Parents

15 • Doctor

Hamish was watching 'Come Outside' and Auntie Mabel (I really shouldn't know her name, I've deleted it multiple times, but Hamish watches that programme too often for it to be effective) was visiting a hospital. She marvelled at the doctors and explained what happens at a hospital and the work that the doctors do.

Hamish was sat on the floor and John was on the laptop next to me on the sofa whilst I, read over his blog over his shoulder, correcting him.

John was getting irritated with my constant interruptions so I backed away and watched the TV with Hamish. He was staring at the screen in amazement

"Dad does that, you know Hamish." I said.

Hamish turned around, his eyes widening in shock "Dad doc?" He asks, confused. He was too young to pay attention to our work.

"Yes, Hai. Like on there." John points to the TV.

"Make better?" Hamish asks him, wondering again about the doctor.

"Yes. He's the best. He's helped a lot of people that others thought couldn't get better." I say honestly.

John reddens a little, as he always does with praise. I was a little worried that he wouldn't like my explanation of his job, so simplified that it hardly held the real value. In the army, John had gone out onto certain mine fields, heavily occupied with enemy soldiers to save people. Those that the others had left, saying that they couldn't be saved even in the best hospital, never mind a camp in the middle of a desert.

"Wow." Hamish says. Hamish had been fascinated by the idea that someone could make anyone better like that. And he grasps the concept of John's work a lot easier that I thought.

"I know." I tell him and turn to John who beams at me and plants a small kiss on my cheek.

"Dadda?"

"What is it, Hai?" John leans forward and puts his laptop on the sofa next to him. Hamish shuffles over to us.

"Make dog better?" Hamish runs to the over side of the room, where his box of toys were by the kitchen and pulled out a toy dog. Down its left side, there was a large rip and stuffing was falling out and its button eye was falling off.

He came and handed it to John, who made a show of examining it.

"I think he can be saved, Hai." John looks down at him, trying not to smile as Hamish stares at him in awe.

John goes into the kitchen and roots through the cupboard for a needle and thread set. After almost 5 minutes, he comes up with a needle and white thread, luckily it's the colour of the dog's fur. He takes the dog from the kitchen surface and comes back the sofa to sew. Hamish is sat on my knee now, playing with my hands.

"Dog better?" He asks as John sits down.

"Not yet." John smiles and holds the needle up to the light to thread it. He pushes in the stuffing and sews up the dog's side with impeccably neat stitches.

He finishes and sews in the eye quickly. "Here, Hai." Hamish had watched him go through the whole 'operation', demonstrating an amazing attention span, this being the longest I had seen his focused on one thing.

"Better!" Hamish squeals, hugging the teddy to his chest. "Good doc Dadda." Hamish says seriously to John, eyes filled with amazement.

John laughs at this but I can see that he's proud at this small compliment.
"Thanks, Hai. I have to go to work now." He gets up but Hamish grabs his hand "I doc too."

John thinks for a moment then picks him up "Okay, you can come with me." He picks Hamish up and they go to get ready.

Ten minutes later they come back and we say bye.