“You don’t have to like it, little one, but you will obey me on this. I will not compromise where your health or safety is concerned. Can you understand that?”
How am I supposed to argue with that? I can’t, so I nod miserably. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m just scared. I don’t like medicine.”
“Ah. Well, that’s understandable, kitten. But this isn’t really medicine, it’s more like a vitamin from what Millie was telling me. It’s nothing to be scared of. And besides, you have your new lion friend to protect you from anything scary, remember?”
“That’s true.” An idea pops into my head and I grin up at him. “Think he’d protect me from Doctor D?”
“I bet he would.”
“Then I want a lion, too!” Izzy says, breaking the silence that has surrounded us. “Anything to keep Doctor Dreadful away from me!”
“Doctor Dreadful?” A giggle bubbles up in my throat. “That’s the perfect name for him!”
“We know!” the other Littles chorus before bursting into laughter themselves.
Shaking his head, Daddy picks up my partially melted ice cream and scoops some up for me to eat. “You better not lethim hear you call him that, or I have no doubt you’ll all find out exactly howdreadfulhe can really be.”
Giggling, I nod my head in agreement, even though I’m secretly planning on just the right moment to drop that particular bomb. “Okay, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Finish your ice cream so we can get your medicine and get home.” Dropping his voice, he leans in, his breath tickling my ear as he speaks. “Daddy is hungry for something, and it’s not ice cream.”
Hell yes, Daddy.
Chapter Twenty
Natalie
My ice cream is gone far too soon for my liking and we say goodbye to the rest of our family as Daddy takes my hand and leads me toward Doctor D’s office. Millie greets us with a bright smile when we enter and shows us back to an exam room. Daddy sits me on the exam table, rubbing my arms soothingly as Millie beams at us.
“Doctor D had to run out to the farm and take care of one of the ponies,” Millie explains, opening a drawer and pulling out a white box with blue lettering. “He wanted to be here to show you how to give Natalie her new medicine, but he said I could show you if you got here before he returned.”
“Pony?” Confused, I look from her to Daddy. “But he’s not an animal doctor.” Then again, there aren’t that many people on the island. Maybe he does double duty.
Giggling, Millie opens the box and pulls out a blister pack of the largest pills I have ever seen in my entire life. “Sorry, I forget you’re new. The ponies aren’t actually ponies. You’ll have to ask your Daddy to take you to the farm so you can see for yourself.”
“Uh-huh. And how am I supposed to see the ponies after I choke to death on that giant pill in your hand?”
Millie’s gaze slides over to Daddy and then back to me, her expression turning sympathetic. Which does nothing to ease the sudden pounding of my heart because why does she need to have sympathy for me when I’m just taking a pill? “These aren’t regular pills. You don’t swallow them.”
“Oh. Well how the hell am I supposed to take them, then?”
“Natalie.” Daddy sighs and pins me with a stern look. “Language.”
“Sorry, Daddy. But it’s an honest question!”
“It’s a good one,” Millie assures me with a nod as she sets the pack aside to pull on a pair of latex gloves. My anxiety over the situation only increases as she hands the box to Daddy for him to put the gloves on as well. “These are suppositories. Doctor D prefers them, because they get absorbed into the blood stream better than pills you can swallow. I’m going to show your Daddy how to administer them.”
Suppositories. Does that mean…? “Oh, absolutely not. I’ll just take a pill, thanks.”
“This isn’t up for discussion, little girl.” Daddy’s voice takes on that hard edge it had back at the ice cream shop. “This is what Doctor D has prescribed, so this is the medicine you’re going to take.”
“But I don't want anything shoved up my butt!”
One dark brow arching, Daddy pulls on the rubber gloves Millie offered him, his lips twitching with clear amusement. “It’s a little late for that particular argument, don’t you think?”
“Fine, I don’t want anythingelseshoved up my butt.”
“Again, not up for discussion, kitten.”
