I glanced at the many accolades I received over the years that lined the wall and realized just how much I missed being at work. A small bouquet of flowers and my favorite dark chocolate candy sat in the middle of my desk. I smiled when I read the card because it was from my parents. My mother was upset that I didn’t want to stay with them, but she also understood.
My alarm went off, reminding me of a video game I needed to pick up. Playing video games was a hobby I picked up as a kid, and being home gave me more time to play, and I loved it.
I set another reminder for when I got off work so I could stop at the store on my way home.
Afterward, I headed to my first appointment for the day.
I knocked on the door and froze when I opened it.
It took me a second to gain my composure. “Hi, I’m Dr. Foster.” I squirted sanitizer in my hand and stepped further inside.
“Dr. Foster. Good to see you again, and I’m glad you are feeling better.”
My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I locked eyes with Onyx. He looked even better than the first time I saw him. Dark blue jeans covered, what I was sure, muscular legs. He had on a dark green Henley shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up, with green and black sneakers. His locs hung straight down. I noticed a silver chain with some type of charm that he didn’t have on the last time I saw him. His spicy cologne that reminded me of ginger filled the room, and it smelled so good.
“Onyx. Hi.”
“Daddy, you know her?” the little girl with him asked. She had two pigtails in the front and one in the back. They looked so neat that I was sure her mother did them.
Of course, Onyx had a woman. I wasn’t even surprised the man had a child because, looking as fine as he did, I would have let him keep me barefoot and pregnant.
“Yes, baby. I know her a little bit.” He looked at me and winked.
I snapped out of it and remembered why they were here in the first place. I looked down at the clipboard, then put it on the counter.
“You must be Turquoise.” I sat on the stool so I could be eye level with her.
She nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
I could feel Onyx staring at me, but I had to focus on my patient.
“It’s nice to meet you, Turquoise.” I put my hand out, and she shook it with her little hand. “Do you know why you are here?”
She looked at her father, and he gave her a nod of encouragement.
“Because my tummy hurts sometimes.”
Her eyes dropped to the floor, and she sounded so sad.
“Aww. I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully, I can find some relief for you. I’m going to ask you some questions, and yourfather can answer if you don’t know the answer. Okay?” I glanced at Onyx, and his eyes were already on me, then I focused on Turquoise.
I thought it was cute that she had a stone name like her father did. In my experience, fathers rarely came to doctors’ appointments, so it made me wonder where her mother was.
I grabbed the clipboard from the counter and took the pen from my pocket, then began to ask them questions.
We spent almost an hour going over all her symptoms as well as her family history. I wanted to inquire more when he couldn’t answer questions about her mother’s family, or even some of her mother, but it wasn’t my place. I was able to gather enough information to come up with an idea of what had been going on with her. Onyx explained how long she’d been dealing with the issue and how her primary doctor couldn’t figure out a solution. I was certain I could help her.
“Upon my assessment, I believe she may have celiac disease. I won’t be sure until I run some tests, but with the symptoms she has and the times it affects her the most, that’s where it’s pointing to. I’m not going to recommend a strict diet or anything for the moment, because I don’t want anything to affect the test. I will suggest getting some Lactaid and some Simethicone to help with her stomach. I’ll put all the directions in the paperwork. You can pick them both up from the grocery store or the pharmacy.”
Onyx ran a hand down his face, and he looked a little stressed. I felt bad, because he came to me looking for a solution, and I wasn’t able to give one. I was sure once the results came back, we could get her on the road to feeling better.
“This is a lot to take in, but maybe I shouldn’t worry too much until we get the test results,” he finally said after a few long seconds of silence. “I just hate that we still don’t know what’s causing her pain.”
I smiled at him, then darted my eyes to Turquoise. She played with the stuffed animal that was on the exam table.
“We will soon,” I assured him.
Most of our patients were adults, but we kept a few stuffed animals and toys around for whenever we got adolescent patients.
