Visiting Doctor MacTaggart [open to Moira and Mortimer]

[vicioussweetie]

Ali sat on the bed in the exam room, trying not to fidget. The paper gown was uncomfortable and somehow more embarrassing than being nude, and she didn't know what to expect. Everyone had tried to be nice to her, but she was still nervous--too nervous to read, even, which was nearly unheard-of. She hoped the doctor would come in soon.

Comments

[ghostofmuir]

Moira bustled in with a fresh file folder and pen. "Good afternoon, Alison." She smiled warmly. "Well, to start with, there's a few questions to sort out before proceeding. When was yuir last physical, and is there anything particularly unusual about yuir own physiology I need to know about, whether it's superhuman abilities, other preternatural qualities, or a known medical condition?" Best to know from the starts what "norm" to be evaluating things in terms of.

[vicioussweetie]

"Good afternoon Doctor MacTaggart. My last physical was about a year ago, for school. And medically speaking I'm a perfectly ordinary nineteen year old girl." She tries to match the warm smile, but fails pretty miserably.

[ghostofmuir]

"Good," said Moira, putting the stethscope in her ears. "Only need to expect one heartbeat at the moment, then" she continued conversationally as she started the routine, as carefully as possible since she seemed so skittish. "And the gestation period shouldna be any more affected than it sometimes is in cases of mutation. Now, when was the beginning of yuir last menstrual cycle?"

[vicioussweetie]

She holds still, her eyes shut, answering Moira's question after a moment's thought. "Do mutations like Mortimer's tend to change things very much?"

[ghostofmuir]

"So that'd be an estimated due date of around.....first of next march, I think." Moira puts the stethoscope away once she's done with both heart and lungs, and makes a note in the file. "Not much, no. It's the healing factors that really need the most watching. The significant concern regarding having physical mutations that start from birth in the family is deciding wheth to plan for a Caesarean if the child turns out to have large, unusually shaped feet or other attributes that would hinder normal delivery." Moira proceeded with the varying other parts of the physical examination. Best to leave the blood samples for last.

[vicioussweetie]

She opens her eyes again, glancing at the chart. "Oh. Well, he doesn't, so that shouldn't be a problem."

She shifts and moves however Moira directs her, slowly relaxing.

[ghostofmuir]

"How do ye -- Och, the future children experience? I've met versions of my daughter older and younger than she, but from very different realities. Now if ye'll lie back a bit, lass." She slips on some fresh polyurethene gloves and removes some instruments kept insulated for sterility and temperature maintenance. Pelvic exams are always terribly awkward, so she keeps the conversation going. "So how many do ye think -- or know -- ye'll be having? And did ye catch the lad's name?" She's quick, and soon the appropriate cell samples have been slipped into the ridiculously high-tech scanners.

[vicioussweetie]

She lays back, then holds still. "Yes, Nexus El Oh El. His name is Alured. He's got my hair and otherwise resembles his father. He's got two younger sisters, one of whom I have and the other is--ooh, is Sasha's."

[ghostofmuir]

Moira looks at the scans. "Well, ye certainly are pregnant, and there's nae infections,or diseases or anything else of the kind, which is excellent. So there's really just one more thing to check." She picks up a ridiculously high-tech variant of a Medi-jector: no needles, just glass, pressurization, etc. "This shouldna hurt, just feel a wee bit..odd. It's for the blood tests."

[vicioussweetie]

She gives it a dubious look, but holds out an arm obediantly. "It's awfully...not-needly."

[ghostofmuir]

"Aye, I switched to the glass stuff as soon as I could have a friend modify them for all purposes, nae just the insulin injectors ye can get in normal facilities. So many young mutants have extremely painful memories of needles." Moira swabs the arm, then places the end of the glass tube against it and draws the blood carefully.

[vicioussweetie]

"Like anybody has fond memories of them?" She can't help but smirk.

[ghostofmuir]

She chuckles. "Aye, but the ones who associate them with government experimental programs and chemical brainwashing regimens often have slightly more violent reactions than most."

Moira removes the ampoule of blood from the device and sets it in the scanner. She reads the information that eventually appears on the screen under "O Pos" and says "Well, nae anemia, and there's nae risk of rhesus disease, good. Everything looks refreshingly standard. Do ye need the talk on nutrition and exercise?"

[vicioussweetie]

"I'm avoiding raw meat, deli meat, most fish just to be careful, raw shellfish, raw eggs, soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk, pate, caffeine, alcohol, unwashed vegetables, artificial sweeteners, and herbal teas. I know to avoid raising my body tempurature too much. I'm drinking lots of milk, and made sure I've been getting plenty of folate for years. I've increased my protein and iron intake. I know to expect to gain about thirty pounds. I know to avoid exercises that are jarring or that could cause me to fall, so I'll be sticking to walking and dancing and swimming."

She smiles. "Did I miss anything?"

[ghostofmuir]

Moira chuckles slightly. "Perfect. Ye havena missed a thing unless ye garden. Ye ought to be sure wear gloves, if so."

[vicioussweetie]

"All right, I will."