The Fire Inside

Kova

"Alright, Kova, you're going to change into this really quick and then you're going to come right back out here so the doctor can look at you, okay?" Miss Elise handed her a soft, plain white cotton dress.

"Uh, okay." She took it and closed the curtain, cutting off the view from her brothers and parents sitting in the room. She changed out of her warm purple sweater and gray leggings and into the dress that had long sleeves to cover her arms and went down to her knees. It covered the majority of her scars at least. White buttons traced down the middle of the front.

When she came out from behind the curtain, Kova fidgeted with her sleeves. Camille stood up and pulled her to one of the chairs. "Okay, so the doctor's right in that room there, and the doctor's going to call you in soon. Do you want me to come in with you?" She rubbed her back as she sat down in the chair.

"Yes, please, ma'am." Kova curled into herself a little. Damien gave her a reassuring smile from right beside her.

"Don't worry, it's really not that hard. They just give you a check up, then we come back out here and take a little blood, then we're done."

Kova flinched. "They-they take blood?"

"Only a little," Finnick knelt in front of her. "And not a lot. They just store it, in case there's any emergency where you need blood, they already have it."

Kova rubbed her arm. "Not for long?" Her voice squeaked out.

"Not for long," he reaffirmed.

The doctor came out of the room with Dylan, then called in Damien. This doctor was a guy, so he most certainly wasn't Kova's.

Damien gave her a wink. "You've got this. I'll be right back."

Kova nodded and hugged herself.

Her doctor from the hospital arrived at the palace then hurried down the corridors to the hospital wing where all the kids were waiting. She unlocked the other exam room. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Your Majesties. The flight from Bridgham was late, I got here as fast as I could."

"No worries." Finnick took Kova's hand and stood her up.

"Alright, I'm all ready for you here, honey."

"Okay." She hesitantly went into the room with her parents in tow.

The doctor sterilized her stethoscope. "So, Kova I promise, today's going to be a little scary, but I really need you to do your best, okay?"

Camille helped her daughter hop up onto the exam table. She'd never seen one before.

"Okay," she murmured.

"Great." Doctor Meerings took the stethoscope and pressed it to her patient's chest. "Okay, can you take some deep breaths for me?" Kova obliged and she took the stethoscope away after a moment. "Great job, honey. Okay, can you turn her around please?" She asked the parents.

"Mhm." Camille pulled her around, making her daughter giggle. "Okay, big, big breaths for me now."

Kova took large breaths and obliged.

"Good job, okay, let's turn around now." Meerings took a flashlight from her bag and put up her finger in front of Kova's face. "Okay, look right at my finger, please." She turned on the flashlight and moved it in front of her eyes. "Okay, great. Open your tongue and say 'Aah'."

"Aah." She echoed.

"And stick your nose way, way up into the air." She looked. "So how are you liking the castle?"

"It's really nice, ma'am. Lots of space."

"That's good. Is all your family nice?"

"Yeah." She fidgeted with her fingers as she tilted her head back down.