; she’d been through it more times than she could count, either with Magius, or performing it herself on her own patients. Needles didn’t really bother her, unless she was trying to sew clothing--then she never failed to jab herself.
“I’ve seen a lot of strange things happening lately, and with seemingly increasing frequency. My father says it’s always been like that, though.”
After drawing two vials, he gently finished and nodded to her. “It’s been so for as long as I can remember. Since the days of my childhood, and the great dragonet scare.” He chuckled. “There has always been oddness here.”
He took the saliva collector and smiled to her. “Please open that mouth of yours and say ah.” And he collected the sample once she was doing so.
Tessa opened her mouth obediently. If Magius and her father said it was always like this, then she believed them. She’d apparently just been focused on other things up until recently, and not really paid much attention to what was happening in the world, unless it needed her immediate attention. If she couldn’t date it, stitch it up, or call it an ambulance...well. She was glad that her horizons were so much broader now.
Magius gently swabbed the inside of her cheek, and then put aside the sample. “There we go. Lovely teeth and tongue, miss! You are doing very well taking care of them!” He grinned and gently patted her shoulder.
Then he pulled out a water bottle and handed it and a small bottle with a screw on lid on it. “There’s a bathroom right over there.”
Tessa excused herself and took care of business, returning with the jar a few moments later. “All right,” she said, “Anything else you need from me?”
Magius shook his head. “Nope. That’s it.” He smiled to her. “Should be just a few days to get the results back.” He nodded. “It’s been good seeing you again, Tessa. And if you continue to be sexually active, make an appointment with me or whoever you want to do your check up for that, too, as soon as you can. It’s best to start soon after you get back into the wagon, so to speak.”
“Thank you,” she said, “And I’m sure I’ll be back, like clockwork.” She and Zach had a pretty healthy sex life, and she wanted to be able to continue to enjoy that as responsibly as she could. “Good luck with the rest of your patients, Magius.”
FIN.