***All characters in this story are 18+***
"Mrs. Sutton?" A very friendly, attractive nurse came into the waiting room. She wore her nurse's uniform perfectly to dress code and she had her long red hair pinned up in curls. Her red lips and over-lined eyes really made her look more like a pinup than a real nurse, but she liked being pretty at work. She clutched her clipboard to her chest and looked over the awaiting patients. "Mrs. Sutton?" she asked again.
"That's us, dear." A tall man in a rich suit stood up and grabbed the hand of the woman sitting next to him. "C'mon dear, its our turn." She stood up, looked at the floor and walked with him to the nurse. "This is Mrs. Sutton." The man said and the nurse nodded. She opened the clinic door a little wider and the pair walked through. Even in the first 3 seconds of knowing them, she knew what this was. Society was cruel and women were considered more property than people. Husbands could shove their wives into mental institutions if they didn't like them anymore and most of the time the wife was not mentally ill at all. Most men came into this clinic with their wives as a means to get the 'evidence' that they needed to send them to an asylum.
"We'll be in this exam room right here." The nurse tried to meet the woman's eyes but she didn't look up. Rage boiled in the nurse's veins. What had led this woman to being so shut down? Of course, she knew the answer, it was currently dragging her by the hand into an exam room hoping a doctor would tell him that he was right and his wife would be best if she were locked up somewhere for the rest of her life.
They walked into the exam room and the husband pointed at the exam bed. "Sit there." He instructed her and she immediately sat down there. She continued to look at the floor, her long dark hair shrouded her face. The husband sat down in a chair next to the exam bed and the nurse took a seat on a small rolling stool in the middle of the room.
"So, how will the doctor be assisting Mrs. Sutton today?" She asked in her cheeriest voice. She grabbed her pen and started furiously jotting down notes. She noted the wife's appearance, her demeanor, the husband's demeanor and the way he talked to her.
"My wife is acting out of sorts..." The husband began. She continued to look at the floor. "She has been quite moody, resistant to marital duties and quite difficult to deal with." He said through a progressively darkening tone.
"Oh no." The nurse scooted closer to the wife and tried to get her to meet her eyes, but she wouldn't. "Mrs. Sutton, do you feel unwell?" She asked, trying to be a friend. But she was shut down. The nurse had seen husbands bring in their wives before, describing similar conditions and she knew the course of action that the doctor usually prescribed. The success rate was wild, but it required them to be... receptive. To be sure that she was a good candidate for the procedure, she had to be able to talk to her... alone... "I'm so sorry, Mr. Sutton, is there any way I can get you to wait in the waiting room while the doctor examines her? We have your chief complaints noted right here." She turned around her clipboard and flashed the long paragraph of notes she had written- not all of which were flattering to him. "I will ensure the doctor sees to these concerns. But patient privacy is a top priority in this clinic." She smiled sweetly and he disarmed a little. Mrs. Sutton felt the shift in the conversation and looked between the two of them to see if he would actually leave.
"I just want the doctor to know, that I will take her to St. Leopold's Asylum if she is not fixed." He barked. The nurse smiled sweetly.
"I understand, Mr. Sutton. None of us want that." She put her hand on Mrs. Sutton's hand and she quickly looked at her in surprise.
"This is ridiculous." He growled as he left the room. The nurse just smiled as the husband walked out of the room. The door closed behind him and then she heard the clinic door close and she knew that he was in the waiting room now.
"Well, now that he is out of the room." She said as she gave a whole body shake to cleanse his energy off of her. The nurse sat on the stool again and wheeled across the room to sit in front of Mrs. Sutton. She reached up and touched her hand. "You can relax, he is gone and he can't hear you. You are safe." She said quietly and gave her hand a little squeeze. "So, lets talk about you. I want to hear your voice. What is your name, sweetheart?"
"Lily." She said quietly.
"Well, what a pretty name that is. Is it okay if I call you that for this appointment?"
"Yes." She nodded. The nurse reached into a drawer and pulled out a brush.
"I think the wind outside tossed your hair around a little bit, love. Can I brush it and put you back together a little?" Lily nodded and the nurse brushed her hair. "My name is Nurse Kacie. I am one of the senior nurses here and I will tell you, the things your husband complained about are not worth going to St. Leopold's for." Lily nodded in relief. "The doctor is very skilled and he has helped many women with similar afflictions. I think he can help you too." She brushed her hair and pushed the dark strands behind her ears and off her shoulders. "There, now we can see your face and you are beautiful." She said it and she meant it. It had been a while since anyone had called Lily beautiful.
"Thank you." She said quietly.
Kacie grabbed her clipboard and made some notes. "Tell me about the home life. Is Mr. Sutton better to you at home?" Lily shyly shook her head no. "I see." She took more notes.
"He is often frustrated with me. I don't do much right these days." She said quietly and looked down at the floor.
"Like what?" Kacie asked. She knew what her answer was going to be before she said it.
"He still wants me to dress up and clean the house and prepare all the food and take care of his kids and I just can't do it anymore. I am so tired." She said and hung her head down again. "I try, but I can't do it all the time. It is so much work and there isn't much payoff from him, y'know?" She asked in a shrug.
"How does he show his appreciation when you do all that?" She crossed her legs and asked.
"He doesn't yell at me and he seems happier."
"Well, what I meant was does he ever show affection to you?"
"No." she shook her head and looked down again.
"Can we talk about something... personal?" She asked. "Just between us girls, how is your husband when you two are alone and in your marital bed?"
"Well, my youngest child is 9 and we haven't tried to make another one since we made him..." Lily swiped at a tear on her cheek. "I think he is seeing one of the secretaries at his office."