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I opened my eyes slightly when I saw at least 10 people standing over me. My head felt like it had been hit by a monster truck.
"I don't know! She was just siting here and she passed out!" Someone said.
"Is she with anybody?" Another voice said.
"No one knows." The other voice said.
"Ma'am are you OK?" What seemed to be a paramedic said.
I groaned and tried to nod.
"Let's get her up." Two people grabbed my arm and struggled to lift me up.
I felt so dizzy someone had to catch me before I fell again.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" The paramedic held up what looked like 3 fingers.
I weakly said "Three."
"OK, did you come here with anyone?"
I shook my head. I felt nauseous again.
"Are you OK? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I don't think so." I seemed to be gaining back my full consciousness.
"Do you need me to call anyone? A spouse, mother, daughter, son?"
I shook my head. "No, thank you."
My vision seemed to be clearer and I saw everyone in the place was looking at me. Great.
"OK, do you need a ride home?" What am I? 6 years old?
"No, I can drive. Thank you though."
The paramedics looked at each other and shrugged. "OK. Be careful, OK? You could have seriously damaged your head."
I'm sorry. I can't exactly control where my head wants to land when I find out that my boyfriend dated a whore.
"Thank you."
After they left, I searched frantically for my phone. I found it near the window with the battery out.
I sighed and put it back in. My head continued to throb.
When I turned it on, I discovered 6 voice mails from guess who? Sean. I could kill him and Bridget. It was 10:56. This had to be one of the worst days ever.
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I spent the next few hours sitting in my Church. It was the only place I could go where I could clear my mind. My mother was buried in the cemetery behind the Church.
"Alea?"
I turned around to see Pastor Jenkins walking in. I had known him for quite a while now, ever since I started high school.
"Good morning Pastor Jenkins. How are you?" I got up.
"I'm doing well. Blessed to wake up this morning." He said in a humble tone. "How are you dear?"
"Well you know, I could be better."
"Hm. Come, sit." He sat down on the front pew. I sat next to him.
"Now, tell me what is on your mind."
If only he knew.. "It's a lot, Pastor Jenkins. It would take me literally years to explain." I sighed.
"God has no office hours, Alea."
I considered his statement. "You're right."
"Alea, do you remember all those years ago when we buried your mother here?"
I became sad at the thought. "Yes."
"Do you remember what I told you that day?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes."
"What did I tell you?"
"You said if I walk next to God for the rest of my life, I will always have someone to pick me up if I fall."
"Have you been walking next to him?"
A tear fell. "No."
"If you don't follow him, you're going to find yourself walking alone, Alea."
I sniffed. "I know Pastor."
He held my hand. "Are you coming to Church on Sunday?"
"I wasn't planning on it but.."
"If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." he laughed a little.
I smiled meekly. "OK, I will come."
"Good. How is your father? I haven't seen him around in a while."
"The last time I talked to him he sounded sick." I needed to call him again later.
"When are you going to see him?"
"I'm supposed to be taking him to the doctor this weekend." I sighed.
"What's the matter with him?"
"Horrible cough and I think Eric said he had been having headaches."
"Hmm. That's terrible. I will keep him in my prayers and you keep him in yours too."
"Thanks Pastor." I smiled and looked at my watch. It was 12:30.
"Well, I have to go Pastor. I have a doctor's appointment at one." I began to get up.
"Alright, dear. Remember, God is the ultimate doctor. He can fix anything."
"You're right." I had to start going to Church more. "You take care now."
"You too. Be blessed."
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As I arrived at the parking lot of the clinic, the conversation I'd had with Pastor Jenkins began to really hit home. Mother had always made us go to church when I was young and I'd been sort of slacking since she died. Things seemed to be so much simpler back then.
I got out of my car and looked at the exterior of the building. It didn't seem too intimidating. I set the alarm on my car and walked in.
The walls were a light shade of blue and there were a couple of black chairs in a separate part of the building, which was the waiting room. There was a red-haired lady at the front desk busily typing away at the computer. Reminded me of Veronica.
I walked up to the desk. "Hello." I said.
She turned around in her chair to face me. A warm smile appeared on her face. "Hello dear. Here for an appointment?"
"Yes, I called yesterday and made one for 1 o'clock today."
"Alright, one second." She rolled back over to the computer and began clicking.
I scanned the room again and noticed a few Safe Sex posters and pictures of teen mothers holding babies. Really comforting.
