Bare Nerves

Part I

I wasn't getting any work done. At 16:35, the waiting room was dead quiet, but I couldn't focus. When I didn't have Rina to help me with my homework, it didn't get done. The clock on the wall was one of those ones that didn't tick. Instead, the second hand moved continuously. I liked those clocks. They made it seem like time went faster than usual. I put my textbook and copy back in my bag and tucked my hands, palms down, under my thighs. I began to swing my skinny legs and let the rubber heels of my runners bang and bounce off the wooden base of the bench. Thunk-thunk! Thunk-thunk!

   'Joseph Folan? Can you come here, please?'
I jumped at the sound of a man's voice calling my name. Dr. Frank Casey was standing in corridor. His glasses were pushed up into his dark, curly hair, and his long, clean white coat made him look even taller than he already was. I pushed myself off the seat with my hands, and my runners landed flat on the linoleum with an echoing slap. Dr. Frank smiled, then nodded his head in the direction of the corridor for me to walk with him. I picked up my sister and I's belongings, and followed him, peering into each room we passed.

   The first two rooms were empty dental operatories. The third room was a stock room. A blonde lady stood there, humming as she went through the boxes on the shelves with a clipboard under her arm. Her white coat hung loosely on her slender frame over her black jeans and her floral chiffon blouse. Dr. Pauline ran the dental practice on her own before she met Dr. Frank. They married a couple years ago and moved into a nice house down the street from ours. There was something about the look in her chestnut-brown eyes that was soft and familiar. She saw me looking and gave me a warm smile. I felt my cheeks go a little pink as I turned into the fourth room just after Dr. Frank.

My sister, Alexandrina, sat on the edge of the dental chair. We were practically twins, with only ten months between us. We had a similar athletic build, but I was taller by an inch and a half at least. Her ash blonde hair matched mine, as did her deep blue eyes. Right now, however, Rina's eyes were puffy and red. I didn't understand what was happening, Rina never cried. Dr. Frank sat down at his desk and took a piece of paper from a stack of blank pages in his drawer.
'I'm writing a note to your father. As my wife stated after your appointment earlier this week, your sister just has a stubborn loose tooth. The primary mandibular left first molar, or the second tooth from the back on the bottom left, is hanging in there for now but it will fall out by itself when it's ready. I know that it's probably quite painful at the moment, but it's better to let these things happen naturally. I recommend she eats some apple slices and raw carrot batons with that side of her mouth, if she can, and keep it nice and clean. No harm in her wobbling it a bit with her tongue either. It should be out before the end of next week. You can tell your father that I agree with my wife, it doesn't need to be pulled. If he has a problem with that, he can contact me on this number later this evening.' Dr. Frank handed Rina his written letter with the practice name, and contact details at the top. Rina folded it neatly and placed it in her pocket.

Dr. Frank sat up straight, stretched and scratched the back of his head before pushing his swivel chair to the doorway and leaning his head out into the corridor. 'Dr. Pauline? Do you have a minute?' He called.
'Uh-huh! Coming!' A cheerful voice replied. A moment later, Dr. Pauline walked in with that same warm smile that made me blush moments earlier. She was about the age my mother would have been if she'd still been with us. I was embarrassed at the closeness I felt to this almost-stranger. 'Hey, you guys! What's up, Doc?' She grinned playfully at her husband.
'Alexandrina is a bit upset, actually.' Dr. Frank frowned, slowly nodding his head.
'Oh, I see.' Dr. Pauline's smile faded and she nodded back, knowingly.
'I told her the same thing that you told her after her appointment on Tuesday. That tooth is just a bit stubborn, but it doesn't need to be pulled.' Dr. Frank clicked the top of his pen a few times and sighed. 'Rina, is something else bothering you? You're a strong young lady, you've had loose teeth before, this seems like it could be about something bigger.'
Rina's lip wobbled and, for a moment, I thought she was going to tell them everything. She clenched her jaw and shook her head firmly. Dr. Frank looked over at his wife with a helpless expression while shrugging his shoulders.
'You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to, but Frank and I think we might already know. There's nobody here but us. The nurses and the hygienist have gone home for the day so you don't have to worry about anyone overhearing.' Dr. Pauline placed a dainty hand on her husband's shoulder as she said this, and he leaned in a little closer to my sister and rested his elbows on his knees.
'Rina, you're a brave girl. We've seen you take tumbles playing on our street that would nearly make me cry and you hop back up like it's nothing. If something is making you cry, we know that it's gotta be serious. Please let us help you.' Dr. Frank begged.
'Can you at least tell us how you're feeling?' Dr. Pauline added.
Rina looked down at her shoes and said nothing. The Caseys waited, both ready to listen to whatever my sister had to say. I held my breath, wondering if she would finally give in and open up. Rina began to go red in the face, and her eyes flickered towards the door. My heart was pounding, I couldn't hold it in any longer.

'She's scared of our Dad! He gets drunk and blames her for our mom dying when Rina was born. He's a complete arsehole to her and a useless piece of shit!'  the words erupted out of my core like seething lava of hatred. The Caseys stared at me in shock as if they'd never heard such foul language.
'Joey?!' Rina protested, her eyes filling with tears.
'We had a feeling that might be the case, Rina.' Dr. Frank interjected, 'We just needed to hear it from you.' He picked up a box of facial tissues off his desk and offered one to Rina. She didn't take one.
'What has your dad done to scare you, Rina?' Dr. Pauline questioned, softly.
Rina was fighting back the tears.
'I'm not scared of my dad, I just really wanted my tooth out. It hurts. Thanks for the letter, I'll give it to my dad. We need to go home now.' She hopped down off the dental chair with a sniffle and a forced smile. She took her coat and bag off me, grabbed hold of my hand, and led me out the door without another word. I looked back and saw the worried faces of the Caseys following us out. They had given it their best shot. It was more than anyone outside of our family had done before.