Findings- Chapter 2

TWO MONTHS LATER…

Glenda Rose held her daughter’s hair away from her face as she watched her bring up all her breakfast. For the past few days, Darla had found it hard to keep down just a snack. She was so pale in the face that Glenda was beginning to believe that she was about to loose her daughter.

"That’s it, we’re going to the doctor today." She stated, and winced at another hard wretch from Darla.

Glenda knew what it was that had Darla bringing up everything she ate…she also knew why her daughter hadn’t seen her monthly cycle for the past two months. His name was Jerry Thompson. He was definitely responsible for this all.

"I’ll be fine…just a stomach virus mom." Darla said finally catching her breath. Her stomach finally felt balanced.

"That has been your excuse for the past two weeks. Guess who’s not buying it toots. We’re going to the doctor immediately. Now go take a shower when you’ve got your balance and get ready. I’ll go call your father from work-"

"I’ll go if you don’t involve dad just yet. I don’t want to excite him over what could be nothing." Darla said as she sat on the cold tiles of the bathroom. Her father was a force to reckon with and if Glenda was thinking what she was- which she was more than sure she was- she really didn’t need her father knowing about it right then.

"Fine, I won’t call him but I will not hide something as important as this from your father. You know how he gets when caught of guard." Glenda stood up straight and flushed the toilet. She stroked the top of her daughter’s head and sighed. Darla was old enough but she was not prepared for a baby; damn, Glenda wasn’t ready for another baby.

"Go get ready honey darling. The day isn’t getting much longer."

The doctor’s office was quiet. That was all you could really say about it. Well, it was decorated rather nicely and it did smell of fresh flowers, but it was utterly quiet. The only sound was that of the telephone the receptionists and the silent whir of the AC. Darla sat in a cushioned arm chair beside her mother and nibbled at her bottom lip. Bad habit. Her mother patted her hand softly to comfort her, but Darla’s mind was full of what ifs. Her father might burst a major artery if he found out that his little girl was deflowered with out so much as a promise ring on her finger. It was just Darla’s luck to screw around for the first time and get knocked up all in one go. She slouched at that thought and groaned under her breath.

"Darla honey, please stop fretting or you’ll make yourself more ill than you are right now." Her mothered said, stroking the heavy pulse in her hand. It took everything Darla had to not break down and sob like she wanted to right then. She couldn’t. She placed herself in this position. She had to be strong enough to deal with it. Ah the joys of womanhood…so demanding.

"I’ll try mom, I’m just a bit scared." She admitted.

"Well that much is expected love, but everything will be just fine."

Darla nodded and watched as the nurse came in view by the little window that looked out to the back of the clinic. She wore an inviting smile that was sure to make any patient feel as if there was need to worry even if you were dying. Right…Darla wasn’t buying.

"Darla Rose? The Doctor will see you now." It was at those words that Darla grew an extra shade paler. She wouldn’t blame her body for passing out that very moment. No there would be no quarrels.

"Come on honey." Her mother took her by the arm and had to lift her out of the chair. Darla’s legs had some how become one with the navy blue carpeting, because they just wouldn’t move for her.

"Darla-"

"I’m really trying momma, really." She said through clenched teeth.

"Then try a bit harder honey because we’re wasting time for the inevitable." Her mother was right. She was stalling. She had to get her nerves together before she had a break down or something. So she took that deep breath that her body needed, stood up straight and walked to where the nurse held the door for her, that smile never faltering for a second.

The back of the clinic was where all the other examination rooms were. There were two doctors practicing there and they had enough clientele to suffice each other. Darla was trying to hear over the sound of her own pulse in her ears, and straining too. She was sure the nurse was saying something to her but it was lost over the rush of her own blood. The corridors were too bright with its whiter that white paint job, gleaming white tiles and God forbid, fluorescent bulbs that must’ve been hooked up to the sun. Darla had to squint the short distance to the examination room, which was just ridiculous. Everyone else seemed to be doing just fine.

They got to an open door and by jolly if she was hoping for something else she was a fool, because it was just as white as the hallway and smelled strongly of some cleaning agent. Honestly what were they trying to do? Sterilize the patients’ lungs and sear out their nostril hairs before they check them out? The scent made Darla’s stomach heave forward, and she fought hard not to bring up the cup of tea her mother made her drink before she left home. That would be a bit too embarrassing for her to live with.

"Just have a seat right here Ms. Rose. I’ll just check your pressure and temperature, and then you can tell me what it is that’s bothering you." Darla was watching her talk but concentrating on not empting her stomach in her face.

" Goodie." She drawled. Her mother gave her a look that said be nice or else. She sighed and hung her head slowly, because too quick of a movement would really set her to retching.

Her mother told the nurse everything she needed to know and still the woman asked Darla more questions. She wanted to go home, lye in bed and sleep her eyeballs out. Just the thought of it made her eyes sandy with sleep.

"Okay. Dr. Curtis will be in to check you over, till then just lye back and make yourself comfortable." Then there was that ‘its okay, you won’t feel a thing’, smile and she left. Darla did lye back, but she couldn’t seem to master that comfort thing the nurse had mention. The table was like paper covered rock and the little gown was too flimsy to make her warm. Perhaps it they had given her something other than a sheet of paper to cover up with, it wouldn’t have been so bad. Wow was Darla grumpy. At least she kept it to herself. There is such a thing as small miracles.

