An IV was hooked into her right arm. She’d been given a bit of Valium and was feeling lightheaded. In spite of herself she was mildly apprehensive that she might suffer a second drug-induced nightmare.

“Okay!” Dr. Tolentino said. “Perfect.” The grid was centered just south of her umbilicus. Dr. Tolentino threw a few electrical switches and the cathode tube monitor of the fluoroscopy unit gave off a light-gray glow. Going to the door, Dr. Tolentino called for Dr. Carpenter.

Dr. Carpenter entered along with a nurse. The two of them were wearing the same sort of heavy lead apron Dr. Tolentino had on to shield his body from ambient radiation. Seeing such heavy protective gear made Marissa feel all the more exposed and vulnerable.

Marissa could feel her legs being lifted and parted to be placed in stirrups. Then the end of the table dropped away so that her backside was perched on the very edge.

“You’ll feel the speculum now,” Dr. Carpenter warned.

Marissa clenched her teeth as she felt the instrument slip inside of her and spread.

“Now you are going to feel a prick,” Dr. Carpenter said. “I’m going to put in the local anesthetic.”

Marissa bit her lip in anticipation. True to Dr. Carpenter’s warning, she felt a sharp stab localized somewhere in her lower back.

“And again,” Dr. Carpenter said.

He injected her in several locations, explaining to her that he was giving her a paracervical block to anesthetize the cervix.

Marissa breathed out. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath. All she wanted at that moment was for the study to be over.

“Just a few minutes more,” Dr. Carpenter said as if reading her mind.

In her mind’s eye Marissa could see the long, scissor-shaped instrument with its jaws shaped like two opposing fangs. She knew those fangs were about to bite through the delicate tissue of her cervix.

But Marissa felt no pain when she heard the sharp metallic sound of the instrument handles lock, just a sensation of pressure and a pulling. She could hear Dr. Carpenter talk to both the nurse and Dr. Tolentino. She heard the X-ray machine go on and could just barely see part of an image that had appeared on the fluoroscopy screen.

“Okay! Marissa,” Dr. Carpenter said, “as I explained earlier, the Jarcho cannula is now in place and I’m about to inject the dye. You’ll probably feel this a bit.”

Marissa held her breath again, and this time the pain came. It was like a severe cramp that built to the point that she could not keep from moving.

“Hold still!” Dr. Carpenter commanded.

“I can’t,” Marissa moaned. Just when she thought she couldn’t bear the pain for a moment longer, it abated. She let her breath out with relief.

“The dye didn’t go anyplace,” Dr. Carpenter said with surprise.