Meghan woke up cold and in pain. The room she was in was very unfamiliar and it scared her at first until she remembered where she was. She squinted at the clock on the far wall, saw that it was after 9 pm. Everything hurt, but especially her pounding headache and burning broken leg. If that wasn’t bad enough, the pain that had been coming and going in her lower abdomen the last few weeks was back, making her very nauseous. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry.

She thought back to the start of what had been a life-changing day. The only goal she had had when arriving at work that morning was to convince her partner that Babe’s Chicken takeout for dinner would be an excellent idea.

She struggled to remember much about the call or her accident, but gave up out of frustration – it was all just a blur.

Frustration then gave way to embarrassment as she remembered waking up in the ER, her sister holding her hand, crying, and her brother-in-law standing over her. One part of her was glad that he had been on duty today but embarrassed just the same. Dr. Mitch Branston was a very handsome man, plus very smart, and that combo could be her undoing when it came to guys. She was very happy that her sister had married such a wonderful guy, but she remembered the small bit of jealousy she had experienced when they first started dating.

She supposed she should be thankful that they had taken her in until she was back on her feet post-surgery, and she was, but at the same time felt like they had just taken in a huge burden, and she didn’t like feeling beholden to anyone. However, she also knew that she really couldn’t take care of herself solo at the moment, and even Mitch’s medical office was a far cry better than a hospital bed.

She was contemplating pressing the call button Kelsey had showed her when there was a knock on the door. The knob turned, and there were her sister and brother-in-law.

Kelsey instinctively knew something was wrong and knelt down beside her. “Pain bad?”

Meghan nodded. Kelsey looked at Mitch, who said he’d be right back, and turned her attention back to Meghan. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Mitch is going to get something to help with that. He’ll only be a minute.”

Mitch returned with the meds drawn up in a syringe. “Here, hon. She’s still got a hep-lock from the ER.” Kelsey nodded, swabbed the IV port with an alcohol swab, and inserted the syringe into the lock. She slowly inserted the drug, removed the syringe, and managed to grab the nearby trash can in time for Meghan to dry heave into the can. Mitch tapped her on the shoulder and handed her another alcohol swab and syringe. “Zofran for nausea. When things kick in, we should get her in the room.”

Meghan wasn’t exactly sure as to what he meant but was glad to feel the meds kicking in, even though the pain meds were making her feel loopy. After a few minutes, Kelsey appraised her sister. “Stuff settling back down?” Meghan nodded. “Think you could sit up?” Meghan nodded again. Kelsey helped her sit up in the bed, raising the head of the bed to make it easier. After a few more minutes, Mitch came back into the room.

“Ah, good to see you’ve got a bit more color in your face. Feel like your stomach is going to stay put now?”

Meghan cleared her throat. “Yes.”

“Meghan, I know it’s late, but I want to examine you before we bed you down for the night. I want to make sure I didn’t miss anything earlier today in the ER, and I know the adrenaline has faded and all the bruises are going to be popping up in their black-and-blue glory. Plus I want to check the stitches I put in and change the bandages.” Mitch looked at her intently.

Meghan looked at him hesitantly but eventually nodded. “Could… could I ask a favor?” Seeing him nod, she asked, “Would it be possible to redo the IV? I know I’ll still need one for the surgery, but I hate the ones in the AC space.”

Mitch smiled. “Sure, hon, we can do that. I’m going to take you to my exam room now.” He leaned down and picked her up, being careful of her leg. He carried her to the room and entered it. He stopped for a moment for Meghan to take a look, and then deposited her gently on the adjustable exam chair in the middle of the room.

“Good grief, Dr. Branston! I thought this was an exam ROOM; it’s more like an exam SUITE!” Meghan’s eyes tried to take in everything: they had kept the kitchen sink and cabinets from the previous kitchen, but added more cabinets, some shelving, had a regular exam table up close to one wall and then had the exam chair she was sitting on in the middle of the room. Mitch had installed a big surgical-style adjustable light in the middle of the ceiling, plus had a smaller gooseneck lamp on a stand up against the wall. The walls were a nice pastel blue, and the room had more warmth to it with personal touches, but it was also very obviously an examination room.

Meghan felt a bit intimidated in the room, to be honest, and still wasn’t exactly sure she wanted her brother-in-law examining her, but at the same time her pragmatic side was kicking in. She felt horrible, and turning away the free services of a good doctor was something only a crazy person would do. And she wasn’t crazy… she thought.

