She reached out to shake my hand.I nearly forgot to reciprocate, too busy being preoccupied by the idea of Carter Cassidy saying nice things aboutanyone,let alone me.
“It’s so nice to meet you, too, Dr.March.I’m grateful you were able to get me in on such short notice.”
“Please, call me Mel.And anything for sweet Carter.”
I snorted, unable to help myself, and she grinned.“Not the word you’d use to describe him, I take it?”
“Not exactly.Prickly, maybe.Or perpetually grumpy.”
Dr.March—Mel—laughed as she took her seat on a rolling stool opposite me.“He’s had a rough go, but he’s as sweet as they come once you break through that crunchy exterior.”
I tossed her words around in my head, finding them wholly true.From the way he looked out for me and cared so deeply about his work, there was obviously more to the man than a few grunts and terse greetings.
“Lie back, please,” Mel said as she proceeded with her exam.After a few “does this hurts” and “how about nows,” she helped me sit up.
“Okay, Olivia.I believe what you’re experiencing is pelvic floor tension myalgia.”
“Which is…?”
“PFTM is a chronic condition that usually affects women during their childbearing years.It causes involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles that leads to severe pain.You mentioned that intercourse is painful, yes?”
“It can be.”
“Are you able to achieve orgasm without penetrative sex?”
“I, um, I don’t know.”
“Well, this might seem an odd order from the doctor, but I’d like you to see if an orgasm can give you some temporary relief—whether alone or with a partner.”
I shot her a skeptical look.
“Orgasms release endorphins, and endorphins are essentially the body's natural painkillers.”
“So, I need to go have orgasms?”
Mel smiled.“As long as it doesn’t cause you more pain.For long-term relief, we should start you on physical therapy.If needed, I can also prescribe you a muscle relaxant, but I want to avoid that if possible.”
“Me too.Okay, so orgasms and physical therapy.”
“Yep.”
“Can it really be that easy?”
“I’m not sure I’d call it ‘easy.’Physical therapy can take time to work its magic, which is why I want you to have that outlet for temporary relief.They’ll get you all scheduled at checkout for your first therapy appointment, but I’d like to see you back in two weeks.You can tell me all about how your home-therapy is going.”
Mel shot me a wink, and I blushed.Without Ethan, orgasms were non-existent.“Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
We said our goodbyes before I dressed and exited the room.I was in a hurry to get to Carter's.Just when I had thought things were turning a corner, he’d turned into an even bigger asshole this week than he had been when we first met.
Except when it came to Pete.Those two were thick as thieves.Suddenly, I was feeling like chopped liver to my own dog.
Then again, dogs probably love chopped liver.Nevermind.
I wasn’t sure what set him off, but I didn't want to give Carter any additional reason to loathe my existence.Still, there was time for a text as I made my way to the parking garage.
OLIVIA
Help!
