What The Heart Desires

2.

(TENBY IRWIN 4:00PM, FEBRUARY 17)

We walk into the exam room of the doctor's office, my dad already paging my doctor letting him know that we're ready for him to see me. I immediately go to sit on the exam table, waiting patiently for the door to open.

I look over at my dad, he smiles at me, and we start to talk a little bit while we wait.

"What would you like to do after this?" Dad asks me, looking up from whatever he was looking at on his phone.

I just shrug, looking down at my feet and resting my hands on my knees.

A few moments later, there is a small knock at the door, and I look straight up, the door creaking open to reveal my lovely doctor, smiling warmly at me.

He gives my dad and I a small greeting, and sets his laptop down on the desk in front of me, letting his rolly chair go under him. He pulls up something on the laptop, then looks to me, and with a clap of his hands, he's already rolling on over to move closer to me. I've always been a great patient, and allowed him to do really anything that he needed to, along with my other doctors. I think if I had anyone else, I wouldn't feel as brave as I do with them. After all, they've been with me since birth.

"Alright Miss Tenby, How've you been feeling? Still taking your medications?" He asks me, rolling back over to the desk to type what I can only assume are my answers on his laptop.

"I've been pretty good, and yep, still got the meds, every morning for the pills and every night for the cream." I say, referring to the lotion that I have to put on my incision site from my previous surgeries. I give him a small thumbs up, mostly to let him know that I was telling the truth.

"Okay" He says smiling, just typing away.

Dad adds in a few comments, some that make Dr. H laugh out loud a little, but I can't really pay attention. I may be a good patient, but I am can be one heck of a worrier.

Dr. H takes one look at me, then immediately had a look on his face that told me he had an idea.

"Before we start, I'll be right back, I need to grab something really fast." He says, leaving the room.

Just as soon as the door closes, I jump right off the table. I start pacing back and forth.

"Tenby, You're gonna be fine. It's only a check up, nothings gonna happen today, Just super easy stuff. You know, you've done it plenty of times before." Dad says, standing up to squeeze my shoulder.

"I know dad, I just... I,... For some reason I feel like its... like it's gonna be.. I don't know.. Different this time.. I guess." I admit.

"Honey, its okay to feel scared, especially when you know you've got surgery coming up. And you know FOR SURE that you can trust Luke. He's done it every time, and he is like.. my best friend.. I would never put you with anyone that I wouldn't think would take good care of you, Tenby Kate." My dad says, pulling me into a hug, wiping away a couple of stray tears that fell as he was talking.

Just as dad went to go sit back down, the door opened again, revealing two more very familiar faces. I smile a little when I see my nurse, my uncle Mikey, my hero, the person I look up to most, walk into the room, arms outstretched for a big hug.

"I know how anxious you get at these visits sometimes, so I brought some friends." Dr. Hood says, with my cardiologist, Luke, behind him.

"Hey Babygirl! We missed you so much, Ten." Michael said, gently lifting me up in his rug and raising me high enough to set me back down on the exam table carefully.

As he sets me down though, he gives Dr. Hood a look of concern, which slightly concerned me too.

Michael looked back at me, giving me a reassuring smile, then stepping out of the way of Luke, who with his stethoscope in hand, asked me to sit up a bit, then slipped the bell down the very top of my shirt.

"I just wanted to have a quick listen to your heart before I left tonight, just to be absolutely sure that you're all set for next time I see you." Luke says, stepping forward a bit.

I try my best to relax, as I begin to see concentration written all over his face.

Uncle Mikey takes my hand, giving it a squeeze, as Luke pulls away, looking towards Dr. Hood.

"Sounds okay, but Calum, I see why you're so eager to operate." Luke says to him, Dr. Hood nodding and types something in on the laptop again.

Hearing my heart surgeon tell that to my doctor made me feel even more anxious.

Michael took my hand, and allowed me to step off of the exam table, leading me out into the hallway, Dr. Hood following closely behind.

I could tell that dad and Luke were talking about me though, even though we weren't in the room anymore.

In the hallway, there was a scale, as well as a height chart, and a small table with a couple of different supplies on it.

Dr Hood made me stand on the scale and the height chart, which I complied, then Mikey led me over to the small table and made me sit in a chair next to it. He put a thermometer in my mouth as well as a blood pressure cuff around my arm, and even a pulse ox on my finger. Everything seemed fine, and we headed back into the exam room.

Mikey and Luke soon had to leave, and there we were, once again left with just the people who know me best.

I let Dr. Hood continue his exam on me, saying a couple of things to my dad, that were probably about me, but I couldn't really focus on what all they were saying. Dr. Hood then had to take some blood, and usually I would get a bit scared about having a needle, but because I was just so nervous about my upcoming operation, I just let it happen.

"You did so well, Darling. I am very proud of you." Dad says as Cal put a band aid over where the needle poked my skin.

I just gave him a small smile.

"Alright Tenby, you're all done for today. I'll set up a follow up appointment for after your surgery with me and Dr. Hemmings." Dr Hood said, walking out of the door, leaving me to put my shoes back on.

"Do you want to do anything now? It's about dinner time." Dad says, helping me put my jacket back on, being careful of my arm.

"Can we just.. go home?" I ask

"You're sure you don't want to get anything? Like a little treat? For being such a great patient today?" Dad asks me.

I just shrug again.

We walk by dads office to grab my backpack, seeing Michael on the way.

"Hey Ash, uh.. sorry to ask this but Crystal dropped me off this morning, and she's stuck in a meeting right now, and I really need to get home to Ellory and Larsen. They got off the school bus and have been home by themselves ever since. Could you drop me at home please?"Michael asks.

Crystal was Michaels wife, and they have two boys together, Ellory, who was 11, and Larsen, who was 8. Crystal works as a dentist at the hospital, and is currently pregnant with a baby girl. Which is awesome for me, because as much as I love my little cousins, I'm the only girl in the family besides Crystal.

"Yeah mate that's fine." Dad says

So there I was, sat in the backseat of my dads car, all by myself. Well, I had my headphones in, listening to my favorite band.

We dropped Michael home, and after a long day, we finally made our way back to our own house.