Emily Fessenden Ch. 02

The Examination

Emily excused herself, and went quickly up the stairs, wondering with excitement about her examination. She had never been examined before. Not really. What would it be like? Would she be horribly embarrassed? Would it hurt? Exactly what would the doctor do?

She entered her small study, closing the door behind her. Two windows lavishly draped in silk overlooked the garden. There was a small writing table with an office chair on small wheels, two upholstered chairs, the fainting couch, marble-topped tables, and walls lined with shelves holding Emily's books. The afternoon sun lit the room well. Emily wondered whether she should draw the drapes closed – but decided against it. The room was on the second floor, after all, and the doctor said he would required adequate light to examine her.

She untied her satin dressing gown, took it off, and laid it over a chair back. Then her corset, next her chemise, then her knee-length lace-trimmed drawers. Finally, Emily stood nude in the center of her study. She glanced at a vertical gilt mirror between the two chairs. Her breasts were small, but not too small. Her belly was almost flat. Her blonde pubic hair was scant – the same as it had been when she was still a teenaged girl. She wondered what Dr. Fallows – George – would be thinking while he examined her.

She reached for her dressing gown, and slipped it back on – enfolding it only loosely together in the front, then very loosely tying the sash. She opened the door, then crossed the room again and sat on the fainting couch, waiting for George.

In only seconds, there was a soft tapping at the door. "Come in", Emily said, a hint of nervousness in her voice. The door opened, and in stepped her maid Lucy. "Are you ready for the doctor, Mrs. Fessenden?"

"Yes, and I don't mind saying that I'm a little nervous about it Lucy", Emily said, pulling her gown a little closer together in the front.

"Dr. Fallow is highly recommended, Miss Emily. I have heard from a number of women that he has helped them considerably. My friend, Annie, who works for Mrs. Brooks, said that Dr. Fallow's treatments help her mistress immeasurably."

"Treatments?"

"Yes, Mrs. Fessenden. Dr. Fallows discovered that Mrs. Brooks has a problem with her womb, and he treats her in some way. Annie said that the treatments make all the difference for Mrs. Brooks. Annie says she improved from the very first treatment, and that she seems to derive great benefit from them. He treats her once or twice per week, I think. And I have heard that he has helped various other women, too. There are a number of women in town who simply insist that they could not manage without Dr. Fallow. I do not know what sort of treatments they are, but whatever he does, there are women who testify that he has changed their lives considerably for the better."

Just then, there was another light tapping on the door of Emily's study. It was George Fallow.

"Are you ready Mrs. Fessenden? May I come in?"

"Show the doctor in, Lucy, and close the door on your way out, please."

Lucy admitted Dr. Fallow to Emily's study, glanced reassuringly at her mistress, then left the room.

The doctor had a comforting smile, and asked, "Are you ready for your examination now Emily?"

"Yes, I think so", she replied, more than a hint of nervousness in her voice. "I've never had an examination before you know…what do you want me to do?"

"Just lie back, and relax. Put your legs up on the couch and stretch out. It is lower than the examination table in my office, but it will do. I'll simply sit during most of your examination instead of standing, as I normally would." Dr Fallows moved he chair from Emily's desk near the fainting couch, and sat down beside her. "Let me explain what I'm going to do before I proceed, and you ask me any questions that come to your mind." He laid his hand atop Emily's, and looked her kindly in the face.

"First I'm going to look into your eyes – look at your pupils. Then I'll check for any unusual swelling in places that are called ‘lymph nodes'. I'll feel carefully along your neck and throat, under your arms, and groin, and behind your knees to find if there is any congestion of lymph in any of those places. I have a stethoscope in my bag, which I will use to listen to your heart and your lungs. It won't hurt, Emily, I assure you. Doctors have been using stethoscopes for more than 50 years now. When I do, I'll open your dressing gown a little. After I've listened to your heart, I'll examine your breasts – and your gown will be more open then, of course."

Emily's pupils dilated, and she swallowed, as she noticed her heart beating a little harder while the doctor described the forthcoming examination.

