All was silent, and possibly deadly. Worse than any horror movie ever produced. Except unlike the under budgeted Hollywood scare fests this time there was no blood. No blood, no guts, not piercing screams…yet. But here in a gynecologist's in Charleston, South Carolina anything was possible.
Sitting in the too sterile waiting room of an off post private practice was nerve wracking. Why was Emmalin Holden here? Well she didn't have a clue why. This was new unfamiliar territory, one that the Army Brat really didn't feel like exploring. Especially with her conservative, FRG Leader, Law Student, 'always takes the high road' mother, the one and only Claudia Joy Holden.
"So…why are we here, exactly? Do you have a yeast infection or something?" Emmalin Holden asked nervously. The uncomfortable plastic chair suddenly made the seventeen year old feel claustrophobic. Almost as if the white plastic armrests were going to randomly spring to life and constrict her throat.
"Emmalin this appointment isn't for me. It's for you sweetheart." Claudia Joy corrected gently, patting her daughter's knee comfortingly. She knew just how uncomfortable this must be.
"Me? What do I need at the gyno's?" The Army Brat asked shocked. There was absolutely no reason for her to be feeling this awkward, embarrassing, traumatic doctor's visit.
"You need a prescription." The FRG Leader gulped. She had hoped and prayed that this was something she and her daughter would never have to experience…but sadly here she was.
"For what?" the brunette asked, biting her nails frantically. God, what if her father suddenly showed up?
"For the pill…hmm maybe we should get you a mammogram while we're here though?" Claudia Joy suggested, trying her damnest to make this doctor's visit as pain free as possible.
"The pill? As in birth control?" Her amber eyes widened with surprise. The birth control pill? Was her mother serious?
"Yes." Claudia Joy struggled to say. Slow deep breaths she told herself, slow deep breaths.
"Why? Jeremy and I aren't having sex, Mom. I promise." Emmalin swore truthfully.
"I know." She nodded awkwardly. Thank God, she never had to go through this with her mother Claudia Joy thought.
"Then why are we here?"
"Look Emmalin…he slept in your bed last night-" the Army Wife gulped
"We weren't naked though." the seventeen year old butted in.
"Yes but…things happen and I don't want you to end up pregnant. You've got so much to look forward to. Finishing high school and picking out a college. You're almost finished with your junior year and having a baby could ruin your future." Claudia Joy explained, reaching for her daughter's hand sympathetically.
"..." Emmalin made sure to emphasis her point. Jeremy hadn't even seen her naked really. Sure they fooled around, like most teenagers, but nothing close to sex.
"But one day you might decide too, and I'm by no means telling you to run off and have sex. I'd prefer if you waited until marriage…or until you hit menopause or something. But if you…and Jeremy…decide that 'one day' might be sooner than your wedding night, I don't want anything to happen."
"Are you going to tell Dad about this?" Horror filled her voice. Her father started 'cleaning' his gun collection whenever she and Jeremy held hands.
"NO! That is not a good idea. Whether you're having sex or not, that is not a good idea." Claudia Joy said frantically. There was absolutely no way to tell Michael this. Nope not a good idea.
"Thanks, Mom…for everything." Emmalin swallowed, biting her nails less frantically. Honestly, she figured, what could this hurt. You could never be too prepared…especially not after taking care of that screaming menace doll for two whole days.
"Don't worry about it, sweetheart."
"Why'd you let Jeremy stay the night in my room last night?" the hockey enthusiast asked, curiously. Letting a boy stay in her room was definitely out of character for her mother.
"Because you asked me if he could and I knew I could trust you, Emmalin."
"Then why'd you start getting hives? You only do that when you're about to have a panic attack."
"You're not mature enough for a baby, and I'm not mature enough for a daughter that shares a bed with her boyfriend." Claudia Joy laughed.
"Nothing happened…well a little happened."
"What exactly is 'a little'."
"Cuddling and kissing, snuggling and spooning. Did you know spooning's really just cuddling? I didn't know that…it just sounds so dirty-ish." Emmalin saud scrunching her nose lightly.
"Yes, I knew what spooning was."
"Sooo…if spooning equals cuddling…then what's forking?" Curiosity killed the cat…and the Army Brat.
"How about you ask the Dr. that one?"
"It was nice. Jeremy staying the night." Emmalin blushed, smiling sweetly. She ran her hand through her hair nervously. Was that something she was supposed to tell her mother?
"You know that was a one time deal, right? And if your father ever found out about it, it'd be WWIII." Claudia Joy explained.
"Yeah, but it was nice. Waking up with someone's nice. All warm and snuggly. I can see why people would want to move in together." Her cheeks burned cherry red now.
"Marriage comes first. Then a baby in a baby carriage." Claudia Joy said fearfully. There was steps and orders for these steps. Love, marriage, house, baby. She preferred as little flexibility in this plan as absolutely necessary.
"Jeremy could've taken me to this…thing, you know." Emmalin said, biting her lips. Going to the gyno was embarrassing enough, but going with your mother? That was just awful. The seventeen year old would've been so much more relaxed if she had come with her boyfriend. She could've asked Jeremy anything and there wouldn't be nervous awkwardness afterwards.
"Would you rather he be here?"
"I don't know. Maybe. How am I supposed to talk to my mother about sex, and birth control and stuff. You started breaking out in hives when Jeremy and I slept in the same room."
"Well, just tell me what you would tell Jeremy if he was here."
"That I'm nervous."
"And what would he tell you?"
"Not to be. That this pill is 'just in case' and that it doesn't mean we have to do anything that I don't want too."
"And you would say?"
"That I've never been to the gyno's before. And then he would say something like he hasn't either."
"Lucky him. It's not much fun." Claudia Joy grimaced. Just thinking about it made her cringe…and this wasn't even her appointment.