 

"You look worst." Her mother’s voice was loud in the thick silence. It was only then that Darla realized that she was drifting off to sleep. That made her grumpier because one, her mother had waken her, and two she was wrong about the table.

"I feel it too." She grumbled, and hoped her mother would end the chit chat there. Fat chance.
 

"Do you want to throw up again?" She asked it and suddenly the urge to do so was there again. Darla groaned and turned towards the window, giving her mother the view of her back.

"Yes…" She said.

"Do you want me to get you something incase you do?" My, her mother was just a tad bit too concerned today.

"No mom, I just want to lay here for awhile and close my eyes. I’m exhausted." That ended it.

The feeling of knowing that she was falling asleep helped calm her stomach, but as she drifted off she started to wonder how she would repay Jerry for his little present. It wasn’t as if he held onto her after he screwed her. No, he decided that he’d gotten just what he wanted from her and skipped bail before she could latch on. Really, she did hope for a relationship. She did start to fall for Jerry and the look in his eyes said that he loved her. Ri-ight. That’s what it was. Darla squeezed her eyes shut tightly and prayed that that one action was enough to kill the whirlpool of thoughts. They were really beginning to eat at her. The fact that she had been a complete and utter a*s to fall for Jerry’s mind games, wasn’t something that she loved reminding herself about.

The sound of the door clicking close didn’t bother her. The sound of her mother greeting Dr. Curtis didn’t bother her, her eyes were still shut. Playing sleep perhaps? But the sound of a deep tenor with that husky southern drawl ripped her eyes open so quick that she nearly tore a lid. In that moment, she didn’t remember how to breathe. In that moment all she could think was ‘no not a man!’, and slowly tell her self that this lady should get lozenges to clear up that sore throat. Surely her mother wouldn’t bring her to see a male doctor when she was on her man-hate mode. Right?

"Hello Darla, I’m Dr. Curtis. How’s about you sitting up and letting me take a look at you?" Was he freaking kidding her? She was so not turning around and getting out of her protective fetal position. No way!

Silence filled the room as the doctor and her mother waited for her to respond. As far as Darla was concerned they could wait all damn day and like it because she had no intentions on moving.

"I think she fell asleep doctor; she was rather exhausted from all the vomiting." Trust her mother to find reason.

"No she’s wide awake from what I can see of her face…and the lack of her breathing. Uh, Ms. Rose I need you to breathe please." His voice was so gentle, so harmless…she wasn’t buying.

She heard the slow click of her mother’s heel and closed her eyes quickly. She waited and hoped they were convinced that she was too fatigue.

"Darla Emily Rose you sit up right this instant or I will call your father to persuade you to do just as I asked." They weren’t convinced. Darla opened her eyes slowly, reluctantly, and pushed up with what little energy she had, to a sitting position. Her hair fell over her face and she kept her head down because it was spinning.

"There you go Dr. Curtis, I’m sure she won’t be of any further problems for you." Her mother said as she walked back to her seat, sat down and adjusted her purse in her lap. Darla could feel her disapproving glare from across the room. She would go through with the examination, but damn it she didn’t have to like it. She didn’t look up at the doctor, and from the toss of her hair he was sure he couldn’t really see her. Stubborn to the last drop.

"Darla…" That tone was a warning and she knew that she was beat. She lifted her head slowly, opened her eyes-because she had to close them to move her head- and turned to look up into the most startling honey brown eyes she’d ever seen. That was all she could see at first…at first. Then when she was adjusted enough to shift her gaze, she looked down at wide pearly grin of perfect teeth set in the frame of a rich natural tan. Hair was pulled back from that face to leave it startling, handsome and so many other words that were slamming into Darla’s skull at that moment. It gave the illusion that his hair was shorter than it seemed, but she was pretty sure that there was a good lengthy ponytail swinging behind there. She found that the hinge on her mouth wasn’t working quite as good as it once was. Her mouth was willing to slide open rather closing. Embarrassing? Oh yes…

"Ms. Curtis, you still with me?" He asked again the deep roll of his accent played on her senses. Darla was too busy trying to reboot her brain to really hear and comprehend what he had just asked her. When since did doctors become so hot? Yeah, she was regretting that dumb mental question. It only helped confirm how foggy her brain was right then. As if part of the qualifications for being a doctor was that your face had to appear to have been trampled on by baby rhinos. Yeah…

"Darla?" As her mother called her name, Dr. Curtis shone his light in Darla’s eyes and nearly burned out her retina. She hissed and turned her head away, but felt the room tilt forward and left her falling. She had to catch up and nearly fell over the bed, but a very warm, very tanned, very masculine arm caught her about her waist and held her from crashing. She felt her heart punching against her rib cage and her mouth run water. This wasn’t good water though. This was the water that flooded your mouth just before your stomach swirled and spilled everything out of it. Darla felt her stomach heave forward and with it came her cup of tea and then some. It wouldn’t have been so bad had she puked on the floor, or even on herself, but she let the doctor have it. Yes, he got every drop of what was left inside Darla’s stomach. Everything.