A few months have passed and both Jeanette and Fiona were showing, just entering their third trimester. Fiona was just having a morning where she felt, as she put it “extra pregnant.” She urged her husband to go to the office and if her feet felt better she’d take the car and kids down to the supermarket for some groceries. About 10:30 she finally got up the strength to get dressed, and get the kids in the car but really wasn’t feeling herself. Doing the bare minimum to get out of the house, putting on her most basic maternity clothes, just slacks and a large shirt, and not bothering with make-up, she threw a babushka on her head so she didn’t even need to brush it. “Who will I even see there?” she thought to herself exhausted.

At the market, with the kids in tow she was looking over the canned goods when she saw Audrey’s mom Clara, Mrs Pettingale, and Mrs Andrea Lorden talking at the end of the aisle. They didn’t notice her at first but she was close enough that she could listen in.

“Oh Doctor Richardson really put my Audrey at ease when he did Audrey’s pap smear.”

“Oh yes, same for my Allison, and I had him do mine this year. He’s very gentle, better than most gynecologists I have seen.”

“I’m just not sure about my Sussie. She’s not ready yet.”

“Why do you say that?” Mrs Pettingale asked.

“She’s just barely 18, and has no interest in boys yet. I don’t think anyways.”

“Well didn’t you say she has some bad cramping and hard periods?”

“Yes but so did I.. and.. Oh Hello Fiona!”

“Oh Hello Andrea, didn’t see you there.”

“I know Fiona and her husband from the church… We were just talking about your husband. Do you think my Sussie is too young for him to do a pap smear?”

“WHAT?”

“Little Susie you know… I mean I know they recommend them and she has some bad cramping and all but…”

“I really don’t know.. You’d need to ask him…” and then under her breath “Another redhead?”

“What was that last part Fiona?”

“Oh nothing, just wondering who his assistant will be that day…”

“Oh yes, well my Audrey is still interning there while in school, and he has Mary Mason other times.”

“What nurse would you recommend Audrey?”

“Ummm… I… Don’t know… Mary has more experience but.. Audrey might be good being about the same age?”

“Yes, Allison had Audrey and while she said it was weird to have her friend see her like that, was happy she could relate better to her.”

“Well I am due myself, maybe he can do mine after he does Sussies and I only need to get out of the house once…”

“Ummm ladies, I am just out of energy today. I am just going to check out and get my kiddos home.”

Fiona thought to herself what a strange conversation to have in the grocery store, but figured it was just mom talk… She went through the checkout and got into the car, taking a deep breath and imagining Sussie Lorden in her mind. A lot shorter than her, maybe just 5ft tall… but also thinner because she wasn’t seven months pregnant… A lot more freckles… but maybe William liked that… she started thinking about the time she got too much sun so he counted hers as a playful moment…She’s certainly younger… but tried her best to keep any bad thoughts to herself… Still she was in a near panic and as soon as she got home called her Husband’s office.

“Doctor William Richardson’s office, how may I help you.”

“Jeanette? It’s Fi.”

“Hi Fiona, your husband is with a patient right now.”

“OK Good I need you to do me a favor… Can you… well if Mrs Lordin calls to make an appointment for Sussie, can you make sure Audrey is the person in the room with her?”

“I guess, why?”

“Please OK… Audrey will be sure to tell me if it’s all proper.”

“Are you having a little moment again?”

“Don’t say it like that! I am fine!”

“OK I will… don’t worry and sorry…”

As soon as she was off the phone she called Audrey’s house and spoke to her… filing her in and making sure she understood that when the day came she wanted EVERY detail, like she witnessed it herself.

That night William came downstairs after putting the kids to bed. Fiona was laying on the couch with her feet up, unable to get comfortable. “Fi, guess who’s coming into the office?”

“Who?”

“The Lordin ladies, Sussie, and her mom.”

“Oh? What for?” She responded, playing dumb to the situation, and wondering why he mentioned Susie by name but not Andrea.

“Pap smears.” he said nonchalantly.

“OH I bet you’ll enjoy that…” she responded coldly, instantly realizing she should have used her brain before saying that.

“What?”

“You heard me.” she responded, deciding to double down. “Little redheaded Sussie… You love red hair…”

“What? I love your red hair… not hers… She’s just a…”

“Stop it she’s not.. she’s 18 and attractive.”

“She’s got nothing on you.”

“Shut it!” She said angrily. “I’m seven months pregnant. I really don’t feel attractive right now, so shut it!”

“Fi.. I am sorry… I’ll cancel…”

“No… But why did you mention Susie by name and not Andrea!”

