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“Jolyne, it’s just an ear infection. A friend of mine is working at the clinic today. He’ll look at it and give you some eardrops.”
“It’s not an ear infection,” Jolyne said, crossing her arms across her chest. “I saw that thing on TV. It’s a bug in my ear. It’s eating my brain. It’ll only be a matter of time before I forget who you are.”
Jotaro tried not to exhale too audibly. She looked a little pathetic. Her hair buns were messy. He still hadn’t quite gotten a handle on how to put them up, and one was already falling out. Her eyes were red from being teary and sore, and she was wearing one of his t-shirts – it was basically a dress on her – since she’d spilt chocolate ice cream into her suitcase and he was still struggling to get the stains out of her clothes.
He was trying very hard to get on her good side. He only got to see her every other weekend since his separation from his wife. Jolyne was more than a little cold to him at the beginning – not eager to talk unless it was to point out how he failed to live up to what her mother could do. Clean her clothes properly. Tie her hair up so it didn’t fall back down. He even managed to order from the wrong pizza places. So he took her swimming at a friend of his grandfather’s and he let her stay up late to watch an urban legend television show. Both completely backfired and resulted in a nasty ear infection that Jolyne strongly believed was an insect eating her brains.
He was willing to do a lot to make Jolyne like him, but living up to her expectations started to exhaust and frustrate him. He just wasn’t eager to drive two hours to see her regular doctor when he had a perfectly qualified friend ten minutes away.
“If there is a bug eating your brains, you’re risking a lot of damage while we’re driving to see your doctor,” Jotaro said.
Jolyne took a deep breath and looked her dad dead in the eye when she said, “I’m willing to take that risk.”
He watched her eyes burrow into his own. She was stubborn, and he doubted his friend would be able to convince her that it wasn’t a bug in her ear. He prepared for a long, teary drive and said, “We’ll call them and see if they can fit you in.”
Jotaro sighed a “yare yare daze” as he dialled the clinic’s number on the phone. Jotaro explained the situation to the receptionist, though every time he said, “ear infection,” Jolyne corrected him with, “Brain-eating insect.”
He was hardly in the mood to humour her, so he continued to speak to the receptionist as Jolyne pulled on his shirt. “I want to talk to him,” she said.
“It’s the receptionist,” Jotaro said. “The doctor’s a little too busy to be talking to patients on the phone.”
“Oh, he’s walking right by now,” the receptionist said. “He can talk to her for a moment if it’ll calm her down.”
Jolyne continued pulling on Jotaro’s shirt and he sighed a defeated, “All right.”
Jotaro handed the phone to Jolyne and she said a short, “Okay,” as she waited for the doctor. Jotaro watched her intent expression. He wished she had that sort of confidence in him. She absently rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.
She stood with her back to Jotaro and sniffled a bit as she told the doctor about the television show she saw. She repeated, “No,” a few times and then meekly said, “Okay,” before handing the phone back to her dad.
“Hey,” the doctor said to Jotaro. He had a faint accent Jotaro couldn’t quite place. “I tried to tell her it wasn’t a bug, but she’s pretty insistent. Don’t you think she’s a little young for that show you had her watching? She might go to another clinic, but I know her and she’ll probably feel better seeing someone she’s familiar with.”
Jotaro hated him instantly. Jotaro was a medical doctor. He’d been with her since birth, and here this jerk thought he could lecture him? He watched Jolyne stay with her back to him. She cried softly. He simply said, “Okay,” to the doctor.
“I’m looking forward to meeting you,” the doctor said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Jotaro was hopeful. “From Jolyne?”
“No, my sister. You tested Sherry Polnareff for the breast cancer gene and talked her through it when she found out she has BRCA1. She’s doing so much better after talking to you I’m just - I’m really grateful. You really know how to talk to your patients.”
Jotaro’s shoulders slackened. He had hoped Jolyne bragged about her dad, but it was nice to hear Sherry was doing well. He remembered her. Dark curls. Aggressively optimistic. While communication was something he was rarely commended for, his patients appreciated his silence as they spilled out their fears and his confidence when he addressed their concerns. He tried to hold back his dislike for the doctor and said, “Right, we’ve met before.”
“Did we?”
Jotaro remembered it clearly. He walked out of his office with Sherry, and they found her brother asleep on the chair outside of his office. The memory of him was faint. Silver hair. Freckles. He had his head propped up with his hand, and Jotaro remembered he had thought it was quite the feat to sleep sitting upright. He supposed it was a skill Polnareff had learned as a med student.
“You were half-asleep when we shook hands,” Jotaro simply replied.
“You know what, you’re right. Still, it’ll be nice to meet when I’m not in an exam haze,” Polnareff said. “Sherry had tried to talk to me for advice, but she said I wasn’t listening - that I was too eager to make everything fine again, when everything had changed for her. When she talked about what you had said to her - you just, you really helped her feel confident again, and I’m really grateful for your help.”
Jotaro wasn’t entirely sure what to say to such praise. He replied, “I’m glad she’s well.”
