Julie spent her morning rounding up all of her children. In this large house they were so spread out that it took time to find all of them, even with the help of the second two eldest. With Erik living with the Bartleys, she didn't have his help as much, but even without his added financial help, she was now making more than she ever had at a job. She could easily afford the near miniscule rent that her son's girlfriend's family had set for their living here.
Once the children were gathered and dressed, she loaded them into the van. Today was their first visit with their pediatrician, who also was her boss. Besides a wellness check, they were to get all their vaccinations for the new school year. In a little more than a month's time, they would all be attending that private Montessori school the Bartleys owned.
In the hospital's pediatrics ward, there was also clinic space for everyday general doctor visits. It was a system that was unique as far as she was aware. Once she arrived with her children and tried to get them checked in, she had to prevent Tyler from pulling at her hair as she called after the two youngest girls to not run as soon as they saw the toys and the movie playing in the waiting area.
Turning back to the tablet she was using to enter all the children's info into, she looked at all the blank spaces that their records should have filled. Sighing, she skipped most questions until she got to their medical history. Thankfully, none of them had ever been seriously ill with anything other than common colds or the flu.
While she juggled the baby and had the older girls looking after the youngest that had been acting out more since they moved into the new house, her direct supervising nurse stopped by. Even though he was heavily pregnant and should have been on maternity leave, her difficulties with learning the more challenging aspects of care were hindering his departure.
Trying not to make eye contact and draw more attention to her and society's view of her unreasonable number of children, she failed when Tyler babbled and reached out behind her. Just her luck, Mrs. Sherman noticed him and then recognized her. She shrank a little in her seat, expecting to be scolded for her baby's actions and told off for not controlling her children since they were scattered all over the waiting area, making a colossal mess of all the toys.
"Oh my, what a cute little one! Oh, and do my eyes deceive me? Is that you, Julie?" Mrs. Sherman stopped by and gave her no choice but to answer.
"H-hello," Julie greeted the male omega hesitantly.
"Goodness me! What clever children!" Mrs. Sherman gestured to her youngest children, who were busy making a mini city out of large building blocks and driving toy cars and walking dolls throughout it. "Are these the special priority patients that have our good doctor booked today?"
Not being given much choice, Julie answered her. "Ye-yes." Her children's appointments filled the entire day today, so she guessed that was what Mrs. Sherman was referring to.
"Well, I'll be! You didn't mention that you had such a lovely family! So many charming little girls! I bet this little man is so spoiled by his sisters!" Mrs. Sherman seemed to fawn over her children, and it felt really weird. There was no malice in his voice, no condescension, nor was there a hint of disapproval. It was just bubbly delight.
"He's not coddled." Julie felt her tone being sharper than she had intended. It was almost a reflex to defend her children, despite the kindness that seemed to come from her boss. She just hoped that she hadn't offended him. She couldn't afford to lose her job with a knee-jerk reaction.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that he was. Anyway, it looks like the good doctor is ready for you now." Mrs. Sherman pointed out to the nurse that had stepped out and had called her by name. "Have a wonderful day!" Mrs. Sherman waddled off after that.
"Mrs. Norman, Dr. Thornton will see your children now." A nurse she had only briefly been introduced to on her first day on the job called out with a smile.
Rounding up the children, with the youngest two girls clinging to her side as they entered the exam room, she was startled to see that there had been more chairs added so that all the children could sit down in the room. It was the largest exam room, so it wasn't crowded since this was the room typically used for training and learning opportunities for fresh doctors and nurses to learn with their mentors doing rounds.
"Ah, Mrs. Norman! A pleasure to see you again!" Dr. Thornton greeted her with what she was now considering his signature smile. Then, to her surprise, he greeted each of her girls one by one and her normally on guard, second and third eldest, visibly relaxed. She wasn't sure what trick he was pulling, but as long as the children were at ease enough that they could be examined and talk to the doctor, she was okay with it.
Throughout the appointment, her usually shy children chattered and laughed freely with the doctor, a stark contrast to their normal reserved behavior around unfamiliar adults. They talked freely and answered his questions and for those they couldn't answer; he looked at her to answer. Considering their lack of medical records and lack of actually seeing a doctor regularly, he was quite good at filling in the gaps with solid conjecture about their health history. He charmed her girls and flattered the younger ones with lighthearted compliments that were catered to each child's individuality.
The doctor didn't treat them as a solid unit, instead saw them as each their own person. As the day progressed and each of her children was given physicals with the help of a couple of her female coworkers, when the girls shied away from being examined by the doctor himself, he didn't take it personally. The man continued to surprise her with how he treated her children and the respect he afforded them. When it came time to give them their first round of long overdue vaccinations, he was so good at distracting the youngest that her older girls didn't need to intervene.
Then came their secondary gender testing. She considered this pointless, as the schools conducted this testing annually; it would eventually be done. However, this was apparently more than the standard bloodwork. Dr. Thornton explained to her that tertiary genders were more and more commonly being acknowledged and, to her surprise, the blood tests didn't always accurately reflect it. So pheromone samples and the tiniest of tiny micro biopsies were taken from each child's scent gland to be examined most thoroughly.
By the end of the appointment, Julie was exhausted. She felt worn down by being in this doctor's presence and he just kept being polite and somehow irritatingly charming. Her girls were fawning over him and treating him like an old friend and were now freely divulging some things she would have expected them to keep quiet about. Specifically, their past food insecurity. Her children didn't talk about it because it always meant questions that ended in them having to move again if they tried to look too closely. The girls were old enough to know that questions about their diets always led to bad things happening to the family and having to move shortly after.
The physical examinations told Julie what she already knew. Her children were chronically malnourished and had developmentally stunted growth for their ages. It hurt that it had to be pointed out in such blunt terms, and as she fretted, Dr. Thornton pulled her aside as the nurses entertained the children while the last bit of information was gotten from them.
"Are you alright, Mrs. Norman?" Dr. Thornton seemed to know something was wrong with her even though she didn't produce pheromones that could be detected by others since she was mated, and her facial expressions should have been hidden well enough, she thought. It was strange. Every day at work, he checked in on her and somehow managed to tell if something was wrong or if she was struggling with something. Here too, he zeroed in on her.
"I'm fine." This was more curt than she intended again, but she was seriously on edge as he found her children's pitiful state to go back; their entire lives. Realizing that her children had suffered from malnutrition, despite her best efforts, filled her with a deep, agonizing sorrow. Confirmation from the doctor solidified her fear; the Bartleys' kindness would soon end, replaced by a CPS investigation and the potential loss of her children. The thought chilled her to the bone, an icy dread seeping into her heart. She couldn't help it. In the corner, she crumbled, her shoulders shaking as she muffled her sobs, desperately trying to hide her tears. She had to be strong! But it was so hard, she was so tired of running.
The doctor's hug was a surprising comfort; as she felt his arms around her, her silent, shuddering sobs slowly subsided. It didn't feel impersonal, but it didn't feel nasty either. "Excuse me." Was all Dr. Thornton said as he comforted her, pulling her out into the hall as soon as her children perked up, likely sensing her grief. She didn't know what to do. An alpha's pheromones should have felt like nothing to her, or if they got through, it should have made her physically ill. But that wasn't happening…