“Because honestly I forgot Mrs Lordin’s first name… She’s your church friend. I just call her Mrs Lordin…”

“But you never tell me about your patients.. Why did you tell me about HER.”

“She said you recommended me in the grocery store… I thought you knew.”

“It really didn’t happen like that and we are not close friends… I just said to call your office…”

“You ok Fi.”

“I don’t know… I just feel ugly… You’re pregnant for nine months just because by the time it’s done you want to just pop the baby out… Then come the baby blues.. And you remember how bad it was after little Danny. I am not looking forward to that.. I just can’t do it without you.”

“I’m not going anywhere Fi…”

“I know.. Hold me ok?”

About a week later, on a Friday evening Audrey and Fiona met for ice cream again. Audrey got another small hot fudge, but Fiona was fine with just a rootbeer.

“Audrey, Can you tell me about Suzanna? Like I was there… Please…”

“It was a lot like my exam, or anyone else's… He uses a lot of the same words and phrases… But I guess… Well…As I remember it:

He came into the room with a knock. “Hello Suzanna, I am Doctor Richardson.” he said reaching out to shake her hand, which she did weekly. “You mom said you wanted me to see if I can figure out why your cramps are so bad and do a papsmear today?”

“I guess…” she said shyly, nervously shifting around enough that the paper crackled under her. Her legs swaying a bit as she sat on the exam table.

“OK well mind if I ask some questions first?”

“I guess…” she responded again.

“OK well what age was your first period?”

“I was 15… a bit late…”

“OK, no problem, still normal. Are you sexually active?”

“I haven’t even had my first kiss yet… I went to prom with my cousin…”

“Ok, no worries just need to ask these things… How bad are your cramps?”

“They are not THAT bad.. It’s really just constipation when I have my period I think…”

“Are you periods regular?”

“Yes they tend to be…I keep telling my mom I am fine…”

“Well really now how bad? It’s OK…”

“I used to miss school and now miss work sometimes… I just don’t want to get out of bed… But when it’s over.. And I can go to the bathroom. I feel just fine…”

“Any weakness or tiredness?”

“You’d feel weak too if you bled for a few days a month…”

“I mean more than your friends? Any clotting or heavy flow?”

“Sometimes I clot… And I guess more so than my friends?”

“OK well… Did you ever have any digestive issues when you were younger?”

“I really don’t know…”

“OK well, can we start off by listening to your heart and lungs? Can you lower your gown for me?”

“But… I’m naked under my gown doctor…” She responded, slowly lowering it around her waist, exposing her small but shapely breasts.

“I can hear best on a bare chest Suzanna..” He said putting the stethoscope in his ears and trying to warm it a bit in his hand before placing it on her chest. He listened to her heart slowly, and carefully before putting the bell of the stethoscope on her back. “Deep breaths for me?” he asked as Suzanna took as deep breaths as she could.

“Have you ever had a breast exam before?”

“No…” she said drifting off in shyness..”Is that when you feel up my breasts?”

“Well I wouldn’t put it that way… Can you put your hands on your hips, sit up straight and lean forward for me?”

“I guess…” she responded, shyly leaning forward like he commanded. “OK you can sit up again and raise your right arm up over your head for me like this.” He said as he moved her arm bent over her head and began pressing deeply at the lymph nodes under her arm… then noticing a blanker than normal stare as she looked past him. “Are you doing OK Suzanna?”

“I guess Doctor…” she said firmly not making eye contact with him or anyone. As he worked towards her areola she began to look around the room. I’m sure the sensation of someone examining such a sensitive area was so new to her… Not scary, not enjoyable… Just new and she briefly looked down at her breasts as his fingers were just outside her areola and noticed them stiffening.

“Suzanna, you can lower your arm now and raise your other arm” She slowly complied, but confused by the tingling feeling moving through her body. ”Great job, are you doing ok Miss? Can you lay back for me so we can do it again laying down?”

“I Guess…”

“It’s best to do it sitting up and laying down because it compresses the breast tissue.” He positioned her arm over her head and repeated the exam with her laying down. Her eyes fixed at a crack in the ceiling. She didn’t move her eyes as he repositioned her other arm over her head.

“Suszanna, have you ever had any discharge from your nipples?”

“No…” she said shyly and confused…

“Well I’m just going to gently check so you can see how to OK?” She just closed her eyes and waited. Then as she felt his hand gently move over her fully erect nipple she shuddered as he gently pinched them between his fingers.

He slowly pulled the gown down below her stomach, tucking it gently under her hips, leaving the very top of her naked from the very top of her pubic hair up exposed. Suzanna laid there motionless and exposed with her hands by her sides completely expressionless…He began to feel her abdomen starting just below her rib cage and working lower and lower. Finally after finishing he pulled her gown back up.

