To all you people who reveiwed:Thank you! I was so amazed to see all these! And all will be revealed in time, my friends. All will be revealed…
Though yeah, I admit I do have a tendency to do things from Ray's POV. I seem to be better at writing about guys than girls – even though I'm a girl. Ah well. Two chapters tonight!
"Hey Ray."
"Lockhart! What've you got for me?"
Abby thrust four medical charts into his hands. "Head trauma, abdominal pains, nausea, and…" She checked the last one. "…More nausea. It's gonna be a fun day…"
"Oh yeah. Can't you see my excitement? And – can I talk to you sometime?"
"I don't know, Ray…my mommy always told me to keep away from strange men…" A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth.
"I'm serious. Catch you on your break?"
"Sure."
They went their separate ways, Ray getting through the patients with his usual speed. The last one of his current four (ostensibly named "more nausea") was a girl of seventeen. Pretty enough, but with a very worried expression.
"Tanya Roberts? I'm Doctor Barnett."
She smiled shyly. "Hi."
"Hi. You came here with…nausea?"
"More than that. I get sick most mornings now, and my stomach hurts…and I just feel strange." She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what could be wrong…"
"Okay, we'll get a blood test for you, and see what that tells us. Any other problems?"
"I…ah…I've been kind of sore…" She waved her hands in the appropriate area, her face flushing red.
"Hey, would you like to talk to one of my female colleagues? I'm sure I can find someone…"
"Would you?" The girl bit her lip.
"Sure. Give me a few minutes, okay?"
He looked up and down the corridor, catching Neela just as she turned the corner. "Hey Neela, can you help me out?"
"What do you want?" She looked more than a little annoyed at being stopped by him, much to his dismay.
"I got a girl in there…" He lowered his voice. "Nausea, and vaginal soreness. She'd rather talk to a girl."
"Will you take mine?"
He took the clip-boards from her hands and nodded, walking off and watching her from a distance for a moment as she drew the curtain around Tanya Roberts's bed.
"Tanya Roberts? I'm Neela Rasgotra – Doctor Barnett said you'd like to see a female doctor?"
"Yeah." The girl relaxed minutely. "It's kind of embarrassing with a guy…"
"I know." Neela smiled. "Now, he said you were sore? Can you describe it to me?"
"Well, it hurts when I pee. And then…I keep on feeling sick, and all…I figured something was wrong."
"Is there any discharge?"
"Uh…no."
Neela nodded. "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Tanya looked down, plainly unsure about telling the intern. "Yeah. His name's Dave."
"And…have you had sexual intercourse with him?"
The patient blushed firey red. "You won't tell my mom?"
"Only if you want me to." The intern noticeably softened – she knew what parents could be like.
"Well…yes. We have. Do…do you think that could have caused it?"
"Tanya, when you had sex, did either of you use protection?"
The worried look was back again. "N-no. He said we wouldn't need any…"
Neela swallowed, looking noticeably uncomfortable. "Do you know when your last period was, Tanya?"
"I…it's still kind of irregular. I haven't had one in a while…" Her expression changed into one of comprehension – and overwhelming worry. "Do you think I'm pregnant?"
Seeing how unhappy the girl looked, Neela reached out and patted her arm. "It's a possibility. We'll see the results of the blood test, and then I'd like to give you a physical exam."
"Why?"
"You mentioned that it hurt when you urinated? If it's pregnancy, it shouldn't hurt. Did Dave mention any infection he may have had?"
This is the guy who told her they didn't need contraception…what do you think, Neela? Why would he tell her that, of all things? Neela berated herself, the girl's answer coming as no surprise to her.
"No. But he would have said…"
"Okay. Shall I examine you now, or would you like someone present?"
Biting her lip seemed to be a nervous habit. "No – my mom doesn't know about Dave. And my dad would be too embarrassed."
Noticing that inviting Dave along wasn't seen as an option by Tanya, Neela nodded. "That's fine. Now, don't be embarrassed. It's nothing I haven't seen before!"
