Amy slowly peeled off her pants, her top and her bra. She threw the gown around her shoulders and the hem barely fell to her waist. The sides barely closed in her front. There was a single fabric tie in the middle and she pulled the strings extra close and tied them tight. She assumed a breast exam would be coming soon, but she had no idea what to expect at this point. A women's clinic that was only staffed by men?! An exam room that looked like a surgical suite?! She uneasily eyed the exam table again with its oppressive stirrups and briefly considered pulling her clothes back on and fleeing the clinic entirely. But no, she'd already put this off two years too long and she needed to know if that asshole had given her some sex disease. Maybe she should ask the nurse to stay for the exam… He did have an exceptionally calm and kind manner about him.

She left her panties on. Surely they couldn't weigh more than an ounce. The nurse would let her keep them on, right?! She knocked on the door, and he immediately stepped back inside, his gaze going straight to the offensive scrap of cotton around her waist and he shook his head.

“Panties off, Amy,” he said, not unkindly. “I can step out again…?”

Amy let out a shuddering sigh and slipped the fabric down her thighs, turned around as she slipped them all the way down and stepped over to the scale, back to the nurse. The air suddenly felt impossibly cool against her bare skin, but the nurse was nothing but professional as he indicated her to step on the scale and waited as the numbers balanced and settled.

“Excellent,” he indicated, “let's get you situated and ready for your exam then.”

He led her over to the exam table and pulled the stirrups out wide to the side of the table so she could climb up on top.

“Dr. Kelly will start the exam with you reclining on your back,” the nurse said as he reached under Amy's legs and pulled out a long table extender. “Go ahead and lay back…” she did as indicated, stretching her legs out long in front of her. She pressed her thighs tightly together but she knew the male nurse could see the thatch of dark hair between her legs.

“Loud noise below as I pull up the curtain…” sure enough, the table rattled noisily from underneath her as the nurse extended a thick metal rod up from the table, then went to the other side and did the same, that end covered with an opaque white drape that barely skimmed at the skin just below where her gown ended.

The nurse then disappeared on the other side and Amy visibly flinched where she lay. She couldn't see him at all. She knew he was somewhere below her waist, but where?!?

“Another loud noise here from below as I get some of the instruments ready for the doctor…” she heard his voice from somewhere at the end of the table.

Again, the table shook and rattled as she heard several drawers open, the sound of metal clashing together, and one by one, items softly placed somewhere on something. Where had it come from?! How was it all stored within the table?!

“Doing ok?” His face popped up from around the side of the curtain with a kind smile and Amy replied with an uneasy smile in return. “Dr. Kelly should be in within a minute or two here… I'll just keep getting the supplies ready…”

She watched as he stood and went over to the wall of cabinets and began to pull out handfuls of paper towel, an utterly massive tube of medical lubricant, and vials of … vials of what?!?

“How do you usually tolerate the pelvic exam, Amy?” the nurse asked casually as he disappeared behind the curtain once again.

She audibly choked at the unexpected directness of his question and she saw his face pop up around the corner of the curtain again.

“Pain? Discomfort?”

“Well it's not comfortable,” she deadpanned in response. He chuckled.

“No, I imagine not… But the reason I ask is that sometimes Dr. Kelly will administer an anesthetic, sometimes even a sedative to his more nervous and anxious patients. I can inject an anesthetic right now and you won't feel a thing from here on out. If you're anxious…” this earned her another direct look from the side of the curtain, “perhaps a mild sedative would help you to relax today?”

God, how long would this take?!? She didn't think either were necessary. The last annual exam she could remember she was in and out within 30 minutes. Could she drive herself home in a half hour if she was administered a mild sedative? She couldn't imagine she could.

“Uh…no, I'm fine I think?” she didn't feel very assertive saying it.

“If you change your mind during the doctor’s examination, please speak up and ask for either,” the nurse said as she heard more items shuffled around out of sight. “Though he won’t administer the sedative after the Pap smear, unless more invasive testing is required.” She felt her stomach drop - what could happen that was more invasive than the Pap?! “Don’t worry, Amy, you don’t need to worry about that today. If further testing is required, we’ll just have you come back early next week. The doctor has a dinner to attend this evening so we won’t have time to run your tests and carry out the needed follow-up before he leaves for the evening.”

Where the fuck was she?! She stared up at the massive surgical light above where she lay. She would be blinded if it turned on, she was certain of it. She felt an uneasy feeling deep in her belly, between her legs, she flexed and pressed her thighs together even tighter.

Suddenly, from behind her, she heard the door open and loudly close again.

“Who do we have here, Jacob?” A masculine voice rang out and Amy reflexively crossed her arms over her chest.

“Amy, doc,” the nurse, Jacob? Answered. ”She says she doesn’t need me to stay with you both.”

“Amy, Dr. Kelly,” Dr. Kelly loomed over where she lay and extended his hand toward her tightly crossed arms. “You sure, dear? He will stay with you behind the curtain the entire time. He doesn’t need to see a thing down below unless you say so.”

Unnerved, Amy lifted her hand to meet the doctor’s and he took it firmly. Oh god. He had such strong hands.

“Pleased to meet you, dear,” Dr. Kelly continued, not waiting for her answer to his previous question. “How long has it been since your last pelvic exam, Amy?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but the nurse answered for her, “Five years ago, doctor.”

“Five years?” Dr. Kelly exclaimed, “Oh then it’s been a while. Why now? Do you have any concerns? Pain? Are we expecting?”

Amy swallowed hard, but once again, the nurse answered the question for her, “Recent divorcee, cheating husband, full STI work up.”

“Oh. Oh my. Sorry to hear that, Amy,” the doctor disappeared on the other side of the curtain - only the very top of his head visible from her current vantage point. “I’m sorry we won’t be able to treat you today should any of the results come back positive. But I’ll be able to squeeze you back in next week if it’s needed. Are you currently sexually active?”

“N…no,” she could get that much out, at least.

“Planning to be any time soon? Are you currently taking or do you need birth control?” The doctor asked.

“IUD in place for five years, doctor,” the nurse answered for her again.

“You haven’t been back for an exam since your IUD insertion?” The doctor asked as he appeared from around the side of the curtain and came to stand by her side.

“Um…no?” She squeaked.

“Was it painful for you?” He asked. She leveled a stare at him and he smiled, “Is that why you haven’t kept up with your screenings?”

“I just… life got busy,” she muttered, covering her chest tighter.

“Ok Jacob, I can take things from here,” Dr. Kelly said as he briskly rubbed his hands together standing over Amy. “You sure you don’t want him to stay with us, dear?”

“No, he can go,” she said quietly as he reappeared himself from the other side of the curtain and exited the room.