Little White Lies (4)

CHAPTER FOUR - "THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE"

By the time Jim's car was half way down the driveway, Beth was on the phone calling her Orthopedic Surgeon for an appointment as soon as he could squeeze her in. The earliest Doctor Leemore could see Beth was 10:15, according to the receptionist who Beth had known for almost than four years. Beth had gone to Doctor Leemore for a knee injury she sustained four years earlier while skiing in Aspen and then again 6 months ago for a sprained wrist caused from a fall on her roller-blades. Doctor Leemore was someone Beth trusted and his receptionist, a young lady named Dana, was equally as trustworthy. Beth knew that her visit would be held in complete confidence, even from her husband.

By nine o'clock, Beth had finished showering, drying her hair and applying her makeup, and was trying to decide what to wear. Beth was the type of woman who always had to look beautiful, no matter what she was doing, horseback ridding, rolling balding or even going to the Doctor. Her dark brown hair was always perfectly groomed, her make up impeccably applied, and her clothes stylishly in fashion. Today her choice was a long navy skirt, white pantyhose, a red and green floral silk blouse and her navy blue heels.

Friday morning at 10:15, Beth pulled her 1994 BMW into the parking lot in front of Doctors Leemore's office. Although Beth was now having second thoughts, wondering if she should go in or turn around and go home, her neck was feeling much better than it was the day before and the swelling had gone down considerably. However, she did feel obligated to Doctor Leemore and Dana since they had gone out of their way to see her on such short notice, besides, it couldn't hurt to get checked out since she was already down there.

"Good morning Dana," said Beth as she approached the receptionist window "Thanks so much for seeing me on such short notice"
"Good Morning Mrs. O'Connel, how are you feeling?" replied Dana with heart felt concern in her voice.
"Well, I took a fall on my horse the other day and my necks a little stiff, but I'm sure it's nothing"
"I'm sure you 'r probably right, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Why don't you have a seat and I'll let Doctor Leemore know your here"
Dana was a cute girl with big brown eyes and a smile that could ease even the most intense pain. Her straight, dark hair, which she wore pulled back, and her dark rimmed librarian glasses gave her the look of sophistication, even thought she was only 26.
"The Doctor will see you now Mrs. O'Connel"
Beth followed Dana in through the reception area and down the hall to one of four patient examination rooms.
"He'll be in shortly"
"Thank you Dana", Beth said with a smile
"Good morning Beth, how have you been?" ask Doctor Leemore as he entered the examination room. Doctor Leemore was a handsome man in his mid 40's. He had dark hair, a closely trimmed beard and caring, deep green eyes that always put Beth at ease.
"I been great Doctor, and how about yourself?"
"I have been very busy, roller-blading injuries have been good for the orthopedic industry" replied the Doctor as he smiled.
"Speaking of roller-blading, how's your wrist doing?"
"No problem, see, good as new" Beth held up her arm and turned her wrist from left to right. "So, I understand you took a little fall on your horse?"
"Yes Doctor, I took a little spill and scuffed my elbow and my neck's a little stiff, much better than it was yesterday though"
"Are you having any other pain besides your elbow and your neck?" asked the Doctor as he moved Beth's elbow back and forth, looking for any signs of pain in her face.
"No Doctor, everything else seems to be fine, in fact I feel kinda silly now because I feel much better than I did yesterday"
"Well, your elbow seems to be fine but I would like to x-ray it just to be on the safe side, now if you could remove your blouse I want to check your back and neck
Beth reached up and began to unbutton her silk blouse as Dana walked in
"Mrs. O'Connel, can I take that for you?" asked Dana as she held out a plastic hanger.
"Yes please, thank you" Dana carefully took Beth's blouse and placed it gently over the hanger.
"I'll hang it in our closet until the Doctor finishes the examination"

