by Shawna Platt
He pulled out a chart to give Kinsey a visual. He pointed to the cervix on the small poster. “We’ll be going through the cervix,” then ran his finger up into the uterus area, “directly into the uterus, where we’ll deposit the sperm.”
He set the poster aside. “After the procedure, you may experience a little cramping, but if the cramping becomes intense, please contact one of us immediately.” He studied her for a moment. “Any questions?”
Through the cervix, into the uterus. Oh, god, shoot me now.
She finally found her voice, even though it shook. “No…no questions.”
He smiled again and Kinsey felt her legs melt off the table. Not going to be good.
Dr. Rayner walked to the end of the exam table. “Go ahead and lay back and place your feet in the stirrups.”
When Kinsey hesitated, Dr. Westcott came and stood beside her, placing her hand on Kinsey’s arm. “It’s all right, Kinsey. Just try to relax.”
Kinsey slowly lowered herself onto the table and placed her feet in the stirrups. She looked down at the end of the table and saw Dr. Rayner’s face smiling up at her. Dear God in heaven.
His voice was gentle as he spoke. “Go ahead and slide down to the end of the table and try to relax.”
That’s easy for you to say. She did as she was asked and felt even more exposed. Dr. Westcott took her hand as Dr. Rayner took the syringe off the tray. He pushed the stool to the end of the table and Kinsey felt one of his hands on the inside of her thigh. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about what he was about to do.
“You’re going to feel a little pressure, but try to keep your muscles relaxed.”
As the procedure began, she felt herself tense, but took a deep breath and let it happen. She had to admit his approach was gentle, but she couldn’t get over the fact that he was literally in her vagina, shooting some unknown man’s sperm into her uterus. The thought made her nauseous again and she took another deep breath. It’ll be over soon.
It only took a short amount of time and Dr. Rayner was removing the syringe. “Okay, all done.” He put the syringe on the tray. “That wasn’t too bad was it?”
Kinsey shook her head, her eyes still closed. “No, but I’m glad it’s over.” You have no idea.
He chuckled, pulled off his gloves, and pushed away from the end of the table.
Dr. Westcott helped Kinsey remove her feet from the stirrups. “Don’t sit up yet.”
After Dr. Rayner washed his hands, he turned to Kinsey. “We’ll monitor you closely for the next couple weeks to make sure the procedure was a success.”
Kinsey cringed at the thought of having to do this again. “If it wasn’t?”
“We do the procedure three times. If it’s not successful by then, you’ll be released from the program and can return home.”
Kinsey didn’t know which was worse. Having this procedure be a success and have to carry some unknown man’s baby or having to have gorgeous doctor’s hand in her vagina again. She shuttered at the thought of both.
Dr. Rayner walked to the counter and grabbed one of his business cards. He handed it to her. “If you have any questions or concerns, contact me immediately.”
Kinsey looked down at the card and nodded. She glanced up when she saw his out-stretched hand appear by the card. She looked at his hand, knowing where it had just been, and reluctantly shook it.
He smiled again and Kinsey quietly sighed. “It was nice meeting you, Kinsey. I’ll be talking to you again soon.” He turned and walked out of the room.
Dr. Westcott walked to the computer and entered some information into Kinsey’s file, then turned to her. “Okay, you’re done for today. Go ahead and get dressed and I’ll chat with you for a bit before you leave.”
“Thank you.”
Kinsey got dressed and placed the used paper robe on the exam table. She picked up the business card Dr. Rayner had given her and studied it. She wondered what it was about this guy that was sending her emotions into a tizzy. She’d never had that kind of reaction to a guy before and it was messing with her. She closed her eyes and could see his face clearly. His soft, caring hazel eyes and tufts of curly hair still took her breath away. My god, girl, get a grip.
The knock on the door brought her back and she looked over to see Dr. Westcott poke her head in.
“Are you dressed and ready to go?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Dr. Westcott entered the room and handed some papers to Kinsey. She motioned to the chair in the corner that Kinsey’s clothes had been on earlier. “Please, sit down.”
The doctor pulled the dreaded stool over and sat down in front of her. “So, are you feeling all right?”
“I think so, yes. I just can’t stop thinking about what could be taking place inside my body right now.”
“Well, that’s normal, but try to put it out of your head for now. The last thing we want is for you to be stressed out.”
Kinsey laughed. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s going to be all right. We’ll take good care of you.”
Kinsey smiled. “I know you will. I’m not worried about that.”
“Good.” She pointed to the papers she gave Kinsey. “Everything you need to know about the procedure and possible after-effects are there. If you feel anything out of the ordinary, anything that doesn’t feel right to you, let us know right away.”
Kinsey lifted Dr. Rayner’s card. “Yes, I will, thank you.”
Dr. Westcott tilted her head. “Yeah, that’s not something I’ve ever seen him do.”
Kinsey looked confused. “Never seen him do what?”
“Personally give his card to a participant after a procedure. I usually handle all the after care questions. He only does the procedures and deliveries.”
Kinsey recalled the kindness in his eyes. “Hmmm…interesting. Why did he give it to me?”
