“I know that,” she said, “listen: I can’t talk right now I am with a patient. Please call my office manager, like I told you last week, if there is a problem with payment then she is the person to talk to.” And with that she hung up the phone and turned and smiled at Erika, she looked exhausted, but pretty. Erika had always thought Dr. Gupta was an attractive woman, and she had been visiting her for years. Dr. Gupta looked stylish in her long black skirt, red blouse, and long white coat.
“Sorry about that,” Dr. Gupta said setting her phone down. She also picked up her plastic container and shoveled a few bites of food into her mouth, “And about this. I haven’t had a chance to eat today; I just want to get a couple of bites of salad in.” Erika nodded and looked into the container.
“Kind of boring, just carrots and cucumbers,” Erika said. She almost thought she noticed Dr. Gupta blush.
“They were the only veggies I had to cut up this morning,” Madri explained, putting the container down. She reached over to the desk and grabbed a stool with no back and sat down. She scooted the stool close to the exam table, pulled out a clipboard, and clicked her pen. For a moment Erika watched as the doctor reviewed the notes the nurse had left. Then Madri looked up and smiled.
“So Erika, how are you doing today?” Madri asked.
“Oh, generally I feel great. I had a bit of a cold a week ago, so I didn’t come in. I just wanted to make sure that no little thing could, I don’t know, throw off your check-up,” Erika explained. She’d had a brief cancer scare three years before and she was required to come in for these harrowing little check ups every six months for awhile. While she liked Madri and the offices was very nice, she hated these appointments. They reminded her about how fragile her life really was. How in an instant she might be gone from this world.
“Believe me, there is nothing to be worried about,” Madri said, “Let’s just do a normal health check-up, then I will do your breast exam, and you can get out of here.” The doctor took her stethoscope off from around her neck and put the buds in her ear. Erika jumped a little as the cold instrument touched her back. Madri apologized but encouraged Erika to breathe deeply. After a few minutes she stopped.
“Everything okay?” Erika asked nervously.
“Oh there is a little residual effect from that cold in your lungs, a little bronchial wheezing. But I am not concerned,” Madri said. Erika started to relax a bit. The doctor put away the stethoscope. From there, Erika waited patiently while Madri did all of the various things the doctor normally does on a basic check-up. She hit her knee with the little hammer, she checked the ears, nose, and throat, and she checked blood pressure. As she worked, the two women talked.
“So how is your son doing?” Madri asked, Erika couldn’t help but beam. Her son was her pride and joy.
“Oh he is doing so well Dr. Gupta…”
“Madri…”
“Madri. He started pre-school two weeks ago,” Erika explained. She almost teared up, again, thinking of her little man going off to school and making friends.
“They grow up so quickly,” Madri said and Erika nodded.
“It gave me quite a scare you know, when I thought that maybe I wouldn’t be able to see him grow up,” Erika said. Being in this office always made her think of her scare. For a moment, Madri stopped what she was doing.
“Look, we are on top of this. You didn’t have cancer. There isn’t an extensive history of breast cancer in your family. We aren’t going to let anything happen to you,” Madri said and Erika smiled at her doctor. It was nice to have someone who really cared about you care for you.
“Yeah,” Erika said, “And you know it wasn’t all bad. My cancer scare. I mean, I know if sounds cliche but I decided when it happened that I was really going to live every day to the fullest. And I think I have done that. I took my first trip out of the country, I spend as much time as I can with little Steven, and I even started dating again.” Erika explained. When she got nervous, she talked. About personal stuff. That was the way she always was. But at least Madri was a sympathetic ear.
“Any luck in the dating world?” Madri asked.
“No much, but it is fun to try!” Erika said, realizing only afterwards that it made her sound a bit like a slut. But Madri did not seem to notice, “I just try to live with no regrets.” She said, although sometimes trying was much easier than succeeding. Finally, it seemed that Madri’s basic check up was over. She put the blood pressure cuff back on the rack.
“Well, everything was normal. Your blood pressure is a bit low actually and I didn’t see anything else that would cause any concern,” Madri said, making some notations on her papers, “Would you please just pull the gown down around your waist?” Erika reached behind her back and untied the knot around her neck. She let the gown slide off of her arms and into her lap. Her breasts were now exposed to the cold office air and her nipples were getting hard. She noticed that for a moment Madri’s eyes seemed to linger on her body, but then the doctor looked back down at her forms.
Finally, Madri put the clipboard aside and started to inch closer.
“Your nipples look a little red, are they sensitive right now?” Madri asked. Erika shook her head.
“No, they are fine,” Erika lifted her arm to give Madri better access and her large breast hung low. Erika felt Madri’s hands against her breast, he fingers feeling warm and soft. And she felt the pressure as Madri carefully and professionally felt for lumps. She was hoping and praying that the doctor would not find anything. She was so concerned, her heart beating so quickly, that at first she didn’t notice a familiar tingling feeling. In fact, the first that she noticed something was when Madri spoke.