“I’m so embarrassed…” she mumbled to herself.

“How did my husband react to that?”

“He really didn’t… It was like he didn’t even hear it… Maybe he didn't. She was pretty quiet.

“In the stirrups next dear?” Fiona asked inquisitively.

“Yes… I helped her put her feet in..”

“Was it as red as her hair?”

“Yes..

He put on his gloves and asked her to relax and let her legs fall open. There was a little glint of moisture, like she enjoyed his breast exam or stethoscope just a bit… but really wasn’t right now… He kept asking her to scoot down more… everytime she did she’d just say “I guess…”

“OK Suzanna, I am going to examine your pubic hair first.” he said, running his fingers through her sparser than average red hair. She had her eyes closed the whole time… then “OK I am going to touch your inner thigh like this before I touch you ok?”

“Ok…” she responded her eyes tightly closed as he spread her labia apart… The labia majora were puffy, and… her labia minora barely peaked out until he spread them so wide with his fingers… Her inner labia… so pink.. He spread about every little fold, everything and when he pushed back the hood over her clit her eyes popped open.. But that was her only reaction.

“Audry can you give me the virgin speculum?” He asked.. It took him a few tries to get it angled right and inside her… third time's a charm. She just couldn’r relax enough at first, but he kept reassuring her and eventually it was in.

“You’re doing great Suzana, I am going to open it now.” He said as it slowly opened in her… then “OK I am going to do the pap now. Try and relax but you might feel a cramp.”

“OWE!” she yelled out as he did the pap test… but seemed to calm right down.

He took the speculum out… and put the lube on his fingers and explained he was going to feel her internal reproductive organs now… She just nodded and he slowly put two fingers inside her vagina. He noticed her tense up and stopped and asked “You doing OK Suzanna? Does it hurt?”

“It’s just really weird… uncomfortable…”

“OK try to relax Miss, I am going to feel your right ovary first and move it between my fingers… Good now the left… Doing ok?”

“Yes… I guess…”

“Now along your fallopian tubes… and now some deep pressure while I feel your uterus.. You’re doing a great job being relaxed for me…. OK great job… everything seems healthy… I am going to do one more thing.” he said as his fingers came out and he began changing his gloves..”

“You’re not going to do the butt part are you?” she asked with fear in her voice.

“What?”

“My mom said you might put your finger in my butt…”

“Well Suzanna, it’s called the rectovaginal and I liked to do one because I can feel behind your uterus better, and it might be uncomfortable but it won’t hurt OK?”

“I..I..geuss.. OK…”

“You’re going to feel some pressure now when I say bare down I want you to push out like you’re trying to go to the bathroom. It might feel like your going to have a bowel movement but you won’t ok?... Now bare down for me?”

“Oh God!” she yelped out… then he felt her uterus with his other hand again… and then he pulled his fingers our a bit, and took his finger out of her vagina and slowly moved his rectal finger back in and twisted it around slowly… clockwise and counterclockwise… and slowly took it out…”

“All done Suzanna… Any questions?”

“No.. Well… Umm…”

“No need to be shy you can ask… here, sit up for me?”

“Why the cramps, constipation, all that….”

“I think you might have some anemia but I need to send you for a blood test.”

“What’s that?”

“Not enough Iron in your blood. You have fatigue that gets worse when you're on your periods, you’re pale.. But you could just be pale. Heavy Menstrual Bleeding.. You don’t have hair loss but your pubic hair is on the thinner side of average.”

“I know my mom has an appointment next but…I just want to go home.”

“OK.. I understand Miss. I have some openings Tuesday, I’ll go talk to her about rechedualing and set up when you can go get a blood draw. Why don’t you let Audrey help you clean up and get dressed OK?”

“Did she say anything to you?” Fiona asked

“Just that she wanted to go take a bath when she got home…Also that it was as bad as she expected… but that your husband wasn’t rough or anything.. It just felt so strange… What are you thinking Fiona?”

“I don’t know… He acted really professional…Did you like watching?”

“Yes… You know the next time I talked to him he was saying he wanted to use Mrs Lorden’s appointment time to go pick something up for you.”

“Well, I wonder what he did?”

Fiona drove home and found her husband sitting on the couch watching TV… “William, I feel like a penguin waddling around.”

“Oh Fi, come here.. I got you some Chocolate’s from Douglas Candies..”

“Ooh Bonbons!” she said sitting down and giving him a huge silly kiss.. “Mind if I open them?”

“That’s what I bought them for…”

“Great!” She said, ripping the box open and popping two in her mouth. “Geez I want a pickle now.

“In the Fridge Fi.” He said with a chuckle.