In the coming weeks, the two women spent more time together, even cooking in Dr. Cole's beautiful, fabulous kitchen. "Now you can't tell me that you don't really like to cook when you have such an incredible kitchen!" "Well, all homes actually come with one you know, Cara!" The two women found, despite all the differences in their lives, that they genuinely liked each other and spending time together. Cara had completely recovered from her bout of illness with no lingering affects, unlike many who were still trying to beat off coughs and other obnoxious side affects of the virus. She attributed it to the expert tender loving care she received then. Dr. Cole was just thankful she made such a good recovery.

One evening as they were sharing a particularly special dinner of homemade tuna casserole, their talk turned to their first meeting. "Do you still want to start taking the pill?" "Oh, I don't know really now. As you could tell, I haven't had a lot of need for it.", Cara admitted. "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "My friends tell me that it's pretty painful when you do it for the first time." "Oh. You mean when the hymen is torn or broken." "Yes. Is it really that bad?" There was an anxious look on her face as she looked at Dr. Cole. "Well, I think it is different for every woman. It doesn't have to be terrible. It depends on your partner too. Why? Are you considering being with someone?" "No. Well, kind of. But not like that." "Hmmm." There was a short silence between them. "What else, Cara?" "Huh?" "What else did you want to ask me?" A shy smile crossed Cara's face. "You are getting to know me too well, I think." "Maybe. Or maybe it's the way you twist your hair when you have something on your mind." Cara looked up sharply and stopped twisting her hair. "Darn." Dr. Cole smiled, laughed softly and began to sip her wine. "Could you do it for me?" She quickly took the wine glass from her lips, swallowing carefully trying not to do a spit take, and stared at Cara. "What? Why on earth would you want that?" "Well, it's bothering me and I know you won't hurt me." Still trying to clear some of the wine from her throat, she asked, "Bothering you how?" Now Cara was feeling a little embarrassed and wishing she wouldn't have brought it up. "Well, it's uncomfortable. Especially around my period. And it makes me feel unclean sometimes too. Or I just feel that way, I guess. Please, can you do it?" The doctor sat quietly for a few moments and then said, "I will look at it and see, mostly though to see what you describe as uncomfortable." "That's great. Thanks."

After they finished their dinner and cleared up the dishes, Dr. Cole told Cara they would go to what they now called "Cara's room" and she would examine her there. First, she put down a clean sheet on the bed and then moved a floor lamp close to it. "Okay, take off your pants and panties. I'm going to wash my hands and get some gloves." When she returned, Cara was laying on her bed waiting for her. She turned on the lamp and adjusted it and then sat down beside Cara. "Put your leg across my lap. Okay, let me see." Carefully she spread Cara's lips so she could see her vaginal opening. The hymen had a tear in it but was otherwise intact. However, the doctor did notice something that concerned her. "You are quite red and inflamed." "As she touched around the redness, Cara jumped slightly. "That hurts?" "Yeah. Stings mostly." Looking closer, Dr. Cole suspected there may be an infection or at least an irritation just inside of the hymen. "Well, you may be right. There is a spot around your hymen that may be infected. No wonder it feels bothersome." "So does that mean you can break it?" Stripping her blue exam gloves off, Dr. Cole said, "Maybe. Just stay here for a minute. I'm going to get my bag." She came back right away and set the large black bag on the bed. She removed a few items from it and put them right next to Cara. Then pulling out another pair of gloves and snapping them on, she instructed Cara to put her leg across her lap as before. This time she used only the fingers on her right hand to examine Cara and held a black pinpoint light in the other. A few times Cara reacted to her touch stating that it stung or burned. The doctor persona kicked in for them both as Dr. Cole ordered her to lay still. Now she dabbed at the sore with a gauze antiseptic pad, cleaning it carefully and thoroughly until she could see the entire spot clearly. "Well, it won't hurt anything to remove it really.", she said referring, of course, to Cara's hymen. "I can numb it with some novocaine first." "Yes, please do it. Please."

Dr. Cole finished thoroughly cleaning and examining the spot, then removed her gloves and wrapped them with the antiseptic pads and put them in the bag. Taking hand antiseptic from her black bag she thoroughly sanitized her hands and then proceeded to take other items from it, laying them out on a sterile towel. After finding and organizing the things she was going to need, she put on another pair of gloves. She used beta dine cotton balls to clean all of Cara's genitals, and when she was done with that, she tore open a small packet of clear gel and used a cotton swab to rub it on her vulva and just inside of her vagina. Waiting just a few minutes while she filled a syringe with novocaine, she then told Cara, "I'm going to inject small amounts of this around the hymen. I've already numbed it a bit, but you might feel a little sting. It won't last but a second." Cara nodded and said "I'm ready." Dr. Cole injected the drug into four spots on Cara's vulva. Cara laid very still and said the discomfort was minimal. Carefully, the doctor trimmed the skin away from the entrance of the vagina. "Okay, my dear one, you no longer have a hymen." She put soft but firm pressure where there was slight bleeding, finally just putting a pad on Cara to catch the traces of blood. "There she said. Put your legs together now, carefully. You're pretty numb still but even when that wears off, you shouldn't have any pain really." Dr. Cole covered Cara's lower half with a beautifully soft handmade afghan that was usually draped on a chair in what was now Cara's room. After cleaning up and putting her bag and other things away, the doctor laid down on the big bed alongside of her patient. "Anything else you'd like to have operated on tonight?", she said as she stretched out. "That's all I guess.", laughed Cara. Keeping the pad in place, she suddenly turned toward Dr. Cole and cuddled into her. The doctor was surprised but put her arms around Cara and held her nurturingly. "You okay?" "Yeah. I just can't get over all you do for me." "You are very special, Cara." They laid close together like that for the rest of the evening. Each feeling their own kind of peace in what they had done for each other.