Friday came all too quickly. During the couple of days after our conversation, James hardly came upstairs, which was perfectly fine with me. I was hoping he had changed the plans, and we were no longer going to the appointment. But in the morning as I ate a bowl of cereal at the counter James came upstairs.

"Good morning," he said.

"Hi," I said dully.

"Just to let you know, we're leaving for Dr. Manning's tonight around ten."

I stared at the cereal box.

"Make sure you're dressed and ready to go, okay?"

"Why are we going so late?" My curiosity got the best of me.

"Because we're going to Dr. Manning's office after hours."

Of course, James still thought I could try to run.

The rest of the day zoomed by, and I tried my hardest to forget about what would happen that night. When ten o'clock came, James entered the apartment. But he wasn't alone. Dan was with him.

He brought in the troops.

"Ready to go?" James asked.

"What's Hulk doing here?"

James went to say something but stopped.

"Don't trust me? Hmph."

I gave James a How could you? look of death.

"After you," Dan said, motioning me down the stairs.

As I headed down the stairs, I said sarcastically, "So good to see you again, Dan."

I looked down to the bottom of the stairs, and there was Tyler. What the hell?

Very clever way of controlling me, I thought. Put your forces in the front and back. James really didn't trust me anymore. It made me sad. And angry at myself. It felt like we were taking huge steps backward. And it was all my fault. If I had just gone with the flow and not objected, they wouldn't be here. Now, James was on high alert. He was ready for me to try something. But I wasn't planning anything in the first place.

"Hello," Tyler said quietly when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I said nothing and refused to look at him.

I followed Dan out to James's car, and he held the back door open for me. After I buckled in, he stood there until the guys were nearby, then he got into the back seat with me. Every move felt calculated. Especially Hulk sitting next to me in the back.

I didn't talk the entire way there, and even they were relatively quiet. I could feel the anxiety in the air. When we pulled off the freeway, my stomach was tied in knots. I began crying, but I tried so hard to hide it. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

Dr. Manning's office was in a one-story modest building in a commercial area of their small town. It said Family Medical on the outside of the building, along with a couple other companies that were housed in the building. James opened my door, and I slowly climbed out. As we walked into the building, I stopped and pulled on James' arm.

"Please, James, we don't have to do this," I pleaded. I tried so hard not to cry, but I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Oh, Corrine, I know you're scared." He put his hands on my shoulders and brushed back my hair. "But it's going to be okay. I promise. Trust me, okay?"

"No, it's not going to be okay," I protested. "I don't want to do this. I was happy with how things were. I don't want things to change."

He put his arms around me in a big bear hug and kissed my forehead, but I kept my arms folded and cried into his chest, nowhere else to go. After he let go, he grabbed my hand and led me into the building with Tyler and Dan following behind us. I didn't hold his hand back, but he was holding me tightly enough it didn't matter anyway. We walked into the west side of the building where it said Family Medical and into the hallway where there were a few doors.

The plaque on the first door said Dr. Manning, M.D. When James opened the door, Dr. Manning was sitting in one of the many seats in the waiting room.

"Well, hello, everyone. Good to see you again," Dr. Manning said, cheerily.

The guys all greeted him and gave him either a hug or handshake. I stood there with my arms folded and looking at the ground.

"Corrine, nice to see you."

I stood in defiance.

"She's not exactly happy about this," James said, putting his arm around my shoulder. I moved a step away, shrugging him off. I was into the "ugly cry" now.

"Well, that's certainly understandable. Let's get in the exam room and get started, shall we?"

He led us down the hallway and into the one lit room. It had the usual exam table, doctor's spinning stool, and a couple of chairs. But what caught my eye first was the stirrups. I gasped and began backing up out the door, but I ran right into Hulk's chest.

"Come on in," Dr. Manning said. "No need to be scared."

"I'm not getting a pelvic exam!" I yelled.

Dan gently, but very firmly, led me into the room.

"Let's not worry about that right now, Corrine." He folded up the stirrups and pushed them back into the exam table.

"Come sit here." He pointed to the side of the exam table.

I didn't move. But Dan helped me up.

Dr. Manning seemed to be thinking for a moment, then said, "Gentlemen, do you mind if I talk to Corrine alone? I think that would be best."

"Oh, I don't know, Doc," James said.

