Page 33 of Dangers of Love

Dr. Rhimes walked over to the door and opened it. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Fine.” The nurse practically stomped out of the room.

When Dr. Rhimes turned back to me, she said, “I’m sorry about her. She’s my partner’s niece, and she did well in school, but her bedside manner…leaves something to be desired.”

I snorted, then laughed, some of my unease fading. “That’s one way to say it.”

“Let me get that blood drawn first.” Dr. Rhimes went over to the items the nurse had already gotten out. “And yes, I am ordering a rush. Getting pregnant with an IUD is extremely rare, but it can also be dangerous.”

All of that tension returned and multiplied. I’d known that, of course. When I’d gotten the IUD, she’d explained everything, and I’d read all the literature she’d given me. I’d heard all of it again when I’d gone to the doctor I used in Stanford when I couldn’t get back here for appointments. I knew it, but I’d forgotten it.

Perfect. Something else to be terrified about.

“Now, I know that our primary concern here is pregnancy, but I am going to run several tests, just to make sure that your partner was being honest about his sexual history.” Dr. Rhimes worked efficiently as she talked. “Did you take the test I recommended?”

I nodded. “Not long after I spoke with you. It was positive.” I was proud of myself for managing to say those three words without my voice shaking. “I had planned to call you back after I had the results, but things went…crazy.”

“It’s all right,” she said. “It wouldn’t have changed anything I need to do today.”

I watched her work with quiet efficiency. “Okay.”

“Now, those tests are fairly reliable, but they aren’t one hundred percent accurate.” She set down the last vial on the tray. “Let me get these sent to the lab. While I’m doing that, go ahead and change into a gown.”

One of the things I’d always liked about Dr. Rhimes was how straight-forward she was. She never sugar-coated anything for me, which was why having her as my doctor had been one of the few stands I’d taken when my mom had tried to convince me to go to her gynecologist. I’d wanted someone I could trust to tell me the truth and not tell my mother anything, even unintentionally. Mom could’ve given professional interrogators a run for their money.

A knock at the door came just as I finished tying the hospital gown in place. “Come in,” I called.

Dr. Rhimes waited until the door was closed behind her before gesturing toward the table. “Other than the pregnancy test you took, has anything changed from the information you told me when we spoke?”

I opened my mouth to say no…and then remembered that there was something relevant I needed to tell her.

“Um, I had sex again.” My face burned. “More than once, actually.”

She was a true professional and didn’t even blink an eye. “With the same partner?”

I nodded. “There’s only been him.”

“Did you use protection?”

Dammit.

“No.” I couldn’t look at her. “It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I know it was stu–”

“I’m not going to lecture you, Aline. I’m your doctor, not your priest or your therapist.”

Her small smile took any sting out of the words. Another reason I’d always liked her. She’d never made me feel bad for being a virgin, and she’d never judged when I’d asked for the IUD, even though I hadn’t been sexually active at the time. She cared, but she didn’t try to parent me.

It was…refreshing.

I looked up at the ceiling as she did the exam, trying not to appear as uncomfortable as I felt. It was strange. I’d always thought that after I’d had sex, I wouldn’t find it as disconcerting to have someone getting up close and personal with that particular part of my anatomy, but I actually found myself more self-conscious than I had been in the past. Maybe it was because, despite what she’d said about not lecturing me, I still felt like I’d behaved poorly and proven that I couldn’t take care of myself.

“Well, shit.”

That wasn’t something a girl wanted to hear when she was in a position like this.

I pushed myself up on my elbows. “What?”

“The IUD is out of place.” She sighed and slid her chair to the side so we could see each other. “It does happen, but it’s rare. Did you have any problems during your last period?”

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