Chapter 17

Maybe calling a trip to a free clinic a date was a stretch, but having Mark with me when we walked in made all the difference in the world. The clinic was in a strip mall near the university. It was located between a convenience store and a nail salon. The walls were a little dingy and the only artwork were posters about sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention. How romantic.

I had been to see my gynecologist twice before. The first time was just a visit to talk about puberty and let the doctor make sure I had all my parts. The second time was after I had started having really painful periods. They did a pelvic exam to check to see if something obvious was causing them. They didn’t find anything obviously wrong. It was weird and embarrassing, but Mom held my hand the whole time so I survived.

The woman behind the counter looked up as we approached. “Yes?”

“I’m Stephanie Larson. I have an appointment.”

The paperwork wasn’t too bad and I filled out everything I knew, but I fudged my date of birth a bit at the last minute. It asked if I had insurance or could afford to pay a portion of the costs. I put down that I had fifty dollars saved up, but didn’t want to use my insurance. I turned the paperwork back in and sat with Mark in the waiting area.

“You nervous?” he asked, looking as weirded out as I felt. “‘Cause if you wanna chicken out, I’m right behind you.”

“I’m okay,” I chuckled and patted his knee. “Thanks for coming with me.”

Mark pulled me close and kissed my hair. I really was nervous, but I also felt good. At one point in the embarrassing sex talk with Mom, she said that if I wasn’t old enough to be responsible I wasn’t old enough for sex. It was good advice even if I didn’t want to talk to her about my decision yet. I wanted to have sex with Mark and knew I needed to protect myself.

When they called me back, Mark came with me because I refused to let go of his hand. They took us into an exam room and left us sitting on plastic chairs for a few minutes. A middle-aged woman came in wearing a white coat and carrying a tablet with a stylus.

“I’m Doctor Julie,” she said with a smile at us both. “I understand you wanted to talk about birth control.”

When I nodded, she started with a number of questions about my sexual history and general health. Mark blushed the whole time, but never let go of my hand. When she asked about our relationship, I explained he was just coming with me for moral support without elaborating. We discussed all the options and she agreed that in my circumstances an IUD with a low dose of hormones would work best. Then the doctor asked Mark to go back to the waiting room while I changed into a paper gown.

“Stephanie, I’m a little worried about your age. The only requirement for the IUD you want is being fully developed physically. Before I’m willing to insert it, I need to do a pelvic exam to check you out. Are you comfortable with me doing that today?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I hid my fear that she might not believe I was as old as I’d said on the forms.

I undressed but left on my socks. The room wasn’t too cold, but I felt like shivering anyway. The paper gown went down to my knees.

“I also want to make sure no one is pressuring you to do this.” Her smile was gone as she studied my face.

“No, this is something I want for me. I still plan to use condoms, but I don’t want to have to worry about an accidental pregnancy. Can Mark come back and hold my hand?” My voice shook a little when I asked.

“Of course,” she said as her soft smile returned. “It’s very nice of him to support you in this.”

“He’s great,” I said and hopped up on the table to swing my feet.

She left and came back with Mark. He stood by my side and took my hand with a nervous smile. I’m not sure who was comforting whom.

“You okay?” he whispered as the doctor got her tools ready.

I nodded and put my feet in the stirrups. The doctor talked me through it all, explaining each step and asking if I was okay. Mark couldn’t see anything because she had draped a towel over my legs, but I squeezed his hand so hard his fingers turned white.

“Okay, you’re fine for the IUD we discussed. It’s smaller than most and has a hormone that should help with your painful cramps. Some women scream when we do the insertion and others say it’s only a pinch. In either case it’ll only hurt for about a minute and then you’ll hardly notice it. Ready?”

I nodded and lay back on the examination table. Mark took my hands in both of his and gave me a smile of encouragement. She had me spread open wide and slipped a long flexible tube inside me. The IUD insertion wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t any worse than my worst cramp days. When she removed the tube and speculum I let out the breath I was holding.

“That’s it! I want to see you next month for a follow-up to check that the device is still in place. If you have any abnormal bleeding, inflammation, or bad headaches, contact me immediately.”

I put my legs down and Mark helped me sit up. Despite the fact Doctor Julie had been up my vee I was suddenly embarrassed. “So, uh, how long before...”

Doctor Julie chuckled. “Wait twenty-four hours before having sex. The hormone will be effective in seven days, so use condoms until at least next week.”

“Thanks,” I said and giggled when Mark blushed a deep red.

I got dressed, scheduled my follow up, and was out the door with Mark still holding my hand. He was quiet until we got into his van.

“Did it hurt?”

“I’m glad you reminded me to take the ibuprofen after school. It felt like a bad cramp when she put it in, but I can’t feel it at all now.”