All The Small Things

102

[Luca POV]
When Dady took me home after his brother, Mason's birthday, I really wanted to sleep. I reached for his hand and pressed myself against him, too sleepy to walk straight up on my own.
"Honey, I can't carry you all the time," He sighed, not pulling his hand away. When we got to the apartment, I groggily stumbled after him to the bedroom.
"Just lay down, Baby," He softly told me. I didn't hesitate to flop down and cover myself in blankets. He flipped off the lights and sat down next to me, scratching my head.

When I woke up, I wasn't in such a bad mood anymore. I wasn't overstimulated anymore, so maybe that had something to do with it. But I was still little.
"Papa," I slurred, stumbling from bed to go find him on the couch.
"Is your nap all done?" He asked, his arms reaching for out for me. He was speaking to me like a baby, but I didn't mind at all. I kinda liked it, actually. I nodded a bit and crawled into his lap. He was watching Dr. Phil, something about an emotionally incestuous mom, but I didn't pay attention.
"Aw, my little bitty baby?" He softly asked.
"Baby.." I mumbled, only copying what he said.
"Do you know how tiny you are?" Je continued. I yawned and shook my head because I didn't. I only knew I was.

The entire rest of the day, I didn't talk unless Papa said it first.
"Want a cookie?" He asked, getting one from the pantry.
"Cookie!" I shouted, reaching up. He smiled and handed me his before grabbing another. They were from some fast food place, I don't know.
"I had to reschedule your dentist appointment for fillings, and it's in a couple of days," He told me, making me nod but not really listen.
"Baby, you hear me?" He asked, turning my head to look at him.
"Mhm," I mumbled mid-bite and about to go find something to mess with.
"Okay, go play," He sighed, letting me run off. I went to get my coloring stuff, my markers and papers, before coming back to the living room. I sat on the floor, next to the coffee table instead of at it, and laid out all my stuff. I wanna draw Dady a pretty picture.

A few days later, it was the day of the dentist appointment. Honestly, I wasn't freaking out yet, but I know I will later. Dady gave me headphones for the car trip because it would be 45 minutes, according to him. They were the ones that went on top of your ears cause I can't stand the ones that go in. The ride there, he was listening to his music in the truck, and I guess it was loud enough to get the attention of all the cars driving by. I mostly listened to Radiohead, or Mitski, or Jack Stauber because that's what was downloaded on my phone. And I didn't have any connection to listen to anything else.

At some point, he had to slam on his brakes, getting my attention instantly. A raccoon had run across the road, making me giggle and point.
"Lookie! Dady it's a 'coon!" I giggled, pulling my headphones away from my head.
"Yeah," He agreed, sighing heavily before starting to drive again. Other than the animal, nothing really happened in the car ride. Well, other than Dady getting mad at the cars.
"Your light is red!" He shouted as someone ran their red light, cutting him off. He groaned and kept going but continued to tell me about how people need to figure out what a driving manual is. He only stopped ranting about it when we pulled into the dentists office. I kicked my legs and waited for him to park, unbuckling and jumping out the second he did.

"Hold on!" He quickly told me as I grabbed his hand. Dady dug two things out of his wallet before letting me finally have his hand for real. When we were in there, Dady showed the gut ay the front desk the two cards and gave them my birthday. When we sat down, there was a baby across the waiting room pulling on their moms hand. The baby was super cute, but I tried to be respectful and not watch. I messed with Dady's fingers the wait time instead, which actually didn't take long. They took me back and made me sit in a big chair, a bright light shining right in my eyes. I squinted and looked away, answering their questions when I was asked. I don't even know what they're gonna do to my mouth yet.

Turns out, they just cleaned my teeth. I didn't get any shots, thank fucking God. They just brushed and flossed them really well for me and then sent me back out.
"Just don't eat for half an hour," the dentist told us as we made my next appointment.
"I gotta see 'em again?" I asked, staring at Papa as he opened the car door.
"Every 6 months you're supposed to," He informed me, unlocking my side so I could get in too. I shrugged it off and got in the truck, making sure to buckle up. Dady didn't, and he put the key in the ignition, so I made sure to remind him. On the highway back, probably 10-15 minutes out, and I wasn't paying attention to the road. Dady was driving, so I wasn't watching. And I really wasn't paying until a car in front of us slammed on the breaks, giving practically zero time for us to slow down and crashing the two vehicles together.