She's No Angel by Janine A. Morris Page B

about to share for the first time. Everyone who knew about it was there when it happened, and rarely ever was it spoken of since.
    The doctor looked at her as she spoke. Charlene hoped that the doctor didn’t think she was being a drama queen. She figured that the doctor had seen and heard much worse, but to Charlene this had been the most traumatizing situation of her life.
    â€œWe didn’t know what we were doing, so after poking the knitting needle around up there I began to bleed a lot ... And eventually my friend called my mom and she rushed me to the hospital ... They thought I was going to bleed to death. At the hospital, they removed the baby but they said I had perforated my uterus and my chances of giving birth were slim to none.”
    By the time Charlene finished telling the doctor the story, her face was soaked by the tears that had fallen and so was Paige’s. Paige knew the entire story, but hearing Charlene relive it out loud for the first time gave her goose bumps. Paige had been with their mother when she received the call. They rushed home and found Charlene in a pool of blood—that was something that would never leave Paige, just like it would never leave Charlene. It felt like it took months to completely get rid of the blood. Paige could remember that all Charlene’s friend Tanai kept screaming was, “We killed her! We killed her!” It was the most horrific scene.
    The doctor took a moment to respond, and then she asked, “Did your last doctor tell you the same thing?”
    â€œThis is the first time I have been to the doctor since the incident.”
    â€œSince you were thirteen?”
    â€œYes ... I have been to a general doctor, but I haven’t been examined down there since.”
    â€œWow, Charlene ... They didn’t suggest counseling or any follow-up appointments?”
    â€œThey did, but I wasn’t really willing to go through anything else at the time, the physical and emotional pain stuck around for quite some time, and besides, my mother just wanted us to put it behind us.”
    â€œAt the risk of your health?”
    â€œMy mom is very religious, and she was very disappointed in my behavior so she said we just had to pray on it.”
    After realizing that there were several aspects to this issue the doctor realized that this was better suited for a licensed psychologist, so Dr. Ginyard decided to leave the family issues alone.
    â€œDo you mind letting me examine you?” the doctor asked her.
    Without answering, Charlene began to lie back down on the table. The doctor put her gloves back on and began to slowly open Charlene’s legs. Surprisingly, now that Charlene had told the doctor, it was a lot easier for her to lie there calmly. At first she was very squeamish when the speculum and swab entered her again, but she lay there and let the doctor do her work.
    It was quick and painless in the end, and Charlene was actually happy that she was finally getting this done. The doctor said she wanted to look at an ultrasound as well to take a look at her uterus, so she sent her over to another room. Charlene did everything that the doctor asked, and Paige was right there by her side for it all.
    Charlene never thought she would feel such a relief after reciting the tragic story of her childhood to someone, but she was actually happy that she had. She hoped she could feel the same relief after telling Isaac the story, along with the results from the doctor.

Chapter 8
    O utside kids were playing and running around making all sorts of noises. There were four girls playing a mean game of double Dutch right outside Charlene’s window. The ropes hit the ground and a girl in lime green jumped right in, her skinny legs jumping and bending fast as lightning. She’d probably been jumping for years.
    A day had gone by and Charlene was still awaiting her test results as well as the right moment to have her talk with Isaac. He had already