But as the day progressed, my movement grew more restricted. I finally gave in to the urging of one of my people. If I refused to go to a regular doctor and was sure it was muscle pain, then I should see a chiropractor. I’d never been to one. Jesse said he had someone whom his aunt swore by and saw all the time. I was hurting enough that I gave in and said to send me the information.
Five minutes later, I had a name, Dr. A. Shah, and a number. I placed the call and was fortunate. I was told Dr. Shah had an opening at four o’clock, the last of the day. I took it. I was told to come fifteen minutes early. The paperwork was emailed to me to fill out since I’d never seen the chiropractor before.
Dr. Shah’s office was half an hour from mine. To ensure I made it on time, I left an hour ahead. You never knew how bad traffic would be on any given day at that time. I arrived with twenty minutes to go before my appointment.
Inside, I was greeted and efficiently checked in by the receptionist. Her name was Morgana, she said.
“Mr. Caldwell, the doctor will be with you momentarily. Help yourself to anything you’d like while you wait,” Morgana said pleasantly.
She gestured to a small setup in the waiting area. It included a coffee maker with K-Cups and a small fridge stocked with bottled water, juice, and even a few sodas. I grabbed an orange juice and then took my seat again. I was staring at the television, which was on and tuned to a home renovation show. It could’ve been worse.
A woman came out of the back and checked out at the desk. After she left, the phone at Morgana’s desk rang. She answered, and murmuring broke out. I only vaguely heard it. It was her calling my name after she hung up that got my full attention. Morgana stood and was coming toward me.
“Mr. Caldwell, if you’ll come with me, I’ll hand you off to one of our assistants. They’ll get you situated in an exam room.”
I rose and followed her. Just behind the door between the waiting room and the back of the office, we were met by a man who introduced himself as Marty. He took me to a room. Once there, he checked my vital signs and asked me a few questions before leaving me to await the doctor.
I scanned the walls. They were covered with pictures of the human musculoskeletal system and other close-ups of problems that I assumed this chiropractor could fix. I twisted in my chair without thinking. A groan slipped free as my back and hips responded with a flare of pain. That was the moment a brisk knock sounded, then the door opened.
I thought I was prepared for what was next. I wasn’t. A woman strode in with confidence and a warm smile. And she wasn’t just any woman. Her polo, which I noted all the staff wore, had the business name and her name, readingDr.A Shah.
As my astonishment registered that the chiropractor was a woman, I rose stiffly to my feet.
“Please, stay—no need to stand. Mr. Caldwell, hello, I’m Dr. Shah. It’s nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand.
As I clasped it in mine, I swore there was a tingling that registered, then shot up my arm. I didn’t break contact. The slight flicker of Dr. Shah’s eyebrows indicated she felt it too.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Shah. I’m so glad you had an opening. You come highly recommended. And I’ve never been to a chiropractor before. So forgive me if I’m clueless,” I automatically replied.
Her gentle chuckle made my body flush warm. I reluctantly let go of her hand when she tugged on it. She took a seat on the rolling stool next to my chair.
“No worries, I’ll be gentle. Let’s start with you telling me what happened, and then we’ll go from there.”
It took five minutes to give her the gist of what occurred on Saturday. She frowned. “Before I do anything, I need to check that nothing is broken. Your paperwork indicates you don’t have recent X-rays. That’s the first thing we’ll do. Then I’ll want to perform a physical examination and most likely an initial treatment. Sound good?”
“You’re in charge. You tell me what to do, I’ll do it.” I assured her.
She smiled, and then, within moments, I was handed off to Marty for the X-rays. It was all done right in their office, which I found convenient. As I went through that, I thought about Dr. Shah.
Based on the last name, I wasn’t surprised to find Dr. Shah was Indian or maybe Pakistani. I knew that surname was also found in Nepal and Bangladesh. I’d worked with someone with that last name years ago, and when I asked where they were from, he had educated me. The first real surprise was my chiropractor being a woman.
Now that I had a few minutes and time to think, I cataloged everything else that had struck me about her. She was slightly over average height. Based on my own measurements, I gauged her at five feet six or seven. She had a lighter golden skin tone. It made me wonder which country she came from. I was used to seeing darker skin tones like my former coworker.
Her hair was in a braid that hung almost to her waist. It was nearly as thick as my wrist. It was dark brown with a few lighter golden tones. Her face was fuller, oval with pronounced cheeks, lush lips, and a delicate nose. All of that was eye-catching, but add to it her unusual eyes and dark brows, and she was exotic. Her eyes were a yellowish brown, an amber like the stones I remembered from when I was a kid. They were slightly catlike in shape.
Dr. Shah would turn anyone’s head on the street with one look at her face. But what made her even more unforgettable was her body. She was dressed in a polo shirt, scrub pants, and medical Crocs. Basic and bland clothing that did nothing to hide her bangin’ bod.
She was curved like an hourglass. Her breasts were full, pushing out the top more than adequately. Her smaller waist led to wider hips and thicker thighs. There was nothing twig-like on her. And when she had led me to Marty, I discovered a plump ass completed the picture. I had to fight not to pop a boner. Christ, what was wrong with me? I was acting as if I’d never encountered a sexy, gorgeous woman before. I guess thiswas proof that it had been too long. Sure, I played at Lustz, but thinking about it, it had been a while since I’d even done that.
“Mr. Caldwell, we’re finished. I’ll take you back to Doc Shah,” Marty interrupted my musings.
Sitting up, I changed and then returned to the room I’d been in. A short lapse later, Dr. Shah re-entered. The impact she made was bigger, somehow.
“I have good news. Nothing appears to be broken. However, I can tell there is misalignment in your spine and hips. Likely caused or worsened by the impact. I’d like to do a physical exam and then attempt to realign you. It will likely take more than one session. Once out of proper position, it can take a few attempts to realign the joints and bones. You’ve only been this way a couple of days, which is good. The body hasn’t grown used to it. If you’ve been this way for weeks or more, it makes it harder to maintain. Those sorts of patients become regular ones.”
When she paused, I jumped in. “You know best. Just tell me what to do.”
“Good. I need you to lie on your stomach on the table. Place your face in the center of the headrest. I’ll press around, so if it gets too uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll warn you before I realign something. You may hear snapping sounds or feel things shift. Don’t panic. That’s normal.”
