“If you are ready, we can begin with the breast exam?” he asked but she got the feeling that he was staring at her. Pandora looked his way but his head was not positioned in a way that he could look at her. “I will be touching you now. My hands are warm.”
“That’s fine,” she said nervously. “It will be hard for you to do the exam without touching me.”
His soft hands touched her breasts, sending tingles throughout her body. He took his time as he pressed and moved his fingers over her. Once he was finished, he covered her back up with the sheet provided. Of course, by this point, her nipples were hard and tenting the sheet in two spots.
“You have a small stature. Is your husband tall?” Dr. Parks asked.
Pandora frowned, looking up at him. “He’s—” She cut herself short as Derrik wasn’t her husband any longer. How did she answer that question? The doctor obviously didn’t need her explanation but she was curious as to why he needed to know how tall Derrik was.
“Is he over six feet?”
Pandora nodded, still confused.
“I ask because if the baby’s father is taller than six feet, there is a high chance that your baby will be big. Due to you being so small added to the fact that you have scar tissue from surgery, you may have trouble with natural childbirth.”
“Oh,” she whispered, trying to remember how tall her mystery man was. She was brought out of her thoughts as she felt Dr. Parks’ hands move the sheets up her leg. She gasped softly and squeezed her eyes closed.
“Are you alright, Pandora?” he asked, but she could feel his warmth on her skin. Her eyes sprang open.
“Yes,” she said and he grinned at her. His smile made her heart race and her lady bits felt like they were being tickled. They definitely wanted his attention.
“I will need to insert this to do a pelvic exam, and then we will use an Internal Doppler to get a look at baby Leonard, okay?”
Pandora felt the blood drain from her face, knowing that the good doctor would know that she was aroused. She cursed internally.
“It will not hurt,” he said with a small but reassuring squeeze of her hand. “Okay, here we—” He cut himself off, and even though he couldn’t see his face, she knew he had found out. “Go,” he finished after a skipped beat.
“Okay, Mrs. Leonard,” he said, sounding oddly and overly professional.
“Pandora, please,” she said in a low voice, ducking her face down. She didn’t know how this situation was going to work. She had embarrassed herself completely in front of her doctor. As he finished the pelvic exam, she felt him remove the device. She heard him moving things around and she could only nod as he told her that he was going to insert the Doppler next.
“Pandora,” he said, still sounding professional, but there was a hint of softness to it then. “This is your baby,” he carried on, but Pandora was unable to look his way.
“Pandora, you need to look at the screen,” he called in a softer voice.
Pandora closed her eyes and moved her head up, only opening them again when she was sure she was looking at the screen.
“What’s that?” she asked, seeing a small dot coming and going.
“That’s the baby’s heartbeat.” Dr. Parks grinned and her head snapped in his direction, forgetting all about how she was trying to avoid him.
“Really?” she gasped. “My little bean has a heartbeat?” She felt her heart flutter more as she looked at his smile.
“Bean?” he repeated. “Yes, would you like to hear it?”
She nodded and he pressed a switch. The room was filled with the sound of thumping.
“I’m going to have a baby,” she blurted out. She covered her mouth and held back a sob. “It sounds a bit like rain falling on metal, doesn’t it?” she commented with her hand still over her mouth.
“Pandora, are you okay?” Dr. Parks asked and she nodded before shaking her head.
“Just—” She felt tears leak out of her eyes. “I never imagined I would get pregnant,” she told him. “Bean is going to be okay, right? I won’t lose bean, will I?” she pleaded.
She watched as his brows furrowed and his head shifted to the nurse before coming back to her. “Everything looks good but there is always a risk, Pandora.”
After everything she had been through. All the years of trying for a baby and failing miserably, she could only cry. Her mother walked out on her, Derrik cheated and they divorced. But none of those things hurt as much as the mere thought of losing her baby. She wanted to tell Dr. Parks that she was okay, but all that came out was a quivering sob.
“Why don’t you get dressed and I will meet you back in the office,” Dr. Park said with more warmth than Derrik had used during their years of marriage.
His kindness made her pull herself together. She knew she could trust this man with her baby. She felt his hand touch her arm and she looked at him. His eyes locked with hers and she felt a strange connection moving between them. She still couldn’t see his eyes clearly, but she knew they held softness and love in them.
“Go ahead and get dressed,” he said quickly and dashed out of the room.
“Let me help you up,” the nurse interjected as she guided Pandora into a sitting position.
Once she was on her feet, the nurse let her go. Pandora walked back into the changing room. After getting dressed, she knocked on the door to Dr. Parks’ office, and he told her to come in.
“Please take a seat, Pandora,” he said, sounding professional again.
“I’m sorry for being so emotional,” she apologized for her inappropriate behavior, but also her crying.
