Zoey led her to a table set up in what Coco guessed was the waiting room. But for Coco, it felt like the living room of a lovely home with different conversational areas around. Roman winked at her as he sat down in a chair close to the workspace.
Coco sat down on a chair when Zoey pulled it out for her. The puzzle box’s top featured a picture of a jumble of bright and colorful candy. “Oh, that looks delicious.”
“That’s what I thought. Come on. Let’s open it and get busy,” Zoey said.
Having something to do calmed Coco’s nerves. She and Zoey discussed their favorite sweets and discovered they hated the same ones. As she helped Zoey find all the border pieces, Coco saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a handsome man sit down next to Roman. He smiled and waved at Coco.
“Hi, Coco. I’m Dr. Richards. I’ll talk to your Daddy for a minute first. You can join us if you’d like.”
Coco hesitated. She didn’t know what to do. There wasn’t another chair close. She was a bit iffy about Dr. Richards even if her new friend had told her the doctor was kind.
Zoey nudged her. “Go sit on your Daddy’s lap. He needs to hold you.”
Freed from her indecision, Coco whispered, “Thanks, Zoey.”
Detouring around Dr. Richards, Coco crawled into her Daddy’s lap. Roman kissed her temple and wrapped his arms around her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Coco. Your Daddy tells me you’re nervous about doctors. A lot of Littles are.”
She nodded and said politely, “I’m glad to meet you too.”
“Hopefully, I don’t look too scary,” Dr Richards said and then made a horribly silly face.
Zoey laughed so hard, she tumbled out of her chair. She joined the fun, sticking out her tongue and wiggling her ears with her hands. Coco looked at her Daddy hoping he’d help her know what to do. To her delight, he scrunched his nose up funny and smiled on one side.
Unable to resist, Coco contorted her face to create her own funny expression. Her Daddy’s chest rumbled with laughter under her. Coco couldn’t be worried while everyone laughed. Dr. Richards was definitely a different kind of doctor.
“Goofiness isn’t a usual part of your visit, but I thought you might like to see that this isn’t a scary place,” Dr. Richards said with a smile.
Coco nodded. “It does feel different from other offices.”
“I’m glad. Are you ready to let me see if I can help you feel your best?” Dr. Richards asked.
“Okay.” Coco didn’t resist as her Daddy boosted her up to stand next to the chair. Roman joined her quickly and gave her a sideways hug as they walked toward the exam room.
Once inside, Dr. Richards told Roman, “Help Coco undress. I’ll get her height and weight first.”
He’s not going to leave?Coco looked around for a gown as Roman pulled her shirt up. The exam table was empty except for the smooth paper that lined it. “Um, don’t I need something to put on?”
“Not here, Coco. I’ll need to see all of you,” Dr. Richards answered as he labeled a file with her name. He asked her a few questions, distracting her as Roman stripped away her clothes.
When she stood nude under the bright, white lights, Coco wrapped her arms around herself. What would Roman say about her weight? She hadn’t thought about how much personal information he would learn about her. “Daddy, you could wait outside for this part.”
Roman gently drew her arms back to her sides. “No hiding, baby girl. I’m staying with you, sweetheart. I already know you fit perfectly in my arms when I carry you around. A number on the scale isn’t important.”
“Exactly. As long as you’re healthy, the information I record is only important if I need to give you the correct dose of medicine for your body.”
Coco relaxed a bit. Standing here with two fully dressed men could have threatened her, but Coco didn’t worry. She had Roman with her. Her Daddy would make sure everything was all right.
“Coco, step up on the scale please, facing the center of the room,” Dr. Richards instructed as he walked to the scale. He quickly measured her height and recorded both.
“Good job, Little girl. Lay down on the table on your tummy,” Dr. Richards directed.
Coco swallowed hard. She knew what was coming next. Roman helped her climb onto the table and settle down on her tummy. Somehow, this made her feel more exposed than when her breasts were showing.
Roman rubbed her back to soothe her as Dr. Richards moved a rolling tray of supplies next to the table. One look at the display made her turn her head down into the padding. She swallowed hard.
“Coco, I’m going to tell you what I’m doing every step of the way so you don’t get scared.”
