[color=B0E0E6][center][h2][b][u]Amelia Scott[/u][/b]
Boston, Massachusetts[/h2][hr][/center]
If there was a hell on Earth for Amelia, it would be having her blood drawn. As the twenty-seven year old with her head buried in a book groaned, a few people glanced over. She ignored their stares and politely coughed to cover it up. The book was not enough to alleviate her woes; the impending doom awaiting her in the next room was enough to have her trembling and occasionally biting her fingernails. Since she was young, having shots or her blood drawn had been horrific. The screams and cries of other children had always upset her.  It was as if there had been some medieval torture device being used. Whenever she was in contact with a needle, she had felt sick and nauseous. Amelia took deep breaths and clutched her book. 

The print in front of her swam before her eyes. Her mind was racing as if she had witnessed a traumatic accident. She had been used to seeing parents comforting their children, but that had not been the case with her. Her father provided little comfort to her so she had been forced to suck it up throughout her childhood. Now, as an independent adult, she still could not fathom doing it alone. When the mandatory blood draw had been delivered to her home, Amelia had inquired if it had been sent to the wrong house. [i]"No, ma'am, it was sent to you,"[/i] The postal worker had told her. She had groaned and even delayed doing it. She had called off from work for the day so she could recover from it. She could just sense the anxiety and fear around her, but she figured it was just her nerves. She took several deep breathes slowly, trying not to show her own dismay. There were kids here and she wanted to provide a positive example. 

[b]"Amelia Scott,"[/b] The nurse's voice rang out through the waiting room. Amelia jumped, nearly knocking over her book in her haste to respond. Her cheeks flushed as she knocked over her ignored and now cold coffee mug on the ground. The cinnamon latte spilled out over the carpet and dampened the area.

[b]"Oh no, I'm so sorry,"[/b] she spluttered, eyes wide. A few parents chuckled, but she ignored them. She grabbed a wade of tissues from her purse (she had made sure to stock up) and dabbed it up rapidly. Amelia stuffed the tissues in her pockets to avoid going near the trashcan where a woman had been snickering like a hyena. It took every ounce of willpower not to smack her.

[b]"Okay, I'm coming,"[/b] She would not look at anyone as she hastened to the lab area, mug in hand and tissues spilling out of her pockets. She sat down in the chair and looked away as the nurse began to prep her. It was as if there was a bomb inside of her ticking down; the aroma of alcohol and lab equipment was making her sick. Her hands were clammy and she was not certain if the air conditioner was relaxing her taut muscles.  She could just picture every infant and child coming in here and losing their grip as they were injected.  She shut her eyes and began breathing deeply.

In her mind's eye, she was picturing herself at the beach with a book in her hand. The crashing waves were nothing more than white noise to her; the soft sand crunching beneath her feet, the warmth of the sun beating down on her skin and the shrill cries of the seagulls flying overhead... 

[b]"Not a fan?"[/b] The nurse's voice interrupted her reverie. Amelia opened an eye to glance at her. The scenic reverie in her mind began to drift away. She tried to read her lanyard to see her name to distract herself, but the nurse's lanyard kept swaying as she moved so she gave up. Her heart rate was jumping so fast, she wondered if she might have an anxiety attack. Her jaw was beginning to ache from her clenching it. 

[b]"No," [/b] Amelia replied shortly and gritted her teeth. She tried to focus on her meditation again.

[b]"Most people are not."[/b] The nurse agreed, unknowingly interrupting her, "With this mandatory testing going on, there have been a lot of people unable to deal with the blood draw. You're not alone."

[b]"Thank you," [/b] Amelia softly replied and took another deep breathe.  She gave up on the lovely distraction in her mind. The rumor of superhuman going around had been piqued her interest, though she dismissed the idea of it. "The idea is silly that they exist, though it would be highly fascinating if they did."

The nurse laughed in agreement and pulled the needle out from her arm.  [b]"You're all done, Ms. Scott. Great job."[/b] 

Amelia inhaled and looked down with surprise. [b]"What, you're done?"[/b]

The nurse grinned at her. [b]"I made sure to distract you well, didn't I?"[/b] Amelia nodded and quickly stood up after the nurse cleaned and bandaged the area. She hastily gathered her purse and coffee mug, then zipped out of the doctor's office and to her car. Once inside, Amelia rested her head against the steering wheel and sighed in relief.

Thank God, she thought with a deep sigh. Doctor's offices and hospitals always were daunting for her. She had once thought about becoming a nurse, but had pushed it away. She would rather handle the mental aspects of a person than their physical woes. Injuries and lab testing made her queasy, so becoming a psychologist had been her number one choice. The guilt of taking today off was gnawing at her. She truly enjoyed her job, though today would not have been a good day for her. She put her keys into the ignition and started her car after picking her head up. The tension lingered, so she decided to force herself to exercise to help relieve it. Amelia had made sure to pack her bag up before leaving this morning so she would not go home and sit there all day alone. She knew she had to go out more to exercise or socialize. The idea made her sigh once more she began driving to the gym.[/color]