Living with my greatest fear.

~Chapter 8~

Tobey's POV:

Now that Grant has finished filling Ellie's cavity, it's time for me to talk to her about her health. I thought it was going to be easy to talk to her about it but I'm not sure how to start it. I don't want Ellie to hate me, we only really just met. I've spoken to her before but only when she's walked in and I've been in the waiting room at the time plus, it's been ages since I last saw her in here. Ellie starts to get up, probably to go to Grant who's just left us for me to talk to her.

"Hey, Ellie, can I talk to you about something quickly?"

"Ummm...sure," she says, not really knowing what to make of the situation.

"Take a seat. Anywhere will do."

She nods and sits down next to me.

"Umm..well Grant was talking to me earlier today, and was saying how you didn't think you needed to clean your teeth? Is that true?"

She nods. She doesn't look at me though, I guess she knows where this is heading. It's not my intention to make her feel bad but I want her to know that, even though I haven't really known her very long, I care about her. She's my best mate's little sister, I care for her a lot.

"Do you want to tell me why you didn't want to clean your teeth?"

"I just didn't see the point of cleaning my teeth if I was coming here," she says, already sounding bored with the conversation.

"You know you need to clean your teeth everyday, at least twice, right?"

"Yeah, Grant doesn't ever stop going on about it."

"Maybe Grant doesn't stop going on about it because you don't always do it? Maybe he's trying to get you to do it but you aren't?" I say, trying to get her to understand why Grant wants her to clean her teeth regularly.

"I guess. Are you just going to tell me the same thing? That I need to clean my teeth? 'Cause I know I'm supposed to."

"I'm not just telling you the same thing, I want you to understand why it's important. Do you know why it's important?"

"Yeah, I do. I care about my health. Grant knows that."

"Okay, if I ask you to promise me that you will clean your teeth when you are supposed to and when Grant asks you to, will you do it?"

"Yeah, okay, as long as I get something out of it."

"You'll get clean teeth and you won't have angry brother!" I say trying to lighten her mood up. "Come on, let's go and see where Grant is. I don't have much more of my lunch break."

We both go into the break room, where we see Grant eating his salad.

"Hey, you two! Did it go well, mate?"

"Yeah, Ellie's promised me to clean her teeth when she is supposed to and when you tell her to."

"Good job! Thanks, mate!" "I don't have much more of my lunch break - I have a patient in 5 mins. Ellie, I was going to run you back home but can you stay here until I finish? You can sit in here, eat your salad and watch some TV."

"Okay, I guess."

Grant and I leave Ellie and go to our exam rooms to get set up for our next patients.

Grant's POV:

I'm so glad Tobey had managed to get Ellie to promise him that she'll clean her teeth properly and to do it when I ask her to. I feel bad telling her about it, but I had to. I didn't have any other choice.

I leave the break room and go to my exam to start to set up for my next patient.

Ellie's POV:

I wanted Grant to take me back home after my appointment with him but he ran out of time so he couldn't. I've now got to stay here for 4 and a quarter hours. How am I meant to keep myself occupied for that long in somewhere that I don't want to be? I guess I'll just have to find something good to watch on TV...

*A COUPLE OF HOURS PASS*

Grant's POV:

I don't have a patient for about 10 mins, so I go into the break room to say a quick hello to Ellie.

"Hey, Ellie. Are you okay? Not too bored, I hope?"

"Hi, Grant. I'm okay, kinda bored but it's not so bad in here. It doesn't feel like I'm at the dentist as much."

"That's good, I'm glad! I won't be much longer, maybe 2 hours?"

"Okay, but then we're going home, right?"

"Yeah, we can go home, have some tea and watch some TV!"

"Yay! Thank God! I can't wait to leave here!!"

To that, I just chuckled. I don't like that Ellie doesn't like my job or coming here but I'm glad she's okay in the break room. I want Ellie to feel as though she can trust me more. I don't know how I'm going to do that though. It seems practically impossible right now.

*A COUPLE OF HOURS GO BY*

Grant's POV:

I've just finished with my last patient of the day, I just need to write in their journal and then I'll be all set to get Ellie and we can go home. I'm not the last one out tonight, James is, so he can lock up and turn all of the lights off.

I finish writing in my patient's journal and tidy my things away and go into the break room to find Ellie asleep on one of the chairs.

I go up to her and crouch down in front of her.

"Ellie, baby, it's time to go home now."

No reply.

I say it a little louder and gently shake her shoulders.

Ellie starts to wake up, "What?"

"I'm finished. We can go home now."

"Oh okay. Finally, I can leave this place!"

"Haha! Yes, you can!" I chuckle.

We leave the office and get into the car. As usual, the car journey back home is silent. This time I didn't try to make conversation with Ellie, I figured she is probably tired from just waking up.

*15 MINUTES GO BY*

I drive up onto the driveway to our house, park up and turn the engine off. Me and Ellie both get out of the car and Ellie waits by the front door for me to get my bag out of the boot. Once I have got my bag out of the boot, I go up to the front door and unlock it. Ellie goes running in, taking her shoes off and going upstairs to her room. I decide to not call her down to talk to her about today or anything because I figure she isn't in the mood to talk about that kind of stuff. I go into the kitchen and realise that we haven't had any tea. I message Ellie to ask her what she wants.

(G - Grant, E - Ellie)

G - E, what do you want for tea?

E - idk, im not hungry

G - Are you sure? You can have it upstairs if you want to?

I guess that Ellie is just saying that she isn't hungry either because she doesn't want to sit and eat with me or because her mouth hurts because the medicine is wearing off.

E - no i dont want anything 'cus my mouth hurts

G - E, come downstairs and I can give you some painkillers for it.

E - k im coming down

I wait for Ellie to come downstairs to give her some painkillers.

"Hey, E. Take these, they'll begin to work in an hour or so," I say, giving her two painkillers and a glass of water.

"Thanks, Grant. Can I have something easy to eat? I am kinda hungry."

"Yeah, of course. Do you want some soup? We have chicken, tomato and minestrone."

"Can I have the tomato one?"

"Yeah, sure!"

I sort Ellie's soup out and put it in the microwave.