Page 14 of Beating Heart
“Okay,” Carrie said, with a little less attitude than she’d had a few minutes ago.
“You came here for help, so I’m assuming you want it.” My gaze locked with hers. “I can help you, and I can make you feel better pretty quickly, but you have to do your part.”
“I don’t like getting my temperature taken or getting that thing rubbed around on the back of my throat.”
“Yes, we’ve established that. But it is what it is, Carrie. I’m not going to allow you to claw me or anyone in this office, nor will there be any biting.” I raised a brow, because I wanted her to know that I knew what her normal behaviors were, and I wouldn’t tolerate it. “You will not touch anyone in this office that way again, at least not while I’m here.”
She startled a bit by my words and licked her lips, giving me the slightest nod.
“This is ridiculous. She’s a child. She isn’t hurting them,” her mother said.
I turned to face her and reached for Petra’s wrist. “Your daughter drew blood, and she’s old enough to know better. She’s not a toddler; she’s a pre-teen. This”—I gave her one last look at Petra’s arm before dropping it—“is unacceptable.”
“And what is it you’re going to do to help her now that you’ve established everything that my daughter won’t be doing?” Carrie’s mother glared at me.
I turned back around and faced Carrie. “I’d like to help you. Getting your temperature taken is not painful. There’s no reason to fight that.” I motioned for Petra to hand me the thermometer, which I held up before quickly checking her for a fever. It took a few seconds as I grazed it along her forehead, and it was done.
“One hundred and two point seven is a fairly high fever. You must be feeling pretty terrible. So how about we make a deal?”
“What kind of deal?” Carrie asked.
“Well, I’ve got a whole bunch of brothers back home who happen to be grown men now, but they’re all big babies when they’re sick. So, we have this deal when it comes to swabbing their throats,” I said with a chuckle.
“What is it?” she asked, not hiding her curiosity.
“I have them open their mouth, and I count to ten, and then I swab it as fast as I can. They always close their eyes, and they pretend that they are somewhere else. Like the beach or riding horses or whatever it is that they enjoy.”
“Why do you count to ten?”
“Because you’re tough, right? Anyone can do something that they don’t like for ten seconds. And it works every time. So what do you say?”
“Are you giving her a choice?” her mother said from behind me.
“Of course, I am. She can say no, but untreated strep is no fun. Strep is a bacterial infection, and it needs to be treated. It can move to different parts of your body and make you even more uncomfortable.”
“Why can’t you just give her the medication and assume she has it?” her mom pressed.
I turned around to look at her. “Because I’m a doctor, and I wouldn’t be a very good one if I didn’t test her and just guessed what she had. If she doesn’t have strep throat, she shouldn’t be taking medication for it. So, no, I will not just assume anything. Your daughter’s health is my priority.”
“And you’ll count to ten?” Carrie asked.
“I will. And I promise you I’ll go as quickly as I can.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Tears pricked her eyes, and I squeezed her hand as Petra moved to get the tray with the swabs for me, and she set them beside Carrie on the exam table.
“Hey, you’ve got this. I promise. Tell me where you’re going to imagine yourself.”
“Um… I love to go to the lake on the weekends. So I’m going to imagine myself in the water with my friends.”
I pulled the long stick out of the protected seal and took her hand again in my free hand. Petra hovered beside us. “I think that’s a great place to go. Open wide, and I’m going to count.”
“Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe you’re making her do this,” her mother grumped from behind me, but I ignored her.
“One, two, three…” I said calmly as I swabbed her throat as thoroughly and quickly as I could. “Four, five, six, seven…”
She gagged as I counted out the last three seconds, and I pulled it out of her mouth.