"Don't worry. You can stay right outside the door. She's not going anywhere."

He escorted them out the door, even though James clearly looked uneasy about it.

"Now, it's just you and me," he smiled.

I didn't find his demeanor consoling this time.

"Listen, I know you're not happy with this, but it's normal to feel that way. Truly. In fact, I remember way back when Sophia was in your position."

"She was?" I said through my crying gasps. I hadn't thought of that. She seemed so happy now.

"Yes. She was very upset about my announcement to become sexually active with her. She fought me on it tooth and nail. But she eventually came around and actually enjoys herself now."

"Really?" I had a hard time believing that one. He probably wanted to convince himself, justifying his rape.

"Yes, I wouldn't lie to you. In fact, I should have you two talk about it. Would that help?"

"She would talk to me about it? Really?"

"Absolutely. She loves you. And she wants to see you happy. She sees a real chemistry between the two of you."

"OK, I'd like that."

"Good. I'll arrange it with James and see if there's a good time you can chat on the phone."

"We can't get together soon?"

"Hmm, maybe we could do that. We'll see."

"I'd love to see her again."

Dr. Manning thought about it for a moment, smiled, and tapped me on my leg. "Then, we'll make it happen. But, for now, let me begin with the preliminary questions."

He asked me a lot of health questions—questions about my previous sexual relations, such as how many partners I had had, which were three. It was embarrassing having to answer questions about my sexual activity. But they were the same things my own gynecologist had asked before.

The difference was, I didn't know my gynecologist personally. It was easier to block out the embarrassment when you didn't know the doctor on a social level. And my gynecologist wasn't a kidnapper.

"OK, now it's time for the exam." He handed me a gown. "Why don't you put this on, and I'll be outside."

"Why do we have to do an exam? Can't you just give me the pill?"

"I could, of course, but I want to do the standard tests before you're sexually active. Just as I did with the boys."

"You did?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want one of them to have a disease and pass it on to their partners, either. The B.F.O. strongly promotes responsible sexual activity."

"I—I don't think I can do this, Dr. Manning."

Tears began flowing again. I was so tired of crying.

"Would it be easier if the boys weren't in here?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"OK, I'll tell them to stay in the hallway."

"But I still don't think I can do this."

He put his hands on my arms and spoke in a low, calming voice. "Corrine, I'm a doctor. I see women's bodies every day in this office. I will not do anything inappropriate. Have you seen a gynecologist before?"

"Yes, a few times."

"Well, I'll do the exact same thing you've had done before. I'll even talk you through it, and I'll go as fast as I can, okay?"

"But—"

"Corrine, when was the last pelvic exam you've had?"

"I don't know. A couple years ago, I guess."

"Well, regardless of if you're going to be sexually active or not, every woman needs to have a yearly pelvic exam. Do you know last month I had to tell a twenty-eight-year-old woman she has stage four cervical cancer? She hadn't had an exam in four years. We could've caught her cancer a lot earlier, but now . . . well, her chances of survival are pretty slim, I'm afraid."

"How sad."

"Yes, it is. So, regardless of your personal situation with James, we should be doing this exam anyway, don't you agree?"

He looked me in the eyes with a reassuring smile.

"OK," I conceded. I guessed he was right. Besides, fighting would get me nowhere. And all of this battling with James was only going against my plans to earn his trust anyway. I had already moved things backward the last couple days.

"OK, then, undress and put the robe on, and I'll be right back."

He exited and closed the door. I heard him talking to them, but nothing was decipherable.

I sat there, stroking the thin robe back and forth, procrastinating the inevitable. Maybe I could pretend I didn't know Dr. Manning like I really did. Maybe I could think of something else while he did the exam, taking my mind off of it. I guessed it did help to think of how he saw women's private areas all the time.

Dr. Manning returned a few moments later, right after I finished changing. I could see James trying to peak around the doctor to see inside.

"OK, Corrine, are you ready?" he asked. He shut the door.

"Not really," I mumbled.

He chuckled. "Don't you worry. It'll be over in no time. I promise."

"Was James upset about having to stay in the hall?" I asked. He put on his gloves.

"I just told him you're my patient, and I have to do what's best for you." He winked at me. "Besides, I don't know too many women who want nosey men in the room while having a pelvic exam."

I had to smile. His sense of humor put me at ease a tad.