Dr. Westcott shook her head and stood. “I honestly don’t know.” She walked over, opened the door slightly, and whispered, “Maybe he likes you.”
Kinsey felt her heart skip a beat. “Well, that’s awkward.”
Dr. Westcott laughed. “We are human after all.”
Yeah, no kidding. Kinsey stood and walked to the door, thanking Dr. Westcott as she exited.
As she walked down the hallway that lead to the reception area, Dr. Rayner came out of a treatment room and she ran right into him. He reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. She looked up at his face and almost passed out. My god, you’re gorgeous.
“Kinsey, are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
“The fault is mine. I need to look both ways when leaving a room.” His smile killed her.
“No harm done.” She got her emotions in check and walked away, willing herself not to look back. It didn’t work. She took a quick glance behind her and there he was, watching her walk away with a smile on his face. She turned back around and quickly made her way to the front door.
As soon as Kinsey returned to the living quarters, she located Tessa, who was resting in her room. Tessa was all questions.
“So, how did it go? Are you all right?”
Kinsey collapsed on her couch. “It depends on what you mean by all right. Physically, I’m fine. Emotionally, I’m not so sure.”
“Well, the procedure can trigger some difficult emotions.”
“It’s not the procedure, Tessa.” She turned and looked Tessa in the eye. “Who the hell is that doctor?”
“Which one?”
“Dr. Brice Rayner.”
Tessa let out a loud laugh. “Oh, him! Yeah, he’s easy on the eyes isn’t he?”
“Damn! I thought I was going to die when he walked in. It was all I could do to not faint at his feet and then to find out he was doing the procedure. Holy shit, Tess, do you know where he had his fingers?”
Tessa couldn’t stop laughing. “Yeah, I�
�m well aware. Get used to it because he’ll be doing most of your checkups.”
“Well, at least I’ll have that to look forward to.”
Tessa playfully nudged her. “Hey, he’s a professional.”
“Like I care at this point.” She paused. “How much do you know about him?”
“I know he’s been the main doctor for Operation Vala since the program’s inception. Finished high school early and went right into medical school.”
“So he’s a smarty pants.”
Tessa giggled. “Yeah, a smarty pants.”
“How old is he?”
“I’m not sure, but from what I hear he’s in his early thirties.” Tessa nudged her again. “You’ve got the hots for doc man.”
“I don’t know what I’ve got, but it sure feels good.” She nudged Tessa back. “Now I have two people I can look forward to seeing while I’m here.”
“There you go.” Tessa stood. “I’m sorry to push you out, but I have to work in the file room at the clinic today.”
“The clinic I just came from?”
“The same. If I run into hot doc do you want me to say hi for you?”
She gave Tessa a sarcastic look. “Oh, yes, please do.”
Tessa laughed. “I’ll just give him a little ‘Hey, hey’, as I walk by.”
“Yeah, let’s not.”
Tessa walked her to the door. “I’ll stop by your room tonight when I get done. We can hang out and watch that movie or something.”
“Sounds great. I’ll see you then.”
Tessa walked into the clinic and down the hall that lead to the file room. She had to walk past the doctor’s private offices as she did and couldn’t help but slow down when she came to Dr. Rayner’s. He was standing with his back to the door looking over some type of document. She smiled to herself and mumbled, “Girl’s got good taste.”
When she entered the file room, another girl was walking out.
“Hey, Tessa. They had me working on a huge project that needed to be copied, so I didn’t get to the files.” She pointed to a huge pile of participant files. “Sorry to leave all those for you.”
Tessa groaned and walked toward the pile. “No problem. What else do I have to do today?”
The girl laughed and threw a “Have fun” over her shoulder as she walked out.
Tessa spent about a half hour putting participant files in the file cabinet. She grabbed the next one on the pile and stopped. She looked at the name again. Sloane, Tessa. She thought, why is my file out? I haven’t had an appointment recently?
She opened the file and the form on the top caught her attention. As she read over the page, her heart stopped. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was there and rushed to the copy machine, making a copy of the form. She closed the file and stuffed the copy in her purse. She went to the file cabinet and put her file away, along with the others that had yet to be filed.
She sat for a second and tried to catch her breath. One of the nurses walked by the file room and saw her holding her stomach, breathing heavily.
“Tessa, are you all right?”
The nurse caught her off guard and she jumped. “Yes, I’m sorry. I just get winded so easily now days.”
She walked in and manually checked Tessa’s pulse. “It’s a little elevated. Why don’t you take off and get some rest. Someone else can handle the remainder of the filing.”
“I’ve got most of it done, but I’ll take you up on that offer.” As Tessa stood she felt a bit dizzy, but tried not to let it show.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Tessa took a deep breath and stood up straight. “Yes, I’m better now, thank you.”
“You let us know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
The nurse left and Tessa grabbed her purse. She had to talk to Kinsey immediately. She was going to need her help.
Chapter Fifteen
Keith sat in a small bar on the outskirts of Chicago sipping his beer. He’d spent the weekend in a hotel trying to figure out his next move. The guilt over Brianna’s accident was starting to eat him alive and he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to do this job. Hakon was out of control and getting worse with each passing day.
