“Yes. Are you?” he asked with a smile.
“Yes, I am. Let’s just go,” she said as she climbed out of the car. Daniel climbed out of the car and followed her into the hospital after paying the cab driver. “So, how is this going to work? Healthcare in a foreign country?” she asked as they walked to the reception.
“I’ll handle it,” he said with a smile.
“Done this a lot, Mr. Reese?” she asked with a smile.
He nodded and she frowned.
“I mean getting sick abroad, not what you think,” he said. “Or what I think you are implying,” he added with a frown. “Hi, we would like to see someone about getting tested.”
“Fill this out, please,” the receptionist said as she handed Daniel two forms. The two sat down and quickly filled out the small questionnaire before handing them back to the receptionist. “Have a seat and someone will be with you shortly,” she added. Daniel looked at Erica as they sat down.
“Times like this I really miss home. You know, doctors you know and stuff like that,” he said.
“Oh yeah. My OBGYN would definitely like to see me,” Erica said making Daniel frown. “It’s a joke we have. She says that the only action she gets is when she sees her patients,” she added with a smile.
“How old is she?” Daniel asked.
“Not so old. She is actually quite a looker but she has not been very lucky in love, lately,” she said. “At some point, we’d both given up. And then I met you,” she added looking into his eyes.
Daniel smiled at her and took her hand in his. He could tell that she was nervous from the way she was breathing and looking at him. It seemed like forever before the receptionist finally called their names.
“Daniel Reese and Erica Hayes,” the receptionist called out. Daniel looked at Erica who was taking a deep breath and then stood up. “Do you want to go in together?” the receptionist asked. Daniel looked at Erica and nodded.
“That sounds really good,” he said as he looked at her. He shifted his attention back to the receptionist and smiled.
“This way,” the woman said as she led them down a hallway to a room. As they sat down, Erica couldn’t help but frown at the smell. She had always hated the smell in hospitals. She could never quite get whether it was the drugs or just the whole damn building. She always wanted to barf any time she was around a healthcare center but what she didn’t know was that this time round, it was not about the smell but what they had gone there to do in the first place.
“So, Erica and Daniel,” a man said as he walked into the room. “American, judging by your surnames,” he said sitting down. Daniel nodded and Erica smiled uncomfortably. “I am Dr. Gregorio Castillo,” he said with a smile. Erica could not help but notice how much of a heartthrob he was. He looked like he had been pulled right out of a telenovela.
“Hello, Dr. Castillo. My girlfriend and I would like to get tested,” Daniel said. Dr. Castillo raised an eyebrow.
“Together?” he asked. This time, Erica was the one who answered.
“Yes, together. I…we think it’s better this way,” she said.
“That is very strange. Most couples like having the test taken separately. You must really trust each other,” he said.
Daniel looked at Erica and smiled.
“We do,” he said.
“Well, there are a few questions I have to ask first,” Dr. Castillo said. Erica took a long deep breath and Daniel squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Let’s start with your age,” he started.
“Twenty eight,” Erica said.
“Thirty one,” Daniel said. Erica looked at him and smiled. She had no idea how old he was until now.
“And, how many sexual partners have you had in the last two years?” he asked.
“Two,” Erica said.
“Three,” Daniel said. Erica was not sure she wanted to know who the third woman was.
“And how many times have you had unprotected sex in the last two years?” Dr. Castillo asked as he scribbled something on his clipboard.
“Two,” Erica said.
“Same here,” Daniel said. The doctor looked up. “Two, I mean,” he said.
“And have you been showing any kind of symptoms? Rash maybe? Burning sensation while urinating?” the doctor asked.
Daniel shook his head. “No.”
“No,” Erica said in a soft voice.
“Okay. So, how would you feel if you tested positive for HIV?” the doctor asked. Erica frowned and shook her head.
“I don’t know…I would probably go back to the States and shoot my ingrate ex in the head,” she said. Dr. Castillo’s eyes grew wide. “I’m kidding of course…but I don’t know what I would do if that happened,” she said blinking back a tear. She never really thought about that.
“If you have such thoughts, I would be inclined to withhold your results,” he said. She looked at him and then at Daniel. She didn’t know how she was supposed to answer such a question. She looked at the doctor and shrugged.
“I am blank, honestly. I don’t know how to answer that,” she said. The doctor looked at her and then at Daniel.
“What about you? What would you say if I told you if I told you that you had the HIV virus?” Dr. Castillo asked.
Daniel shrugged.
“Like her, I really don’t know what to say,” he said.
Dr. Castillo took a long deep breath.
“You are making it so hard for me,” he said.
“After all this years, is there any answer that would shock you? Because I have absolutely no idea what we are supposed to say,” she said as she looked at the doctor. “What about you? What would you say to that question and do not dare tell me some bullshit about being the bigger man and taking the high road,” she added. In her eyes, you could see the anger she had for the doctor. The doctor smiled at her and then shrugged.
“Perhaps I should just go ahead and take the test,” he said.
“Please,” Erica said. There was more sarcasm in her voice than she had intended. She looked at Daniel and exhaled loudly. “I’m sorry,” she said in a whisper. Daniel squeezed her hand again and smiled as the doctor tied the cord around her upper arm.