Mitch cleared his throat to get her attention. “I know we’ve kinda just sprung this on you, Meghan. It’s not really the kind of thing that you can just casually mention in a phone call: ‘Hey, by the way, we turned the mother-in-law suite into a medical suite. Come by next week and I’ll give you a guided tour!’” He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “And a guided tour would have been better than “Let me examine you,” but I really do need to examine you again, Meghan.”

She let out a small sigh. “I know, Dr. Branston. You have my permission. I’m here to convalesce, and the quickest way to do that is to let you do what you feel is in my best interests.”

Mitch patted her reassuringly. “I only want what is best for you, sis. And it’s Mitch. We’re family, no need to be so formal.”

Meghan shook her head. “Sorry, but it’s hard not to be formal in this… setting.”

Mitch chuckled. “How about halfway, then? Dr. Mitch?”

“I think I could do that,” Meghan managed.

“Kelsey, could you help Meghan into a gown? It’ll make the exam easier. Also, grab some vitals for me. Meghan, I’m going to put on something a little more comfortable, and we’ll get started.” Meghan nodded, as did Kelsey, and Mitch shut the door behind him, giving his sister-in-law a modicum of privacy before he started examining her.

Kelsey went to the cupboards and started pulling out a gown, a cloth drape, and a couple of chux pads. “He’ll want you naked below the gown. Here, lift your hips and I’ll put this chux under your bottom and slip the scrubs off for you.”

Meghan propped herself up as best she could, fully aware that her older sister was undressing her. Kelsey handed her the drape. “For your lap. Now, off with that top…. Oh, sis!” Kelsey couldn’t help but notice all the bruising along Meghan’s back from the accident. “Here’s the gown. Opening to the back, and I’ll grab you a blanket from the warmer. Give me a second, and I’ll grab you a pair of socks. He’ll look at your feet and then we can pop those on to keep those cold feet warm. Be right back!” Kelsey left the room, closing the door behind her. She entered their bedroom so intent on her quest that she ran right into her husband. “Oomph!”

Mitch grabbed her elbows to steady her. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, just wanted to grab some socks and toss them in the warmer for her.”

“Okay. So she’s changed?”

“Yes, but I haven’t gotten her vitals yet.”

Mitch shook his head in amusement. “Well, I’ll start asking the health history while you get her vitals.”

“Okay, hon.”

They walked back to the exam room together. Mitch knocked on the door and stuck his head in. “Okay to come in?”

Meghan sighed. “About as ready as I’ll ever be. C’mon in.”

Mitch allowed Kelsey to enter first and closed the door behind him. “Kelsey’s going to get a set of vitals for me while we start your health questionnaire, okay?”

“Sure.”

Kelsey reached for a pulse ox and placed it on Meghan’s finger. “Here we go, Meghan. Height and approximate weight?”

“5’6” and 135 pounds.”

“Any family history that I should know about… that Kelsey hasn’t already told me?” Kelsey stuck her tongue out at her husband while removing the pulse ox and attaching the blood pressure cuff to her sister’s arm.

“Respirations 16, pulse 92, pulse ox 98% on room air.” Kelsey fitted the stethoscope in her ears and took Meghan’s blood pressure. “BP is 136/88. A little high, there, sis.” She took the cuff off and put it away.

“Aside from grandma’s breast cancer and Cousin Ed’s type 1 diabetes, nothing that I can think of," Meghan replied.

“Any allergies?”

“None.”

“Taking any medications or supplements?”

“Nothing that you haven’t prescribed before today, except a multivitamin.”

“Any surgeries or serious health issues personally?”

“Not until now. Um, Kelsey, what are you planning to do?” Meghan had been concentrating on Mitch’s line of questioning until her sister came to her side wheeling a Mayo stand with lubricant and a digital thermometer with a very obvious Red thermometer connected to it.

Kelsey snapped on a pair of gloves. “Sis, we do rectal temperatures in this clinic. I need for you to turn over on your stomach.”

“But…”

“Sis, you will have your temperature taken, and it will be rectally. Stop complaining and turn over.” Kelsey spoke decisively in her nurse tone, and Meghan knew from growing up that trying to argue with her sister when she spoke like that was pointless. She sighed and rolled over with assistance to lie on her stomach.

“Okay hon, you’ll feel me touching you.” Kelsey pulled down the drape enough to expose her sister’s buttocks, placed a dollop of lube on one gloved finger, and used the other hand to separate her buttocks. She touched Meghan’s anus with the lubed finger. The cold lube made her jump. “Sorry, I know it’s cold. Relax for me.” She moved her finger in a small circle on Meghan’s anus until she relaxed enough to insert her finger. She quickly lubed the rectum, removed her finger, and inserted the thermometer probe deep into Meghan’s backside.

