Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Chapter 123

LOUIS

I didn’t want to be at the hospital.

5

That’s what I told Mummy when she said we had to go for my regular checkup, but she’d used her serious doctor voice–the one that meant there was no arguing.

“Louis, you know we need to monitor your progress. The curse is mostly broken, but Dr. Kim wants to make sure there aren’t any lingering effects. It’s just routine.”

Routine. I hated that word. It meant needles and weird machines and doctors poking at me while talking in big words I didn’t understand.

But Mummy had promised we’d get ice cream after if I was brave, so I’d agreed.

Now I sat in the pediatric exam room on the paper–covered table that crinkled every time I moved, swinging my legs and trying not to think about how much I didn’t like hospitals.

They smelled funny. Like cleaning stuff and sadness. And everyone always looked worried, even when they were smiling.

Mummy was reading something on her tablet–probably medical stuff because she was always reading medical stuff—and humming softly. That was good. When Mummy hummed, it meant she wasn’t worried.

Someone knocked on the door, and Dr. Kim came in with her friendly smile.

“Hello, Louis! How are you feeling today?”

“Okay,” I said, which was true. I felt fine. Normal. Not sick like before.

“Good! We’re just going to do some routine tests today. Nothing scary, I promise.” She pulled out her stethoscope. “Can I listen to your heart?”

I nodded and stayed very still while she pressed the cold metal circle against my chest.

“Perfect,” Dr. Kim said. “Strong and steady. Now let’s check your magical signature.”

That was the part I didn’t like. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it felt weird–like someone was touching something inside me that wasn’t supposed to be touched.

Dr. Kim held her hands near my chest without actually touching me, and I felt that weird pulling sensation in my middle.

“Hmm,” she said, which made Mummy look up from her tablet.

“What is it?” Mummy asked, moving closer.

“There’s still some residual curse energy. Not dangerous levels, but more than I’d expect at this stage.” Dr. Kim adjusted her position. “Louis, have you been feeling tired lately? Any unexplained dizziness or nausea?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I feel good.”

“That’s good. But I’d like to run a more detailed scan, just to be thorough.” She turned to Mummy. “Bianca, would you mind if I borrowed Louis for about twenty minutes? I want to use the advanced resonance chamber on the third floor.”

Mummy hesitated. “Can I come with him?”

“Actually, I need you to consult on another case while I’m running the scan. That teenager with the transformation curse you treated last week–she’s back with complications.” Dr. Kim looked apologetic. “It’ll only be twenty minutes. Louis will be perfectly safe.”

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Chapter 123

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I saw Mummy’s face do that thing where she was trying to decide between being a doctor and being a mummy, Usually, being a

dotor

doctor won.

“Okay,” Mummy said, crouching down to my level. “Sweetheart, you’ll go with Dr. Kim for a quick test. It won’t hurt, and it’ll be very fast. And when you’re done, we’ll get that ice cream. Deal?”

“Deal.” I tried to sound brave even though I didn’t like the idea of Mummy leaving.

“I’ll text Dad to come sit with you,” Mummy added, pulling out her phone. “He’s just downstairs handling some business. He can keep you company during the scan.”

That made me feel better. Dad was good at making hospital stuff less scary.

Dr. Kim led me down the hallway to the elevator. She kept talking about fun things–her dog, the new park near her house, whether I liked superheroes–but I could tell she was a little bit worried about something.

Adults always thought kids couldn’t tell when they were worried. But we could. We were really good at it.

The third floor was quieter than the pediatric wing. Less colorful. More serious–looking.

“This is where we do the specialized scans,” Dr. Kim explained, leading me to a room with a big machine that looked like a metal donut. “You’ll lie down on this table, and the machine will move around you. It might make some noise, but it won’t hurt at all.”

“Okay,” I said, climbing onto the table.

Dr. Kim was adjusting the machine when her pager went off. She looked at it and frowned.

“I need to step out for just a minute–there’s an emergency with another patient. Louis, I need you to stay very still right here. Don’t move, don’t get off the table. Your dad will be here any second, and I’ll be back before the scan even starts. Can you do that?”

“I can stay still,” I promised.

“Good boy.” She hurried out, leaving the door slightly open.

I lay very still on the table, staring at the ceiling tiles and counting them. One, two, three, four…

That’s when I felt it.

The cold.

It started at my toes and crept up my legs like invisible ice water. My breath came out in a little cloud, even though the room had been warm a second ago.

And I knew I knew–what was coming.

The shadow.

I’d seen it before. Lots of times. When I was really little and really sick, when the curse was making me feel like I was dying

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