“Leah?” Yamal gently asks. “Can you look at me quickly?”
I turn my head to face the doctor.
“Did you react the same way when you had an injection the other two times?” he asks.
I shake my head. I had no time to react when I got jabbed with those two needles. They stuck me before I even knew what was happening.
“What was different?” Chale asks.
“I didn’t know it was coming,” I whisper before my eyes go wide. “Don’t do it! I… Please.”
Daddy runs his hands up and down my back once again, calming me. “We aren’t going to. We will find another way to get the medicine into you. Even if it takes a couple of days. Right, Yamal?”
“Chale.” The doctor’s voice is full of disbelief.
“Right?” Daddy asks once again.
Yamal sighs. “Right. We will figure something out. For all we know, there could be other girls who have a phobia of needles as well. We might also want to think about the ones who do not like to take medicine.”
“That’s why you have suppositories.” Chale chuckles. “Then they don’t have to swallow them.”
Yamal snaps his fingers. “Correct, so the problem is solved. After I examine her, I will start trying to figure out a way to get the shot into pill form so she can take it that way.”
“Thank you,” Daddy says. “What do you say, Little one?”
“Thank you,” I mumble before pushing my face into his chest.
“I’m going to look over your foot and clean the wound as best as I can,” Yamal explains. “I’m going to touch your foot again.”
“No shot?” I peek at him.
He smiles at me. “No shot. I promise, unless it is absolutely necessary.”
My eyes go wide, and I shake my head. Nope. I did not agree to this.
“When I say absolutely necessary, I mean if you have a reaction to something or it is life or death,” Yamal explains. “But hopefully by then, I will have everything in pill or liquid form.”
My whole body relaxes against Daddy’s as Yamal picks up my foot once again.
“You are too cold,” he mumbles. “Are you always this cold?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“There may be something wrong with her levels. We will find out soon enough,” Yamal says as he slowly starts to clean my foot. “Can I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Not like I have a choice.” I grip onto Daddy’s shirt.
“Be respectful.” Daddy lightly taps my bottom. “Disrespect will get you sent to the corner.”
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“When you were on the space station, how did you get your medicine?” Yamal asks.
“Some were pills and some shots.” I shiver at the memories.
“And you got the injections? How did that work?” Yamal gently places my foot down. “Can you turn her around so I can look over her body?”
Daddy pulls me away from him and moves me so I’m staring directly at Yamal.
