Rory stirred on Thursday morning as she heard the puppies whining in their kennel. She snuggled closer into Tristan's chest and mumbled.
"They're as bad as actual human babies," Rory muttered under her breath.
Tristan rubbed his tired eyes and sat up in bed.
"I'll get them. You've been taking care of them while I'm at work, so it's only fair," Tristan said as he stood up. He walked into the living room and let the puppies out of their kennel.
"Good morning, you two. Come on, let's go outside," he said as he coaxed them both out the door to do their business. He walked back into the bedroom a few minutes later and set Romeo and Juliet on the bed with Rory. They immediately pounced on her and began licking her face.
"Whoa, hey! That's some stinky puppy breath," Rory said through giggles. "How did you two talk your dad into putting you on the bed, huh?"
Tristan chuckled and joined them on the bed.
"It's the puppy dog eyes - they're almost as bad as your doe eyes," he teased. "I'm powerless to say no."
"I'll have to remember that for when I want something and you tell me no," Rory teased.
Tristan just shook his head and laughed.
"You'd better get in the shower - we need to head to New Haven soon for your appointment. I'll get the dogs ready for doggy daycare."
Rory sniffled dramatically and wiped a non-existent tear.
"Aw, our babies are growing up so quickly! It's their first day of school," Rory joked dramatically.
"You're hilarious," Tristan deadpanned. "Get your butt in the shower, woman. We can't be late."
Rory got out of bed and padded into the shower. She let the hot water beat down on her tired muscles and sighed as she relaxed. She walked into the kitchen forty-five minutes later, dressed and ready for the day.
"Thank you again for taking today and tomorrow off to go to the doctor with me and look at apartments. I'm really excited to have four days together without work," Rory said gratefully as she joined him in the kitchen.
Tristan leaned over and kissed her.
"Of course, baby. I'm happy to do it, but we all know that you just want someone there to hold your hand when they draw blood for your physical," he teased.
Rory scowled and hit him playfully.
"Hey, don't tease! I don't like needles," she huffed.
Tristan wrapped her up in his arms.
"I'm just giving you a hard time, Mare. Are you ready?"
Rory grabbed her purse and phone.
"Yeah, I think I am. I'll grab the leashes," Rory replied.
She walked over and picked up the dog leashes and brought them over to Tristan, who had two wiggly dogs in his arms. She clipped them on and Tristan set the dogs down and led them out to the waiting Escalade. They made the short drive to Stay and Play, which was about halfway between their houses and dropped the puppies off before heading to New Haven. They were about twenty minutes into their drive to New Haven when Tristan took a deep breath and brought up the subject that had been on his mind.
"I was thinking...you should probably mention your nightmares to the doctor. Maybe there's something she could do to help," he suggested gently.
Rory turned and looked at him and thought for a moment.
"I don't know, Tris. I don't want her to look at me like I'm crazy. I mean, kids have nightmares. I'm a thirty-two year old woman," Rory replied quietly.
"Mare, you know I love you, but you need to see if there's anything she can do to help you. I was doing some research, and it looks like for a small percentage of women certain birth control pills could cause nightmares. It never hurts to talk to her and see if there's a possibility that's contributing to them."
Rory sighed and nodded her head.
"You're right - it never hurts to ask. I also talked to Steph yesterday, and she suggested I make an appointment with Juliet."
"I think that would be a great idea, baby. Your new insurance is already in effect, so I think you should get in to see her as soon as possible. I never mind being there for you, but it breaks my heart to see you so upset after a nightmare," Tristan admitted.
"I'm sorry, Tris," Rory whispered.
"Hey, no way. I don't want an apology, and you don't owe me one. I just want to help you get better," Tristan reassured her. Rory reached over and took Tristan's hand.
"Thank you. You've...you're so good to me. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm this happy."
"Thank you for letting me love you, Mary."
"Rory Gilmore?"
Rory put her book in her purse and stood up.
"That's me," she said with a smile. Tristan and Rory followed the nurse through the door that led to the exam rooms.
"We'll need to stop here and get your weight, Miss Gilmore," the nurse said as they came to the scale.
Rory handed Tristan her purse and slid her shoes off before stepping onto the scale. The nurse noted her weight and continued down the hall toward the exam room. Rory sat down on the table and the nurse began taking her vitals.
"Your blood pressure is 110/70 - that's great. And your pulse and O2 levels are also good. The doctor will be in shortly. She prefers to let you stay clothed while she talks with you and goes over any health concerns, and then she'll have you change into a gown for the physical and pap. I can show your friend back out to the waiting room at that point if you would feel more comfortable," the nurse offered.
"No, he's fine to be here. He's my boyfriend, and I'd prefer he stay with me," Rory insisted.
"Of course - we just like to offer. I'll let Dr. Stevens know that you're ready."
Tristan chuckled to himself as he noticed Rory fidgeting. She was obviously quite nervous. He stood up and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
"You okay there, babe?" he asked.
Rory laid her head on his chest and sighed.
"I'm fine - just nervous. I always get like this when I go to the doctor. Logically, I know that it isn't a big deal to get a physical, but it still just makes me all antsy," Rory confided.
