Chapter 4 Examination

Gillian's thoughts vanished in a rush of panic, but her body took over on its own.

She shot to her feet and strode over, lowering her voice as she cut off the nurse. "That's me. I'm patient number seven," she said.

Although the nurse looked at her with confusion, she kept quiet and waved for Gillian to come into the exam room.

With her head lowered, Gillian sneaked a glance toward Luke. Her fingers curled into her palms so tightly her nails left marks.

Thankfully, Luke simply threw her a glance before looking away. It seemed he hadn't recognized her.

Relief swept through her, and she let out a quiet breath.

Inside the room, the nurse handed her some paperwork. After Gillian filled it out, the nurse nodded toward the exam table behind the curtain and told her to lie down. Then the nurse stepped out to call for the doctor and begin preparations for the pre-surgery checkup.

Gillian lay back, nerves twisting inside her, and gripped the bedsheet so hard her knuckles turned white.

Minutes crawled by until finally, she heard footsteps approach.

A tall figure stepped in, dressed in a white coat with his face hidden behind a mask and glasses. He glanced at the chart and looked down at her. His voice was cold and flat. "Miss Gillian Brown? You're here for hymen restoration surgery, right?"

Gillian's anxiety grew sharper once she realized the doctor was a man.

"That's right, but is there a woman doctor available?" she asked, voice tight.

He let out a quiet laugh. "There aren't any female doctors on duty today. If you want to wait, you'll have to come back next week."

Gillian pressed her teeth into her lip until she tasted blood.

A week felt endless, and the thought of Luke saying something about what happened between them made her stomach twist.

Gillian forced herself to accept the situation, swallowing her nerves as she nodded. "Alright. Just get it over with."

He snapped the folder shut and answered with a brisk, "Go ahead and undress."

Even though her skin prickled under his stare, she turned away and slowly lifted her dress, slipping out of her black lace underwear with trembling hands.

The doctor kept his eyes fixed on her, his expression unreadable.

As soon as she settled back on the table, shaking all over, he pulled on gloves and reached out for her thigh.

Rubber fingertips, icy against her skin, sent a shiver down her spine. Instinct took over, and she pressed her knees together.

He let out a dry laugh. "I can't do much if you're locking your legs like that."

Something about his voice stirred a strange sense of familiarity, but she couldn't quite place where she'd heard it before.

Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to open her legs, even though every nerve screamed at her to stop.

His cold touch grazed a tender spot, and a mocking noise slipped out from behind his mask. "That's some swelling. Looks like you've had quite the night."

Frozen with embarrassment, Gillian's whole body tensed, pain mixing with a humiliating tingle right where he touched her.

It was obvious the swelling was from what happened with Luke the previous night. Was it really still this bad after so many hours? The jerk.

Annoyance bubbled up inside Gillian. She turned her face away, praying the exam would finish fast so they could get on with the surgery and put this ordeal behind her.

The doctor showed no signs of stopping, his finger moving with deliberate slowness. "So, have you been seeing a lot of action lately?" he asked.

A foreign kind of discomfort made her whole body tense, though, to her shame, her body still reacted under his touch.

Her breath came faster. Desperate to keep some dignity, she tried to squirm away from his hand. "That isn't any of your business, is it?"

The doctor pressed a palm to her abdomen, keeping his voice perfectly steady. "It actually is. Before surgery, I need to ask about your recent activity. If we skip these questions, any complications would be on your head, not mine."

Although Gillian was a doctor herself, she'd never rotated in gynecology and didn't know exactly what to expect.

Even so, she recognized that these questions were necessary before the procedure. Since he kept things strictly professional, she forced herself to bear the discomfort and answered, stiff as a board, "No, it's not a regular thing. Only happened once."

He raised his eyebrows, probing deeper. "How many partners have you ever had? And was it always safe?"

Gillian sucked in a breath, and then answered quietly, "Just one, and as far as I know, it wasn't violent."

A deep, quiet laugh rumbled from his chest. "Is that so? Funny, I figured someone like you had plenty of options. But it turns out I'm the only one. Planning to hurry through this surgery so you can chase after Ashton and land a wedding ring?"

Gillian's heart skipped a beat as he peeled off his mask and glasses, finally revealing his face.

"Luke!" she cried out, stunned.