“Make a fist for me,” he said. She made a fist and waited to feel the prick. When it finally came, she shut her eyes tightly and whimpered a little. “All done,” the doctor said untying the cord and securing the vile with her blood. “Now, Mr. Reese,” he said as he prepared a fresh syringe. Daniel rolled up his t-shirt as Erica pressed a piece of cotton to her arm. “The blood work will take a few minutes. Luckily, the lab is not busy today,” he said.
“We’ll wait,” Daniel said.
“Alright. I’ll have the nurse get you when I’m ready,” he said. Daniel stood up and led Erica back out into the reception area.
“Someone was a little firecracker today,” he said. She looked up at him and shook her head.
“I’m really sorry,” she said.
“No don’t be. I like this side of you. So feisty, so hot,” he said as he looked at her. She smiled and shrugged. “Coffee? I saw a vending machine around the corner,” he said. She shrugged. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he walked away.
She sat down and leaned back. She had surprised even herself when she snapped at Dr. Castillo like that but the questions he was asking had struck a nerve. And anything and everything Eli related almost always got her angry. Could it have been the fact that she still harbored a grudge against him? And if she did, what did it mean? She forced out a smile when Daniel came back holding two Styrofoam cups.
“Not so sure how the coffee is but I guess it will be better than just sitting here doing nothing,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said as she took a sip. “Actually, it’s not so bad,” she said with a smile.
“Are you kidding me? I feel like I am drinking coffee flavored mud,” he said.
“Well, you would have hated the coffee at Kirkland & Ellis,” she said with a smile.
&nb
sp; “I think one of the most important home and office appliances is the coffee maker,” he said as he endured another sip. She looked at him and shook her head.
“So, I have to ask. Three women,” she started even though she knew it was a bad idea.
“Somehow I knew this question was coming,” he said. He took another sip and looked at her. “It was my ex, another ex and then you, of course,” he said.
“Wait, another ex?” she asked.
“It was a wild night. We got wasted with a couple of my buddies and the said ex just happened to be in the same bar. It was one of those mistakes you just wake up from and wonder what the hell happened,” he said.
“Guess I know a thing or two about that,” she said.
“Whoa, Hayes. You’ve been holding out on me,” he said.
She looked up at him and nodded.
“Law school. I’d just had a big test and after that, I just needed to unwind. We all did and the next thing I knew, I was waking up next to my best friend,” she said. He raised one eyebrow over the other. “It was a guy. You can relax,” she added.
Daniel laughed and took another sip.
“I guess this is an acquired taste,” he said.
“Getting better?” she asked. Daniel nodded and took another sip. “Told you so,” she added.
“So, I have to ask. Why did you get so worked up when the doctor asked about the test?” he asked. She took a deep breath and looked at him. “You know those questions are just standard, right?” he asked. She shrugged for the umpteenth time and took a long deep breath. She looked at him and sighed.
“When I walked in on Eli cheating on me, I remember thinking how many times had he done this? What if he actually put me at risk and I didn’t even know it?” she pulled the cotton swab she was holding against her arm and tossed it into a nearby bin. “It’s not bleeding anymore,” she said in a whisper.
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Daniel said. She looked at him and smiled before taking a sip from her cup.
“Yes, but I didn’t go to the clinic then. I kept on putting it off and then I met you and…” her voice trailed off. She could not bring herself to finish the sentence because it was so obvious she was going to cry. Daniel took her hand again.
“We are going to be fine,” he said. He had a reassuring smile on his face.
“You really think so?” she asked as she looked into his eyes.
“Oh I know it. If there is a God, he would not let me meet such a great woman and then just allow something that bad to happen,” he said. She smiled and raised an eyebrow over the other.
“Well, there is a God and He brought you to me,” she said with a smile. He looked into her eyes and then leaned in for a quick kiss just as the receptionist walked towards them.
“Dr. Castillo is ready for you,” she said.
Daniel stood up and Erica followed. She didn’t know if he could hear her breathing because she could hear her heart drumming in her ears. Daniel slipped an arm around her waist.
“Come on, it’s going to be okay,” he said as he led her into the doctor’s office.
“Miss Hayes, Mr. Reese. Nice to see you again,” Dr. Castillo said. Erica looked at Daniel and then at Dr. Castillo and forced out a smile. “So, we have your results. You’ll be happy to know that you both tested negative,” the doctor said. Erica breathed a long sigh of relief.
“See, I told you,” Daniel said smiling at Erica.
“But I would like to talk to you about some more practical contraception plans,” Dr. Castillo said. She looked at Daniel and nodded. “Apart from pregnancy, there is also the risk of disease and the only way you can avoid this, is to be faithful to each other,” he said. Daniel looked at her and smiled.
“I think I have every reason to be faithful to this woman,” he said as he looked at Erica.
“That’s good to hear,” the doctor said with a smile.
“I also wanted a more permanent birth control method but I was a bit confused about everything,” Erica said.
“There are a number you can actually pick from,” the doctor said handing her a pamphlet. She quickly looked through and shook her head.
