AllFreeNovel
Share Us
21
I Don’t Matter To Him
PARKER
“How long have you had irregular periods for?” Dr. Stephen Wetherden asks as I sit down on the edge of the bed and adjust my shirt.
“For a while. I miss a month and even more sometimes,” I tell him.
I haven’t been to an Ob-Gyn since 12th grade because I always keep myself in good health. My last cycle was so bad that the cramps in my lower back were unbelievable.
It just ended a few days ago after a month of not having any period at all and I know it couldn’t have been pregnancy because Hudson and I are safe all the time.
“So from what we’ve seen, you have some discoloration to your normal skin color and you’ve picked up weight,” Dr. Wetherden says. “Blood clots and heavy flows aren’t a good thing, especially when having irregular periods and lower back pains and you’re only Twenty, right?”
I nod, gripping my knees not liking the sound of this at all. I’ve been so busy with classes and work—and balancing Hudson—that I haven’t been watching my health.
“Will it go away?” I ask, my throat dry.
Dr. Wetherden scratches his forehead as he looks into his book. “No, we’ve concluded that you have several troubling symptoms of PCOS. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.”
“What?” My voice sounds and feels scratchy at the back of my throat. “What is that?”
“Don’t worry, it’s more common than you think,” he says as if that’s going to make everything better. “It occurs when you’re slightly overweight or have diabetes. But several other factors also play a role. It could be that a relative of yours had PCOS and you are now a result of that.”
“I don’t understand. Is it treatable?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, but there are several ways to combat it and to stay on top of your health. I’ll have to prescribe birth control pills for you so that your menstrual cycle will return regularly as well as some pain killers.”
“How will the syndrome affect me?”
“It’s the most common cause of infertility. You might still be able to have children, but it’s mainly about how to keep your hormones in balance because right now they’re completely off track,” he explains.
Children. I feel like I’ve just been hit with the worst kind of news ever. Who wouldn’t want to have kids? My plan involves graduating and getting a permanent job and possibly marriage, but this just makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’m too young to be dealing with this kind of shit.
“I’ll dive into a few other questions and then I’ll prescribe those birth control pills for you,” he says.
“Okay.”
Dr. Wetherden straightens his shoulders and looks at me directly. His dark grey eyes study mine. “This might be hard to hear, but we often have a lot of women coming here with abusive relationship-related issues. During your examination, we noted several bruises in very intimate areas of your body, so I am going to ask you now. Are you in any harm or feel like your relationship is becoming harmful in any way? Because I doubt you caused any of those bruises yourself, Parker.”
I am silent for a minute, not really sure of how to answer that question. “I’m not being abused,” I say.
Dr. Wetherden hangs his head before massaging his temples with his palm. “Look, I know you might be a little scared, maybe even angry, but we are only looking out for your safety. Hundreds of women come in here every month and we make it our mission to combat abuse because we’ve seen increased growth, especially since the rise and fall of the economy. People are just getting depressed and lashing out.”
“You’re mistaken.” My voice is a little shaky. “I am not in an abusive relationship. I wouldn’t let myself get into that kind of relationship.”
“Okay,” Dr. Wetherden says. “What about your sexual life? That could be the only other reason for the bruising if not abuse?”
“I’ve only started having sex this year.” My face grows hot at my confession. “And sometimes it’s just rougher than usual.”
Dr. Wetherden nods. “I’m assuming you have one partner?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you feel comfortable when he engages in rough intercourse?” he asks.
I swallow hard. “I guess.”
