Little Harry Styles

40 - The dentist

"Harry, come out now." Louis tried knocking on the bathroom door for third time this morning. "Open, please." He sighed, it really wasn't funny anymore. They had a dentist appointment, Harry being slightly afraid of the tools there, so it resulted in him hiding which Louis found quite funny and cute. But now they only had twenty minutes to get there and if they didn't leave the house now, they would most likely be late. 

"Don't wanna go." 

"Harry, you're ten years old. You're a big boy." Louis knew the fact that this wasn't just the standard check-up wasn't exactly helping the boy, they were actually heading there to extract a tooth, which was even more terrifying. "I'll be there the whole time. It won't be bad, I promise." 

He finally heard the boy unlock the door, and soon a teary-eyed Harry made an appearance in the doorframe. By the looks of it, the boy had most definitely been crying before, and was about to start again. 

"Oh babe." Louis pulled his son into a hug, and the boy soon began to sniffle. "We'll stop at the store on the way back. We'll get some ice-cream and we'll have a snuggle when we get home, okay?" 

"I don't have to go to school?" 

"No, you're excused for the day." Louis smiled, leading the boy to the car. Though the appointment was at eight-thirty and Harry would probably only be there for half an hour, Louis decided to keep him home from school. Extracting a tooth hurts, and for Harry it would be a terrifying experience. 

Harry gripped Louis' hand tightly as they walked into the dentist's office, his hand slightly shaking when they were checking in. When his name was called, the boy looked at his father one last time to try and get out of it, but Louis just sent him a reassuring smile as he led him into the office. 

"So, what exactly are we looking at?" The dentist asked, looking up Harry's file on his computer as Louis tried to calm the shaking boy and get him settled in the chair. 

"His tooth has been wobbly, for a very long time and no matter what we try, we can't get it out." Louis explained, giving Harry's hand a one last squeeze before settling in a chair close by. 

"Ah, I see." The man nodded, moving his chair towards Harry. "Could I take a look?" Harry just shook his head and clamped his mouth shut. "I won't prod you with any tools, yet." 

"Promise?" 

"I promise." With that, Harry hesitantly opened his mouth, allowing the man to examine his mouth. "It a little stuck, huh? Does it hurt?" He asked and Harry just shook his head. "Well, what I have to do to help the tooth out, is to make a small incision to allow it to have room." The man explained to Louis. "Right now, it's like there's a little suction that's keeping it in place, so with that small incision, we're allowing a little air in to release that suction." 

"Okay, so there's no way it will come out on its own?" 

"I'm afraid not. Not for a while anyway, and I'm afraid it will damage the tooth that's coming underneath it. There's also a chance that it will hurt very much when the tooth that's coming up starts to push that one out." 

"Damn, and that means anaesthetic." Louis muttered, and the dentist sent him an apologetic look. If there was something that scared Harry more than the drills and other equipment, it would be needles. The boy was not fond of needles to put it lightly. 

Louis made his way to the boy whilst the dentist got everything ready, including the dreaded shot of local anaesthetic. "Listen, baby. He's going to help your tooth out, but with that he'll need to give you a little bit of numbing." Louis explained, and Harry nodded, already not liking the idea. "Well, that numbing, it's given in the form of a shot, just a tiny little thing that will help so you won't feel a thing." 

At the end of the sentence, Harry was already freaking out, trying to squirm his way out of the chair. "No, no please. I wanna go home. Please don't." 

"You're my brave boy, Harry, I know you can do this." Louis picked the boy up and sat in the chair himself, with the boy on his lap. "It's just a tiny little thing, it will be over in just a few seconds." 

"No, I don't want it." The boy started to cry. "Please don't make me do it, Daddy." Louis' heart ached, the boy hadn't called him that since he was about six or seven years old. 

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, but it will be over so soon. The sooner we start, the sooner we can go home and cuddle." He turned the boy around in his lap, so he was facing him and the boy was quick to latch on like a little koala bear. For a while, the boy's sobs were the only thing you could hear, and Louis tried his best to console him but it was a real fear so it was easier said than done.

Harry nearly screamed when Louis got up and placed him back in the chair. 

"Baby, the dentist has so many people he has to see today, so we can't be here all day. I'll be right here though, I'll be holding your hand." 

"Nooo, please." Harry cried brokenly, trying to reach for his father again. "Please can we go home. P-please." 

"Listen honey. You are the bravest boy I know; did you know that?" Louis cooed, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears on the boy's face. "You are so brave for even showing up here, so I know you have it in you to let the dentist finish. You even went swimming with the sharks on holiday last year, remember?" 

"Y-yea." Harry sniffled, slightly calmed. "And you cried." 

"That I did." Louis chuckled. "But you weren't afraid, and what did you tell me?" 

"T-that it's no big deal; there was nothing to be afraid of and I-I would hold your hand." Louis smiled. "Will you hold my hand, Daddy?" 

"Always, baby." Louis kissed the boy's forehead before telling the dentist it was alright to proceed. "Just close your eyes, then you won't see anything." Louis whispered, repeatedly kissing the boy's temple and holding his trembling hand. Harry's face was as white as paper, apart from his slightly pink cheeks from the crying, and his forehead was sticky from sweat. "So brave." Louis assured. The boy nearly started sobbing again when he felt the needle come in contact with his gums, but his father was right there to comfort him. 

He kept his eyes shut for the rest of the appointment, not really wanting to see the small knife that the man used, or the thing he used to get the tooth itself out. The noise itself was scary enough. He was still trembling once the man finished, but he was a little excited about the tooth he got to take home with him. 

"My bravest boy." Louis cooed, picking the boy up from the chair, giving him endless smooches on his cheek causing the boy to giggle and the only evidence of him crying were the dried marks on his cheeks. "Think someone definitely deserves some ice-cream and endless amount of snuggles, huh? Ice-cream is alright, doc?" 

"More than okay." The man chuckled, thanking the boy for being so brave and Harry just waved back shyly, but happily accepted the sticker he was given, along with a new toothbrush. 

"We'll see you soon." Louis told the man as they left, very relieved that this traumatic experience for the boy was over, but he had a check-up in a few months. 

"Not too soon, though." Harry mumbled, resting his head on Louis' shoulder as the man carried him to the car. Louis just chuckled, kissing the boy's temple once again. 

"Not too soon." He repeated with a smile.