Meghan would have gladly melted into the table she was on or hid her face, but Mitch continued his line of medical questioning. The questions delved into more personal facts after a bit, causing Meghan to mentally squirm, but she dutifully answered each one. No, she wasn’t sexually active. No history of STDs. Her period started at age 13. Her cycles were fairly regular. She didn’t usually get up in the middle of the night to pee. Her bowel movements were regular. She was very glad to hear the beep of the thermometer register, and even more glad to feel it being removed from between her cheeks.

“100.6 F. A bit of a temp, hon. Probably good that Mitch is going to check you out.”

Meghan rolled back over a bit hastily, bumping her splinted leg. “OW!!!”

Mitch hastily got up and helped her to roll back over onto her back. “Okay?” Meghan nodded through eyes that had teared up. “I’m going to scoot you better into position here, and then we’ll let the mechanics of the table sit you up. Hold on.” He scooted her bottom close to the seam in the table, checking to make sure her splinted leg was well supported, then stepped on the foot pedal that controlled the bed. He sat her up into a seated position.

“I’m going to start by checking your pupils, ears, nose, and throat, okay? Easy stuff.” He pulled out his penlight and checked her pupils. He could tell that she was still light-sensitive, but her pupil reaction was back to normal. He pulled the otoscope, fitted a black cover on it, and proceeded to check her ears, look up her nose, and check her tonsils. He hung it back on the wall, then started feeling the lymph nodes under her jaw and along her collarbones. Standing behind her, he palpated her thyroid and directed her to swallow. “So far, so good!”

As he started his exam, Meghan again was in inner turmoil. His touch was sure, gentle, and very reassuring. Plus, she could see his well-toned muscles under the navy t-shirt he wore tucked into dark blue jeans with a braided leather belt. It should be illegal to have a crush on a doctor, especially one who was married to your sister, she decided.

Mitch snapped her out of her reverie. “Meghan, lean forward a bit for me. I’m going to untie this top gown tie and listen to your lungs.” She felt him tugging at the tie on her gown and leaned forward. She felt the cool air on her back, followed by the cold metal of the stethoscope. She shivered.

“Sorry, I know it’s cold. Deep breaths, please.”

Meghan took the deep breaths he requested. Mitch carefully listened to all quadrants of her lungs, then removed his stethoscope from her back. He tossed it around his neck and rubbed his hands together to warm them up. “Meghan, I’m going to open the back of your gown. I just want to see if there are any bumps or bruises I missed earlier today.”

She nodded and felt him open her gown in the back, followed by his hands poking and prodding along her back and neck. “You’ve got a spectacular bruise here around your right shoulder. Does it hurt?”

“Not much, except when you’re poking it. It’s just a mild ache,” she answered, as he reached for her arm to move the shoulder joint around and palpate it. “That’s a little sore,” she said, as he brought her arm above shoulder height.

“We’ll keep an eye on it, sis. Let me know if it gets worse.” He released her arm back down by her side. He continued his exam down her back, taking the opportunity to thump her kidney area as he did his assessment. Meghan didn’t have any other complaints of pain, so he closed her gown in the back, for the time being, retying the top tie.

He came back around in front of her. “Meghan, I’m going to adjust the drape so that you’ll be covered, but then I’m going to lift your gown so I can listen to your heart and do an abdominal exam. I’m going to lower the table back down now.” At her nod, he lowered the table back so that it had her lying flat. He pulled the drape up to cover most of her abdomen and pulled the gown out over it, exposing her abdomen and lower ribcage, stopping just below her breasts.

Pulling the stethoscope from around his neck, he put the earpieces in his ears, saying, “I’m going to listen to your heart. Just breathe normally.” He moved the bell of the stethoscope under the gown to bare skin contact, listening to all 4 quadrants of her heart. Meghan was very aware of his hand while he was listening to her heart, especially when it rested under her left breast to hear over her left ventricle.

Finishing with her heart, Mitch worked his way down her abdomen with his stethoscope, listening to her ascending aorta, her gurgling stomach, and femoral arteries, moving the drape down as he went. Satisfied, he removed the earpieces and handed the stethoscope to his wife. “Kelsey? Thanks. Sounding good, Meghan. I’m going to palpate your abdomen now. Let me know if anything is uncomfortable.”

