". Come on, Richie!" Ash said as they walked to the clinic. " You don't want to be late."
Richie was far behind Ash, slowly walking. Ash noticed and turned. " Richie? A... Are you okay?"
" Ash, can I ask you something?"
" Anything."
" It's not gonna hurt.... Is it? Like, he's not gonna be hurting me will he?"
" Who, Gary? Nah. He'll be a bit more professional but that's to be expected. You'll be fine. If I can survive them so can you."
" I hope so."
" And don't worry I'll be there with you!"
Richie smiled. " Yeah. Guess you're right."
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" Richie?" Gary called. " Come on in!"
Ash stood up and held a hand out to his cousin. " Come on. I'll hold your hand if you want."
Richie smiled. " Thanks Ash."
" Anything for my cousin."
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" Good morning, Richie. Hiya Ashy Boy." Gary greeted as he stepped in.
Ash waved Richie's hand. " Hello." He said in a squeaky voice. " Nice to meet you! My name is Richie! I have a handsome cousin named Ash."
Richie scoffed playfully. " In your dreams."
Gary flipped through his chart. " Okay, first things first height and weight. They're in the hallway. Come on, I'll show you to them."
Richie hopped off the table and Ash squeezed his hand reassuringly. " Come on, Richie."
Gary led the way into the hallway, clipboard in hand, as Ash and Richie followed. The scale and height chart stood against the wall, looking harmless to most but a bit daunting to Richie, who shuffled his feet nervously.
Ash looked around, his eyes darting back and forth. “Richie? Where’d you go?” He spun in a little circle, completely unaware that his cousin was hiding directly behind him, gripping the back of his shirt with a white-knuckled hand.
