We sat there quietly. Ellie looked around the room as she sat on the table, her lower half covered by the paper sheet. Her feet, still covered in white ankle socks, were visible where the sheet ended. I continued to wonder if I'd be allowed to stay.

After what felt like a long time, but was really only two or three minutes, there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and the nurse walked in, pushing the curtain aside, followed by Dr. Smith.

Dr. Smith was a young, friendly-looking man. “Good morning Ellie, how are things going today?”

“They're going OK, thanks,"Ellie said.

The doctor looked at me. “Good morning to you as well. Are you the significant other?" I replied yes.

“Sounds good. Well, it looks like we have a pap and pelvic to take care of today. Can you help Ellie get all set up?”

The nurse walked to the end of the exam table. “Ellie, what we're going to do here is have you put your feet into the stirrups, lie back, and then scoot down to the end of the table. " As she did that, she pulled out two metal holders from the end. I had never seen stirrups in real life, so it was interesting to see how they extended from the end.

Ellie must have figured out the next part, as she picked up one foot and set it in one stirrup, then the other. After doing so, she gradually laid back, until her head was resting on a small paper-covered pillow on the table.

“Great job, Ellie,” said the nurse. “We just need to get you down a little farther. Please scoot down.” Ellie shifted her body towards the end. “Just a couple more inches. I know it feels like you're falling off, but you won't." Ellie moved a bit farther down. This must have satisfied the nurse since she walked over to the counter.

Dr. Smith, meanwhile, had been doing things on the computer. Having finished, he walked towards the end of the exam table. First, he switched on the lamp that was sitting there, and pointed it between Ellie's legs. Next, he folded the paper drape so it was still over her knees, but no longer covering up her private areas. Finally, he reached over and grabbed two purple gloves from a box on the wall marked L.

“Ellie, to start with, I'm just going to examine you visually, checking for any issues on the outside here. You will just feel me touching you. Please let your legs fall apart as far as you can comfortably.”

The exam was starting. I looked at Ellie, but she was staring straight up at the ceiling, face looking a bit red. I watched as her knees separated. It seemed so amazingly embarrassing, exposing her brightly-lit private parts to a doctor. I wondered what she was thinking.