Carole - Now Complete!

Part 15 - Questions.

Ritchie stood at the door, bags in hand. The beeping sound of a car horn could be heard outside. "That's the lads." he said softly, looking at Carole.

She nodded.

"I suppose I should say good bye then." He put his bags down and held his arms to her. She ran to him. "Stay safe whilst I'm away Carole. I'll ring you when I can! I love you!"

"I know you do...and I love you so much too. You stay safe! You're the one travelling and dodging mad fans!"

He grimaced. "Don't remind me!" He looked serious again. "Promise me you'll think about my proposal whilst I'm away?"

"I will." She kissed him gently, "You'll have my answer when you get back, I promise."

"Good." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. The horn beeped again. "RIGHT!" He let her go and kissed her deeply. "I don't want to go baby!"

She hit his hands playfully as he tried to grab her once more. "Come on, The Beatles need their drummer. Get a move on." She as half laughing, half crying as she spoke.

With one last hug and kiss, she watched as he walked down to the car and waved until it vanished from sight. Sighing, she closed the door and walked into the living room. She picked up the phone and dialled the number for the private doctor that The Beatles and their families used. Appointment made for later that day, she went to the bedroom to get ready.

Carole sat in the doctors waiting room. She was nervous...she picked at the hem of her dress, glancing constantly at her watch

"Miss Blackburn," the receptionist interrupted her thoughts, "The doctor is ready now."

Carole nodded and stood up. She walked slowly towards the doctor's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Fixing a smile on her face, she went in. It was the female doctor Carole had seen a few times since being with Ritchie. She greeted her warmly and asked her to sit down.

"How can I help you today Carole?" the doctor asked once the pleasantries were over.

She hesitated. "Can I ask you something first?"

"Go on."

"What I want to talk about today, when the bill goes to the accountant, it doesn't give details of what it was for ?"

"Of course not!" 

Carole nodded then swallowed.

"Whatever you say to me if completely confidential Carole. I can assure you of that!"

"I know but..." She stopped. "A few years ago, before meeting Ritchie, I was married."

"I didn't know that."

"I fell pregnant. Unfortunately my husband was violent towards me and when I was six months pregnant he beat me so much that I started bleeding. I was rushed to hospital obviously. My baby was born. After the birth, I continued to bleed. They couldn't stop it and I was taken for an operation. The thing is, I don't know exactly what they did to me. I have a very vague memory of something being said about I might struggle to conceive again, but in the shock of everything, I don't know exactly what the implications of it all was. I need to know now." Carole faced the doctor, tears rolling down her face.

"Is there a reason why this has come to a head now Carole?" the doctor asked gently.

Carole nodded miserably. "Ritchie has asked me to marry him. He wants a large family." She shrugged. 

The doctor moved around her desk and comforted Carole as much as possible. "First things first, let me look at your records. See if there are any details." Carole watched as the doctor read the records in front of her. She shook her head. "I'm afraid there's no reference to you having ever been pregnant here at all Carole."

"NO! But I need to know!" Carole began to cry.

"Carole, we can still find out!"

"How?"

"Carole, do you have any kind of scar for the surgery?"

"I have a small one."

"Could I see it please?"

Carole stood up and lifted her skirt. She revealed a scar, a few inches long, in her pelvis area.

"Well?"

The doctor shook her head. "That could be anything I'm afraid. Where did you give birth Carole? London or Liverpool?"

"The maternity hospital in Liverpool."

"Date?"

Carole told her. "My name was different too, I was Carole Adams. That was my married name."

The doctor nodded as she wrote down all the information. "Then I will contact the hospital directly after this appointment and request your details to be sent through."

"How long will that take?"

"Usually a day or two Carole, not long. Why do you need an answer so quickly?"

"Ritchie is away for the next two weeks. I promised him an answer when he returned!"

"Does Ritchie know anything about this Carole? Have you discussed it with him?"

She shook her head. "To be honest I was in such as mess when I first came to London, I put everything that happened out of my mind. I've never thought about having more children until Ritchie talked about it."

"What contraception are you and Ritchie using at the moment Carole?" the doctor asked softly.

Carole hung her head. 

"I will need to know before I send you for more tests Carole. It could influence results."

Carole looked up at the doctor, tears rolling down her face. "Ritchie thinks I'm on the pill."

The doctor looked confused. "Thinks? Are you taking it? This isn't in your records Carole."

"I know," She gave the doctor a sad smile, "That because I'm not om the pill. Ritchie and I, we aren't taking any precautions against me getting pregnant at all. For almost two years we've made love virtually every day. No contraception. Ritchie fills me with his semen very time. No babies. What does that tell you?" Carole looked at the doctor, waiting for a reaction.

"It tells me that you've been taking chances and so far you've avoided conceiving."

"Because I can't conceive!"

"There are a variety of procedures which you may have undergone whilst in Liverpool Carole. Some can affect your ability to get pregnant, but not all. You can't ignore the fact that not all men can father a child either. It may not be you with a problem. Wait until I have your maternity records. We'll discuss details then."

Carole nodded miserably. "When?"

"I'll call you once I have your papers. Today is Monday, so I should know something by Wednesday. I  can fix you an appointment immediately then."

"Thank you."

Carole stood up and turned towards to door.

"Carole," the doctor called.

She faced her again. "Yes?"

"Try not to worry too much. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation to all this."

Carole nodded then left the room.