The Tale of Zachary Willowbrook: A Leap Day Paradox

Chapter 22: Zachary's Delays

In the morning, the routine was even easier, since Stacy only had to get Timothy ready for school. She fed him breakfast, made sure that he was showered and got his lunch ready for him. After making sure that Timothy had all his essentials for class, she took Timothy to school.

She then came home to the routine that she was used to. Stacy woke up Zachary, cleaned and changed him and fed him breakfast. She then gave him a shower and got him ready for his annual doctor appointment with Dr. Miller.

Stacy drove to the West Ridge Pediatrics Center for Zachary's appointment with Dr. Miller. As usual, she was right on time.

A nurse led Stacy and Zachary to one of the exam rooms. "Dr. Miller will be with you shortly," she told her.

Stacy nodded, and placed Zachary on the exam table. Minutes later, Dr. Miller entered the room.

"Zachary!" Dr. Miller said with a smile. "You gave me quite a scare last time I saw you!"

Stacy nodded. "Zachary has greatly improved since then. But I'm afraid that his development isn't any different from when he first turned two...."

Dr. Miller scratched his head and nodded. "Don't worry about that, Mrs. Willowbrook. From what Dr. Langdon said, Zachary's brain mass was affected during that incident. Since then, he has improved. Now let's see how much he has grown from last year, shall we?"

Dr. Miller examined Zachary, and ran his usual tests on him, measuring his weight and height.

"30 pounds," he said, as Zachary stood on the scale. "That's four more pounds from last year. That was during Zachary's 'bad period', that I don't think really needs to be discussed anymore. He couldn't even walk! I say that the worst is definitely over and his best years are ahead."

Right after that, Zachary's height was measured. "38 inches," he said with a smile. "Another inch. He keeps gaining those inches every year." Right after Dr. Miller said that, he sighed.

Stacy, not expecting him to do this, frowned. She then looked at the doctor. "What's wrong?"

"This is my last year here," Dr. Miller told her. "I'm retiring this June."

Stacy was crushed. "Aw." She said with a sigh. "It was nice having you as Zachary's pediatrician. You really encouraged me those first couple years."

Dr. Miller looked at Zachary with fondness. "I know. But I can't be his pediatrician forever. I'm 78 years old. I need to retire sooner or later."

Stacy nodded, and let Dr. Miller finish his work with Zachary. "For everything that you do with Zachary, be patient." he told her, as he handed out copies of the printouts that made up Zachary's file. "This includes toilet training him. Now Zachary might recover quickly from the mental delays. He might not. Whatever he does, be patient with him. Gently encourage him." Dr. Miller then pointed at the papers. "That's all the results from this appointment. Now I'm really going to miss Zachary."

Stacy, sad as she was, had to let Dr. Miller go. He was the one that challenged the way that she looked at Zachary from the beginning. Granted, Zachary was different, but Dr. Miller understood that very well. Any other doctor would put a label on Zachary, but not him. Dr. Miller saw past all of Zachary's developmental delays in growth and aging. What he saw was a special kid. With Dr. Miller leaving, Stacy hoped that the next pediatrician would see Zachary the same way he did.

As Dr. Miller was about to leave the room, she gasped. "Who will be seeing Zachary after you?"

Dr. Miller removed his glasses and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mrs. Willowbrook. I have the perfect one to take my place. Her name is Julia Reynolds. She is just finishing her degree in Pediatrics. In addition to that, she also has a degree in molecular genetics and cell biology. She has already interned with Dr. Langdon, and now she is about to finish her interning here."

A confident smile came over Stacy. "A woman doctor? I'm totally fine with that. How old is she?"

"She's 24 years old. A very gifted woman. She graduated valedictorian at her high school at the age of thirteen. She graduated top of her class in college. I think you will like her a lot."

"I hope so. You will be very hard to replace."

"Trust me. She will be a very good pediatrician. Good bye Mrs. Willowbrook and good bye, Zachary!"

Stacy glanced at Zachary and had him look at Dr. Miller. "Say 'Bye Dr. Miller', Zacky!" she told him.

With a bright, innocent smile, Zachary looked at the doctor. "Bye daka Milluh!" he shouted.

With a sullen face, she glanced at Dr. Miller one last time before leaving.

As much as I will miss him, I need to move on...she told herself. Besides, this will make a good entry in my next book....

After Stacy left the West Ridge Pediatrics Center, she drove right to the Robinson house. Although the visit won't be very long, there was still a little time left in the morning.

When Stacy entered, Gina gestured her index finger to her mouth. "Shh!" she whispered. "Tina and Brandon have been napping for an hour upstairs. I want them to get another hour."

Stacy glanced at Gina, who was as enormous as ever with her bulging stomach.

"Is this your last one?" Stacy asked her.