Doctor Leemore slowly began to examine Beth's spinal column, starting from her waist and working up, he checked each vertebra for any swelling or bruises. As he reached the upper section of Beth's back and lower neck, her upper thoracic and cervical region, he noticed a small amount of swelling.
"Does this hurt when I press down" Beth winced as Doctor Leemore applied a small amount of pressure.
"Just a little" replied Beth
"How about when you turn your head?" The Doctor had now come around and was in front of Beth with one hand on the back of her neck and the other hand holding her chin as she slowly turned her head.
"Well, it's a little sore" responded Beth
"I want you to tip your head forward as far as you can and then back, but stop if you feel any pain" As Beth rocked her head ever so slightly forward and then back, the Doctor couldn't help but notice Beth's extremely large chest. Her milky white breasts framing the deep cleavage that was between them, all supported by ivory colored silk bra with an underwire that more closely resembled a TV cable. The shoulder straps were wide and had an extra 1" wide by 1/4" thick piece of foam rubber placed over them to keep from cutting into Beth's skin.
"Well, it looks like that hurts a little" Said Doctor Leemore?
"The pain is not too bad, just a little stiff"
"Have you ever had any back or neck problems before? "
"What do you mean?"
"Well, a lot of my female patients with very large breasts sometime have back or neck problems caused by their large chest" Beth, slightly blushing, replied
"No Doctor, I do a lot of back and neck strength exercises at the gym, so I have never had a problem" Touch her breasts slightly with her hands.
"It appears that there is no major problems, however I will need to get a full set of spinal x-rays"
"That's reassuring," sighed Beth with relief in her voice
"We won't know for sure until after the x-rays, but it looks like a mild sprain"

It was 11:30am when Beth was wheeled into the x-ray room, which was in another area of the medical complex adjacent to Doctor Leemore's office. The x-ray tech was a woman in her mid fifties with a serious look who got right to business.
"Please remove your blouse, your skirt and your panty hose, you can leave your bra and panties on" Beth quickly followed her instructions
"Please lay down on the table, stomach down" Beth heard the camera button being pressed; as she was the woman moved the lens of the large camera to different positions on her back and neck.
"All finished, you may put your clothes back on" said the woman in a monotone voice.

