Living with my greatest fear.

~Chapter 18~

Grant's POV:

I understand that Ellie is scared of the doctors but she can't keep not going for appointments. I don't like seeing her upset and scared but I know it's something that she will have to overcome and I think it's better that she knows who she's going to for appointments rather than them being just total strangers.

Andrew's POV:

I didn't think Ellie was this scared of the doctors... I know Grant said she was but as I see scared patients all the time, I thought it would be easy, but Ellie is petrified.

"Please, Ellie, can you just come into the waiting area for me?" I ask, just trying to get her into the building.

"No, I'm not going in there and you can't make me."

"Ellie, lovely, I know you're scared but I promise you I'm not going to do anything to scare you and we can go at a pace you feel comfortable with."

Ellie just shakes her head.

I turn to Grant to ask him what to do, because I really don't want to do anything to make her any more scared than she already is.

"E, it's just a checkup, it's nothing big or scary." Grant says, trying to reassure her again.

It doesn't work and Ellie is still sitting in the car not planning on getting out anytime soon.

"E, how about this..if you come in to see Andrew now, 1. you won't have to come back for a year, 2. we can go back home sooner, and 3. we can go out for tea one night this week wherever you want to go..?" Grant says.

Ellie looks up at Grant and he nods back at her, basically saying 'I promise'.

"Do you promise?" Ellie says, edging closer towards me and out of the car.

"Yes, E, if you go in now."

"Ok...I guess I'll go then..."

I look over to Grant with a thankful expression on my face, relieved that he managed to get her in to see me eventually.

"Common then, Ellie," I say, holding my hand out for her to take it and for us to walk to my exam room. Grant followed behind us.

We get to the door of my office, and Ellie slows down a lot until she is practically standing still. I look down at Ellie, "You're going to be fine, I promise. It's only me."

"Mhm..."

I open the door to the office, walk in and get to the reception desk. Emily, the receptionist, has a peculiar look on her face, probably wondering why I left and then came back in with Ellie.

"Hi, Emily. Ellie's with me for a physical. It was meant to be at 4..?"

Emily looks at her computer and checks Ellie in.

"All checked in!"

"Do you have Emily's file there? I think I just put it on the side a few minutes ago..." I say, to Emily, because I put everything down when Grant messaged me to come and help him.

"Umm..." Emily says, looking around her desk, "Yes, I do!" She hands me Ellie's file.

"Great, thanks!"

I pick up her file, lead Ellie and Grant to my exam room and open the door.

"Do you guys just want to have a seat there?" I say pointing to the two chairs that are by my desk. "I'm just going to look at your files and then we can get started, yeah?"

Ellie just looks down at her hands that are resting on her lap.

I start to look through Ellie's files and I notice that she hasn't been to see a doctor in 2 years. It makes more sense to me now why she was so scared to come in earlier. I look at some other things on her files, mainly checking to see if there was anything to keep an eye on from the last time she had a physical.

Once I have finished looking at her file, I look over at Ellie, who is still looking down at her hands and is fiddling with a bracelet on her wrist.

"Ellie, as you haven't been to see a doctor in 2 years, I'm going to have to ask you some questions, okay?"

Ellie's POV:

I'm so nervous sitting in this exam room right now, with two doctors sitting either side of me. I know I shouldn't be this nervous around my brother and his best mate, but their jobs just scare me so much and I don't want anything to do with it. Andrew says he has to ask me some questions as I haven't seen a doctor for a physical in 2 years, I hate asking questions at the doctors because I feel like they just judge everything you say.

"Okay..." I say, barely getting a sound out.

"First one, do you feel like telling me why you haven't seen a doctor in so long?"

See what I mean? They make things sound like such a big deal and judge you on what you answer with.

"I don't like it.." I say, still barely getting any sound out.

Grant butts in, "Everytime I made Ellie an appointment, she would always say she had something planned with her friends or with school, so she couldn't go."

"Ok...why did you avoid every appointment, lovely?"

"I just didn't want to go, I'm scared..."

"I've told you multiple times today, lovely, there's absolutely nothing to be scared of, okay?" Andrew says to try and reassure me, but it doesn't work because I am so scared.

I see him type something on his computer, probably about my fear.

"Next question, are you feeling well in yourself? Nothing causing you any pain or discomfort?"

I just shake my head.

"Ok.."

He types some more things down.

"This one's quite a personal question..do you want Grant to step out for a minute?"

"No, it's okay...I want him to stay here with me."

"That's okay, lovely. Are your periods regular? Do they cause you any pain or discomfort?"

"Yeah, they're regular. They hurt sometimes.."

"Could you show me where they hurt?"

I nod my head and just point to my lower stomach.

"Okay, one last question, is there any chance you could be pregnant?"

"No..." I say, still whispering.

"Okay, all done with questions now. Do you want to hop up onto the table for me?"

I see Andrew stand up and walk over to the sink where he washes his hands and drys them. I still stay sitting on the chair not wanting to move. Grant notices and puts his hand on my back and gently rubs his hand up and down my back, comforting me.

"Go on, E, you can do it."

As he says that, I look up at him and see him smiling down at me.

I slowly get up and walk over to the table and sit on it.