He came up with a few ideas of how to get out of his chosen profession, but the consequences would be bad for him. He could walk away and never speak to Hakon again. Never take another phone call and never chase down another recruit for the program, or he could personally tell Hakon he was done. Both would result in Hakon’s fury and it wouldn’t end well.
For now, he decided to lay low and drink beer. He was worried about Kinsey. He knew her family and Sheila would be safe as long as Kinsey continued to do what was expected of her. He didn’t feel she’d do anything to put them in any more danger.
He took another sip of his beer and stared at his phone. There was one decision he was sure of, and he looked up the number to the hospital were Brianna was being treated. He dialed the number and when they answered, he asked for the billing department. This was the least he could do. He was, however, the reason she was there.
Tessa couldn’t get to Kinsey’s room fast enough. She was out of breath by the time she reached her door and pressed the buzzer several times. When Kinsey opened the door, Tessa pushed past her, panic overriding all logic.
“Tessa! What’s wrong?”
Tessa held up her hand and tried to catch her breath. “Give me a second.”
Kinsey rushed over and helped her to the couch. Once she had her seated, she got her a glass of water.
“Here, drink this.”
Tessa took a small sip and set the glass on the coffee table. When she looked at Kinsey, tears were beginning to roll from her eyes.
“They’re planning on terminating my pregnancy.”
Kinsey looked shocked. “Why? How? You’re six months pregnant!”
Tessa’s hands were shaking as she pulled the pieces of crumpled paper from her purse. “Here.” She handed them to Kinsey. “Read this.”
Kinsey cupped her hand over her mouth as she read. “Oh, my god, Tessa!” She looked up and saw the sheer panic on Tessa’s face. “How can they do this?”
“They don’t have any control, Kinsey, don’t you see? They have to do what they’re told.”
Kinsey looked down at the form again and the truth of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. “The rape. This child is the result of Hakon’s rape.”
Tessa took a deep breath. “He knows, Kinsey. Somehow he knows and he’s trying to cover it up. Do you think it’s possible they can tell the child I’m carrying isn’t a product of the insemination procedure?”
“Even if they can, how do they get away with that?”
“I don’t know, but according to that form,” she slapped it with her hand, “the child I’m carrying is to be terminated. It says I’m having a girl.”
“But how are they going to do it?” Kinsey flipped to the second page. “It says a Dr. Hartman is to take over your care. Was there anything else in your file?”
“I didn’t have a lot of time to read through the other forms regarding the termination procedure, but I know they’re planning on injecting me with something during my next check up that will cause a miscarriage. I, of course, am not supposed to know that. They’ll probably say it’s some kind of injection for health reasons.”
“Then they can say the miscarriage was a fluke.” Kinsey paused and remembered her conversation with Dr. Westcott. “Maybe the other doctors don’t know what’s going on. They may truly believe they’re injecting you with something beneficial.”
Tessa pushed herself off the couch and starting pacing. “Or they won’t have anything to do with it if this Dr. Hartman is taking over my care. What am I going to do? I understand this child is the result of a rape, but I don’t want her terminated.” She paused as the tears came pouring out. “I want to keep her, Kinsey!”
“When is your next appointment scheduled?”
“This week. I only have a few days to figure out what to do.” She started pacing again. A thought came to her. “I have to escape the compound.” She looked at Kinsey with fresh hope in her eyes. “I can escape.”
Kinsey shook her head. “How in the hell are you going to do that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to figure it out. I don’t have any other choice. They’re not going to kill my daughter.”
By the end of the night, Tessa had come up with her plan of escape. She was going to volunteer to work in the cafeteria where there were delivery trucks in and out all day. She had to find a way to hide in the back of one of the trucks so it could remove her from the compound. The second tricky part was getting out of the truck once outside the compound with no one seeing her. From there, she’d find her way back home to Texas. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was all she had and she only had a few days to do it.
Kinsey wasn’t convinced it would work. She could probably get into the truck, but getting back out would be the hard part. “It’s not like you’re fast on your feet right now.”
“I don’t have a choice, Kinsey. I can’t think of any other way and I have to get out of this compound.”
As if on cue, Tessa’s cell phone rang. She looked up at Kinsey when she saw Dr. Westcott’s number on the screen.
Kinsey nodded. “Answer it.”
Tessa pressed the button and put the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
Dr. Westcott’s voice sounded cheery as usual. “Hello, Tessa. I was calling to see how you’re feeling. One of the nurses said you weren’t feeling well when you were here earlier.”
Tessa tried to keep her voice from shaking. “Oh, thank you, but I’m feeling better now. I was just a little winded, that’s all.”
“Well, just to be safe, why don’t you come see me tomorrow afternoon?”
Tessa shot a worried look in Kinsey’s direction. “No, I’m sure I’m fine. Don’t I have an appointment later in the week? I’ll just keep that one.”
“I think it’s better you come see me tomorrow. The nurse said you looked pretty pale and your heart rate was a bit elevated. Let’s not take any chances, Tessa. If you’re coming down with something, we should try to catch it now.”