By 12:00, Beth was back in Doctor Leemore's examination room, now fully dressed with a fresh application of dark, ruby lipstick.
"I should have the x-rays back early Monday morning and we will call you to let you know how everything went"
"That's great Doctor, please call me after 10:00am or so, I have said nothing to my husband Jim about this and I really don't want him to find out, he'll want me to sell my horses!"
"That's fine Beth, but unfortunately the cervical collar I have prescribed for you will not be so easy to hide"
"What cervical collar?" replied Beth with a quiver in her voice.
Doctor Leemore held up a small piece of white paper; it was a prescription for a hard foam and plastic collar.
"I am prescribing a Philadelphia Collar to be worn for 3 to 4 weeks "
"What is a Philadelphia Collar?" ask Beth with a sigh
"Well it is a light weight, skin color cervical collar that is worn around the neck to restrict movement and transfer the weight of your head to your shoulders, letting your neck muscles rest so they can heal"
"Do I have to wear this collar all day?"
"All day and all night, I only want you to remove it while showering, that is it
Beth sighed again and pouted like a little girl who lost her favorite doll.
"Cheer up Beth, the Philadelphia Collar is quite comfortable, I think you will find that your pain will be a lot less while wearing the collar" said Doctor Leemore, smiling.
"What will I tell Jim?"
"The truth is always nice, but if you are afraid of that I'm sure you will figure out something creative." Doctor Leemore called Dana in from the front office.
"Dana, could you please take Mrs. O'Connel with you and fit her with a Philadelphia Collar" "Yes Doctor" Beth followed Dana down the hall to a small room with crutches, knee braces, etc.
"Beth, could you please have a seat on the exam table, this will only take a few minutes"
Beth sat down and Dana began taking some measurements and then went to the large drawer marked "C-Collars" and pulled out a box labeled "Philadelphia Collar", Dana placed the box on the exam table next to Beth. Opening it, she pulled out two skin colored half's with a tan Velcro strip attached to each half.
"Let me show you how to put this on and removed it. First, this is the back half, marked with a small "B". Dana held up the back half of the collar and pointed to the small "B" with a small arrow pointing up.
"The arrow is tells you what part goes up. This piece, with the molded chin cup is the front half, it is not marked, but it is easy to tell them apart" Dana now had the front half in one hand and the back half in the other hand.
"When putting the collar on, start with the back half first" Dana placed the back half of the Philadelphia Collar on her neck.
"Next, take the front piece and slip it over your neck, your chin should rest in the molded chin piece. Then, loop the Velcro straps on the left and right piece through the buckle and double them back on them self, keeping the pressure even on the left and right side. Make sure the straps are not loose, they need to be snug."
Beth carefully watched Dana as she placed the front half of the collar on and tightened the Velcro straps on the left and right side.
"Any questions so far" asked Dana
"No, I don't think so," replied Beth "To take the collar off, repeat the same steps, just in reverse, simple, right?"
Dana removed the collar, smiling at Beth.
"Well it doesn't look to difficult" replied Beth.
"Now, Mrs. O'Connel, I need you to undo the top two buttons of your blouse so this part of the collar will go underneath your clothing" Dana held up the front part of the collar and pointed to the section that rests on the shoulders.
"Oh yes, of course" Beth carefully undid her two top buttons
"Thanks, I will also have put your hair up for a minute"
Dana took a hair clip out of her white nurse's coat and pulled Beth's hair back, placing it in a ponytail toward the top of her head.
"You have beautiful hair" replied Dana as she carefully clipped her ponytail so it sprouted up, slightly falling off to one side.
"Oh, thank you, I just wish I could get rid of those little gray ones"
"I know what you mean" replied Dana, as she pointed to a few gray hairs in her bangs.
"Dana, I think I got you beat in the gray hair department" Beth said, smiling.
"Could you please sit up straight and extend your neck" Beth moved her shoulders back and extended her neck slightly.
"Great, now please hold your chin up a little" Beth smiled and lifted her chin slightly
"Perfect" Dana took the back half of the of the Philadelphia Collar and placed it on Beth's neck. She then took the front half and carefully slipped it under Beth's chin, on to her neck and connected the two with the Velcro strap, which looped through two straps and doubled back on itself.
"There, how does that feel?" asked Dana, smiling curiously.
"Well, ...fine I think"
"Is it pinching anywhere "
"No, I feels fine, how does it look?" replied Beth, with a tight-lipped smile and a sarcastic tone in her voice
"It looks fine, you can barley notice it, besides, it will make you feel a whole lot better"
Dana walked around Beth and checked the fit of the Philadelphia Collar, tightening the Velcro straps slightly
"There, I think that's perfect. Remember, this is how tight the collar needs to be when you do it yourself" Beth nodded her head slightly, even though her movement was now restricted "Remember, this is going to make you feel better"
Beth smiled slightly and replied "Ill have to keep reminding myself of that"
"Why don't you go ahead and button your blouse back up, I think Dr. Leemore wants to see you before you leave." Beth nodded slightly and buttoned her blouse up around the skin colored Philadelphia collar.

Dana led Beth down the short hallway back to one of the exam rooms where she sat patiently waiting for Dr. Leemore to finish up with one of his other patients.
"See that's not so bad" responded Dr. Leemore as he entered the sterile looking exam room and began checking the fit of Beth's new Philadelphia Collar.
"Well, I haven't had a look in the mirror yet" Beth said with a slight frown.
Dr. Leemore laughed and continued his inspection of the collar.
"Looks like Dana fit you perfectly, now remember, you need to wear this collar 24hours a day, I only want you to remove it while bathing"
Beth, now smiling and grinning, replied "Yes Doctor, but" Dr. Leemore cut her off mid sentence
"No Buts, I'm serious Beth, 3 weeks or so in the collar and you'll be good as new. Now, I want to see you next Friday, until then, I am going to prescribe some mild pain pills for you and don't hesitate to call us if you have any problems" Beth took the small prescription slip from the doctor and thank him again for all his help.

Beth checked in with Dana before leaving to confirm her Friday appointment and thank her for all her help.
"Well see you next Friday at 10:00am" Dana said as she looked up from her appointment book
"Also, I have phoned your prescription into Walgreen's Pharmacy so they should have it ready in 1/2 hour or so"
As Beth left Doctor Leemore's office, she glanced down at her small gold Rolex watch, it was 2:45, and Jim would be home in three hours.