Chapter 7

 

Kaitlin looked around nervously as they walked up to the front desk.  She was grateful that the area was empty other than a large woman sitting behind the desk.

The woman looked up as the two teens approached her desk.  Her eyes instinctively narrowed when she took in the appearance of the girl.  She had on a long sleeved but button down shirt that went down almost to her knees her face was smudged with dirt, and her lip was split.  But it wasn’t her appearance that set off the warning buzzer in her head; it was the way her arms were wrapped tightly around her body, as if to keep it from falling to pieces, and the wild look of fear in her eyes.  “Well, what can I be doin’ fer ya two?”  She asked, her voice sounding gruffer than she had meant it to.

The girl looked up at the boy who was standing next to her protectively.  He nodded reassuringly, and the girl seemed to visibly brace herself.  “Umm…” her voice faltered.  She cleared her throat and tried again.  “I need to see a doctor.”  Her voice came as a whisper as if she was ashamed to say it.

“Okay, if you have a seat and fill these out, Dr. Stone will be with you shortly.”
 The woman handed Kaitlin a clipboard and scurried behind a curtain to the back.

Kaitlin sat down on one of the folding chairs set up in the waiting room.  Without too much hesitation she filled out the form.  A few moments later a thin grave looking woman with an unruly mass of brown curls pulled back carelessly came into the waiting room.

“I’m Dr. Stone,” her voice was pleasant but professional.  She looked at the clipboard.  “You must be Kaitlin,” Kaitlin nodded.  “And you are?”  Dr. Stone asked looking at Jonathan

“Jonathan.”

Dr. Stone gave him a nod and looked back to Kaitlin.  “If you come with me into the back, we can talk there.”  Kaitlin looked uneasily at Jonathan.  “Your friend can join us too if you would like.”  Stone commented, understating Kaitlin’s hesitation.  Kaitlin gave her a grateful smile and followed her into the back, with Jonathan next to her.

Behind the curtain was another larger room divided into cubicles by curtains, furniture and decorations were sparse, but it was clean.

Stone offered them both chairs and she herself sat behind a neat and orderly desk.  “Now, what brings you here?”

Kaitlin looked nervous, frightened, ashamed, and like she was ready to bolt, all at once.  Jonathan discretely covered her hand with his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.  Kaitlin seemed to draw strength from his small gesture of support.

“I…” Her voice failed her again.  Taking a shaky breath she tried once more.  Her voice came out barley above a whisper; “I was attacked and…raped.”

******

“The results should be in, in about a week.  Here is your ID number; we use numbers rather than names for privacy.”  Dr. Stone handed Kaitlin a slip of paper.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.  Normally I don’t say anything other than medical suggestions, but off the record, I urge you to report this to the police.”  Kaitlin’s eyes double in size.  “If you are uncomfortable I can make the preliminary call, with your permission, but they will want to talk to you.”

Kaitlin’s brow furrowed in contemplation; finally it smoothed out, she had mad her session.  “Could you make the call, but tell them that I won’t be in until tomorrow?  All I want to do is go home and shower, then go to bed.”

“That’s no problem, if you just take this clipboard to Gwen at the front desk, then you’ll be ready to go.”  Kaitlin took the clipboard and headed in that direction.  Jonathan was about to follow when Dr. Stone stopped him.  “Jonathan, can I speak to you for a moment?”

He watched as Kaitlin disappeared into the front of the clink.  “Yes?” he responded as soon as the curtain closed behind her.

Dr. Stone decided to be right to the point, “You want to protect her?”  It was more a statement then a question, Jonathan nodded.  “To the point of going after the man who did this to her?”

“Defiantly.”  Jonathan responded passionately

“Don’t,” she raised her hand to halt his protest, and continued.  “Protecting her is one thing, something I admire, but getting stupid is anther, something I detest.  She needs to fight this herself, all you can do is be there and she needs you.  She’s going to be very vulnerable and emotional for a while.  She may not act like herself, because she’s not herself, she’s terrified.  He’s some information and a number to call if you have questions.”  Stone handed Jonathan a pamphlet.  She walked him to the front, just before they were within Kaitlin’s hearing, “You take care of her ya’ hear?”

“With my life.”

Kaitlin looked at him questioningly, “What was that about?”

Jonathan thought of just telling her it was nothing, but she didn’t deserve being lied to.  “She just wanted to make sure that I didn’t do anything stupid.”

“Kaitlin was quiet a minute, “And are you?”  She asked as they made their way back to Jonathan’s dorm.

“Am I what?”  He asked distracted.  Jonathan was trying to recall which way was lit the best, on the way to the clinic he hadn’t been paying attention, all he had been concerned about was getting her there as soon as possible.

“Are you going to do something stupid?”  Kaitlin touched his arm softly to tell him she was serious.

Jonathan turned to face her.  “Kaitlin, look,” he took both her hands in his and studied them for a moment; they seemed so small and fail in his, seeing her frailty made him all the more furious with the creep who had even dared to touch her.  “If I could get my hands on that creep, right now, I would kill him.  But I’m not going to do anything stupid; all I wasn’t to do is help.  If you need anything, anything at all even if you just don’t want to be alone, I want you to call me okay?”

Kaitlin gave him one of her okay-what-ever looks.

“No, promise me, that you will.”

He was so ernest that she found herself promising to.  “Good, now do you want me to just take you home or do you want to get cleaned up at my place?”

Kaitlin looked down at herself, “I…I don’t want Gretta to see me like this.”

“Okay, we’ll head back to my place.”