I see a very well dressed man standing in front of the lodge, and I get very nervous.
"Kaleb, I can't do this! He is going to be like every other doctor and try to get me to become an experiment. Kaleb, I can't be just another experiment." By this time it is too late though. The Doctor is opening the door to the car.
Reaching out his hand, Kaleb brings him into the car and I scoot across to one of the side seats so that the two of them can be on the back seat together. I should have stayed where I was though. Immediately, he reaches out his hand toward me and introduces himself.
"I am Dr. Robert Charles. From what Kaleb has told me, you must be Maria. I am pleased to meet you." Tentatively, I reach out my hand toward him. Before I know what he is doing, he has mine in a grasp like I haven't felt in years and I glance up into his eyes.
"That's right, I will not treat you with kids gloves. Kaleb has told me everything about your existence for the past few years, and that was the first thing they did wrong. They made you feel like a lab rat, didn't they?" I nod. "Not me. I will examine you, and I mean ALL of you, so that I know what I am starting with. If I think I can help you, then I will. Please know though, that I am going to be using organs from people that have perished due to natural causes when I get around to working with your organs, is that okay with you?" I look over at Kaleb and he nods. "Before you get nervous, each one of them donated their organs to me to further the cause of medicine. I just thought I had better make that clear before we went any further."
"Thank you for clearing that up, Sir." I have to admit that I am very scared about this, but I know that if I don't go through with this then I will let Kaleb down, and I can't disappoint him. For him, I will see his Doctor.
By now we have reached the plane and the three of us get out. Johnathan looks at Kaleb and then me.
"Why don't ya give us about an hour and a half and then we should be ready for supper. We will let you bring us what you see fit from your mom's restaurant. That was delicious food this morning." I am so glad that Kaleb seems to know just what I am thinking. Gratefully I look up at him and in that one look he sees the uncertainty in my face but also my thanks for taking over again.
Taking my arm Kaleb gently guides me up the steps to the plane. I know the doctor is behind us and it has me nervous. I am so off center that I miss a step and would have fallen if not for Kaleb. Without missing a step he gently picks me up and carries me into the plane. Looking down at me he carries me directly to the bedroom and lays me gently on the bed. Dr. Charles follows him in.
"Maria, do you want Kaleb to stay? It may be uncomfortable for you if he is here, but you may want him around for support." I look at Kaleb questioningly and he nods. Dr. Charles sees the exchange and nods. "Okay, first things first. I need you to take off your clothes so that I can see what I am working with."
Looking over at Kaleb I nervously reach to the bottom of my top, and then I stop. Looking at him, I can see that he understands that I am having a hard time doing this. "Dr. Charles, would it be okay if I helped Maria get ready for you? This has been kinda thrust on her very quickly and she may not have been able to process it yet. We'll come out when she is ready, okay?"
Looking over at me, Dr. Charles smiles sympathetically. "I understand. That will work."
"Kaleb?"
"I will be right here for you." Gathering me into his arms again he kisses me and I feel his fingers unbuttoning my shirt again. When he presses it off my shoulders I know that I have to be completely naked for Dr. Charles, but I am still embarrassed about the hideousness of my scars. Quickly Kaleb helps me to get out of the rest of my clothing and goes to find the doctor. I lay there with my eyes closed so that I don't see the first reaction of this doctor to my scars.
I hear the door open and both men come back into the room.
The examination that follows is more in depth than anything I have ever been through, both inside and out. I find that being probed in every orifice is not as arousing as I thought it would be - a little sarcasm there.
After the exam, Dr. Charles nods and quietly leaves the room. I look over at Kaleb and find that he is already getting a dress out of the closet for me to wear. I have no idea why I put that in there, unless I was hoping against hope that I would actually wear it to die in. I kind of wanted to look decent when I died.
"Maria, are you okay?" I look over at Kaleb and realize that he has been talking to me and I haven't heard anything that he has said. I feel numb, and I don't know why.
"Maria?" I shake my head to shake off the numbness. "Are you back with me?"