Polnareff was quiet for a moment. He said, “Yeah,” softly, and then added with a chipper-ness that reminded him of Sherry, “I’ll see you and Jolyne soon. Don’t worry about rushing, I’ll stay late. I have you down for six o’clock.”
“Sounds good.”
Jotaro hung up, and Jolyne asked, “What did he say?”
“I treated his sister a while ago,” Jotaro said.
Jolyne made a noise in frustration and said, “But what did he say about me?”
“He’s staying open late for you. He thinks it’s an ear infection too.”
Jolyne pouted and said, “I want to talk to mom in the car in case I start forgetting her.”
Jotaro handed her his cell phone as they moved out to his car. Jotaro didn’t know what to say to comfort her, and she started to cry again when his wife answered the phone. She hurriedly explained everything that was happening, and how Dr. Polnareff would surely get the bug out of her ear before she lost anything important. Jolyne relaxed some as her mother spoke with her.
Jotaro was a bit relieved, if he was being honest with himself. He couldn’t remember being afraid of any of his own illnesses when he was young, and Jolyne’s fears were so fantastical that he couldn’t logic his way into finding a way to comfort her. Jotaro mostly remembered being angry as a kid. Angry his mom had gotten breast cancer. Angry when she was too tired or weak. Angry that his grandfather had to watch him because his dad wasn’t around.
And so, so angry when his grandfather told him off when Jotaro told his mom that she didn’t really care about him. He regretted it all soon after that, and he was relieved that she recovered so he could apologize. He remembered crying in her arms. He remembered the way her fingers moved through his hair. She laughed at him for ever thinking she’d take what he said to heart.
It took him an extra year to get his grades high enough to get onto the path to medical school. He wanted to make sure no one would lose the opportunity to apologize, the opportunity he’d been lucky enough to get. And on the path he met his wife and then lost her. Too wrapped up in school and work, too afraid and awkward to communicate his needs clearly, too stubborn to change himself to suit someone else’s needs.
He regretted letting his relationship with his wife crumble. When she told him off it reminded him of his grandfather. She said he was either out of their lives completely or he was going to make the effort for Jolyne. He promised he would. His time with Jolyne was limited, and even though it was mostly his own fault for being so busy, he didn’t want to end up like his father. He tried to fit her in when he could. He’d try to go to dance recitals and school plays. And he still cared for his wife. Despite everything she was still his family.
Jolyne said, “Mom wants to talk to you.”
“You’ll have to put her on speaker phone. Do you remember how to do that?”
Jolyne nodded and switched the phone onto speakerphone. She said, “You’re on speakerphone, mom.”
“I think Jolyne should spend the night at home,” she said. “You won’t get back to your place until after eight or nine, so maybe you want to stay over too. I can make up the spare room, and you can take Jolyne out for the day tomorrow. Some of your clothes are still here.”
Jotaro thought about it. Sleeping in the guest room would be strange, but he knew she would be a lot more comfortable being able to keep an eye on Jolyne. He was glad she wanted him to stay too. Both of them would worry, and both of them wanted Jolyne to be comfortable. “Okay, sure,” Jotaro said.
Jolyne let out a quiet, “Yes!”
Jotaro knew she had no delusions about her parents getting back together, but she did know that if he stayed over, she’d get spoiled by both of her parents. They’d probably stay up late watching a movie with popcorn, though she wouldn’t be able to get away with the types of films she could watch with Jotaro. Jotaro knew he’d get an earful later about letting her watch what she did.
“Does your schedule work for next weekend? You could take her again to make up for this weekend being a washout,” she said.
“I’ll double check, but that sounds good.”
They exchanged goodbyes, and Jolyne was a little less weepy. Jotaro wished he could think of something to make her feel better, but he simply said, “You can turn on the radio if you want.”
Jolyne turned on the radio and continued to flip through channels until they arrived at the clinic. Jotaro held Jolyne’s hand, and Jolyne excitedly pulled him into the building. Jolyne spoke to the receptionist herself - something she was very proud of - and they only waited a few minutes for the nurse to call them in.
Jotaro lifted Jolyne onto the examination bed and sat down in a chair across from her. Jolyne swung her legs and wiped at her eyes with her forearm. When Jotaro tried to hand her a tissue, Jolyne brushed him off with a huff. “I’m fine, dad.”
There was a good chance she’d start crying when the doctor came in, so he kept an eye on her. Instead, she wore a big smile when Polnareff appeared. Jotaro wished she smiled at him like that. Dr. Polnareff’s silver hair was tied loosely back into a bun, and he was dressed nicely underneath his labcoat. It made Jotaro a bit embarrassed about being in a ripped sweater from his University, and even more so about Jolyne in his t-shirt. “How are you feeling, Miss Jolyne?” he asked. “Any memory loss?”
“Nope,” she said.
Polnareff winked at Jotaro, and he pulled out an otoscope to look into her ear. “I’m just going to take a quick peek,” he said.
“Take a good look,” she said. “Let’s make sure there’s nothing there.”