“I don’t want anything that would scar so that arm implant thing is definitely a no-no,” she said.
“What about an IUD?” Dr. Castillo asked. Erica looked at the pamphlet and frowned.
“What if it shifts or something?” she asked as she looked at the doctor.
“Chances of that happening are really slim. But we have ways of countering that,” he said. Erica looked at Daniel and shrugged.
“What do you think?” she asked. Daniel shook his head.
“I don’t think I am the right person to be answering that question,” he said. She looked at him and then turned her attention to the doctor, confused. It was at that moment that something caught her eye. Copper –T. That was what Cassandra had.
“Talk to me about this copper-T,” she said as she looked at the doctor.
“It is a small piece of copper that is inserted through the vagina blocking the entrance of the cervix. It prevents the egg and sperm from ever coming into contact,” Dr. Castillo explained.
“But what about…” she started asking.
“You will still get your period as usual. The device doesn’t prevent that from happening,” Dr. Castillo said as he looked at her. Erica took a long deep breath.
“That’s what I want,” she said.
“Erica, are you sure?” Daniel asked. Erica smiled and nodded.
“Yeah and it’s not invasive like the arm implant so I think it is okay,” she said. Daniel looked at her and shrugged. “Is it possible for me to get the device today?” she asked.
“Baby, are you sure?” Daniel asked as he looked at her.
She smiled and nodded. “More than ever.”
Dr. Castillo smiled and looked at her,
“We can have you set up with one of our OBGYNs. You can be done in a few minutes,” he said.
“Then let’s do it before I change my mind,” she said standing up. Daniel stood up and looked at her.
“Can…do you want me to come with you?” he asked as he looked at her.
“I think this is something I have to do alone,” she said. “Besides, I’m not sure you want to see some woman or man shove her hands up inside my cooch,” she added with a smile. Dr. Castillo led them out and Daniel looked at Erica.
“I’ll be right here when you get out, okay?” he stated when they got to the reception.
“Okay,” Erica said before he gave her a quick kiss. She looked at him and then followed Dr. Castillo down the hallway to another room. Somehow, even though she was about to lie on a bed spread eagled, she didn’t feel so scared. It was probably a direct outcome of her results. When she changed into her hospital gown and got up on the examination table, she could feel her excitement almost boiling over.
“Miss Hayes, are you ready?” she heard a male voice. She raised her head and smiled at the new doctor. He was just as attractive as Dr. Castillo if not more.
“Are all the doctors in this hospital hot?” she thought as she looked at him. “Ready,” she said.
“Okay, my name is Ernesto Gregorio and I am going to need you to relax,” he said as he put on some latex gloves.
“Okay,” she said as she closed her eyes. In just a few minutes, she would be ready to have mindless sex with Daniel without ever worrying if they had enough rubbers.
*****
When Erica finally walked back into the reception area, Daniel was just clearing up the payment. He frowned when he saw Erica. She looked like she was in immense pain.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he looked at her.
“Just have a little cramp,” she grimaced and nodded. Daniel looked at her and gave her a sad smile.
“So did it hurt?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes and nodded.
“Like a motherfucker,” she said. “Remind to kill Cassandra when I
get back home. She swore that it was absolutely painless. She lied,” she said as she looked at him. He smiled and slipped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him.
“I’m sorry baby. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me,” he whispered in her ear.
“By the way, I have more bad news. We can’t have intercourse for forty eight hours,” she said. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow over the other.
“I guess I can live with that,” he said. Erica could still see the disappointment in his eyes.
“Are you all done here?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said stuffing the receipts in his pocket.
“Good. Because after all that, I need some comfort food and maybe snuggling in bed,” she said. He held her close to him and smile. “And I feel violated,” she added. Daniel wanted to laugh. But he pressed his lips into her forehead instead.
“Miss Hayes,” Dr. Gregorio called. They turned around and the doctor handed her a bottle of pills. “Ibuprofen. You are going to need this,” he said.
Erica took the bottle from him.
“How often?” she asked.
“They are eight hundred milligram pills, so one every four hours should be fine,” Dr. Gregorio said. Erica forced out a smile.
“Thanks, doctor,” she said as the two of them walked out.
“That’s the man who looked at your vagina? Now I’m the one who needs a giant tub of ice cream,” he said as he hailed down a cab.
Chapter 11
“Cassandra, you lying bitch!” Erica was shouting.
“A simple hello would have sufficed but I think I’ll take it. And is there any way you could have called a little later in the day…possibly later on in my day too?” she asked. Erica rolled her eyes. Cassandra looked at her computer screen. “Why the hell do you look like you are in agony?” Cassandra asked as she leaned against the headboard of her bed.
“Because I am. I got that horrible IUD…” she started before Cassandra gasped dramatically.
“Oh my God, Emily was right. You are officially going raw with this new guy, aren’t you?” she asked.
“That’s beside the point. Why the hell wouldn’t you tell me how painful the whole process is? I was literally being pulled apart,” Erica said.
Passion Overseas: A Billionaire BWWM Holiday Romance Page 9