An older female doctor meets my eyes. Her face looks stern, and with a matter-of-fact gait she approaches the exam table. The nurse enters behind her and closes the door. She is carrying a metal tray, covered by a paper cloth.

“Alright dear, I’ll try to make this as pleasant as possible for us both. Has your case worker explained the process to you?”

“N-No”, I stammer, “I don’t even know why I’m here!”

Her gaze softens for a second as she reached for a pair of gloves. “Nobody has told you?” She asks me. I shake my head.

“I’m here to conduct an intake examination for our adolescent ward. You’ll be staying with us for a while.”

I don’t know how to respond. “But…that doesn’t make any sense.. I live at the group home and things have been fine there.”

She tugs the gloves over her hands and frowns at me, “Well I’m not sure on the specifics of your case, but we treat adolescents with obedience problems, oppositional defiance disorders, juvenile delinquency, teenage mothers, etc.”

The nurse steps in. “Well it’s doesn’t matter much now. You’re here for an intake examination and all of the paperwork has been filed. I’m afraid you don’t have much choice.”

“Now if you can slip off your underpants and have a seat at the end of the table.”

My hands shake as I slide them over my legs. I have goosebumps now, but I feel like I can’t say no.

The nurse pulls out two leg rests from a cabinet and slides them onto attachments at the end of the table. The look like two wide boots fixed in place, with velcro straps over the tops.

I sit between them on the table.

“So what I’d like you to do is rest your feet in these here. I’ll get you a sheet to stay covered.”

I awkwardly place my left foot into the first boot, then wait until she brings me a sheet before putting my right foot in. I’m careful to let the sheet hang down between my legs to stay covered. My heart is pounding and I hope they can’t tell.

The nurse comes between my feet and says to me, “I’m just going to adjust you here” as she guides my heel into the very back of the boot, then cinches the velcro tight over my ankle. She repeats the process on my other foot, until I’m effectively immobilized in the foot rests.

I hear footsteps at the door and I’m shocked to see three other people in scrubs enter the room.

The doctor adds, “I have just a few residents here to observe the examination, don’t be alarmed.” It’s two young men and one young woman, all fairly thin with sharp features. They don’t look at me but rather the doctor, as she begins speaking.

“I’ll now begin the examination. We have an adolescent female present for an intake examination. History indicates she has no prior pregnancies. No medical history. We have no prior exam records on file. This states no prior sexual activity — Dear, is that still true?” Now they’re all looking at me.

I’m now red with embarrassment. “Yes that’s still true.”

“Very well then. I’ll have you slide down just a bit more so your buttocks are at the end of the table.”

I inch downwards until it feels I will fall off the end.

“Very good. We have her now in a traditional lithotomy. I prefer a high lithotomy.”

And just like that in one motion she has raised the feet of the bed up and back towards my chest. The head of the bed flattens completely and I find myself staring at the ceiling. If I felt exposed earlier, this is now tenfold. The residents gather at the end of the bed. I’m completely spread eagle, my face is bead red and my heart is pounding.

“Now to begin the external assessment,” she pulls the sheet up to my waist, exposing me for the entire room to see. I’m mortified. She adjusts the overhead lamp so the crowd can see my vagina in every painful detail.

I flinch as I feel her gloved hand against my inner thigh, creeping its way inwards. “You’ll feel me touch you now,” she warns, then spreads my lips apart. I feel a rush of cold air, followed by her hands tracing my folds.

“Mature pubic hair development,” She notes, “No rashes or swelling, symmetry is good. Now cough for me dear.”

I choke out a pitifully quiet cough.

“Again, louder please.”

I cough louder and feel her thumbs press into the skin just below my vaginal opening.

“Muscle tone is good.” She pulls apart my inner lips now. “Cough again”.

I cough and this time feel her finger against my urethra. I try to pull back but can’t move much in this position.

“No unusual discharge. Very good.”

I hear paper crinkling but can’t bear to look at the events unfolding at my feet.

“Lots of pressure now, relax.”

I feel a burning pressure and involuntary clench up my muscles. I take a sharp breath to keep from crying out.

“Relax dear, you’re okay.” She says to me then addresses the group, “The swabs are not comfortable, but we find it the most accurate way to test for both viral and bacterial disease.”