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“Why do I have to see a doctor?” Black Sheep protested, sitting on the edge of her bed with her legs kicking out restlessly. “I’m not sick!”
“It’s just a checkup, Sweet Pea,” Coach Brunt replied, her tone soft yet stern at the same time, “I know you haven’t exactly had a normal upbringing here on the island, but all children are supposed to get checkups. Luckily, we just got a new doctor around here and he agreed to help us take care of you.”
Black Sheep looked up at her skeptically. “Why didn’t the old doctor ever do it then?”
Coach Brunt rubbed at the back of her neck. “Well, he was getting pretty old, and honestly...he wasn’t exactly the greatest.” She then put her hands on her hips and gave Black Sheep a confidant smile. “But Professor Maelstrom and Dr. Bellum picked out the new doctor personally. They told me he’s the best in the world. Now, ain’t that sound special?”
Black Sheep glanced at the globe by her bed, considering it. The best in the whole world? “I guess so…”
Coach Brunt grinned and held out a hand for Black Sheep to grab. “Let’s go meet him then, shall we?”
***
Black Sheep allowed Brunt to walk her across the academy building to the medical wing. The wing had recently been expanded, and as they approached she noticed it had been completely rearranged. She had snuck into the old medical wing a few times before, but never got into too much trouble as she knew it had been a dreaded place for sick or injured students and operatives. Now however, it looked completely different. It was larger, cleaner, and even brighter than before. She scrunched up her nose at the odd sterile smell, and imagined Vlad and Boris working all day and night scrubbing the whole place down to get it this way.
They came to a small waiting room and Coach Brunt sat her down in one of the chairs. “Sit tight for a minute, alright Lambkins? Mama Bear’s just gonna go talk to the doctor for a minute.” With that, she walked through the door, closing it behind her. Black Sheep listened intently. She could hear Coach Brunt’s voice, but it was muffled and she couldn’t make out what was being said.
After a minute, Coach Brunt came back through the door, holding it open as a relatively young looking man stepped out, wearing a long white coat and holding a clipboard in his hands. “Black Sheep?” he asked. His voice was low and smooth with a light accent she couldn’t quite place.
She stood up and approached him, running her fingers through one of her pigtails nervously. Why did she suddenly feel so anxious?
“This is Dr. Vesalius,” Coach Brunt introduced him.
“You can call me Dr. Vess if that’s easier,” he said, offering a small smile as he held out his hand.
Black Sheep hesitantly reached out and shook it. “Hi…” she said quietly, her voice shaking a little. Looking up at the unfamiliar man filled her with a sense of unease that she didn’t understand, and she found herself avoiding eye contact, looking down at her shoes instead.
“She must be nervous,” Coach Brunt spoke up, patting her shoulder. “First real doctor’s visit and all.”
“Right,” Dr. Vess replied, turning to walk down the hall. “Well, follow me and we can get started.”
It took a gentle push from Brunt for Black Sheep to start walking. She watched the tail of his coat swaying behind him as she followed, until he abruptly stopped and turned to face her, gesturing toward an open door. “After you. Please take your shoes off and step on the scale.”
Black Sheep entered, curiously glancing around the office as she removed her sneakers. It was brightly lit with equipment she didn’t recognize, and the odd sterile smell was even stronger. She noticed a strange contraption against the wall and figured it must be the scale, so she stepped on.
She heard Coach Brunt mutter something to the doctor again before she came in and sat down in one of the extra chairs. Dr. Vess came in right after and carefully measured her weight and height, before having her hop up onto the exam table. The paper crunched loudly underneath her as she sat down, and she found herself bouncing her leg up and down anxiously.
Dr. Vess seemed to catch Brunt’s eye and he cleared his throat. “So, Black Sheep, you recently turned ten years old, correct?”
Black Sheep nodded, still avoiding his eyes.
“Double digits,” he continued, “Happy birthday.”
She looked up then, finally meeting his gaze. He was smiling, but it seemed a little awkward and stiff. She couldn’t help but smile back shyly, wondering if he was just nervous like she was. “I’m gonna be one of the big kids soon,” she found herself saying. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-one,” he answered.
“Wow, you’re old!” She slapped a hand over her mouth, giggling when she saw the offended look on his face. Coach Brunt let out a snort too.
He muttered something to himself about being young for someone in his position, but quickly bit his tongue when Coach Brunt shot him another look.
He took something from next to the exam table and opened it up, the velcro scratching loudly. “Hold your arm out straight, please.”
She immediately pulled both arms in toward her chest defensively. “Why?”
“I need to check your blood pressure,” he answered flatly, still holding open the sleeve.
“No,” she frowned at him, not quite sure what he was talking about.
He sighed. “It doesn’t hurt. It’s just going to squeeze.”
