Matronly Duties by Melissa Kendall Page B

scowl on her face.
    “You may leave now,” she says to George, who does as she says and closes the door behind him.
    The doctor steps towards me. “Hello, Bethanie. I’m not sure you remember me, but I’m Doctor Sloane,” he says and sits on the edge of my bed. “You have had quite the ordeal the last couple of days, haven’t you?”
    “I’m fine. I want someone to tell me what is going on, though.”
    He quickly glances at Headmistress, who shakes her head slightly and then smiles placidly. “Well, let’s check you over and make sure you don’t have any injuries first.”
    He hands me a medical gown. “Headmistress Carpenter and I are going to step outside for a minute. When you’re changed, please lie down on the bed and call out. I will come and complete your exam.”
    I take a little longer than necessary to disrobe, using the time to process everything that has happened since I awoke at the Jameses’ house this morning. Everything is topsy-turvy. I’m locked up like I’m the criminal instead of the victim, which leads my thoughts to Howard. I refuse to believe he is some evil terrorist mastermind like George said.
    He can’t be. Yes, they’re traditionalists, but . . . he and his family took care of me.
    I gasp at the thought that something has happened to his family because of me.
    “You ready, ma’am?” the doctor asks, his muffled voice startling me.
    “Almost,” I call out.
    I quickly finish up and call for the doctor. He and the headmistress reenter the room and I tense, wondering what exactly this examination is going to be. Dr Sloane pulls a tray of instruments over next to the bed and I glare at him wearily.
    “Relax, Ms Greene. I promise this isn’t going to hurt a bit.”
    He starts his examination with my head, feeling all over the surface of my skull. “Is anything sore?”
    “No.”
    He checks my vision and then my reflexes before making sure I can move my neck properly and there is no soreness.
    “The next part is going to be a little harder.” The hesitance in Dr Sloane’s voice concerns me. “I can see the bruises on your wrists. And after an ordeal like the one you’ve been through, I suspect they aren’t the only ones. I’ll need to catalogue all of your marks and abrasions, so I need to check all of your body.”
    Panicked at the thought of this man looking over my body, I glance at the headmistress for reassurance.
    “Go ahead,” she says in an emotionless voice.
    For the next fifteen minutes, Dr Sloane checks every inch of my body, making detailed notes of all my bruises, scrapes, and other injuries. He finishes up by asking me what I had to eat or drink while I was there. He writes down everything I consumed as I list it. When I am done, he gets a needle and takes a syringe full of blood.
    For a moment, I think he is through and relax a little. However, he isn’t finished.
    “Okay, lastly I need you to bend your knees and bring your feet up to your bottom so I can do a gynaecological exam.”
    In an instant, every muscle in my body is rigid. “Why?”
    “The marks on the inside of your thighs indicate someone tried to force themselves upon you, and I need to make sure you’re not hurt on the inside.”
    The doctor’s words cause the memories to bombard me again.
    I close my eyes and pull my knees to my chest, rocking back and forth. I wish these flashbacks would stop. It was horrible enough the first time. I don’t want to keep reliving it.
    A hand on my shoulder causes me to jump, and I open my eyes to see the doctor standing next to the bed with a look of pity on his face. “It’s going to be all right. I won’t hurt you.”
    Wanting it all to be over, I bend my knees and spread my legs, giving him access. I fix my gaze on the ceiling and return to counting tiles. It’ll all be over soon. I hope. Thankfully, it only takes a couple of minutes, and when he finishes, he grabs the bag with my clothes and asks Headmistress to join him in the