“Do you think you can remove it?”
Gavin knew nothing about me aside from my name and occupation. Therefore, he had no idea that I wasn’t someone who gave up. That when it came to all things medical, my nine years of experience served me well. “Oh, I’m going to get it out.” I rummaged through my bag until I found the lubricant and squirted the clear gel onto a Q-tip, showing it to Ben. “This is going to be cold, and it might tickle a little. Just try to stay as still as you can.”
Gavin wrapped his arm around Ben’s shoulders. “Hang tight, buddy. You’ve got this.”
An idea came to me, and I went into my bag again and handed Ben the small stuffed dog I kept inside. I normally didn’t bring out my furry friend unless I had to give a patient a shot, but this situation seemed as relevant.
“Can you do me a favor, Ben? Can you hold my dog for me?”
“Why do you have a doggy in your bag?” He took the stuffed animal and moved it close to his chest.
“I love dogs. They’re my favorite animal. And this one was given to me by a very special patient who’s about your age. I don’t like to leave the dog alone, so I always bring him with me.”
“It’s so soft.”
While he rubbed its ears, I dabbed the Q-tip around the inside of Ben’s nose, trying to get it as slick as possible, leaving globs of the gel around the plastic. The only way this was going to work was if I came at it from both sides, so it was double the force.
I pulled the Q-tip out and said, “Do you want to guess what his name is?”
“Mmm.” He stared at the dog. “Golden?”
“Such a good guess given that he’s a golden retriever, but no. I named him Fenway.”
“I love Fenway!”
“Then how about you hold Fenway until I leave? Take care of him for me, okay?”
“Okay.” He petted the top of the dog’s head.
I got a little more comfortable on my knees, moving my bag behind me, so I was in the best position possible to do this. “Here’s what I’m going to do. With this hand”—I waved my free hand in the air—“I’m going to push on your nose to hopefully pop out the plastic. And with this hand”—I lifted the one holding the tweezers—“I’m going to try to pull on it. Does that sound okay?”
“Please don’t let it hurt.”
A simple sentence that had my chest aching. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I don’t.”
I tapped on the outside of Ben’s nostril and felt the plastic. If I drove down too hard, I was afraid I’d really cause him pain, and that would result in a trip to the ER since I had a feeling Ben, at that point, wouldn’t let me do any more. Somehow, I had to find a balance and hope that the lube would do its job.
I gently massaged the outside of his nostril, taking my time while I attempted to slip the tweezers around the plastic. Fortunately, thepressure from my finger got the plastic to move the tiniest amount and that was all it took. The plastic then shot right out.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gavin picked up the culprit, which had landed on Ben’s lap. “A button?” His voice was getting louder with each word. “You put a button up your nose?” He waved it in front of Ben’s face.
“Looks like it could have come from right here.” I pointed to the missing button at the top of Ben’s dinosaur-themed nightshirt.
“I was just playing with it, Dad ... and it got up there.” As Ben hugged the dog, I could tell he was trying not to laugh, where his father didn’t think any of this was funny.
“Why in the hell would you play with it up your nose?” Gavin shook his head. “You know what, we’ll talk about this later. Upstairs. Now.”
I got up from the floor so Ben could stand.
“See ya, Emily,” he pouted, handing me Fenway before he ran for the stairs.
Gavin’s hands were in his ink-colored hair, pulling at the longer strands that were gelled and styled in a sexy-mess kind of way. “I can’t fucking believe that kid.”
I put the tweezers and lube back in my bag. “If it makes you feel any better, this is super common. It’s not the first thing I’ve picked out of a kid’s nose, and it certainly won’t be the last.”
He looked at me through his long, dark lashes. “But a button?”
I laughed. “At least it’s not a LEGO.”
