I take long deep breaths and pray to God he doesn’t recognize me. The knock on the door startles me.
When Dominic Rivers walks in, my mouth dries, and my heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. Luna, you fucking fool. Fuck, this is so bad.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Brooks,” Dominic says with a charming smile. Fuck, he’s gorgeous. He is six foot five, the literal definition of tall, dark, and handsome. I swear, his body was hand-sculpted by the gods. He is also covered in tattoos. Those fucking forearm veins are my weakness.
“G-Good afternoon,” I choke out. Real fucking smooth, Luna.
“So, we are just doing an annual exam and updating your birth control, yes?” he asks as he moves the stool closer to sit.
“Uhm… yeah,” I say. “I try to stay on top of the exams because of the family history.”
“I saw that your mother and sister both had cervical cancer without HPV?” he asks, looking at his notes.
“Yeah. My mom passed away from it four years ago when she let it go for too long without getting checked and my sister had a hysterectomy two years ago because it spread too far,” I explain. “I like living and even though I don’t like my uterus, I’d like to keep her a little longer.”
“I understand,” he says with a soft smile. “You also have marked that you have severe symptoms with your menstrual cycle?”
“Yeah, and I know, there’s nothing that can be done,” I say dismissively. “Better to say it and know I tried.”
“What are your symptoms?” he asks.
“I end up in debilitating pain if I have a period. The birth control helps, but sometimes I still have one and I end up in bed for a week,” I say bluntly. “The pain often radiates through my back and down my legs.”
“Any pain with sex?” he asks.
“No,” I say.
“Okay, well it sounds like endometriosis, but I’d have to do some testing to tell you for sure,” he says. “How long have you had these symptoms?”
“Since I was twelve and started my period.”
“Gotcha,” he nods. “So, the procedure is minimally invasive. It’s a laparoscopic surgery and it’s a very quick process. I have the notes from your previous gynecologist, so you certainly have a history of asking for answers.”
“It’s that easy? Are you fucking kidding?” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles. “Someone should have done this for you years ago, but we can handle it now.”
“Okay,” I say. “Then what?”
“Well, if you have any adhesions, I would handle what I can. It’s a process called figuration where we burn off the adhesions. We could try you on a different birth control also. Something progestin-only would be ideal. If you don’t plan on having children right now, the Nexplanon implant would be great too. I’d say let’s get a diagnosis before we go making any changes so we can ensure we are making the correct change. In the meantime, I can get you a prescription for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. It won’t make it disappear, but it will help a little. I don’t like prescribing narcotics, but I see that your previous provider noted that you were adamant about not accepting them.”
“Yeah, I have a family history of addiction,” I say. “When could I do the surgery?”
“Within the next few weeks. The girls up front can get you scheduled. What do you do for work?” he asks.
“I’m a computer engineer for Innovex. I work from home for the most part,” I say.
“Perfect. You shouldn’t need much time off then. It’s still surgery though, so make sure that you have someone around to help and rest,” he says.
“My best friend is about to be my neighbor, so I’ll just make her be my mom for a few days,” I say, and he smirks.
“Alright, Ms. Brooks,” he says as he stands.
“Luna, please,” I say.
“Alright, Luna,” he smiles. “Let’s do this exam and we'll get you scheduled for the surgery.”
“Fuck. Okay,” I sigh.