“Have you lost a baby before?”She shook her head. “After the diagnosis and surgery, I was told that the chances were slim that I would get pregnant.”Dr. Parks sighed before nodding. “I take it that you have been trying for a while, then?”“Yes, we tried for years, starting as soon as we got married. But nothing and now—” she said but stopped herself from blurting out her dirty secret. She felt his hand touch hers and she opened her eyes to see a silver wedding band on his finger. The image of him being so happy in his wedding photo hit her again and only made her cry harder. Again, she asked herself why she had to choose and marry an asshole.“I can’t promise that everything will be okay, but I will watch over you. I would like to see you every week until you give birth. According to the scan, you look about eight weeks along. That means you have another seven months to go.”Pandora agreed, feeling a little better that he was willing to watch over her so carefully.“Do you work?” h
Pandora looked at her dad’s house, taking a few deep breaths, trying to muster up the courage to go inside. ‘I am a grown woman with a job, a car, and a house!’ she told herself, but she also had that small voice in the back of her mind repudiate. ‘Did you forget the ex-husband whom your father asked you not to marry?’ Pandora groaned, knowing she was about to start her engine and just leave with how conflicted her thoughts were.She jumped when she heard a sharp knock on her car’s window.“Sorry,” Nina smiled as she looked through the window. Pandora let out a nervous laugh and opened her car door. “Is everything alright?” Nina asked as she looked her stepdaughter over.“Yeah,” Pandora muttered and shut the door.Nina and she walked to the house the older woman shared with her father. They had known each other since high school. They went from being close friends to raising Pandora together. Nina’s husband cheated on her ten years ago and Pandora’s father, Walter, stuck by her side
She quickly got out of the tub and put on her bathrobe before grabbing her cell phone. Instantly, she jumped as it started to vibrate in her hands. She hissed when she saw Derrik’s name flashing on her screen. She pressed accept to answer the call and forewent all formalities when she spoke.“That better not be you at the door!” she stated as she went to the window.“Get your ass here and let me in!” Derrik sneered.“Fuck you,” she hissed out and disconnected the call. Right away, she dialed the emergency number. “I warned the asshole, this is on him,” she muttered as she waited for someone to respond. “Pandora!” she heard Derrik yell and he started pounding on the door again.“What is the address of your emergency?” The monotone male voice asked over the phone.“Pandora!” Derrik yet again bellowed followed by the pounding on her door.She stated her address, her voice breaking.“Answer the fucking door, you stupid bitch!” Derrik screamed again, continuing to pound on the door.“What
“Where is my bracelet?” she asked herself as she looked through her jewelry box. She groaned, unable to find it. She closed her eyes, trying to remember where she had last worn it. But she wasn’t fully awake and after a night of no sleep because of Derrik, it was hard to function.Just as she was about to give up, she imagined the bracelet on her wrist. She could feel someone touching her softly and with so many emotions that it made her whole body tingle from that one spot on her wrist.“Where did you get this?” a smooth voice with the smell of alcohol asked, and her eyes sprang open.“Vegas,” she declared and she shuddered. She moved to the closet and got her bag. She took out the small jewelry bag she had taken with her. She dumped everything out and grabbed her bracelet. As she put it on, a silver ring caught her eye.“Where did that come from?” She lifted it up to inspect.It was a simple silver band. She frowned at it and turned it around in her fingers. Suddenly, what looked li
“See! You don’t pull over for an unmarked car. Similarly, you shouldn’t be talking and going with a person who doesn’t have a uniform on. Part of why I am in the Special Victim cell.”Pandora looked at him playfully. “Well, I shouldn’t be talking to you right now.”“Here it's fine. This is the police station, after all.”“You have a point. I am taking that you wear a uniform to the first meet and greet. Then once they know you are the real deal, you walk out wearing a suit. It’s a bit like a superhero, isn’t it?”“Batman. I like batman, thank you,” he said. “Of course, the best detective in the comic universe.”They walked into his office and Milton pulled out a seat and gestured for her to sit down. Once she was settled, he pulled out a seat to sit down next to her.“Your ex was let out an hour ago. He was not happy. But I did make it clear that he would be in trouble if he went anywhere near your home or work.”Relief overwhelmed her.“Now, we need to work on the restraining order.
“Of course not. He’s married,” she said with a nervous laugh, which everyone picked up on.“Okay, spill,” Keira demanded. “During my exam, I—” she stopped talking. “You what?” Keira prodded.“I got aroused,” she whispered, her face hidden in her hands. She closed her eyes and dropped her eyes, her embarrassment building as the girls started to laugh.“Do you think he could tell?” Sia asked after controlling her laughter.“I am sure he did. He was down there.” She pointed downward. “And I was really wet.”“How wet are we talking?” Keira asked excitedly.“I would have been a water slide if I got any wetter.” They laughed, making Pandora groan. “But he didn’t say anything. I am grateful for that.”Sia took hold of her hand and made her look. “Come on. A lot of women become turned on, more so during pregnancy. I am sure he has seen and dealt with that situation before. Don’t be embarrassed.”Pandora nodded, trying to feel better about the situation. “Anyway, it is better than drooling o
“I don’t like how I needed to hear from the DA that my daughter was threatened. You had better report him if he comes near you or even tries to make contact with you again. I mean it. He is not all there in his head, I think we know that by now.”“Again, I’m sorry. I promise I will. I plan on getting a full restraining order, too,” she said, hoping to amend the situation and make her father less worried.“I am not happy about this, Pandora,” he stated. Pandora closed her eyes, knowing he was just worried about her. “So, what is the officer’s last name?”“Dad,” she moaned out. Her father wanted a full report on the officer in charge and would probably give a stern talk to him.“Don’t argue with me on this, please. I want him to go over and check out your security at the house. I need to know my daughter is safe. If you’d rather I come down and do it myself, say so.”Pandora cleared her throat. “You don’t have to do that, Dad. Milton already said he would check over the house and the pe
“Please remove your jacket and lie down,” he instructed. She did just that and the nurse walked in. “Can you move your top up a little and your pants down?”She adjusted the article of clothing like he asked and watched as he washed his hands at the sink. When he walked back to her, he rubbed his hands together.“I am warming them up,” he informed her.“Don’t people say that cold hands make a warm man?” Her words made her chuckle slightly.“I think they do, but moms don’t appreciate it when my hands are cold. The gel is cold enough for them as it is.”“Derrik’s hands were always so warm. I was bothered by them. I mean, who likes holding a hot plate all the time?” she muttered and Dr. Parks hummed and went on with his exam.“Your little Bean seems to be doing well. I am going to use the Doppler to listen to its heartbeat.”Within seconds, she heard the galloping sound again and she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. “Sounds good,” Dr. Parks affirmed and she opened her eyes to look at