Chapter 20

When they finally made it to the garage, Jason understood John’s admonition to ‘drive safe’. It only took one look at Mandy’s car.

Her car was like her closet. Sleek. Gorgeous. Fast-looking. And filled with leather.

Even being careful, Jason spun the tires three times before he got used to the powerful engine, and by the time they made it to the doctor’s office, he’d decided that the fantasy of owning a sports-car was going to remain just that for him— a fantasy. He’d caught himself speeding several times, even though he was actively trying to stay under the speed limit. He figured that either he’d have a heart attack out of frustration, or end up getting a ticket that he’d spend years trying to pay off if he actually owned a car like that. Or killing himself when it got away from him. He wouldn’t rule that out. It was a damned good thing it wasn’t raining.

Kylie grew quieter the closer they got to the office. He wasn’t sure at first whether that was because of his driving— he wouldn’t have blamed her a bit if it was— or if she was nervous about the appointment. When she didn’t seem relieved when he pulled into the parking space and killed the engine, he figured it was the second.

She reluctantly walked up to the window once they’d entered the office, but when the receptionist looked up at them and smiled, Kylie paled, grabbing Jason’s hand.

“Hi,” the young woman said perkily. “Do you have an appointment, or are you here for a contraceptive shot?” Her eyes flickered to Jason. “Or a pregnancy test?”

Kylie paled further. “I ... I don’t ... I mean, I have an appointment, please?” she managed.

“Okay, let me look. What’s your name, hon?”

“Kylie, Kylie R...” She hesitated.

“Rourke,” Jason finished for her. At Kylie’s uncertain glance, he squeezed her hand.

“Yep, here you are, hon,” the receptionist said. “Kylie Rourke, 10am. Note here to contact the head nurse when you get in. Have a seat, and we’ll call you soon.”

Kylie sat on the edge of her seat, fidgeting, her hand squeezing Jason’s tightly enough to cut off the blood flow, although he wasn’t going to say anything to her about it. She jumped when the door opened and her name was called.

“Come on, love,” Jason said, smiling at her and ignoring the curious look the aide gave them.

“Right in here, and we’ll just get your height and weight, okay?”

Kylie nodded and reluctantly let go of Jason’s hand long enough to step on the scale. He noticed both the reading— eighty-four pounds— and the aide’s quick frown. The woman restored her professional demeanor almost instantly, though, and jotted down the reading before leading them into a little room to get her blood pressure and a blood sample.

“There we go, all done,” the aide said. “Okay, I need to get a urine sample from you while I run this to the lab. The bathroom’s right through there.” She indicated an adjoining door. “The cups are in there. Just leave it sitting in the collection box, okay?”

Kylie came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, her face bright red, and sat down next to Jason. “Why?“ she asked. “You’d think I had some kind of old disease or something.”

After a few more minutes, the nurse returned and led them into an exam room. “Okay, hon. I need you to take off your clothes and put on this gown. Dr. Johnson will be in real soon.”

Kylie frowned, but didn’t say anything until after the nurse left. “Do I have to?” she asked Jason, plaintively.

Jason grimaced, but nodded. “Yeah. I think it’s a requirement that they make you put those on,” he said. “You know, for maximum annoyance. But hey, it’s no worse than the Program, right?”

Kylie didn’t answer him, and he realized she was shaking in fear. He couldn’t figure out what could be bothering her until he looked around and realized that the room was disturbingly similar to Jeb’s ‘special’ room— he’d had a table similar to the exam table. He’d had a flexible light with a magnifying lens. He’d had a rolling tray of instruments, even if they weren’t the same as the ones in the exam room.

“It’s okay,” he said, pulling her onto his lap. “You’re okay. This isn’t that room. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Kylie buried her face in his shirt. “I ... it’s just ... he would measure me, and take notes...”

“Okay, love. It’s okay. I’m here. You don’t have to take your clothes off until the doctor gets here, okay? I’ll hold your hand when she does.”

Kylie nodded shakily, then looked away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Jason said. “It’s okay.”

The doctor took longer than Jason had expected; it was at least ten minutes before the door opened again, and the extra time didn’t do anything to help Kylie’s nerves. Jason held her close, stroking her hair, but she still became more nervous as they waited.

A pleasant looking, middle-aged woman with greying blonde hair appeared in the doorway. She took in the tableau with a glance, and hesitated for only a second before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. “Hi. I’m Dr. Johnson. Your father talked to me earlier, Kylie,” she said, in a low, slightly rough voice. She smiled at Jason. “You’re Jason, I assume?”

He nodded. “Yes. How much did he tell you?”

“Quite a bit,” she said, guardedly. “I’m going to do everything I can to make you comfortable, Kylie, but I agree with your father that you do need to be examined. We’re not in a hurry, and can wait a bit until you’re more relaxed, though, if you’re willing to just chat with me for a while first, okay?”

Kylie swallowed, nodding, but made no effort to move from Jason’s lap.

“If there’s another room you could use, it would probably help,” he said. “This room looks a lot like, well, the room he used.”

Dr. Johnson blanched. “I apologize,” she said, sincerely. “I didn’t realize that. It’s not standard, but we can go into my office today, instead.”

Kylie nodded, relaxing into Jason’s arms, and he stood, lifting her. “Where to?”

“This way,” the doctor said, leading them out the door and down the hall into a nice, comfortable office. “Better?” she asked, once they were inside.

Kylie nodded as Jason sat down, still holding her in his arms. “Thank you,” she said, almost too quietly to hear.

“Good,” Dr. Johnson said, smiling. “Now, I need to ask you some questions, honey, that are pretty personal. Jason can stay as long as you want him to, but you might feel more comfortable if he waited outside. It’s your choice, though, and either way you can change your mind any time. Just let me know.”

Kylie blushed, but clutched at Jason’s arms, pulling them tighter around her waist. “I want him with me, please,” she whispered.

“That’s fine, dear,” the doctor said soothingly, nodding. “Your choice, remember. I just wanted to make sure you knew you had one.”

Kylie nodded shakily.

“Okay. To get started, when was the last time you ate?”

“This morning,” Kylie said. “Jason made me breakfast.”

The doctor nodded, jotting down a note. “And what did you eat?”

“Um. Eggs. Toast. Bacon.”

“Uh-huh. Okay, how much? How many eggs, say? How many pieces of bacon?”

Kylie hesitated. “I don’t know,” she said, defensively. “Some.”