The Diagnosis

[EquinoxSol]

Smiling at the boy, Lewis gently took the five-year-old's forearm, cleaning a small area with a cotton ball doused with alcohol. The child's mother took his hand, trying to reassure the boy. As his nurse Annie hands him the sterile syringe, Lewis saw the boy cringe. "Don't worry," he said, grinning. "This will make sure you don't get sick when you go to school in August. Your mommy is right here with you. And afterwards," he added happily, "I'll give you a sticker and a piece of candy."

The young boy nodded, trying to be brave. He squeezed his eyes shut, holding tightly onto his mother. In just a few seconds, the shot was over, and Lewis was sticking a Power Rangers band-aid where blood had welled up. "All done. Annie," he said, turning as he started walking for the biohazard disposal box, "why don't you take little Anthony and his mother to the front while I fill in his paperwork." As he stood at the cabinets, signing for the shot he had given the child, Annie led the mother and her son away. As another nurse came in to change the paper and generally clean up the room, he took the paper to his secretary.

"Is my three o'clock in yet?" he asked, looking over her shoulder at her computer.

"Yes," she answered. "She's ready if you are."

"Give me five minutes." Heading back to his room, he washed his hands and prepared for his next patient, looking over her file on his computer.

 

[jxnnie]

All of these children here seemed to think everything was alright. Nothing to worry about, nothing at all. They were wrong. Rose knew they were. She may have been alright elsewhere, but doctors' offices were absolute hell for her. The men poked and prodded while the women doctors decided it was okay to pry to find out what they needed to know, and possibly even more than necessary. Needless to say, Rose hated these places. Not only did she hate the building itself, but the people inside of it.

"Miss Hiffory? Please come back with me, Doctor Robertson is ready to see you."

The nurse's voice brought Rose from her thoughts. It was good that she did. Otherwise, Rose would have been in too horrible of a mood to cooperate with the doctor. Not like she was going to do too well in the first place, anyway.

Once brought back, the nurse led Rose up to the height and weight scale. She stood at a decent five foot five, but with a not so decent weight of about twenty pounds less than she should have been. More than likely, it was a side effect of whatever illness she had.

That was the entire reason Rose's caretaker wanted her to come to this office. Her caretaker, Abigail, had tried to assure Rose that the doctor here wasn't like the others. Doctor Robertson is gentle and kind, I promise you; that was all Rose had heard for the past two weeks or so. Sure. Sure he was. This Doctor Robertson was probably something of a monster just like all the other doctors she'd seen since she'd fallen ill.

 

[EquinoxSol]

"Hello, Ms. Hiffory," Lewis said, smiling warmly as she was led into his room by Annie. "Please, take a seat,." He gestured towards the bed. "What seems to be the problem?" She looked to be mostly alright, if a little underweight, but he knew that on the inside anything could be going wrong with her body. "When you made the appointment, you were vague upon the reason. You don't have to worry; it's all doctor-patient confidentiality, but in order to find out what is ailing you, it is imperative that you tell me something." He smiled again, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Seeing a reproachful look in her eyes that he normally saw in children afraid of him, he said, "You don't have to be scared of me. I promise not to do anything to hurt you. Everything I do will be strictly professional and standard procedure. If there's anything I can do to make sure you feel safe here, please, tell me." Trying to be reassuring, he moved his chair a little closer to the bed, a genuine grin across his face.