Page 44 of Whispers of Wisteria

My face heated as Dr. Kohler replied, “Reproductive health?” She’d never sounded sterner. “Please tell me you aren’t—”

“Not that,” Julian interrupted, squeezing my hand. “The script you signed—it’s for this. She has had severe abdominal pain and has never come to you about it.”

“You’re in pain every month?” Dr. Kohler asked, tone cautious. “Since when?”

“Not every month…” I corrected, turning my attention to my knees again.

“Then when?” Dr. Kohler questioned, and I could feel her eyes on me, but I still couldn’t look up.

“It’s worse when I get my period,” I answered.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Dr. Kohler spoke once more, even more slowly than before. “And how often isthat, Bianca? You told me you were regular.”

It was too late to back out now.

“Whenever.” I shrugged. “Maybe a few days every couple of months. Sometimes longer.”

I could feel her stare. “When did the pain start?”

“Um…” I shifted in my seat. My face felt inflamed, my shoulders tense, and I could barely respond. “B-before I was a-adopted.”

Dr. Kohler didn’t say anything right away. Instead, the weight of her silence pressed against my chest, and I could feel Julian tense beside me.

I held my breath and clenched my fists in my lap.

“Since before you were adopted.” Dr. Kohler’s voice was careful. “You mean to say you’ve been in painsince you were eight?”

I shrugged, staring hard at the speckled tile floor.

“And you never thought to tell me?”

I forced a laugh, even though my throat felt tight. “I felt… I could handle it.”

Dr. Kohler inhaled sharply. “No,” she said, voice firm. “I can’t believe that you’ve been living with untreated, unmanaged pain for a decade.” She cut herself off, exhaling slowly through her nose before adjusting her glasses. “We need to figure out what’s causing it.”

My stomach twisted.

I knew what was coming before she even said it.

“I’m going to need to do an exam.”

“But—” Panic flared through me. “We don’t need to do that. The little pills Damen gave me work much better than the Tylenol.”

Dr. Kohler’s chest swelled, and for the first time, I could slowly see her start to lose her patience.

But it was Julian who responded.

“You can’t just pop a bunch of Tylenol!” Julian protested. “Is that what you’ve been doing?”

I pressed my lips together.

“Bianca,” she began, and I could see she regained her composure. “Do you mind if I try something first?”

“Um,” I bit my lip. “W-what?”

“Can I touch you?”

I leaned back, pressing against Julian, as my pulse skipped. “W-why?”