"Well, thank you for letting me come with you today. I appreciate that you let me take care of you," Tristan replied before kissing her on the forehead. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Tristan and Rory both looked to the door just as the doctor walked in. She took one look at the two of them and smiled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'm Dr. Stevens," she said by way of introduction. She had a kind face and the kind of bedside manner that immediately put you at ease. Rory could tell instantly that she would like her.
Rory blushed and moved back to the exam table.
"Sorry about that - I'm a bit nervous, and he was calming me down," she explained. "I'm Rory, and this is my boyfriend, Tristan."
"It's nice to meet you, Rory and Tristan. I've looked through your file, and everything looks good. Your blood pressure is great, as are the rest of your vitals. We got your file from your old doctor, and I don't see anything that concerns me from that either. I did notice you've gained a bit of weight since your last visit to your old doctor, but you noted on your intake forms that you've recently started working out. About how long have you been working out?" Dr. Stevens asked.
Rory looked at Tristan. "A little over a month?" she asked him.
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Tristan agreed.
"That's good. Are you enjoying it? I can never seem to find enough time to go to the gym consistently," replied Dr. Stevens.
"I really am enjoying it. Tris and I run several times a week, and I go to the gym a few times a week as well for strength training and a cardio class that I take with my girlfriends," said Rory.
"I'm sure that's the reason for the weight gain then - you're gaining muscle. That's actually really great, and your weight is quite healthy. Do you have any questions or concerns before your exam?" she asked.
Rory hesitated and looked to Tristan, and he gave her an encouraging nod and then reached over and took her hand in his. Rory took a deep breath and then spoke.
"Actually, I do. My grandfather passed away a little over a year ago, and since then I've been having really intense nightmares. Tris mentioned that there's a small possibility that my birth control could be contributing to the nightmares and thought I should mention it," Rory answered quietly.
Dr. Stevens smiled and nodded.
"You're a lucky girl to have such a caring, attentive boyfriend, and he's right. It's not terribly common, but either birth control or hormonal imbalances can on occasion cause nightmares. We can move you to a different type of birth control that's less likely to cause nightmares and see if that helps," the doctor explained.
"Thank you. I guess that's worth trying. A friend also suggested I try seeing a chiropractor we know who specializes in acupuncture," Rory replied.
"I think that's a great idea, and there's a very good chance that between the two things we'll be able to get you in a much better place," Dr. Stevens assured her. "Now, when do you take your last active birth control pill in this pack?"
Rory thought for a minute. "I have five more days of active pills left."
"Perfect. I want you to finish those five days of active pills, and then immediately start the new birth control prescription that I'm going to write you. Don't take the inactive pills - just throw those away. Does that make sense?" the doctor asked.
Rory and Tristan both nodded to the doctor. "Yeah, that makes perfect sense," Rory replied.
"Alright, any other questions or concerns before we do your exam?"
"No, I think that's it," answered Rory.
Dr. Stevens opened a drawer and handed Rory a paper gown and a sheet to cover up with
"Go ahead and undress completely. The gown opens in the back. Put that on and cover up with the sheet. You can have Tristan duck his head out the door and let me know as soon as you're ready so you don't have to wait - I know these rooms are always cold when you're waiting," Dr. Stevens chuckled. "I'll just be right outside."
Dr. Stevens stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Rory began taking off her clothes and stacked them neatly on the chair next to Tristan. Then she put the robe on and covered herself up with the sheet.
"You'd think they'd at least give you a real hospital gown - that thing will tear if you move wrong," Tristan chuckled.
"Yeah, I really hate this part of the exam. Sitting here naked other than this thin paper thing, freezing while I wait. It isn't exactly something I look forward to," Rory deadpanned. "Now, go let her know I'm ready, please?"
Tristan nodded and walked to the door. He poked his head out and nodded as the doctor looked up at him. Dr. Stevens walked back into the room right behind Tristan and began putting on her gloves.
"Tristan, I'm just going to have you stand by Rory's head. Rory, put your feet in the stirrups and slide your bottom all the way down," the doctor instructed her. Rory did as she was asked and reached up to hold Tristan's hand. "Perfect, now just relax your knees and let them fall to the side. I'm going to go ahead and take the sample, so you may feel a bit of pinching or discomfort, but breathe through it."
Rory took a couple of deep breaths and Tristan kissed her on the forehead.
"You're doing a great job, Mare," Tristan whispered in her ear. Rory smiled at him gratefully.
"That part is all finished, so now I just need to do the manual exam and then you'll be finished."
The doctor finished a moment later and pulled the sheet back down to cover Rory.
"Alright, you're all done. You can get dressed and pick up your prescription and the lab slip at the checkout window when you leave. The lab is downstairs on the first floor. We'll call you with the results. Please don't hesitate to call the office if you have any questions or need anything. It's been nice meeting you both," Dr. Stevens said. She shook both of their hands and walked out of the room. As soon as the door shut, Tristan spoke.
"That looked seriously uncomfortable, Mary. I don't know how you women do it."
Rory laughed as she began getting dressed again.
"It's not too bad, really. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it's manageable," Rory replied.
"You hungry?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am. Let's go get my blood drawn and then we can go to one of my favorite places in New Haven for lunch?"
"Sounds perfect."