“Okay. I hate needles,” she warned.
“No tattoos for you,” Razor declared as he stood up and gathered several tubes and the other supplies he needed to draw her blood. He sat back down and slid over to her with a metal tray on wheels. “Hide your face against your Daddy.”
Vex moved her to sit sideways on his lap. Razor took her arm and gently pulled her hand toward him. He didn’t rush. When she tensed, he stopped and waited for her. After several seconds, she relaxed for him again.
“An ouch,” he warned.
When he put a bandage on her arm, she looked up in surprise. “You’re done?”
“All done. I’ll get these to the lab.”
“Oh! I didn’t even think. I don’t have insurance now,” Angel told him.
“You have coverage through your Daddy. All Little girls do. You don’t pay anything to come see me,” Razor explained.
“Really?”
“I will never lie to you, Angel,” Razor promised. “Would you let me check a few things—your blood pressure, ears and eyes….”
“Can I keep my clothes on?” she asked.
“Of course. Vex, bring Angel over to sit on the exam table. I don’t think my blood pressure cuff will stretch this far,” Razor instructed.
The normality of an exam she’d had a million times reassured her. Razor cleared a bit of wax out of one of her ears. Angel shook her head experimentally.
“That’s so much better. I thought I was off-balance because of everything that happened,” Angel said, smiling at Vex’s concerned face as he stood beside her.
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice, Baby girl,” Vex told her.
“I’m fine, Daddy. Promise. Right, Razor?”
“Better than that. Your blood pressure is low. Your Daddy’s going to help you with that.”
Razor turned to Vex and told him, “I think Angel is underweight. She needs a bottle in the morning and evening to add to her nutrition and hydration. Add a bit more salt to her food—don’t overdo it.”
“You got it, Doc.”
“And Angel, I need you to drink a lot more. You should potty every hour. We must stabilize your hydration levels. Your brain depends on water. Each time you drain a glass, your mind will get rid of more of that fog.”
Angel sat up taller. Razor was so different from any other doctor. He wasn’t rushing her. And he listened. Hope filled her. “I’d thought they'd changed me. That I’d never feel normal.”
“Everyone you interact with can affect your life. How much power you give them is up to you. Who’s more important to you? Your Daddy or the Ravagers?”
“Daddy.”
Vex dropped a kiss on her head. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Gathering her courage, Angel met Razor’s gaze directly and asked, “Can you help us with birth control?”
“I can. You’ll have to remove your clothes for the exam,” Razor told her.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Razor stood and grabbed a gown for her from the cabinet and a drape for her lap. “I’ll step out and let your Daddy help you undress. Take everything off. Put the gown on with the opening in the front.” When she nodded, Razor handed the items to Vex before walking out of the room.
“You’ve been very brave,” Vex said, helping Angel down from the exam table.
“He gets me. I’m comfortable with him,” Angel said. “You’re with me. That makes this better.”
