As the day went on Lexi began to think more and more about her future. The idea that she would have a real home of her own made her want to make big changes in her life. She felt as if she would be getting a fresh start, a new beginning and finally she felt as if her options were limitless. She still had no idea what the doctor meant when he said they would come to an agreement, but it didn’t really matter to her. She had been called naïve in the past, but she thought of herself as innocent. No matter what her gut told her about the situation she trusted that the doctor was a good man and that he was simply looking out for her.
When her shift was over she could not have been happier. She quickly went into the bathroom and cleaned up. She hated sleeping when she felt like she was covered in grease from all of the food she had served. Once she had cleaned up, she grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. She was excited to see the doctor. She knew that he would find nothing wrong with her, but even so part of her was afraid as well.
As she walked to Dr. Dan’s office, she saw that the lights were still on. It was after seven and she was amazed that he had stayed that late. Something in her told her that she should just leave and that she should not go into the office, but she continued to walk toward it. Slowly at first, but as thoughts on a new home entered her mind, she picked up her pace. Lexi got to the door, but when she pulled on it, she found that it was locked. She looked around, unsure what she should do, but as she turned back to the door there was another doctor standing on the other side. Lexi jumped not expecting anyone to be there, but quickly regained her composure as the doctor stood behind the glass looking at her.
“I’m Lexi,” she managed to say. “I’m here to see Dr. Dan.”
The man’s eyes widened as he looked at Lexi and a grin formed on his face, causing her heartbeat to quicken. The doctor opened the door. “We didn’t know if you would show up,” he said smiling down at her. He looked to be a bit older than Dr. Dan, at least in his mid-forties, but he was still an attractive man and it was obvious to Lexi that he took care of himself. He did not make her feel the same way that Dr. Dan did though. The way he looked at her made her feel more uncomfortable than she had ever been in her life. It was almost as if he could see straight through her clothes and as he licked his lips, she crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to feel covered.
“Don’t mind him, Lexi,” she heard. It was Dr. Dan walking into the waiting area. “He won’t hurt you. He just thinks you’re cute,” he continued as he smiled at her. Lexi tried to force a smile, but struggled. “Don’t be embarrassed. You are cute,” Dr. Dan said with a grin on his face.
“Um, thank you,” Lexi said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. Dr. Dan led her back to the examination room while the other doctor followed. “This is Caleb,” he said as they walked. “He is going to help me out tonight.”
“Help you out?” Lexi turned giving Dr. Dan a questioning look.
“Well, yes,” he replied. “There are no nurses here.”
“Oh,” Lexi said, nodding her head. She had never been to a doctor before. She had been to a few free clinics to get her shots when she was younger, but in her family, if you were sick, you just dealt with it. You didn’t run to see the doctors, so she had no idea what to expect.
Dr. Dan led her to the small examination room where she found a gown that the doctor told her to change into. She looked at him as if he were crazy when he told her to make sure there was nothing underneath of the gown. Lexi shook her head as the two doctors left the room and talked among each other. She thought they were crazy, but then again, who was she to say what was crazy and what was not. She simply wanted to do what she was told so that she could get the house that Dr. Dan had mentioned.
Lexi changed into the gown and sat on the table as she waited for the doctors to return. She wished she didn’t smell like French fries and was embarrassed that she had not been able to clean herself up better.
The two doctors returned within a few minutes and Dr. Caleb was carrying a strange looking container with him. Lexi would later learn that he was going to take her blood and run some tests.
When he pulled out the needle, her eyes grew wide. He asked her if she was afraid of needles, but she was not. The truth was that she had used them on a regular basis and she was afraid of him seeing the marks on her arms.
Dr. Dan gently picked up her arm and turned it so that he was able to find a vein. What he saw had him raising an eyebrow to Dr. Caleb. “Don’t worry, Lexi,” Dr. Dan said to her. “We’re only here to help. None of this matters, but you have to make a promise to me.”