I feel my eyes well up at her kindness. I feel the crazy urge to lay my head on her shoulder and soak up all the comfort I know I would find there. My emotions, it seems, are still all over the place. Instead, I manage to get out a shaky, “Thank you.”
She reaches over to pat my hand before opening a file. “Luc had a copy of your chart sent to me from the hospital.” She digs a pair of glasses from her jacket pocket and glances through the papers the folder contains. “I know I need to use that fancy iPad for all of this, but I still love to flip through pages.” Raising her brow, she whispers, “Plus, I’ve already broken one of the things by dropping it a dozen times.” I laugh in response, relieved that I’ve recovered from the threatened crying jag of a few moments ago. “All right, Lia, let’s look at your nose first.”
Gently, she removes the bandages and the splint from my nasal area, throwing them into the trashcan behind her. She gently probes my nose, causing me to wince, as the area is still tender. When she pulls back, I look up and ask, “Has it healed?”
She nods, saying, “It looks good. There is some remaining swelling, and as you noticed, it’s still tender. You may end up with a small bump on the ridge of it, but it’s too early to tell. Just let me know if you have any issues with severe congestion. As for your wrist and fingers, you’re a few weeks away from removing the cast. I’ll have the girls out front schedule another appointment for that.”
“Okay,” I say disappointed. I had hoped to get rid of it all today, but at least my nose is free now.
She drops back on her stool and studies me for a moment. “How are the contusions on your body healing?”
“They’re mostly fading now.” I hope she won’t press me on seeing for herself. That’s still not something I want others looking at, even if the evidence is almost gone now.
She nods, seeming satisfied with my answer. She looks in my folder again, asking, “Are you having any headaches, even minor?”
“Just a bit the first few days I was home but nothing since then.”
She makes a note in my chart. “Good. I’ll want to schedule one more CT scan just to make sure all of the swelling in your brain has subsided. According to your chart, it was almost normal when the hospital released you. Are you still taking the pain pills you were prescribed?”
“No,” I wrinkle my nose, thinking about how bad the pills made me feel. “I really haven’t needed anything, even Tylenol, in days.”
“And the only medication you’re currently taking is birth control pills?”
“Yes,” I say automatically before I freeze. My breath wheezes from my lungs, and I feel dizzy with shock. “No! Oh, dear Lord, I haven’t taken them since…” I’m in complete panic mode now, unable to believe that something I’ve done for so long has completely slipped my mind for not just days, but weeks.
“Lia.” She pats my knee reassuringly. “It’s perfectly understandable that you would forget that with everything that has happened. Have you had sexual relations since you left the hospital?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to believe this is happening. “Yes, daily…for four or five days,” I admit haltingly. Sometimes more than once a day, but I don’t add that part. Why, oh why couldn’t we have waited to have sex until I had seen the doctor?
She still looks calm, even in the face of my obvious distress. “Do you know where you are in your cycle?”
“I have no idea,” I say, wracking my brain. “I don’t have a period very often since I went on the birth control pills, so I haven’t been keeping up with it. I’ve never had a reason to.” She probably assumes I said that because I’ve always been careful when in reality, other than once, I never had sex before I met Lucian. “I’ll take one as soon as I get home.”
“No, don’t start them again yet. It’s probably fine, Lia, and I don’t want to scare you, but on the outside chance that you’ve conceived, you don’t need to take them until we know for sure. I…there is another option if you are interested. There is a prescription for a morning-after pill called Ella, which is actually effective up to five days after intercourse. This is completely up to you, Lia.”
I feel a wave of relief roll through me at her words. But before I can say yes, I’m filled with uncertainty. I know it’s my body, but isn’t this something I should discuss with Lucian? I can’t hide something like this from him, can I? “Do…I mean…is there time to talk to Luc first?” A part of me can’t believe I’m even asking her this. There is no choice to be made here is there? Lucian and I aren’t ready to be parents. I have a stepfather who tried to rape me somewhere out in the world and Lucian is mired in a past which still haunts him. What decision is to be made here? Shit, I still can’t do this without him knowing. I’ll tell him and then we’ll both just be relieved that we found out in time.
“I think it’s a very good idea to speak with your partner…or Luc, in this case. Just call my office tomorrow morning after you’ve talked it over and let me know what you decide. You’d need to take the pill at some point tomorrow, though, to ensure its effectiveness.”
We talk for a few more minutes before she ushers me to the door. Lucian is standing against the opposite wall, thumbing through his smartphone. For a moment, I’m afraid he overheard our conversation, but the easy smile on his face says differently. “Okay, baby?” he asks as he walks over to look at my newly uncovered nose.
Dr. Kay clucks her tongue at him. “Just couldn’t go to the waiting room as you were told, could you?”
He gives her his best innocent look. “I was staying close in case Lia needed me.” He gives me a wink, and we both know it’s because he wanted to avoid another possible run-in with Laurie. We say goodbye to the doctor and he peels off some bills to pay for the visit despite my protests. I make another appointment to have my cast removed and a follow-up CT scan. Lucian guides me through the Laurie-free waiting room and to the car idling at the curb. We say a few words to Sam before settling onto the leather seats. He picks up my hand, kissing my fingers before asking, “Did you like Dr. Kay?”
“She’s wonderful,” I murmur, still reeling from the conversation she and I had had. Should I tell him now? No, if I do, he more than likely won’t go to the office and he needs this today. He already seems more relaxed than he has in days. We’ll talk tonight when he comes home. I’ll make him dinner and wear something other than my usual home attire of yoga pants. “She sure knows how to handle you,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood. I want his happy mood to continue, and he’s far too perceptive where I’m concerned.