There were only a few other people that were there. A girl about 16 years old, a young couple, and a boy and his mother. They all had the same nervous expression on their faces.
"Name please?" The red-haired lady said, snapping me out of my sight seeing.
"Alea Peters."
Her eyes returned to the screen as she scanned it. "OK, Dr. Sams will be out in a minute. You can have a seat in those chairs over there." She handed me a pamphlet. "This is a good read."
I took it. "Thank you."
I walked over to the waiting room and sat in a row with no one in it. I looked at the pamphlet and it was about the ways of having safe sex. Was she trying to throw hints at me?
There was a picture of a couple laughing and smiling on the cover. If only it were like this in real life.
It discussed the types of condoms, birth control pills, the dangers of using a lubricant, and pretty much everything else about sex in general. I felt like I was sitting in a sex education class again.
I looked at my watch. It was 1:25. I could have stayed at the church a little longer.
"Alea Peters?" A voice called from the door next to the front desk. It seemed to come from a lady in her late 30s.
I got up and went over to the door.
"Hello Alea. How are you?" She said, walking down a long hallway. I followed.
"I'm OK and yourself?"
"I'm fine. The testing will be done in here." She said motioning me into a smaller room.
I walked in and it seemed to be 10 degrees in there. Chill bumps were already forming on my arms.
"Sorry it's so cold. It's supposed to keep the germs out." She said kindly. I sat down in a chair.
"Oh, it's no problem." I got a closer look at her. She had long black hair and she looked like she was Romanian. She had greenish brown eyes and her skin was as clear as day.
"OK." She closed the door. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions and all you have to do is answer them honestly OK?"
I nodded.
She sat in a rolling stool and pulled out a clipboard. "Alrighty, then."
"How many partners have you had in the last 5 years?"
"Three." I said.
"The last 10 years?'
"Four." My eye twitched at the thought of sleeping with Carson.
"OK, have you practiced safe sex every time you had sex with your partners?"
"No." I said shamefully.
"OK, have you gotten tested before?"
"Yes, I've gotten tested every year for the past 8 years."
"Were the results ever positive for any infections or diseases?"
"No."
"Did your partners get tested?"
"Yes, as far as I know."
"Are you seeing anyone currently?"
I swallowed another lump in my throat. "Yes."
"Have they gotten tested recently or at all?"
"Yes." Sean and I had both gotten tested when we first started dating.
"How long have you been with your current partner?"
"6 months."
"In the past, have you ever had sex with someone who has a sexually transmitted disease?"
I started to sweat and found it hard to breathe.
"Are you alright?" She asked concerned.
"May I have some water please?"
"Sure thing. I will be right back." She got up and walked out of the room.
Please don't faint again...do not faint again..
What if these results came out positive? What would be left of my life? I'd have to take medications everyday, no one would want to be with him, my dad would be so disappointed..
"Here you go Alea." She handed me a cup of ice water.
"Thank you." I gulped down half the cup.
"Thirsty, huh?" She said, chuckling. She sat back down on the stool and closed the door with her foot.
I nodded. "I'm sorry." I laughed nervously.
"Don't sweat it, hon. These things can be pretty nerve-wrecking."
"Extremely. OK I am ready."
She smiled. "Alright. I'm going to ask you the previous question again. In the past, have you ever had sex with someone who had a sexually transmitted disease?"
I sighed and looked at the wall. God give me strength..
"I'm not sure if they had an STD when I was dating them but currently, yes. One person does, that I know of."
Her eyebrow rose a bit. "Explain?"
I sighed again. Then everything came out. And I mean everything. I told her about Carson, Bridget, Sean, Bridget's kids..everything.
She sat there and listened to my whole dramatic story as if it were a Young & The Restless episode.
When I was done, she sat there with the most blankest expression. I hope she had been listening..
"Wow. Quite a situation you're in there." She wrote some things down on her clipboard.
I nodded and blew a sigh of frustration.
"Well, I believe you've answered all of my relationship questions. Now, I just have a few questions on your family history."
"OK, I can do that."
She began to ask me several questions about hereditary diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and things of the sort.
"Alright, we are done with the Q & A portion of this. I'm going to draw blood from you and then you will be done. However, you can schedule a physical screening for a later time if you want to do the swab and inspection test on your genital areas."
"OK, thank you."
"No problem. I'll be back." She got up and left.
That wasn't so bad. But then again, nothing is ever this easy.