Prompt:
Parent! Jeff who has a son, 12-13 who is afraid of the dentist and has a toothache. Jeff takes him to Nick and then to help his son with his fear, Nick could ask Jeff to take a turn or something like that and it comes out that Jeff is also afraid.
Nick was reviewing the file for his next patient in the privacy of his office. He was 13 years old, new to the office and from what his nurse jenny had told him, very nervous. Because of this Nick thought it was best not to keep him waiting for too long. He finished his morning coffee and pulled on his lab coat, exiting his office and shutting the door.
Nick heard muffled arguing from outside the exam room door. He didn't mean to eavesdrop but what he heard intrigued him.
"Dad please, let's go, I don't want to be here please."
"No Daniel, you haven't even let the doctor see what's wrong. We're staying, now calm down."
"Dad, its gonna hurt, I'm scared."
"It won't be bad at all Dan; you haven't even met the guy yet. I'm sure he's really gentle."
Nick took that as his cue to enter the room. He knocked on the door to give the two a heads up and opened the door. Immediately upon entering Nick noticed his patient was not in the chair, but in the corner of the room huddled beside his father. The dad, who was tall, blonde, and wearing an unbuttoned lavender dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and fade washed jeans, stood to shake Nick's hand. The boy whom Nick inferred was his patient, Daniel, pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and stared at the ground.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Duval, but you two can call me Nick." Nick shook the fathers hand and smiled in Daniel's direction.
"Nice to meet you Nick, I'm Jeff and you can probably guess this is my son Daniel. He's had a toothache for a few days and it hasn't gotten better."
"Dad!-"
"Daniel, I have to tell him or he can't help you" Jeff spoke to his son sternly. Nick turned his attention back to Daniel and bent down to his level.
"Hey Daniel, I know this isn't the most fun thing to do, but I promise you it won't be bad at all. You think you can let me see what's bothering you?" Nick spoke gently.
The young boy shook his head stubbornly and hugged himself tightly. Nick frowned and stood up again. He thought to himself for a moment and looked to Jeff for help.
"Hey bud, Dr. Nick just wants to see what's wrong so he can fix it. Don't you want to feel better?"
Daniel shook his head and looked at his dad with a frightened expression. "No dad, you don't understand, it's gonna hurt, the guys at school said he's gonna use a drill" he whispered.
Jeff sighed and looked to Nick for another idea. Between the exchange Nick thought of a common trick he had learned throughout his years of practice that could be used to their advantage. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the room.
"Jeff, maybe Daniel would feel less apprehensive if he saw someone else take a turn first" Nick suggested.
"That sounds like a pretty smart idea Nick, who can we get to show him?" Jeff asked completely oblivious.
"Well, a family member usually is the best example." When Jeff looked confused Nick decided to elaborate further. "Boys do like to follow in their father's footsteps."
Now Jeff understood and a wave of what looked like fear washed over his features. He quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. "You really think that would make a difference Nick?" he asked skeptically.
"Actually it works almost every time. Have a seat Jeff, show Daniel there's nothing to be afraid of" Nick smiled encouragingly.
Jeff gave a weak smile and looked at his son, who was watching him carefully. He took a seat and allowed Nick to recline the chair. Jeff wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as Nick turned on the light and moved it over Jeff's face.
Nick noticed Jeff's nerves and internally sighed. Like father like son, this would be a challenge from start to finish. "Alright Jeff, can you open wide for me" Nick spoke.
Jeff looked fearfully at the tools in Nick's hands and fractionally shook his head so Daniel couldn't see.
"Jeff, you have to do this for Daniel. You just told him there was nothing to be afraid of" Nick whispered.
Jeff nodded solemnly agreeing with Nick and slowly opened his mouth. Nick began checking over Jeff's teeth, tapping and scraping. Jeff was jumpy, and flinched a few times, but kept his mouth open for Daniel.
Nick got the polisher ready and turned it on. Jeff who had kept up his act for the duration of the appointment suddenly got cold feet and shut his mouth with a snap. Daniel noticed and grew distressed with his father.
"Dad? What's going on, what's he doing?"
"Calm down Daniel, I'm about to polish your dad's teeth. It's like an electronic toothbrush. It sounds bad, but it just tickles" Nick explained while holding up the tool.
"Yeah, I guess I remember that from last time" Daniel nodded.
Nick smiled and turned back to Jeff. "Think you can do this a little more for your son, it won't hurt at all, it's just polishing."
Jeff nodded and opened his mouth again. Nick finished up in five minutes and sat Jeff's chair up again.
"Alright Jeff, your all done and you have healthy teeth, no problems that I could see. That was easy right?" Nick grinned.
Jeff smiled and got up from the chair. "Yeah, that wasn't as bad as I remembered. Thanks Nick."
Nick cleaned up his tools and retrieved a new tray. Daniel shifted in his seat as his dad sat back down next to him. Nick smiled encouragingly at his young patient and patted the seat. "You're up Daniel, come take a seat just like your dad."
Daniel removed the hood from his head and looked into nicks eyes. Nick finally had a good look at the kid. He had blonde hair like his dad and his father's honey brown eyes as well. Daniel was giving him the once over as well. Nick tried his best to give off a calming aura and it appeared to work. Daniel shakily stood up and walked towards Nick.