She eyed him suspiciously.
“Do as the doctor says, Lambkins,” Coach Brunt scolded lightly from her seat. “Don’t be feisty, now.”
Black Sheep huffed. “You promise it doesn’t hurt?”
“If something is going to hurt, I’ll tell you,” he answered, an impatient expression creeping onto his face. She squinted at him and slowly held out an arm.
He wrapped it around her upper arm and began pressing the pump, and she glanced back and forth between the sleeve and the odd dial that he was focused on, wondering what exactly he was doing. Eventually he let the sleeve slowly relax and she squirmed uncomfortably as she felt her heartbeat thumping in her arm.
“Normal,” he said out loud, more to himself than to her, and took the sleeve off, ripping the velcro apart loudly. Black Sheep let out a breath of relief, rubbing her arm as the thumping of her heart went away.
“See?” he asked as he wrote down a few notes, “That didn’t hurt.”
“It felt weird.”
“Yes, but it didn’t hurt.”
Black Sheep huffed. “I guess ,” she shrugged. Coach Brunt chuckled softly at her from the chair and Black Sheep stuck her tongue out at her playfully.
She sat quietly for a while, watching curiously as the doctor looked at her eyes and ears. He carefully put his hand up the back of her shirt and she shivered as she felt cold metal press into her skin.
“Take a deep breath,” he ordered.
She did as she was told, and when he was done, she pointed to the instrument he was holding. “What’s that?”
“A stethoscope,” he answered, “It lets me listen to your heart and lungs.”
“Can I try?” she asked excitedly.
He grimaced and started to say something, but Coach Brunt cleared her throat and shot him a threatening look. He hesitated for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. “...Fine.”
Black Sheep grinned as he handed her the stethoscope. He instructed her on how to use it and she held it to her chest for a moment, listening intently. “It sounds kinda creepy!” she giggled.
“It sounds healthy,” he crossed his arms. “But remember, that is not a toy.”
She looked up at him, ignoring his reminder. “Can I listen to yours?”
“What?”
“Your heart!” she held out the end of the stethoscope toward him. “I wanna hear yours!”
“I…” he stared at her for a moment. “Why?”
She said nothing, only motioned with her hand for him to come closer. He sighed in annoyance and stepped forward, leaning down a bit so that she could press it to his chest. She listened quietly and he glanced away, avoiding eye contact. After a moment she took the stethoscope off and handed it back to him.
“You sound like you have a big heart,” she smiled at him.
“It’s normal sized,” he answered. This immediately made her laugh, and he only frowned in confusion. “Right…” he said, putting the stethoscope away and turning to Coach Brunt. “Well, she seems perfectly healthy. My only concern is that she is far behind schedule on immunizations.” He sat down at the small desk in front of Brunt, opening up a laptop. “Is there a reason for this?”
Coach Brunt rubbed the back of her neck. “As far as we’re aware, she was up to date when we found her.”
“Which was when?”
Coach Brunt glanced away. “...When she was a little over a year old.”
Dr. Vess sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing. He looked at her intensely, his voice sounding even more serious than before. “That means it’s been about nine years since she’s had an immunization. You are aware of the problem with that, yes?”
Brunt nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I know. That’s why we’re glad we finally have a more…” She searched for the right word. “ Trustworthy doctor around here.”
“What’s an immazation?” Black Sheep asked, tilting her head.
“Immunization, ” Dr. Vess corrected. “It’s a vaccine. It will help prevent you from getting diseases in the future.” He turned back to Brunt and continued talking before Black Sheep could respond. “We’ll start with a Tdap immunization today.”
Coach Brunt stared at him blankly and he rolled his eyes. “It covers tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. After that she’ll need to come back for further Td shots.”
Black Sheep felt her stomach drop. “Shots?”
“Yes,” he nodded, standing up from the desk. He began to take out the necessary supplies and wash his hands. “Just one shot for today, but you’ll need more.”
Her breath quickened as she watched him take out a vial and syringe. “Wait, you’re gonna put a needle in me?”
“That’s how vaccines work.”
“Is it gonna hurt?” she asked, her voice raising an octave.
“It’s an intramuscular shot, so yes it will hurt a bit more than other shots,” he said flatly. He grabbed an alcohol pad and approached the exam table. “Which arm?”
“Neither!” She quickly wrapped her arms around herself, scooting away from him.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “This needs to be done. Which arm, right or left?”
“You’re not sticking a needle in me!” She kicked at him, missing by a few inches as he stepped back.
“You little-“ he hissed, but was cut off when he felt Coach Brunt’s large hand lay heavily on his shoulder. He glanced up at her, and she was giving him a dangerous glare out of the corner of her eye. He bit his tongue, shrugging her hand off with a huff.
