evolve// 5SOS

7

Luke

"Here is the time, and the ward, and directions. I packed you water and some snacks, and a blanket, and you can do school work on your laptop,"

Gabi raised her eyebrows at me and I kissed her head, pushing her onto my desk chair.

"Stay here,"

"I don't have anywhere else to go,"

"Gabi, you have to promise,"

"Stop freaking out, I have a biology essay to write, and you have to go and do blood stuff,"

"Text me that you've made it to the waiting room and then back here again, okay? That is all I am asking,"

"Got it,"

I picked up a couple of files and found the right people to dish them out to, then made my way to my first consult.

Gabi telling me to stop freaking out kind of threw me off. I had never missed an appointment, and she had rarely let me miss an appointment. I knew she was 18 in a couple of weeks but right now she needed me to care for her a lot still, and to me, that involved appointments.

Her health was always something she had asked for my help with, or involved me with, so now when she was being secretive and distant about it, I didn't know what to do.

It was a good sign in a way, because she was looking after herself a bit more without me pushing and I wanted nothing more than to have raised a strong, independent daughter... but I was so used to being involved that I felt shut out when I wasn't.

I knew I had been a pain in the ass lately, but so had she, and I was so unbelievably worried about her all the time. She was either too optimistic about these blood tests, or knew something was up and was hiding it. I guessed the latter.

"Good morning! No way, I was not expecting royalty today,"

I bowed at the little girl infront of me who wore a princess dress paired with a plastic wig to match the hair of whoever she was supposed to be (I guessed Gabi was right- I was old).

"Do you like it?"

"I love it, it's a very pretty dress. How are you feeling today?"

"Tired,"

"It's early huh? You can take a nap while you have your chemo though,"

"Are you doing it?"

"I'm coming to give you a checkup. How does that sound?"

"You will listen to my heart?"

"I certainly will,"

She giggled and I put my stethoscope on, listening to her heart and breathing. Then I took her temperature and checked her throat and ears just incase.

"You seem to be in tip top shape,"

"Now I have the medicine?"

"You do,"

"Dr Luke, will my hair come back?"

"After the medicine has got rid of all the poorly in your body, we can take you off it. and your hair should grow back,"

"That's what mummy says,"

"Mummy is right," I said, smiling at them both, "I will see you after your medicine,"

I had a couple of other consults to explain some test results, then got paged down to the ER to authorise admissions because the usual was out. Honestly, my role was sometimes more administrative than hands on nowadays.