Page 69 of Love Me in the Dark

“Number of sexual partners?”

“What?” I blinked at him.

He repeated the question, his face expressionless.

“I-I… that’s. I’ve not.”

His gaze bored into me, then he muttered something and wrote on his form.

“Take your clothes off and lie down.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.” He turned his back, pulling on gloves and collecting equipment.

I wriggled uncomfortably before drawing my arms through my jacket. Was this normal? Shivering at the chill in the air as I removed my layers, I stripped down to my underwear, feeling self-conscious.

The doctor moved closer with a noise of impatience. His stethoscope was cold as he pressed it to my chest, and his bony fingers dug into my tummy.

“These off.” He pointed to my underwear, and thickness filled my throat.

Reflexively, I pulled my knees up.

“Now. You are wasting my time,” the doctor barked.

I clutched the edges of my underwear and pulled them down with trembling fingers, averting my eyes to the ceiling. He barked instructions to open my legs, and I flinched as he touched my intimate place. I tried to ignore the sensations as heat tingled in my face.

“Get dressed,” the doctor snapped, and I realised he was back at his desk writing on his papers.

I ducked my head and pulled my clothes back on, and he dismissed me.

“Is everything okay?” Rada asked when she saw me.

My knees were weak as I sank into my chair, and I nodded briskly, unable to voice what I wanted to say.

The doctor called her in, and she entered with a lingering glance back at me. I shifted in my chair; the memory of the doctor’s hands on me making my stomach churn. Why did we need this type of medical check? The doctor at home only listened to my chest.

Rada returned about fifteen minutes later, but she looked the same. My sister was good at masking her emotions, and I decided to forget what happened in the room. She probably had that examination when she came here before, but it was worse for me as I’d never done anything intimate before.

Charlotte reappeared and went into the doctor's room. She emerged with paperwork clutched in her hands.

“Rada, come with me. Angelina, please wait here.”

“Why aren’t we going together?” Rada asked.

“Because you are going into healthcare,” Charlotte replied, tapping her heel impatiently.

“I’ll see you soon.” Rada gripped my hand and disappeared after Charlotte out of the side door.

I shivered as I waited for the coldness from the concrete floors seeping up through the soles of my thin shoes.

“This way.” Charlotte returned holding paperwork, and I stood, stretching my stiff joints.

We walked down another corridor and through another room on the side of the previous waiting room. This one had multiple doors off it. Charlotte stepped inside the closest one, and I followed her. This one had a narrow cot and a metal toilet. Charlotte turned abruptly, and I moved to the side to prevent walking into her.

“You will stay here until you are given further instructions.”

“What?”