He started right under her ribcage, feeling for her liver, then her spleen, before moving lower. His palpations started out superficial but became deeper. Meghan was fine… until he hit a spot on her lower right side. “Ow-ow-ow!”

Mitch froze. “Where did it hurt?” He palpated in the area his hands had been. “Here, Meghan?”

“Ow, yes!” The pain had been unexpected from Meghan, and it was bringing tears to her eyes.

“Is this pain new, Meghan?”

“No,” she said, slowly, suddenly embarrassed. “I’ve had it off and on for a few months.”

“A few months? Have you seen a doctor about it?” Mitch looked at her with concern.

“No, I haven’t. It has come and gone so frequently, I haven’t worried about it. I haven’t had the time to make an appointment, either. I’ve been so slammed with the teaching job and losing a couple of crewmembers on the rotation.” Meghan was getting defensive.

“It’s okay, Meghan. I’m not casting aspersions here, just trying to do what’s best medically for you. Let’s finish this head-to-toe exam, and then discuss it.” Mitch was thinking rapid-fire about the best course of action when she nodded.

He finished his examination of her abdomen, then pulled her gown back down. Moving the drape aside on the left side, he took a quick look at the splint that had been applied to her leg. “Meghan, can you wiggle your toes? Good girl. Let’s move your leg a little more to the side so I can peek at these sutures. We removed some glass from this cut,” he added, as he inspected the sutures. Kelsey stepped forward with some antibiotic ointment and a dressing and proceeded to dress the wound while Mitch rounded the table and exposed her right leg.

“This one bled quite a bit, but no arterial damage, thankfully.” He carefully palpated around the long sutured gash that ran from an inch below her knee to mid-calf. “Your boot was rather chewed up at the top, but it saved you from worse injury. Kelsey, hand me the ointment and a roll of gauze when you get a moment.”

“Sure thing, hon. Here you go.” She stepped back towards the counter, grabbed the roller gauze, and passed it to him along with the tube of ointment she had been using. Mitch wrapped up the gash securely and passed the extra back to Kelsey.

“Meghan, I need you to roll on your left side for a moment. I thought I saw a bruise on your right hip that I wanted to check for a moment.” Meghan nodded and was helped to turn over by Kelsey. She felt the gown fall forward over her abdomen and then cool air on her bottom as Mitch exposed her hip. “A nasty looking bruise, but I think that’s it. Not too sore?”

“No, not very.” She felt a bit embarrassed and was relieved when he again covered her up and helped her to roll back over. Mitch set the bed back in motion, sitting her back up again. He lowered the bed as far as it would go, and then pulled up a rolling stool, motioning for Kelsey to do so as well.

“Well, sis, I think you’ve made out pretty lucky, considering what could have happened. I think the biggest hurdles are going to be trying to keep you comfortable and getting you through your fracture repair Tuesday.” Meghan nodded, and Mitch continued. “BUT, I’m concerned about that spot on your abdomen. We need to figure out what’s causing the pain. I want to do a pelvic exam.”

“What?! Oh, no, uh uh!” Meghan was shocked. That would be absolutely mortifying!

Kelsey put a hand on Meghan’s arm. “Sis, Mitch is right, and you know it. He’s very gentle and experienced. Plus, did you know that he is a board-certified gynecologist? That’s how we met – he and I were both doing clinical rotations and met each other through work.”

Meghan looked at her askance. “You met over a pelvic exam?”

Mitch roared with laughter, and Kelsey smirked. “Well… yeah, actually!”

Meghan shook her head. “Sis, I…You’re weird, you know that?”

Kelsey grinned. “Aw, c’mon, you always knew that! But back to the present, you do need the exam, sis.”

Meghan closed her eyes and sighed. “I know you’re right. It’s just… embarrassing.”

“What, to be examined?”

“To have it done by my brother-in-law.”

Mitch placed a hand on her shoulder. Meghan opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Meghan, I have the utmost respect for you. I love you like a second sister, and that will never change. Please, let me look at you so we can take care of whatever’s making you hurt.”

Meghan looked from one family member to the other and sighed deeply. “Okay, I trust you. Do whatever you need to do, Dr. Mitch.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you for that trust, Meghan. I’ll be as gentle as I can. Kelsey will get everything set up, and then we’ll get started. Do you need anything? A drink of water? How’s your pain level?”

Meghan gave a half-smile, feeling cornered. “I’m okay right now. Pain’s probably around a 3/10.”

Mitch gave her a final reaffirming squeeze and pushed his stool away from her perch on the exam bed. Kelsey was busying herself with getting the necessary items for the exam, and Mitch joined her.