"Well, I'm afraid I've really ruined things with James this week."

"Oh? How is that?"

I looked down onto my lap. "He brought in the troops. He wouldn't have done that if I hadn't thrown a fit. God, I'm so stupid."

Dr. Manning placed his hand on my knee. "Now, don't you worry. I think he only did that because he was afraid your fear would make you run."

"But that's what I mean, Dr. Manning. James was trusting me before. Now I feel like I ruined everything."

"I don't think so. Give it some time. I think his concern is just about this visit. Now, let's get this done."

The exam itself wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be. It helped that he told me what he was doing, step-by-step.

"OK, we're done," he announced, removing the speculum and taking off his gloves. "You can get dressed now, and I'll go talk to James."

I climbed off of the exam table and tiptoed closer to the door, trying to hear what Dr. Manning was saying. But I couldn't make out a thing, just a bunch of mumbling. I got dressed and waited for my enemies to come back in.

So, the exam was over. Now the next chapter was to begin. I couldn't wait until Sophia told me about her experiences. I wished I could see her more.

The door opened, and all four of the men piled in.

"Well, Corrine," Dr. Manning began, "I told them how well you did during the exam."

"I'm really proud of you," James added.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him. I hated being patronized like I was a child. Now may I have my sucker for being good at the doctor's office? But I had to keep my eye on the prize and start thinking long-term. My pouting the last couple days was definitely a really bad move on my part when I considered my bigger plan of earning his trust. All I had done was set us back.

"So, I will call you when the results come back," Dr. Manning announced. "There's no need to do a blood test since I had her last blood sample tested for HIV, and she was clear. And James, your tests came out fine as well."

James pivoted back and forth on his feet, looking anxious.

"So, that leaves us to your medication," Dr. Manning continued. "I think I'll start you on the Necon birth control pill. It's a standard brand and reliable. You can take it with or without food and any time of the day. You just want to be consistent on what time of day you take it. After you've been on the pill for one full cycle, it's considered safe to have sex. However, even on the pill, it's only approximately 95% effective. So, James, it's best if you also wear condoms."

This was beyond humiliating. I kept my eyes covered with my hands.

"And what if I don't take it?" I said quietly, still hiding from the inevitable.

"If you miss a dose, you need to double up the next day," Dr. Manning informed me.

"No, I mean, what if I refuse to take it?"

Shut up, Corrine! Conform! Keep your eye on the prize.

"Oh, I see. Well, if you want to go that route, you can. But one of two things will happen. One, you will get pregnant."

He paused, letting that revelation sink in.

"Would you like to have a baby?"

"No," I said, meekly.

My mind flashed to Jaycee Dugard having two children while being in captivity for eighteen years. I had to make sure that did not happen to me.

"Good, because I can guarantee you the results would not be pleasant." What did that mean? But I bet I would agree.

"Secondly," Dr. Manning continued, "if James reports to me you're not taking the pills, then we'll change your prescription to Depo-Provera, which is a birth control shot. You'll have to come in every three months, and I will give you the shot in your rear."

The thought of that sent a rush of heat through my body, and I felt lightheaded just thinking about it.

"Knowing your fear of needles, I don't know if you want to pursue that option," Dr. Manning said.

I looked down to the floor.

"So, it's up to you, Corrine. That's all I can say. You can fight this to your heart's content. But if this is what James wants, this is what's going to happen. You can either do it the hard way or accept this. It's up to you. As the saying goes, 'Life is what you make of it.' And keep in mind what we discussed about Sophia."

His words lingered in my ears. He was right, but I could feel my stubborn side not wanting to admit it.

"Do you have any questions, Corrine?" Dr. Manning asked.

I shook my head no.

"James, any questions for me?"

"No, sir," James said.

"Well then, I think it's late, and you have a long drive back home," Dr. Manning concluded.

"Thank you so much for everything, Doc," James said.

They all shook hands. I stood there, odd woman out.

On the ride home I didn't say a word. I was so angry with James for putting me through this and so angry with myself that I hadn't cooperated. And angry that I couldn't come up with a solution. Anger everywhere.

No matter what options I ran through my head, they all lead to the same conclusion—sex or death.

What should Corrine do--conform or fight? Thank you for reading. Please feel free to follow me, vote, and leave any feedback! :)