"You won't do anything to hurt me right?" Daniel asked meekly.
"No Daniel" Nick chuckled slightly "I won't hurt you in anyway. Who told you I would?"
"Some guys in my school. They found out about my tooth and told me you'd use the drill, and it would make me scream and cry" Daniel worried.
Nick put a hand on his shoulder as he sat down and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry they scared you. You were worried all this week for nothing I promise you."
Daniel relaxed a little at nicks promise, and allowed him to prepare for his exam. Nick slipped on some gloves and reclined Daniel's chair. He flipped the light on and picked up his tools. "Alright Daniel, can you tell me what tooth has been bothering you this week? I'm going to take a quick look and see how we can fix it."
Daniel nodded his head and opened his mouth readily. "Ish teh top toof on teh lef side" he explained with his mouth open. Nick and Jeff laughed at the sound.
Nick spent a few minutes scraping and tapping certain areas. Daniel was looking around as he worked, trying to find something to distract himself. Eventually Nick finished and set his tools back on the tray. Daniel sat up and looked to his dad and then Nick.
"Well, the good news is it's an easy fix, and I don't have to use the drill" Nick clapped his hands together.
Daniels ears perked up. "Really? What's the bad news then?"
"Well, the tooth that's hurting you is a baby tooth; One of your molars. I took a look at the x-rays jenny took earlier, and the roots are almost gone. Meaning, I don't have to fill it, because it is getting ready to fall out" Nick explained.
"Sooo, then I can leave?" Daniel asked excitedly.
"Well no, we're not done yet. I don't need to fill it, but it can't stay in your mouth in this condition either. We need to remove it."
Daniel sat up immediately. "You're gonna pull it out?" he yelled. He tried to get up but his dad stopped him.
"Calm down Dan, it's not that bad" Jeff reasoned.
"Your dad is right Daniel, you won't feel a thing" Nick felt like he had said that a hundred times today.
Daniel squirmed around in his seat uncomfortably. "n-no, I don't like this."
Nick felt his heart swell with sympathy for the young boy. He had a small daughter himself and would hate to see her in this state of distress. "Trust me Daniel. I know what I'm doing."
"I-I'm scared Nick, can't we wait for it to fall out by itself?"
"No Daniel, its already causing you pain, it might not fall out for another month or so. Just give this a try, it's not as bad as you think" Nick coaxed.
Daniel nodded his head and wiped away his fallen tears. Nick patted his shoulder and grabbed a few things from the drawers.
"Okay Daniel, I'm going to use this gel to numb your gums really quick. It will feel tingly. Can you open up for me?" Nick requested.
Daniel complied and sat with a q-tip in his mouth for a minute or so. He looked at his dad with a nervous expression, and heard Nick fiddling with something behind him, out of his eyesight.
"Daniel, I need you to keep your eyes closed for this next part. If you can take a deep breath and open wide this will be over quickly."
Daniel took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled a shaky breath. He repeated this a few times and opened his mouth for Nick. He shut his eyes as requested, not sure he wanted to know what would happen next. He felt Nick holding something heavy in his hand against his lip, then a small sting. Daniel opened his eyes out of surprise and gasped in shock. Nick was holding a freaking needle in his mouth. A small cry of panic escaped his throat as Nick drew back his tool.
"It's okay, were done Daniel, now we just have to wait for you to be numb" Nick smiled and turned off the light. "That was the worst part." Nick got up for a few minutes to retrieve a few tools from another room.
Daniel felt his face curiously. He poked it for a few minutes and made faces at the weird sensation. Nick returned moments later and set a few tools on the tray nearby. Daniel still couldn't see what was on the tray from his position. Nick turned the light on again and pulled the tray closer. Daniel looked up at Nick expectantly, waiting for some explanation as to what came next.
"Are you ready Daniel?" Nick questioned calmly.
Daniel nodded reluctantly and opened his mouth slowly. Nick placed some gauze in his mouth and grabbed a tool out of Daniel's line of sight.
"What are you doing now Nick?" Daniel squeaked.
"Don't look Daniel, you're doing great. Hold your dad's hand okay."
Daniel saw the tool in nicks hand enter his mouth and began breathing heavily. His hand flailed around until it found his father's. He felt the tugging and pressure, which made him cry a bit as Nick worked.
"Are you okay Daniel? Am I hurting you?" Nick asked as he withdrew his tools momentarily.
Daniel shook his head quickly and took a deep breath. Nick continued his work and after a minute or two placed his tools back on the tray. He dropped Daniel's tooth on the tray with a small click, and placed a few pieces of cotton in the small hole.
Nick turned off the light and allowed Daniel to sit up again. "There, all done. That wasn't so bad was it?"
Nick realized the cliché in his words and rolled his eyes. "That phrase is overused, but you get the idea."
Daniel grinned a half smile and got off the chair. He breathed a sigh of relief. "No, I guess not. I'm all done right?"
"You are all set, and I'll see you guys in six months right?" Nick spoke excitedly then grinned at Daniel. Jeff smirked as well.
"Yes Nick, we'll be back" Jeff answered for his son.
Nick fist bumped Daniel and shook Jeff's hand as he walked them out to the front. Jenny set them up with a follow up appointment and thanked them.