Page 30 of Savage Desires

"I'm not going anywhere, beauty. Will you let Dr. Wolfe examine you? I need to know you're okay." The worry is clearly etched on his face. Kisten turns his hand, threading his fingers through mine.

"Okay," I whisper.

Dr. Wolfe takes my blood pressure, which she says is slightly better than when I first came in but still lower than it should be. I don't have a fever, and my oxygen level is good. She gently prods at my neck, causing me to wince. She has me swallow several times while she feels my throat.

"Everything feels okay. You'll be sore for a while, so you'll want to talk as little as possible while your vocal cords heal. You're severely dehydrated and, I'm guessing, malnourished. The IV is fluids for the dehydration and has vitamins to help replenish what you're lacking. I'd like to run a blood panel on you to check for underlying illnesses."

She doesn't have to say it outright. She's not just talking about cholesterol and iron counts. She means STDs. Probably pregnancy, too. Part of me wants to decline, but the worried look in Kisten's eyes makes me agree. I have a feeling I would agree to almost anything to remove that look from his face.

Dr. Wolfe takes several vials of blood for the various tests. She tells me everything she wants to check for, but I tune her out in favor of watching Kisten as he listens to the doctor.

"The last thing we need to do is a pelvic exam?—"

"No," I say firmly.

"We really need to make sure you're okay," she says, trying to reason with me.

"I'm fine. I don't want a pelvic exam."

She looks at Kisten for help, but he's still watching me closely. "I understand that you don't want to be examined. I don't blame you one bit, but you need to have a pap smear. I have an exam room down the hall. It will be over quickly. Or if you would rather do it at a regular doctor's office, that can be arranged, but it's something you don't want to ignore after what you've been through."

I hate that she's being so rational. I hate the thought of having anyone examining me down there. She's right, though. One of my owners bought me to replace a woman who had gotten sick… He was fond of his girls and took decent care of us. He had a doctor come in and run tests. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Of course, even though he was fond of her, and she wasn't even thirty yet, he still got rid of her.

A sick slave is a worthless slave. I tried not to think about what happened to her because I knew she wasn't just set free to live her life. That wasn't in the cards for any of us. I wasn't a fool, but I still tried to imagine that she lived the rest of her days free and happy. Deluded as it was. I have no such delusions anymore. Not after all I've seen and endured.

"Fine," I whisper.

"I'll get everything set up," Dr. Wolfe says.

She leaves us alone, and some of the tension melts away once she's gone. I relax back into the pillows and close my eyes. I'm exhausted, and even though all I did was lay here while she looked me over, I feel like I ran a marathon. My emotions are all over the place, and my entire body aches. I could sleep for days but also don't want to close my eyes. I'm more scared that Kisten will leave me than the nightmares that are sure to plague my sleep.

Kisten's thumb gently caresses my hand, soothing my frayed nerves. I reach for the water glass on the table, but he gives me a scolding look and grabs it himself. He holds the glass to my lips, helping me drink. The cool liquid feels good on my throat but sloshes in my empty stomach, making me feel queasy. My stomach gurgles. The last time I had an actual meal was before I was locked in the cage.

"You need to eat," Kisten says, his eyes flashing angrily. "I'll go get you something."

Before he has the chance to leave, Dr. Wolfe returns. "I'm all set up. Let me disconnect the IV."

"Can you just remove it?" I ask.

"You need more fluids…"

"I want it out," I say firmly, though it sounds weak through my damaged vocal cords.

She gives me a frustrated look but does as I ask. That goes a long way towards showing that I can trust her—them.

Kisten stands, giving me room to move. Pulling myself to the edge of the bed takes so much effort that I'm breathing heavily by the time I'm completely upright. I have no clue how I will make it to the exam room, but I want to get this exam over with, so I'll make it happen. Kisten makes an angry sound, then picks me up bridal style.

The exam room looks exactly like any doctor's office exam room I've ever been to. It's a weird sort of comfort. Kisten sits me on the exam table and steps away.

"I'm going to give you privacy," Kisten says.

I grip his hand. "Please don't go."

He looks uncertainly between Dr. Wolfe and me. She shrugs, looking slightly exasperated. I'm guessing the other women she sees want nothing to do with men after what they've been through. If it were anyone other than Kisten, I wouldn't want them near me either. Kisten is safe. He's my protector. I should be ashamed of my desperation to keep him around, but I'm not.

"Are you sure, beauty? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"I feel safe with you," I murmur.