‘Whatever it is, you can trust me.’
Poppy took a deep breath.‘Can I talk to you as a doctor?So it can be confidential?’
‘Well, you’re my niece so I’m not really supposed to be your doctor, but sometimes in small towns or emergency circumstances it’s okay.Why don’t you tell me what’s happened and I’ll work out how to help you?’
‘And you won’t tell Mum?’
‘If you’re in danger I’ll have to report it.Not to Lauren, but to the Department of Family and Community Services.Are you in danger?’
Poppy shook her head, looked back at the carpet.‘How old were you when you, like …’ She swallowed.‘You know …’
‘When I …?’Nel suspected she knew what Poppy was asking, but she waited for her to go on.
Poppy exhaled loudly.‘Lost your virginity.’
‘For me that didn’t happen until I was at uni in Sydney, but that was later than most people.My last few years of school were pretty strange.Are you thinking about having sex?’She kept her tone businesslike.Matter of fact.As though she was asking whether Poppy was considering having sushi for lunch.
Poppy fiddled with a loose thread on the sleeve of her jumper.‘I guess.’
‘I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.’Did Lauren know?If she did, she hadn’t mentioned it, which seemed unlikely.‘Is it a new relationship?’
Poppy nodded.‘We’ve been friends for a while, but we’ve only been together for like a month or so.His name’s Jack.He’s in the year above me.’
‘Have you had boyfriends before?’
She shook her head.
‘Have you and Jack talked about having sex?’
She nodded.
‘Are you feeling any pressure from him to do it?’
She shook her head again, pushing a lock of long brown hair behind her ear.‘I want to, but Mum’s made me like literally terrified of getting pregnant like she did.’
‘You did a smart thing, coming to see me,’ Nel said, giving her hand a squeeze.‘I know it’s not easy to talk about this stuff.Have you told your mum about Jack?’
‘No way,’ Poppy said, looking at Nel as though she was mad.‘She’d literally never let me leave the house again.’
‘Maybe she would surprise you.’
‘Doubt it,’ Poppy said.
Nel thought through her options.Technically it was possible for her to treat Poppy—it was considered unethical to treat animmediatefamily member, but a niece wasn’t considered immediate family, and there was no legal requirement to notify the parents of a fifteen-year-old before prescribing contraception—but none of that would matter to Lauren.
‘Which doctor do you normally see?’Nel asked.
‘We go to a clinic in North Carrinya,’ Poppy said.‘But she’s a friend of Mum’s and she’s not very …’
‘Discreet?’Nel offered.
Poppy nodded.‘And Mum knows all the doctors there.’
Nel opened the cupboard where Rob kept samples provided by pharmaceutical reps.She’d reorganised it last week so she could find things more easily.She took out a couple of condoms and turned back to Poppy.‘How much do you know about contraception?’
‘A bit.’She gestured to the packets in Nel’s hand.‘They made us put one of those on a banana last year.’
‘Well, that’s a start.’Nel gave her a run-down on the pros and cons of condoms and other contraceptive options.‘I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.I can’t treat you, so I’m going to make you an appointment at a clinic up at Mount Clare with someone you cantrust.You’re getting older so you need a doctor you can talk to openly, without worrying about confidentiality.They’ll be able to prescribe a good long-term contraceptive.In the meantime, if things get … serious … you need to use one of these.’
