"Cory," Kronos had stayed behind at the Price Farmstead on guard duty while Jonah and the enlarged crew went on a raiding trip. Artie and Jonah had had a screaming match when Jonah had decided to leave a guard on the house when the crew wasn't there. His argument was that the crew had made enemies, what if they found out the crew's base. Her argument was that the farmstead was her home, her place to defend and hold against enemies. Artie thought that accepting a guard was to lessen her independence. Jonah had won the argument when an intruder had been found on the property, an intruder that wasn't from Jericho. The man had quietly disappeared, to Kronos' knowledge, though the bloodstains in the gas-tank's little shack had to be washed up. "Could you saddle up Apostle for me?"
Artie descended the stairs, having gone up to the bunk-rooms to gather the bedding to start the wash.
"You going to start the sheets boiling?" The big cauldron had been on a spit over a bonfire pit for the day, a fire underneath warming the water that was mixed with a soap creation.
"Yeah, then I need to head into Jericho." Artie watched Cory Tremaine's eyes widen across the room. He'd been here for nearly the entire winter, and she'd never gone into the town. Not once. "Medical Center." She stated. "I've used the hand radio to call in to ask for an appointment. I need them to confirm an opinion." Her breasts were sore, she'd been irritable, missed periods, and was frequently tired. She was in her early forties, her sex partner had a vasectomy, she was starting menopause.
"You okay?" Cory asked. He'd grown fond of the ruthless woman, her harsh decision making earning her a place in his affections, as she balanced it with compassion and kindness.
"I'm menopausal." She'd lost weight over the winter, hell, since the bombs fell, but she was still more padded than her husband would have allowed. Jonah had told Cory that he suspected that Artie had the last surviving chocolate stash in the state. He didn't tell Cory that she had cacao seeds, and sugar beet seeds. Those would have been tempting fate, worth tremendous amounts on the black market. "I'd like a self diagnosis confirmed."
Menopause hadn't been an issue when Kronos/Cory was young, with women rarely making it out of their thirties. That the human body eventually wore out was a surprise to him, wore out from use, not from stress. Having watched the emergence of menopause and other age related issues, Cory had realized how devastating they could be to the person they afflicted.
"I'll just go and saddle Apostle for you." Cory hurried out the door, discomfited.
"Dr. Kenchy Dhuwalia," The man outstretched a hand. "a pleasure to meet you. I must admit that I was quite surprised to find that I had been asked for a scheduled appointment. You are?"
"Artia Price, nee Russell. Most everyone calls me Artie though." The woman smiled at the doctor. "I don't come to town much, so I thought that it would be best if I called ahead." Artie paused, considering. "Actually, the last time I was in this medical center, the sheriff brought me the news that my husband's brakes had failed, so must have been fifteen years back."
"You're that Artie Price?" The nurses had told him about the most memorable cases that they could remember crossing the doors of the medical center.
Artie Price had been brought in to the center with multiple stab wounds to the torso, internal wounds consisting of a notched stomach, perforated liver as the most serious, a sliced femoral artery, and the type of damage that you got from long term abuse. The final straw had been that the abuse that her body had taken had caused a first trimester miscarriage.
"I'm that memorable?" Artie stated. "I'm actually here about menopause."
"You're how old?" Kenchy asked. "And when was the last time you menstruated?"
"Two months back, and I'm early forties, now." Artie explained. "I can't be pregnant, my lover had a vasectomy after his son was born." She explained.
"Would you mind if I ran an ultrasound anyway?" Kency asked. Early forties was still a bit early for menopause, and the woman had a glow.
"If you must."
"And while there are no prenatal vitamins left, I can give you a list of foods that contain high amounts of the vitamins that you'll need to help with the pregnancy. Also a list of foods to avoid." Kenchy watched the woman, whose hand had moved to her abdomen, holding it protectively. "Miss, are you okay?"
"After Obadiah killed her, I never thought I'd conceive again." Artie whispered. "The doctor said that he thought I wouldn't be able to conceive without in vitro."
"Doctors can be wrong," Kenchy stated. "and it was twenty years ago. Things change in twenty years."
"You're right." Artie stated. "Things change."
A baby meant so many things, especially with the future unknown.