"After your breasts, I will examine your abdomen – your belly. I'll press here and there, checking for anything abnormal regarding your organs. Finally I will examine your pelvis. I'll start on the outside, pressing on your lower abdomen just about the pubic area. Then I'll examine your genitals, and finally I will check your womb. Do you have any questions Emily?"

Her voice quavered a little as she asked, "How will you be checking my womb, George?" Her whole body felt tingly and faintly trembly now. Had she been standing she may have felt a little faint.

He gave her the calm reassuring smile that she had begun to trust. "I'll carefully examine your outer pubic area, then I will gently insert a finger or two inside you, and feel the muscles inside your pelvis, and determine whether your womb is in a normal position, or it if is tilted in some abnormal way. Depending upon what I find there, I might have a look inside with an instrument called a speculum. It might be embarrassing, and hopefully will not hurt – or at least not hurt much – but it is necessary in order for me to fully evaluate your condition, Emily." He squeezed her hand, transferring confidence and caring with his touch. She felt the familiar tingling sensations in her thighs and pelvis growing stronger; she felt warm all over, and sensed she was blushing. George noticed her blush.

Moving the chair closer to the fainting couch, the doctor's knees were pressed firmly against the upholstery, trapping some of the satin fabric of Emily's gown. He found the magnifying glass in his bag, and brought it out to examine her eyes. [Dr Fallow did not yet have one of the new ophthalmoscopes, like some specialists in large cities did.] "Turn your head a little toward me, Emily." She did, and he focused the magnifying lens so he could see her eyes well. Her pupils were a little larger than usual, but were the same size, and reacted normally. Her irises were a lovely shade of green, bright with youth, and he uncharacteristically told her so. She blinked, and thanked him for the compliment.

Setting the glass aside, he asked her to turn her head back to the center, and began to feel her neck for any swollen lymph glands. Her skin was very soft and clear. His warm fingers felt warm and comforting to her. He gently explored the back of her neck, then along each side of her throat. Reflexively, Emily slightly arched her neck as his fingers moved slowly and methodically, though at the same time, sensually, over the front of her neck.

After George was satisfied that there were no indications of congestion of lymph in her neck, he pushed back the sides of her dressing gown, exposing her collarbones and upper shoulders, tracing the upper collarbones, again feeling for any swelling of lymph nodes. None. He noticed the smoothness of her supple, ivory skin, and the curves of her shoulders, and the swells of her upper breasts, partly exposed.

George spread apart the lapels of Emily's dressing gown, partially exposing her breasts, and slid his warm hand between the silky fabric and her left breast, reaching toward her left underarm area, still checking for any lymphatic congestion. As he did, his flattened palm brushed against her puckering left nipple. Emily felt a surge of delicious sensation. George noted the evidence of Emily's arousal, as he reached his fingers into her warm left armpit, thoroughly checking for any lymph nodes. Satisfied that there were none, he withdrew his hand, this time deliberately and slowly brushing against her increasingly erect left nipple. Though he had been a doctor for many years, he was not beyond noticing a beautiful woman, and he wondered about the appearance of her nipple…would I be as lovely as the rest of her?

The doctor and the patient each felt stirred by the preliminaries of the examination, and hoped the other would not notice.

"So far, no lymphatic congestion Emily. Now let me check in your right underarm." As he said this, George pulled at the right lapel of her dressing gown, tugging it toward her shoulder. Half of Emily's right breast was exposed, showing part of her pale rosy aureola, then the fabric resisted. At that point, Emily closed her eyes. George realized that his knee had trapped some of the fabric of her gown when he had moved near the couch. He readjusted his position, and pulled the gown toward her shoulder, totally exposing her right breast. The aureola was slightly raised like a little mound above the rest of her breast, and the nipple was obviously erect.

Emily had not ever exposed her breast to a man before. In recent years, only Lucy had seen her nude, while bathing, or getting dressed. This was different – very different. She could feel her heart pounding. She hoped that somehow, if she kept her eyes shut, George might not notice. She could feel both her nipples tighten, and the right one seemed to be pushing itself toward George.

