Fate (Steel Brothers Saga #13) - Helen Hardt Page 0,70
going to hurt him.”
“Do you think that matters? He moved out. I lost a roommate because of your shit.”
“You don’t need a roommate, Brad. You’re worth millions.”
“Maybe I like having a roommate. Did you ever think of that?”
“I—”
“No, you didn’t, because you never think of anyone but yourself, Wendy. You’re a classic narcissist. Everything’s about you.”
“You’re a shrink now? Diagnosing me?”
“I’m no shrink, but I don’t need a medical degree to recognize a crazy person when I see one. Sane people don’t go around waving guns.”
“Tell you what,” she said. “I promise never to pull a gun on anyone again.”
“Good.” Though I didn’t believe her.
“If…” she continued.
“I’m no longer making deals with you.”
“Sweet, sweet Brad,” she snarled. “What makes you think you have a choice?”
“There’s always a choice, Wendy,” I said. “Always.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Daphne
“Come in.” My voice was unsteady after the knock on the exam room door.
Kathleen marched in with a smile on her face. “All set?”
I nodded.
“Okay. I need you to scoot to the edge of the table and put your feet in the stirrups.”
The stirrups weren’t actually stirrups at all. They were metal notches. I’d been wearing sandals, so my feet were bare, which made me feel all the more exposed. I secretly wished for a pair of socks, even though that made no sense.
Kathleen washed her hands at the sink and then put on a pair of blue rubber gloves. “Since this is your first pelvic exam, I’m going to explain to you what I’m doing as I do it so you’re informed.”
Please, don’t. “Okay.”
She squirted something onto her fingers. “This is a lubricant. I’m going to put it on your vaginal opening so I can insert the speculum.”
A glob of cold hit my vagina. I tried not to shudder.
“Relax,” she said.
So much for not shuddering.
“Now I’m going to insert the speculum. It shouldn’t hurt, but it will be cold.”
The lubricant was already cold, so I didn’t worry too much.
Right. Should have worried. The speculum was colder than the lube, and it stretched me open.
“Everything looks good in there. Now I’m going to do the pap smear. You might feel a little bit of cramping.”
I sucked in a breath. A little bit of cramping.
“Relax,” she said. “This only takes a few seconds.”
After what seemed like a lifetime, she withdrew the speculum. “Now I’m going to examine you manually to make sure your uterus and ovaries are the normal size for a woman your age.” She inserted her fingers into me, stretching me. It felt strange, but it wasn’t painful.
“Ovaries look good.” Pause. “Uterus is normal.” Pause. “Hmm.”
“What is it?” I asked, my heart speeding up.
“Probably nothing. You say you used a condom?”
“Yeah.”
“Your cervix feels a little soft.”
“Is that bad?”
“I want to do a pregnancy test.”
“But I can’t possibly be pregnant. Brad used a condom. I saw it.”
“I’m sure he did. And you’re probably not pregnant. But your cervix feels softer than usual, which could indicate pregnancy.”
“I… I don’t want the test.”
“Daphne, I understand your apprehension. Condoms are effective most of the time, so there’s probably nothing to worry about. But I want to check this out. I can’t give you oral contraceptives if you’re pregnant, so I need to rule it out.”
My heart was beating like a herd of galloping stallions. I’m not pregnant. I can’t be pregnant.
“I’ll need a urine sample,” she said. “Go ahead and get dressed. The bathroom is right next door. You’ll find wipes. Wipe front to back, please, and then begin your urine stream into the toilet. Once you’ve begun, give me a small sample in the cup, all right?”
“Yeah. Sure.” My voice was robotic.
She smiled. “Relax. There’s most likely nothing to worry about, okay?”
“Okay.” Breathe in. Breathe out. She’s a medical professional. She knows what she’s talking about.
She left the room, and I quickly got dressed, even though I could barely feel my legs. Whether it was from having them in the stirrups or from nerves, I had no idea. Probably nerves. I walked robotically out of the exam room and into the bathroom. The cups sat on a small table next to the sink with instructions to write my name on the cup with the permanent marker sitting next to them. I did so quickly, my hand shaking. Then I followed the instructions and peed in the cup. I washed my hands and took the cup out to Kathleen.
“Okay, Daphne, go ahead back into the exam room, and I’ll be with you when I have your results.”
I nodded, numb all over.
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