Page 14 of Slave

My uncle had inquired when we’d spoken earlier if I wanted x-rays, and I’d told him yes. I’d thought they were only going to be of certain areas, not almost her entire body. This alternative was perfectly acceptable with me. I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t injured.

After the x-rays were put into the machine for developing, the three of us walked back down the same hallway. But before reaching his office, he turned to his right into a room marked Exam Room One. I felt Brianna hesitate.

Wrapping my fingers lightly around her arm, I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Trust me.”

Her eyes flickered up to mine and then went quickly back down, but my heart lifted when she moved of her own free will into the room.

Richard took a seat on a rolling stool and had her sit on a padded table. I stood a few feet away, trying to remain close but not be in the way.

As he looked over what was now her chart, I wondered if I should have given him greater detail about her situation. I’d been more than vague on the phone, only telling him that I was trying to help someone who was in a bad situation, and I needed a doctor I trusted and that she could trust to give her a physical.

It was a testament to our relationship that he’d agreed with so little information. Especially given how rocky it was of late. The truth of the matter was I didn’t want to get him involved. I had no idea how this thing with Brianna was going to play out. If it all went wrong, I didn’t want him suffering for my decisions. No matter what was or wasn’t between us now, he was still family.

My uncle looked up from the chart and smiled at Brianna. She wasn’t looking at him, however. Her eyes were focused on a spot between her feet. He turned to me and frowned again.

Setting her chart down, he began his examination. I could tell she was nervous, but I didn’t know if it was because of Richard or if she was afraid to disappoint me. The thought that maybe I should step out crossed my mind, but then I remembered that when I’d asked her to trust me just a few minutes ago, she did. I remained where I was.

Richard came to stand in front of her, placing his stethoscope against her chest. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, Sir,” she whispered, still without looking at him.

He spoke in a gentler voice as he moved around to her back and asked, “Are you hurting anywhere?”

“No, Sir.”

I saw his brow furrow. He wasn’t happy with her responses, but seemed to understand pushing her would not produce results so he moved on, finishing his examination.

“Brianna, it says here you are on birth control but you don’t know what kind?”

“No, Sir,” she said so softly that I barely heard it.

He looked up at me, and I knew what was going to happen. He would need to examine her. Although I hated to do this to her, I knew it had to be done. I nodded my head, and he sighed. “I’m going to need to check it, Brianna. Is that okay?”

I saw her swallow, but she nodded in resignation.

“Okay then. We’re going to leave the room for a few minutes, and I want you to put this on,” he said, handing her what looked like a paper hospital gown. “We will be just outside if you need us.”

Richard didn’t wait for her to answer before grabbing my arm and pulling me out the door. Once outside, he didn’t stop moving. Instead, he dragged me down to the other end of the hall and back to the x-ray room. We could still see the door to the exam room but it was several doors down. He let go of me just outside the room, and went to retrieve the developed film.

When he returned to where he’d left me in the hall, he turned on an x-ray light box and began examining the pictures. I noticed his displeasure increasing the more he looked at the films.

Taking two sheets he’d looked at previously and putting them back up, he turned to face me. It was a look I’d seen often as a teenager when I’d came home from a place I shouldn’t have been. “What is going on, Stephan? You said this girl was in a bad situation, and I’ll give you that, but something more is going on here. Are you involved in something?”

I brought my hand up to rub my temples. “You don’t want to know, Richard. Trust me.”

“Trust you?” he said indignantly. “Trust you? That girl in there is scared to death.”

“I know.” Since I wasn’t willing to reveal her story to him, it was all I could say.

He was waiting for me to continue, but I didn’t. “Look, Stephan. I know about . . . your lifestyle . . . choices,” he said through gritted teeth. He made it clear, several times over, that he didn’t approve of my choice to be a Dominant. “But I won’t sit by and ignore signs of abuse.”

“And I don’t expect you to.” I ran my hands through my hair. This situation was beyond frustrating on so many levels. For years I’d gone to Richard for advice, looked up to him. Now there was this rift between us that I didn’t know how to fix. I wouldn’t be something I wasn’t, and he couldn’t accept who and what I was.

His voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Did you go too far, Stephan? Did you hurt her?”

My head shot up. “No! Richard, how could you even think that?” I began pacing. “What I told you on the phone was true. She was in a bad situation.” At this, I paused and my eyes met his. “A very bad situation.” Taking a deep breath, I continued. “She’s hurt, and not just physically. But I need to know what I’m dealing with before I can really try to help her. So, please, can you just trust me on this?”

He looked at me for several minutes and then nodded. “You’ve never been good at lying to me.”

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