George gazed as the taught nipple and slightly puffy aureola closed his eyes briefly in an effort to cancel out his thoughts, and then slid his left hand up along the side of her breast, toward her armpit. As he felt with experienced fingers for any swollen lymph nodes, his gaze alternated between Emily's face, her right breast, and the manicured garden he could see through her window. "No problem here, either, Emily", the doctor said, as he re-covered her bare breast discretely. "There are two other areas in which I need to check for lymphatic congestion." He rolled the desk chair toward her lower body as he spoke. One is behind your knees, and the other in your groin.

"Bend your knees just slightly, Emily", George requested, as he found the opening in her long dressing gown, and slid his hand under the back of her right leg, moving it behind her knee. So soft, he thought. And as he glanced at the part of her legs that were now exposed, he noticed that there were only very faint blonde hairs on Emily's legs. It tickled Emily when George felt behind her knee, and she giggled and slightly flinched. George quickly felt behind her left knee for any swollen popliteal lymph nodes. Then the right. Nothing abnormal was evident beneath her silken smooth skin; his trained fingers noticed only the sensual curve of the backs of her knees.

"Now let's check for swollen nodes in your groin", George said, his voice a little deeper than it had been only minutes earlier. "Go ahead and straighten your legs again, Emily", George instructed, "and unfasten the sash of your dressing gown, so I can see your pudendum". Emily's fingers trembled as she undid the loose knot in the sash. She closed her eyes once again, as if to hide from her own feelings. As she let the sides of her satin gown slink away under the tug of gravity, she could hear her heart pounding in her head.

As George looked at her pubic mound, he had mixed thoughts. The hair was very blonde, in short curls, and barely covered her entire mons. The appearance of her breasts and pubic area were more typical of a teenager than the doctor expected. "How old are you Emily?"

"Twenty four", she replied, opening her eyes. "I thought you knew. Why do you ask at this particular time, George?" George felt himself blushing now, and Emily noticed. "Well, Emily," he said swallowing, by your speech and mannerisms I had guessed you to be in your late twenties…but…the development of your body is typical of a woman younger than your years."

Emily's curiosity was piqued. In that instant, she wondered why she found it pleasant to be exposed to George's gaze. And she was curious what he meant about her body seeming younger to him than her actual age. "What about my body seems younger, George?" She moved her left hand across her lower abdomen, toward the pubic area that the doctor continued to stare at for another few seconds.

He rested his hand on her upper thigh, looked her in the eyes, and began to answer her curiosity. "Well, Emily, your breasts…the pinkish area around the nipples still is a little elevated above the rest of the breast. That has usually changed by your age. And your…pubic hairs…they don't extend out onto your thighs at all. I would expect that in a young woman in her middle or even late teens, but not at your age."

Emily moved her hand lower, so her fingertips were brushing along the top of her pubic hairline. As she did, she watched George's gaze follow her fingers closely. "Does that mean I have something wrong George?"

"Oh, no, Emily. It was just a nice surprise – I mean – it was unexpected." He felt intense flushing of his face, embarrassed at having said what he did. He tried to recover. "It is not a problem at all – only not common, and probably means you are going to live a long life." He smiled nervously at his faux pas. What was happening here? He had, through the course of his many years of practice, examined many women, and had long, long ago ceased to notice their femininity. Why was he finding Emily's body so attractive?

George regained full composure, and began pressing the right side of Emily's groin, checking for any lymphatic congestion. Then the inside of her right thigh. Emily was now studying George's face intently. He had blushed – it was unmistakable – and he seemed to be looking very intently at her – and she liked it. Her fingers by this time were playing nonchalantly in the wispy curls at the uppermost part of her pubic area. George looked into her face, then gently moved her hand a little higher onto her abdomen, so he could palpate the left side of her groin. He did so, again finding nothing at all unusual. Then he found the sides of her satin robe, and pulled them together, covering her pelvis completely once again.

"No lymphatic congestion anywhere, Emily. So we have ruled that out."

"What comes next George?" Emily asked with interest.

Reaching into his medical bag, George withdrew his stethoscope. "Now I'll listen to your heart", he said, as he prepared to position the tips in his ears. "Once in a while you have noticed fluttering in your chest, correct?" Emily nodded in confirmation.

