.::Chapter Twenty::.

"All for Biscayne!" The bus driver's voice startled me. I slowly made my way out of the seat and towards the front of the bus. Once out onto the sidewalk, I began heading for Aventura Hospital, where I was to recieve my last checkup before getting the cast on my arm off. The nurse at the front desk took me into an examination room almost immediately. It had been close to a month since my last encountering with Nick, and since then I had come to rely more and more on Taylor than ever before. I will admit it was a new feeling to know that someone was always there if needed. I sat alone for a few minutes before the familiar face of Dr. Winfrey showed. The usual proceedure followed: she greeted me, smiled, and then studied my medical chart for about the 50th time. Her eyes narrowed, making her focus come up to my face. "Sidney, when was the last time you had a complete physical done?" she asked. That one stumped me. "Um, I don't know, really. It's been a while, I guess," I told her. "Well, why don't we kill two birds with one stone? We'll do one now," she handed me a plastic cup. First order of business- my own personal pee party. I was weighed, measured, and poked at for the following seven minutes until the results of my 'sample' were determined. After skimming through the paper containing these results, the doctor cleared her throat uneasily, and stepped towards me, "You have been sexually intimate in the past month?" I hesitated, "...yes. Why do you need to know?" "I already knew," she said, looking solemnly into my eyes. I felt my heart rate rapidly increase. "This hasn't got to be bad news, you know," Dr. Winfrey took hold of my arm, but I shook her away from me. Scanning the room desperately, my eyes came to an advertisment for 'confidential pregnancy testing' taped to the wall. I pointed to it and then looked back to her until she nodded her head in agreement to my silent request. Our short visit was concluded.

Once outside the hospital, my first instinct was to pull out a cigarette- which of course I did. But walking down the street with the familiar, uneasy feeling settling in my stomach, as well as a human life, brought me to stop and look down at my trembling fingers to where I clutched my Parliment. Approaching the curb, I tossed the smoking stick of nicotine, along with its pack and lighter, into a nearby sewer opening.

"How'd the appointment go?" "I don't wanna talk about it," I grumbled to Mrs. Phillips in response. "Well, atleast tell me something," she persisted. "I said I don't wanna talk about it!" I hissed at her, and ran up the stairs to my room. The sickly sensation in my body had cultivated, making me take refuge in the bathroom until it was rid of. Although I had only been up for a total of four hours, I was exhausted, landing me in bed for the rest of the afternoon.

[Chapter 21]