“We did extensive blood work to determine what was going on with you. Your blood work came back positive for HIV.”
“There must be some kind of mistake! Are you sure you didn’t get my records confused with someone else’s?” I asked nervously. HIV? Was he serious right now?
“I’m positive that didn’t happen. The lab was very careful.”
“Oh, God! I’m gonna die!” I wailed.
“It’s not as bad as you think, Mr. Washington.”
“Like hell it ain’t! HIV is a death wish. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” I broke down.
“It’s actually not the end of the world. Back when HIV first became known it was, but now there’s medication that not only helps with the effects from having it, but there is even a medication on the market that hides the symptoms.”
“Now why on earth would anyone want to hide the fact that they have HIV?” Ava interjected, and I’m glad she asked. I was totally rendered speechless and was glad she was able to speak in my defense.
“Various reasons I suppose,” Dr. Lee replied.
As Dr. Lee sat there rambling off a bunch of medical shit having to do with HIV, then handing me a pamphlet on how to live with it, I zoned completely out. I couldn’t believe that my reckless actions got me in a bind like this. The bigger question was where did I get it from?
“Do you have any questions for me?” Dr. Lee asked at the conclusion of my appointment.
“Nope, I think I’ve heard just about enough.” I replied then took the pieces of paper, which were prescriptions that I needed to take to the pharmacy to have filled.
As if being told that I had HIV wasn’t enough, as soon as the doctor left and shut the door, Ava slapped me so hard I fell off the exam table.
“You motherfucker you! You betta hope and pray I don’t have that shit! Find your own damn way home!”
Ava walked out, leaving me alone in the exam room, and all I could do was break down and cry. My life as I once knew it was now officially over, and I couldn’t blame not a soul but myself.
AVA
When the doctor told Shane he had HIV, I thought I was going to have a legit heart attack right where I was sitting. I couldn’t believe that shit. I felt bad for Shane and all, but I felt even worse for myself. Knowing that he and Justin were fucking around, I couldn’t help but to panic. When I slapped his ass off the exam table, he was lucky I didn’t knock the shit out of him, too. I was livid to say the least. I knew that there was no chance in hell I was going to carry his ass back home after finding that shit out.
He got himself in that position, so it was going to be on him to figure out the rest. I didn’t feel bad at all for leaving his ass right where he was. When I made it to my car, I immediately looked up my doctor’s number and called the office. Not only was I angry, but I was embarrassed to have to call my doctor and admit that my husband had cheated on me and possibly exposed me to HIV.
His office accommodated me and let me come in right away to get a blood test. You would have sworn I was being chased by how fast I jetted out of the parking lot at Shane’s doctor’s office then headed to mine. I didn’t even care that I was speeding. I feltlike if the police pulled up behind me, and pulled me over, I was ready to tell them that it was a matter of life and death.
I was so angry that I didn’t know what to think or who to call. I figured this was something that I was going to have to keep to myself until I found out what the results were.
“About how long is it going to take for me to get the results?” I asked Julie, the nurse that worked at my doctor’s office.
“Oh, about twenty minutes for the rapid test. We also send the blood work out to the lab whether it’s positive or negative just to be sure.”
“Twenty minutes! Wow!”
“Yeah, technology and medicine are no joke nowadays.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I’ll be back shortly,” Julie said then left me alone in the room to myself.
If that test came back positive, I was gonna have to prepare myself to live out the rest of my life in jail for the murders of Shane and Justin. About thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door than Julie walked in along with my doctor.
“Welp, the rapid test came back negative. However, just to be sure we’re still sending your blood work to the lab.”
“Oh, thank God. What are the chances of it coming back positive?”
“It’s really hard to say. With medicine, you just never know. I’ll say this, usually if the rapid test is negative the blood work will be also. But you just never know. Everyone is different, which is why we still send the blood work out to the lab.”