Jolyne made a face of discomfort when Polnareff looked in her ear. He made noises of thought and Jolyne asked, “Do you see anything?”
“I see an ear infection,” he said. He took out the instrument and said, “But I’ll tell you what. I’ll prescribe this medication that will get rid of the infection and kill anything that might be living in your ear, okay?”
Jolyne looked sceptical. “Daddy said there couldn’t be anything in my ear. Is he wrong?”
“No,” Polnareff said, and Jotaro almost made an audible noise in relief. Polnareff continued, “It shouldn’t be possible for a bug to live in your ear and eat your brains, but the medication has been tested to make sure that, on the off chance that something did happen like that, it will kill anything inside of the ear and safely dissolve the bug.”
Jolyne nodded. “Okay.”
“Better play it safe, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll write out the prescription and fax it over to the pharmacy,” Polnareff said.
Jotaro lifted her off of the table, but when he set her down on the ground, she raised her arms again. Jotaro lifted her up into his arms, and she loosely wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her. It was rare when she wanted to be held like this, but he loved the attention from her. He felt a bit guilty that she likely did it because she was uncomfortable. He pecked her cheek and she pushed his head away. He loved her small hands pushing at his face. When he tried to kiss her again, he got a chuckle from her as she pushed him away again.
Polnareff asked, “Am I going to see you next Sunday?”
Jolyne said, “No, I’m spending the day with dad.”
Polnareff turned around to face them and Jotaro asked, “What’s happening next Sunday?”
“I teach a swimming course. Jolyne’s been coming most weekends. She’s one of my best students.”
Jolyne beamed. She had taken to swimming and often bragged about her instructor. Jotaro had wanted to teach her to swim himself, but he liked seeing her like this. Happy. Confident. Jotaro smiled and asked, “Do you want to go next Sunday?”
Jolyne shrugged. “We’re supposed to do stuff together.”
“I can go too, right?” Jotaro asked.
Polnareff said, “You can come too. Usually her mom is with her.”
“Do you want to go, Jolyne?”
Jolyne shrugged, suddenly a bit shy. She rested her head against her dad’s.
Polnareff smiled and turned back around to get something out of his desk. “Well, maybe I’ll see you next Sunday then.” He handed Jolyne a purple sucker.
Jolyne took it and said, “Does dad get one?”
“Gosh, I can’t believe I forgot,” Polnareff said. He handed Jotaro an orange sucker. “Here you go.”
Jotaro stared at it absently. Jolyne whispered, “I like the orange ones.”
Jotaro traded his sucker with Jolyne’s, and the three of them left the room while Jolyne opened her sucker. Polnareff shook Jotaro’s hand and said, “It was really great to meet you again. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for Sherry.”
Jotaro shrugged. It was his job, after all. He tried to think of something more polite to say. “I’m glad she’s doing well.”
“Yeah,” Polnareff said, laughing awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Whenever your wife has a barbeque, Sherry and I are always there. If you come to the next one, I’d love to talk more.”
Jotaro nodded. When did his wife start having barbeques? He wasn’t sure he could muster up enough small talk for an entire dinner, but shop talk he could handle. “I’ll look forward to it,” he said.
Jolyne pulled out the sucker to say, “Me too,” and almost slapped the sucker into Jotaro’s hair before putting it back into her mouth.
Polnareff laughed and then gave Jotaro directions to the pharmacy. Jotaro finished up with the receptionist as Jolyne contently sucked on her candy in Jotaro’s arms. When they walked back out to the car, Jotaro said, “You’ll feel better pretty quickly with the ear drops.”
Jolyne nodded and Jotaro set her down as he walked to his side of the car. He said, “I’ll drop you off at your mom’s and then I’ll pick up your medication.”
Jolyne waited until Jotaro started to drive before she asked, “That stuff Dr. Pol said about the ear drops and bugs. That’s not true, is it?”
“Well, it’ll kill anything foreign in the ear, like an infection.”
“But you’re right. There couldn’t be a bug in my ear.”
Jotaro hesitated. “Yeah.”
Jolyne sniffed, and Jotaro braced himself for more tears. He hated not knowing what to do. She said, “Sorry for making such a fuss.”
“No, it’s okay. You were hurt and scared.”
Jolyne started to cry again. Jotaro pulled the car over. Jolyne said, “Mom’s going to be mad that you let me watch that show and then she’s not going to let you hang out with me.”
Jotaro softened. “Mom’s not going to keep you from me.”
“But she’ll be mad at you.”
“Yeah, but she’ll be mad at you too for watching it.”
Jotaro cupped her cheek in his hand. Jolyne said, “What if she punishes me by saying I can’t see you?”
Jotaro shook his head. “Mom doesn’t want us apart. She’s not going to try to keep us apart. You might lose some tv privileges.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Jotaro said, nodding. “No matter how mad she is, she’s not going to keep us apart, okay?”
“You promise?”
“Yeah.”
“Say it.”
“I promise,” Jotaro said, smiling softly at her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Leaning into his touch, Jolyne smiled back.