Second Time Around

The Exam

*Katrina POV*

Before the ambulance door shut, I could see the officers placing my mother and her party guests in the back of squad cars. I could hear her begging me to tell them that this was a rare occasion, but I ignored her.

Yes, it was a rare occasion, because her alternative lifestyle was never brought into our home. Her partying, however, was not a rare occasion. I was left alone more than she was home.

Happy graduation, Katrina. Way to start your life off with a bang.

The ambulance doors shut, and I was whisked away to the closest hospital. Officer Newman didn't leave my side, just as she promised.

"Officer Newman, thank you for helping me. Could you thank Officer Combs for me? I don't remember the guard's name who intercepted mine and Seth's call, but I need to thank her too," I said to the officer.

"Katrina, all you need to concentrate on is getting through all of this trauma. I'm going to give you my card before I hand you over to Ms. Millet. You call me anytime you need someone to talk to. I know how hard it is to grow up with a parent who is selfish like your mother. A girl needs a good female role model in her life, and you deserve one too," she replied.

Just as she said, Ms. Millet was waiting at the ER entry doors when we arrived. "OH, Kat. Sweetie, are you alright?" she asked. I shook my head no, and she wrapped her arms around me. "Let's get you taken care of, and get you somewhere you can rest. You are more than welcome to stay with me until you go to college, but we can't allow the school district to find out," she stated.

I gave her a small smile and said, "Thank you, Ms. Millet. I have somewhere to stay. I just need a hand to hold right now. If that's alright with you."

She softened her worried demeanor and nodded her head. "I understand sweetie, and I will always be here for you. No matter what, just as I always have been," she said.

She really has been there for me over the years. When I was only 14, mom went on one of her "client vacations", and she left me without food or electricity. I got caught stealing food from the cafeteria, and was sent to Ms. Millet's office to be reprimanded. However, punishment never came.

She listened to me, and when I told her what had been going on, she ordered me pizza. She helped get the electricity back on at my house, and I lied and told her that my aunt was coming to stay with me until mom got home. She took me to the grocery, and bought food to stock my fridge, and dropped me and the items off at the house.

I hated lying to her because she had just helped me, but I also didn't want her to call children's services. Seth ended up staying with me until I got the call from my mom that she was coming home. She had been one almost 2 weeks, and I think the only reason she gave me a heads-up was because she didn't want me in her way.

That was just the first of many situations I had with Ms. Millet, and I became very fond of her. Tonight, however, meant more to me than any other time she came to my rescue.

We were led into an exam room, and while we waited, she asked what exactly had happened. I slowly went through the events of the night, and I saw a tear slide down her face.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Katrina. I should have done something to get you out of that environment a long time ago. Maybe if I had stepped in with both you and Seth, neither of you would be in the predicament you are both in," she cried.

I shook my head and grabbed her hand. "No, ma'am. You have helped me more than you had to, and more than I deserved. Same with Seth. You are such an amazing person, and you make sure your students know they are loved by someone in their life. You couldn't control what happened no more than I could have, and even if you had gotten CPS involved, they would eventually have sent me back to her in the end. Don't blame yourself or think that you didn't do anything, because you did," I expressed to her.

She squeezed my hand and wiped her face before the doctor came in. "Well, I appreciate you saying that. You may no longer be my student, but I won't ever abandon you. Do you hear me?" she smiled. I nodded my head and laid my head back on the pillow.

"Ms. Millet? Could I ask you to do one more favor for me, please?" I asked. She said she would, and I asked if she could call the prison and check on Seth. I explained to her why, and she promised that she would call as soon as the doctor came in.

I thanked her and closed my eyes, and a soft knock on the door echoed throughout the room. It wasn't the doctor but one of his nurses. "Miss White? I am your nurse, Kelsey. Dr. Greenbaum will be here in just a minute, but I wanted to pop in and explain what is going to happen from here on out. Is that alright with you?" she asked.

I gave a slight nod, and my eyes darted to Ms. Millet. She told me it was going to be alright, and that we needed to do this to make sure the asshole who did this to me didn't get away with what he did.

Kelsey explained they would do what was called a rape kit. There would be several tests done, and hopefully they could get some kind of DNA proof, so there was no doubt who the attacker was. She explained that pictures would be taken, but the only mark that I knew of was a small cut on my cheek from where he smacked me.

She said they would make this as quick and as painless as possible, and I was beyond appreciative of that.

Dr. Greenbaum came in and spoke with me and basically repeated what his nurse had already said. He explained that 2 police officers had to be present, and that Officer Newman was still there, and her colleague, Officer Ingram, would be present as well. Both were female, and I was happy about that.

I asked him what tests would be involved, and explained each one. I was alright with the blood work, and they were going to take samples. However, I wasn't alright with the pap smear. I had never had one and was completely intimidated by the thought of it.

Once everyone was present, the doctor, his nurses and the officers did their job. The whole time I held onto Ms. Millet's hand, and covered my face with a sheet. I didn't want them to see my tears streaming down my face as I once again felt completely violated.

The whole process took around 2 hours, and I was given a gown to shower and change into. I declined to shower at the hospital, and chose to shower at Mr. Darnell's instead. He had called me several times to check up on me, and told me I could stay as long as I needed to.

He spoke with Ms. Millet and Officer Newman, and they both filled in about what was going to happen from here on out. He assured them he would make sure I was taken care of, and I knew he meant it.

I knew if I had to depend on anyone, Mr. Darnell would be the first to step up.