Page 7 of Stirred Up

“No complaints.” His eyes friendly and shining. “It’s probably the best morning I’ve had in a while.”

“Really. That interesting, huh?” I ask, gnawing my bottom lip.

Chart in hand, he hums affirmatively and strolls across the room. “Delivered healthy twin boys to a couple that spent almost a decade trying to conceive. Mama spent half the pregnancy on bed rest.” He throws his leg over and straddles the rolling stool. “There’s nothing like handing a parent their child for the first time. It’s beyond incredible.”

Gone are my nerves, replaced with a swell in my heart. “I bet it feels amazing to give them that.”

His eyes rise to mine. “Not gonna lie, it feels pretty good.” A soft puff of laughter bubbles up at his honesty, releasing the tension from my shoulders as my head tilts down.

All calmness working its way through me vanishes the instant I once again raise my head. He’s watching me intently, his eyes holding mine in a commanding grip. The silence hanging over us is no longer natural and easy, but heavy, almost deafening. Goosebumps flare up my legs as the air charges with some foreign electric surge that shivers down my spine and pools in my gut.

It’s Dr. Reynolds that breaks the heated connection, dropping his focus to my chart. “First visit, nervous?”

Am I nervous? I’m a lot of things right now, many yetto be named. I blink twice and subtly shake my head, attempting to brush off the fact that my body’s on high alert, eager to discover what exactly just happened between us; that look, that spark.

Does he look at all his patients like that? Better yet, who’severlooked atmelike that?

Whatever it was, it’s dissipated, along with my poise, as I watch him read through the forms I filled out in the waiting room. Basic information, but still a reminder of why I’m here and what’s about to happen.

Releasing my bottom lip from my teeth, I manage a shaky smile, grateful for his understanding. “Yeah,” I breathe out, finally answering him.

He chuckles lightly and pats my knee. “Don’t be, you’re gonna be fine.”

With a curt nod and tightness to my lips, I ready myself.

“So,” he clears his throat and glances from me to the chart, “I’d say we’ll do your annual, but since you’ve not been doing that, I guess we’ll do your first annualtoday.” He smirks my way at his joke and pulls a pen from his pocket.

His thumb covers the end and the clicking sound it makes sends a shudder straight through me, an obviously visible one considering his handsome face stiffens with a frown.

He wheels closer, that soft, concerned hand finding my knee again. “Addison, please try to relax for me. Would you feel better if I had a female nurse join us?”

An audience?

“No, no.” My head shakes rapidly back and forth. “I’m fine, really.”

“Yeah?” His eyes search mine. “You sure?” Not sure what I do to tell him yes, but he seems satisfied. “Okay, let’s start with some questions. Any concerns or issues you’d like to discuss today?”

“No, I’m only here to avoid a lecture.” Though I’m still debating if it’s worth all this.

His lip quirks in the corner. “I won’t make you sit through another one then, since you’re here, but I have to ask. Your paperwork says you’veneverhad your Well-Woman Check. Is that anactualnever, or an ‘it’s been so long, it was only once, that you just put that’ kind of thing?”

“That’d be a never, as in never, kind of thing,” I mumble, glancing away.

He slips his stethoscope from around his neck and rolls to the left, centering himself in front of my legs, which are smashed together in terror. “Well, you’re remedying it now, and the rest of the information you filled out looks good. So, no other concerns? Regular periods?”

“Yep,” I reply tightly.

“Do you give yourself regular breast exams?”

“Um…”

“It’s important that you do so.”

“Got it,” I mumble after a pause, staring at his chest. Not because it’s broad and fighting to escape his light blue button up, or even because the open collar hints at a sprinkling of dark brown hair, no, I’m solely transfixed on him rubbing the stethoscope’s face there to warm it up.

“Good.” He stands, securing the instrument in both ears, then places both hands on the sides of my throat. I startle, twitching a bit beneath his touch.

“Relax, I’m simply checking your lymph nodes.”

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