Page 28 of Preying Heart
Heath knocks on the door, although I’m sure the doctor is already aware of our presence. The scratch of his truck tires on the gravel and the rumbling engine cutting off is enough to wake the dead. A light breeze disturbs the wind chimes, but what’s eerie is the silence in the vicinity. No dog barks, no birds flit around, and not even a television or radio set blares.
The heavy metal door opens an inch before closing again for the doctor to remove the chain.
“Should I be blindfolded?” I ask, wondering if it would be better for me not to be identified.
“We can trust her.” Heath opens the screen door as the steel door swings back.
A friendly-looking woman with a tanned face and a mess of curly black hair wrapped underneath a pink bandana smiles at me. “I’m Dr. Cole, but you can call me Lucy. You must be Blair.”
“Uh, yes,” I mumble, almost missing my cue. I’m too busy staring at her single silver hoop earring. Did she lose the other one and didn’t notice? Or is that her version of a fashion statement?
“I’ll leave the two of you for about an hour.” Heath looks at his watch. “Will that be enough time?”
He seems eager to be rid of me, so I wait for Dr. Cole to answer him.
“It’ll be plenty of time,” she says. “Take your time. I might have another job for you. It’s uncertain whether they want us involved.”
“What is it?”
“Missing women. Two sisters. Wandered off from a hiking trail along the Snake River. Right now, it’s search and rescue.”
“Let me know if law enforcement gives up.” Heath gives my arm a squeeze. “You’ll be okay. I’ll pick up some shampoos and stuff for you.”
I wish I could go along, but I can see why people in town would be curious of my presence, so I simply thank him and head into the clinic with Dr. Cole.
“Would you like coffee? Juice?” Dr. Cole walks by the small kitchen.
“Water will be fine.” I’m eager to get examined, mostly because of the bleeding.
She hands me a bottle of cold water and we make our way to the examination room. It’s cold and stark, and the sight of stirrups has my heart straining to escape my chest. It’s not like I’ve never had a pelvic exam. After all, I had an IUD placed, but being pregnant and bleeding and out in the middle of nowhere has me on edge. There’s no hospital nearby to take me if I had an emergency she’s unable to treat.
Oh goodness, why am I chickening out now? At least this isn’t an abortion clinic. Or I hope not.
“Before we get started, tell me what brings you here.” Dr. Cole takes a clipboard and slips a patient questionnaire form on it.
“I have an IUD in place and missed my period. I’m on birth control pills, too.”
“Do you believe you’re pregnant?” she asks.
“Yes, I did five different tests and they all came out positive. I have some spotting and bleeding this morning.”
“I’ll have to ask you to do another test,” she says. “Let’s see if you’re still pregnant.”
She hands me a test stick and ushers me to the bathroom. I understand why she has to do this, but I’m nervous. What if it turns out I’m not pregnant after all, and I just brought all this trouble onto Slade and myself? Or maybe I lost the baby already. Isn’t that what an IUD does? Create a hostile environment so that the baby is injured when trying to grow?
Why didn’t I think of this earlier? But then, I never wanted a baby. I didn’t think much about anything other than getting by from day to day and not ending up on the streets like my mother.
The test comes back positive, and believe it or not, I’m relieved but scared stiff.
“You’re likely pregnant,” Dr. Cole says. “Before we do anything else, I’ll need your consent for removing the IUD. Also, I have to inform you of the risks to the baby.”
She shows me a printed paper that lists the risks for miscarriage, birth defects, and other mishaps.
“I understand, but I still want you to remove it.”
“The IUD or the pregnancy?” she asks. “I’ll be careful, but if you prefer to terminate the pregnancy, I can do that too.”
I gape at her, not sure what to say. Before finding out about my mom and what she wanted to do to me, I would have said to get it over with. I wouldn’t have thought twice. But then, I made a play for Gavin’s attention. I thought I could provide him something his wife couldn’t, and he made it clear he wasn’t interested.