Coach Brunt turned her gaze to the girl, her eyes softening. “Lambkins, this needs to be done today. Everyone has to get shots, even me!”
She offered her a smile, but Black Sheep wasn’t looking. She was sitting on the exam table with her back against the wall, curled up and hugging her arms as if to protect them. “No!” She shouted, squeezing her eyes shut. “He said it’s gonna hurt!”
“Lambkins-” Brunt tried again.
“No!”
Coach Brunt took a deep breath and looked down at Dr. Vess. He gave her a questioning look back, so she nodded her head toward Black Sheep, silently suggesting he say something. He sighed in exasperation, rubbing his hand across his face.
He walked up to the exam table. “...Black Sheep.”
She said nothing, only squeezed herself tighter.
“...Black Sheep,” he said again, his voice softer this time. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes wet. He had an elbow on the exam table, leaning to the side a bit so that he could be more at eye level with her. “You have nothing to be afraid of,” he said calmly, “I’m your doctor now. Do you know what that means?”
She shook her head, sniffling a little.
“It means my job is to help you,” he said, slowly reaching out and gently putting a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t want to get sick, do you?”
She shook her head again. “N-no…” she answered shakily.
“Well I’m the one who’s going to make sure you never do,” he stated, “But I can’t do that unless you calm down. Do you understand?”
“I don’t want it to hurt,” she wiped her cheek, slowly beginning to relax.
“It does hurt, there’s nothing I can do about that. But it will only be for a moment.” He glanced at Coach Brunt, then back at her. “Plus, if you do a good job, I, uh…” He blushed a little awkwardly, looking away. “I have lollipops for you.”
“Really?” Her eyes seemed to brighten a bit.
“Yes,” he removed his hand from her shoulder, “But you have to relax.”
She thought about it for a long moment. After a brief pause, she held up her hand, sticking out her little finger.
He looked at her hand and raised a brow at her.
“You gotta pinkie promise that I can trust you,” she said with a stern look on her face.
“...Pardon?”
“Swear you’re not gonna trick me.” She held his gaze with a look of seriousness that caught him off guard. “Promise you’re really on my side.”
He stared at her, then at her hand, then back up at her again, a look of disbelief on his face. A blush crept onto his cheeks again, embarrassed that he was doing something so childish as he raised his hand and hooked his little finger onto hers. “Promise.”
She sat up straight and took a deep breath. “Okay...I think I’m ready.”
“Excellent,” he stood up, eager to get on with it. He started washing his hands again. While he was busy, Coach Brunt patted Black Sheep on the back.
“That’s my little cub!” She beamed down at her. “So brave!” Black Sheep smiled up at her.
Dr. Vess approached her again with a new alcohol wipe. “Which arm?”
“Um...left?” Black Sheep answered nervously.
He rolled her sleeve up over her shoulder and disinfected the area. While it was drying, he drew the vaccine from the vial. When it was ready, he walked up to her, needle in hand. She looked away, shaking a little and clutching her shorts tightly in her fists.
“Relax your muscle and it will hurt less,” he said, “I’ll count to three.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried her best to make her left arm soften up, but she felt jittery. He counted to three and she took in a sharp breath when she felt the needle poke into her skin. It immediately ached and she let out an uncomfortable whine. She clutched her shorts even harder. “How long is it gonna take?”
“It’s already done,” Vess answered. She looked up just as he was discarding the needle and syringe in a sharps container. He grabbed some gauze and, after a momentary pause, he opened to cupboard and pulled out a box of colorful children’s bandaids. “Favorite color?”
Black Sheep stared at him, surprised that it had happened so fast. “R...red?”
He nodded and stuck a shiny red bandage to her arm over a piece of gauze. She looked at her arm and rubbed it a little, still feeling the dull pain. “Is that it?”
“That’s it.”
She hopped off the exam table and put her sneakers back on. When she looked up at him again, he was holding a lollipop. “Red for this, too?”
She nodded with a smile, taking it from his hand. Coach Brunt set a hand on her back and guided her to the door. “You did a great job, Lambkins,” she praised, “Now let’s go get you something to eat.”
Black Sheep glanced back at the doctor and hesitated at the door. She suddenly ran up to him and threw her arms around his waist in a big hug, startling him. “Thank you Doctor!”
He froze, not sure how to respond. “Um,” he lightly patted her back, “...No problem. It’s my job.” He breathed a sigh of relief when she let go and returned to Coach Brunt.
Black Sheep skipped down the hall ahead of Brunt, not noticing the smell of disinfectant anymore. She happily stuck the lollipop in her mouth, feeling proud of how brave she was, even if her arm was still sore. The doctor seemed like a good person to her.
She decided she liked him.