George put the stethoscope in his ears, and then spread the lapels of Emily's satin dressing gown apart, so he could listen to her heart. He spread them wide – wider than he would usually when examining a woman – so that her breasts were both completely exposed. As George placed the stethoscope bell on her chest, he listened carefully to her heart sounds…while he admired Emily's breasts. Emily's heart was pounding hard, and beating rapidly. Was it because she was anemic? Or was she nervous about having the examination? Or could it be she a little aroused, as her tightly erect nipples suggested? He moved the stethoscope from point to point, listening to each valve in turn, noticing only a slight dysfunction in the mitral valve area.

Taking the stethoscope from his ears, he asked, "Are you a little nervous Emily?"

"A little, yes" she smiled as she answered. "Is my heart normal?"

"Yes, it is very close to normal. It is beating rapidly. And there is just a little abnormality of one of the valves, but I would expect that in your overall condition. Nothing serious at all."

"I can tell it's beating rapidly, George" She blushed, and then smiled at him. "It's been beating faster ever since you began my examination."

The doctor set the stethoscope aside. "Now I'll examine your breasts, Emily." He gently placed one hand, then the other, on her right breast, feeling carefully as he pressed with the pads of his fingers. He began methodically at the outer margins of the breast, making ever-smaller circles, as he worked his way slowly toward her aureola. He watched her face for any signs of discomfort. Her breast was youthful, soft, and without any sort of abnormalities. It felt pleasant to him. He pressed along Emily's slightly raised aureola, taking longer than he would usually take to examine a woman. Her aureola had wrinkled with arousal, and her nipple was stiff and full. Emily felt very agreeable sensations as George's hands moved across her flesh. George finally took her taut nipple between his thumb and middle finger, and lightly squeezed it. Emily gasped. George stopped pressing, but still held her nipple, "Does that hurt Emily?" "No, George," she responded. "But I heard you gasp, did I not?" he asked. "Yes, a little," was Emily's reply. "But not because it hurt, George. It…it feels very pleasant", she said shyly. George smiled, pleased with her response, and lightly rolled her nipple between his fingers. Emily gasped slightly again as George pulled her nipple, tugging it toward him, holding it more firmly.

"Where does it feel pleasant, Emily?" He continued to roll and pull her nipple, knowing this was not customary to do during an examination…but feeling compelled to continue fondling her nipple.

Emily's voice trembled slightly, and her words came slowly. "It feels…very pleasant…right there where your fingers are, George. And…" Emily blushed once again.

"And?" George queried.

"And," Emily continued shyly, "in my pelvic area also."

Feigning curiosity, George continued to tease her right nipple. "And how does it feel in your pelvic area right now?"

"It feels very warm and tingly. And it feels as though I am getting very wet down there, George."

"That's what I suspected" George said in his very doctorish tone of voice.

He finally released Emily's right nipple, after giving it one final stretching pull.

Because he was seated, George moved the chair closer to the fainting couch once again, so he could reach Emily's left breast more easily. He spread his knees apart, pressing them firmly against the furniture, and leaned forward to begin inspecting her left breast. As had had done on the right, he slowly and meticulously examined Emily's left breast, beginning at the periphery, and slowly moving toward the nipple. He alternated his gaze between her face and her breast, and could see the evident arousal in both. Gently and thoroughly he felt every part of her breast, watching her nipple grow more rigid, and her lips become deeper in color and fuller in involuntary response to his stimulation.

When his fingers came to her left aureola, he traced it in a circular fashion. "Look here, Emily. Remember that I told you that your body is more like a very young woman's than I expected? Can you notice that this pinkish part is raised above the rest of the breast?"

Emily looked down for the first time as he examined her, and noticed what George was pointing out….and felt herself shudder as he continued to circle her aureola with one finger. "Yes, I can see that" she said very softly. "And that's not a problem is it doctor?" she asked. "No, Emily…I mean…it is only unexpected…and some people will find it very lovely, Emily."

"What do you mean, George?"

He stopped circling her aureola, and rested his hand over her breast, covering it with his palm but not squeezing it. It felt very comforting and pleasant to her.

"I mean, Emily, that…some people find breasts shaped like yours to be exceptionally attractive…appealing…desirable."

Emily wondered.