"What happens…in there?"
"You put on this itchy, ugly paper dress and a doctor, sometimes a male doctor, comes in and takes a look."
"A male doctor? I don't want a male doctor? I won't even let Jeremy see me naked, I don't want some strange va-jay-jay obsessed pervert seeing… and poking my…special area." Emmalin started panicking.
"Don't worry I requested a female doctor, sweetheart."
"Alright, thanks…I… can we, never mention this ever again?"
"I think that's best. I'm taking you here to get the prescription and after you have the prescription you or Jeremy can get it filled at the pharmacy. We never have to go through this awkwardness again if you don't want to."
"Okay…it's just, we've never been able to talk about things like this."
"Well you're an adult now Emmalin. And you can always talk to me about anything. Anything at all, even if it makes me break out in hives. I will always be here to listen, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Emmalin Holden?" A nurse in blue scrubs called. Her thick southern accent filling the silent waiting room.
"Right here." Emmalin replied, hopping up from her chair quickly. The sooner she got this over with, the better.
"Follow me. Mom, you'll need to be present since she's a minor." The nurse, Loraine, explained.
"Alright." Claudia Joy exhaled.
The Holden's followed Loraine through the tiny private practice to a small examining room. Much more patient friendly than the waiting room, with it's soft yellow painted walls and little hanging plant decorations.
"Here's your paper dress. You can put your clothes over there and well need you to lose your underwear." Loraine breached. Explaining the procedures before taking her leave.
"Is that really necessary?" Emmalin gulped. This was as bad as she thought. Emmalin wasn't shy or in possession of low self-esteem, but like most teenage girls she didn't exactly feel comfortable flaunting her body. Especially not in an instance like this.
"The doctor doesn't have x-ray vision, honey." Loraine laughed, teasingly. She loved messing with first-timers. It was honestly her favorite part of the job.
"Hi. My name's Dr. Jones, how are we today?" A blonde doctor, no older than thirty-five, greeted cheerfully. Much more cheerful than any gynecologist should be allowed to be. I mean come on, they examine vaginas for a living! Seriously that had to take a toll on their personalities!
"Great thanks." Claudia Joy smiled friendly.
"Good. Now were here for a full examination and a birth control prescription, yes?" Dr. Jones asked, her fair hair swaying as she walked across the exam room.
"Yes." Emmalin gulped as the doctor approached her.
"Alright then, let's get started. Miss Holden, you're going to need to scoot down more…a little more…more….to the bottom of the table, you see the stirrups, that's where your feet should be." Dr. Jones guided. She was used to nervous patients. Slowly Emmalin moved inch by inch down the paper lined table. The Army Brat pulled her legs up onto the table, grimacing she placed her feet in the cold metal stirrups.
"Miss Holden, it'd be extremely helpful if you opened your knees." Dr. Jones remarked teasingly at the Army Brat's embarrassment.
"Ohh. I see, you're still a virgin. Do you plan on having sex soon?" And so the parade of awkward sexual questions began.
"I umm…it's…" And so followed the uncomfortable answers.
"Do you use tampons?"
"Umh…yeah."
"We rarely get military families here. Most prefer Mercer, so that they don't have to drive off post." Dr. Jones commented.
"It was in our best interest to seek a OB/GYN off base. Now we'd prefer not to have this visit go through our insurance, so we'd like to pay in cash?" Claudia Joy explained.
"Why not through your insurance?" Dr. Jones rarely had people pay in cash.
"My husband runs through our insurance bill every month, and seeing a birth control prescription on the list won't be good for my daughter's boyfriend's health." The law student laughed. Emmalin wanted to roll up and die at her mother's joke.
"Miss Holden…you're clenching your knees again. Almost done!" the Dr. said helpfully.
"I…umm…hurry, please?" Emmalin requested. Using all her self-restraint not to dash off the table, steal her clothes and run for the door.
"All done. See that wasn't nearly as bad as you thought, right? Now let's discuss our options." Dr. Jones smiled.
"Our options? It wasn't your vagina being poked!" Emmalin said, flabbergasted. She had spent the last ten minutes being poked and prodded by some strangers hands and this doctor thought this was about 'them'?
"Emmalin!" Claudia Joy scolded. It was unlike the seventeen year old to be so rude.
"It wasn't!" Emmalin insisted.
"I understand! But really, proper birth control selection is as much a doctor's priority as a patients." The blonde interrupted.
"What do you suggest?" Claudia Joy asked.
"Considering her age and menstrual cycle, I'm going to recommend a form of the pill. The Patch and DepoShot might not agree with her unsteady hormonal level at this point. And I doubt she'd be comfortable with anything like the NuvaRing."
"Will I have to take it everyday?" Realizing that her remembering to take a little white pill at the same time every day might turn out to be pretty challenging.
"Yes but on the upside, you'll only menstruate every three months!" Dr. Jones smiled, as if this were her announcing the Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
"Ohh, exciting!" the brunette said sarcasm filling her voice.
"Emmalin." Claudia Joy sighed.
"Sorry…it's just I'm really not comfortable with this…any of this." She bit her nails roughly. One of her worst nervous habits. She couldn't even remember the last time she had bit her nails. Thinking back it was right before she and Jeremy had gotten together.
"That's alright. I've had way worse than teenagers. I once had a twenty-seven year old throw a lamp at me because I asked her to open her legs wider." The Doctor laughed, writing on a small white note before passing her newly written prescription to Claudia Joy.
Thankfully no lamps where thrown in that office, despite the discomfort that shrouded the room. Even more thankfully Michael Holden was left in the dark about this little visit. The little white pills would be ready by Monday and the Army Brat had know idea what would follow after that.