Sydryn called Camilo and Rheni into their office about a week after the incident. Before discussing anything, they examined Camilo to determine whether or not the miscarriage was complete. After concluding that it was, the doctor had the couple pull up a chair at their desk to talk about it.
“First, I'd just like to say that my colleagues have pointed out that I can come off as insensitive when dealing with sensitive matters,” Sydryn said. “While I don’t much believe in sugar coating things, I do want you to know that I am capable of sympathy and mean no harm should I not tread lightly enough on the subject matter we are to discuss.”
“We get it,” Camilo said. “You don’t have to worry about us.”
Sydryn nodded. “Well, I have confirmed that what occurred was certainly a miscarriage. The substance I collected at the time did show to have a combination of human tissue and arrhenius plasm. A small nucleus, like Rheni's, was also found.”
“So…it really was…our baby…” Rheni said.
“Mmmnot exactly,” Sydryn continued. “You see, typically, the cause of a miscarriage is difficult to determine but in this case it is almost certainly due to your incompatibility as different species. DNA analysis showed a failure to combine your genetics properly since they're so extremely different. The pregnancy was never going to result in a viable offspring. The miscarriage was inevitable.”
“So…” Camilo put a hand to his forehead. “We really can't have a baby.”
“Because our bodies are two different species,” Rheni said, gripping Camilo's hand.
“I guess…that's a relief,” Camilo said. “We can't actually have a child.”
Sydryn tilted their head. “Well, if you look at that aspect alone, yes. But you could still become pregnant again and suffer miscarriage again. I doubt you'd want to relive that.”
Camilo nodded slowly. “Yeah… So then, how do we prevent that from happening again?”
“Well, abstinence has the highest guaranteed success rate, but if you must satisfy your sexual urges, than contraceptives would be my recommendation,” Sydryn said.
“So...condoms?” Rheni said.
“Not really the most effective contraceptive,” Sydryn said. “I was thinking more along the lines of an implant.”
Camilo blanched a little. “Uh… I don’t know if I'd be comfortable with that… Couldn't we meet halfway with the pill?”
“Camilo, you're on testosterone,” Sydryn said. “You can consult your personal doctor about it, but from my knowledge, which is extensive, combining testosterone and birth control is like pressing the gas and the brakes at the same time.”
“Oh… I'll um… I'll talk to my doctor about other contraceptive options then,” Camilo said.
Sydryn nodded. “Good. I'd say until you've settled on something safe, abstain.”
“Yeah, we will,” Rheni said. “I don’t want Camilo to get hurt again.”
“Good.” Sydryn crossed his arms on his desk. “Camilo, it may be over, but I'd still like you to take another couple days to rest, okay? I don’t want to see you at work.”
“Okay…”
Sydryn smiled warmly. “It may make you feel a bit better knowing that this event has contributed a lot more to furthering my research on Arrhenius's species. Getting a better sense of his biology could help us in determining more about his human identity and his attachment to this form.”
“Well, anything that helps us help you,” Camilo said gazing over at his boyfriend. “Can’t be completely bad…”
Rheni frowned. “If helping me means you're getting hurt, I don’t ever want to find out who I am and get out of this body.”
“This isn't us making a sacrifice of Camilo for your sake,” Sydryn said. “This is a tragic event that just happens to have a small silver lining. Perhaps I was out of place to celebrate the small gain we received. I'm sorry.”
Rheni looked down and shook his head. “It's okay… I get it. I just… Never mind. It's okay.”
“If you want to talk about it later, we can,” Camilo said. “Do you want to go home?”
“I…Well do you?” Rheni asked.
“If there's anything else we need to know, I'd like to hear it,” Camilo said.
“No, I believe that's all I have for you at this time,” Sydryn said. “If you have questions for me, I'd be happy to answer them.”
“I don’t think I do…” Camilo said.
“No,” Rheni stated.
“Alright, then I'll see you off.” Sydryn got up and opened the door for them. “Please do rest.”
“I will,” Camilo said.
“I’ll make sure he does. Thanks again,” Rheni said, taking Camilo’s hand as they left.
