Diamonds are forever 7/?
Chapter: 7/?
More Info and disclaimer see; General info Jorli series, http://sagas-stories.livejournal.com/25492.html
Author's Note for this chapter: I know that you are probably eagerly waiting for Johnny to come back, but if you are patient he will…
Previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
Chapter 7
No matter how many times he'd been to the doctors, Orlando could not stop feeling uncomfortable. He had hoped that by this time, it wouldn't make him so nervous, but today, his nervousness had more to do with whether or not he was right in his suspicions, or if it was something else.
Orlando had quickly gone to eat right before his appointment and now he could feel the food churning in his stomach. He wanted to avoid visiting the toilet, but it seemed that he would shortly lose the battle. It had been too much of a struggle to keep food down and too much feeling more sickness this time. Every time he had to throw up, he cursed his situation and he knew that it was his hormones in flux that were causing the problem.
When he came back from the toilet, he was met by the doctor waiting for him in the waiting room. Doctor Lee quickly introduced himself and showed Orlando into his office.
"I've received your papers from Dr Smith, and I've quickly read through them. I don't know what she has told you about me, but I have some experience with people like you. Especially since you are one of those rare people with both sets of genitals, who can became pregnant and also have a sperm release, as well as going through a whole pregnancy without too many complications, not many people like you can do that. What I understand so far from the papers is that you have preferred to keep both, set of genitals and in public be male. I see that with help of medications, it has been possible to keep your hormones at a regular level. Furthermore, your doctor has told me that you haven't been feeling well these last few weeks. Would you explain for me how you have been feeling?"
Orlando had to work hard to sit still, the doctor seemed too talkative, and as he had just had met the doctor, he had to learn to trust him. Orlando knew he was there because he wasn't well, though, so he had to tell the doctor everything.
After Orlando explained how he was feeling, the doctor was silent for a short time. "It does sound like you could be pregnant, because I don't think anything else could make your hormones be in so much conflict, not after all this time. But we can't be one hundred percent certain before we have the results of your blood tests. When they have been analyzed, I will know what we have to do. Are you able to come back here the same time next week?"
"I think so, if you are sure the test result will be ready by then," Orlando answered.
"They will be, and you may need to come in a few times more for additional blood tests, something I really hope you will be able to do, as I understand you are a very busy person."
"Next week is no problem, but then I fly back and forth between assignments, and have to be in England between 20th to the 30th October."
"Hmm," Lee browsed through his calendar, "if we need more blood tests to determine your hormones levels during a pregnancy, it might be possible for you to make an appointment with Dr. Smith when you are in England. Do you think that would help?"
"If I am pregnant, then they would probably already know how to treat me, so I don't think there would be any obstacles there, or to send the results so you can continue when I'm back here."
"That’s good to know and they do have all the necessary information about you as they were the ones you've been seeing since you were little. I saw in your notes that you have already been pregnant and…" Lee turned the papers in the folder and pulled out the printed pages and to make sure he had the correct facts, "gave birth to a girl in February 2001, so this isn't totally new for you."
"No it isn't, even if this one seems to be little different compared to last time. I had less nausea last time, from what I can remember, and as soon I had learned of the pregnancy, they adjusted my medication." Orlando said, hoping the doctor might have a solution to lessen the nausea.
"I would love to do that for you now, but until the results of the tests come in and we have our next meeting, I'm sorry, but I don't think it would be wise to mix your medications, as it might make you feel sicker."
"Ohh, okay." Orlando said and then asked, "What about the contraceptive pills?"
"Are you in a steady relationship?"
"No."
"You do have a boyfriend?" The doctor looked concerned.
Orlando looked down at his hands, which were clenched. He didn't know what to say, as he thought the truth would probably sound bad. "There is a guy I do see…"
The doctor waited and when Orlando didn't continue he said, "I would recommend you stop taking the pills, and if you have sex, use a condom. Doing things that way, we can also see if the pills have anything to do with how you are feeling."
Orlando nodded, thinking it was very unlikely that he would be having sex anytime soon, and if he was pregnant, it was too late to protect against it.
"If you haven't any more questions, I will let you go to take the blood test, and then we will see each other next week." Dr. Lee said and when Orlando shook his head, he rose to shake the younger man's hand.
Orlando quickly took his hand and said goodbye, happy that half of his visit was over. He had to look around before he saw where he had to go to leave the blood sample. He sat down outside to wait for his turn. He didn't need to wait for long.
The nurse at first looked female, but after hearing the voice and seeing the small beard, Orlando thought she was more likely to be a man. Orlando sat down on the chair in the exam room and let the nurse prepare to take the vials of blood that were needed. Orlando tried to relax, but after a moment, he noticed that he was staring at the nurse. He couldn't decide if he thought that the guy was like him, or just had a 'beer' belly. Where the doctor had been talkative though, the nurse didn’t seem to say anything more than was necessary.
After a short moment, Orlando let his eyes rest back on the guy's stomach again. Looking at the nurse's build, he couldn't believe that the guy drank so much beer, but he knew that looks could be deceptive. He was proof of that, and it probably wouldn't take many months until he looked the same.
"Your blood count is good, though a little bit low, so I think you need to be careful and maybe try to eat food with lots of iron." The nurse broke his thoughts.
"If it was needed, wouldn't the doctor prescribe it to me?" Orlando asked him.
"Of course, but you look like you do need it." The guy stretched and put a hand to his lower back. "I've been there too, you know."
The way the nurse stood and his words told Orlando that the nurse had to be pregnant. It aroused some curiosity within him and felt he wanted to know more about the nurse, "It's not my right to ask… but when is the due date for you, and is it your first?"
Orlando almost expected him to be offended or something, but the nurse looked like he relaxed a little, he changed position and started to stroke his belly.
"It's my first child that I've been able to keep this far and it's six weeks left until delivery."
"You've tried before?" slipped out before Orlando could stop himself.
"Yes, my wife and I have tried one before, but I lost the babies early."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it goes well this time."
"There shouldn't be any more problems. The biggest one we have had was finding someone who wanted to help us."
"Couldn't your doctor do that, as you have to have both sets?"
"It is a little more complicated than that. I might tell you one day." The nurse walked over to a bench with the filled vials. After he put them down, he turned around to face Orlando. "What's it like to have both sets of genitals working?"
Orlando could not reply at first. "It shouldn't be much different from you."
"I think it is, as I wasn't born with both."
"You had a sex change?"
"Yes, I did it several years ago, but kept my uterus in case I wanted to have any children."
"Then we are different. The worst for me was when I came into puberty and my hormones started fighting over which was going to be dominant one. It wasn't fun as it mess with your temper. It got better when I started to take a specially designed medication, though." Orlando paused, "The only times I feel uncomfortable now is when I ovulate and menstruation, on those days I can't get an orgasm or any kind of release."
"You don't have a problem getting one at any other time?"
"Not so far."
"Have any of your partners noticed your speciality?"
"Often not before I've had told them."
The nurse looked at his watch and seemed to suddenly be in a hurry.
"Orlando, I would love to hear more, would it be to pushing it to ask if we could meet?"
"I think it would be interesting to hear more about you too, but I don't know when. Right now, I'm kind of in the middle of promoting Elizabethtown and then I start filming the next Pirate's films, though I'll have to see what I can do."
Before Orlando left they exchanged numbers. Then he went home, hoping he would feel good soon, and then he would have to wait for the verdict of the tests next week.