Author's Note: The events of this story take place between the events of two stories I have yet to release, but will be made available later on this month, so I apologize if one story has been slightly spoiled now, but I assure you, that story will be released sometime soon. Now, on with this story!
The Checkup
Summary: Two-year-old, almost three-year-old Tommy, goes in for his checkup, only for him and his mommy to learn something from the doctor that they didn't realize. Upon learning this, and hearing some advice from the doctor, will this visit change Tommy, making him a cautious, health nut? Or can Peter and the other Rugrats snap him out of it, before it's too late.
Disclaimer: I do not own the original Rugrats characters, they're the property of their original creaters. I own any OC's you don't recognize, like Zack and his Aunty Celeste, while Peter is owned by TCKing12.
Chapter 1, The Doctor's Appointment
Location: Lou and Lulu's Retirement Home, Early August, 2014
Tommy and Dil had been staying overnight with their paternal grandparents at the retirement home. However, on this particular day, Tommy would have to leave early. While he was waiting for his mommy to pick him up, he overheard his grandparents having a conversation in the kitchen.
"Oh con flabbit Lulu, I can handle this myself." Shouted Lou from the kitchen, as he was picking up a heavy bag of fishing gear.
"Now Lou my darling, you need to be careful. You have high cholesterol, and based on what the nurses here told me, you've got high blood pressure too, and I want to grow old with you you know." Said Lulu with a smile, as she reached down to try to help her husband.
"I don't need no help." Lou bellowed.
"Now Lou, you really need to relax." Said Lulu.
"Relax, relax, oh con flabbit, just what I need, is somebody telling me to relax. Besides, we're already old." Said Lou.
"But I wanna grow older with you. And it's not like you need to give up everything you like to do. Just, try to take a step back for a minute. Smell the flowers, take in the fresh salty sea air. Don't be in such a rush to catch a fish today." Said Lulu.
"Maybe I should just, cancel the trip all together. Watching the sprouts over the last couple of days has worn me out anyway." Said Lou, just as a knock was heard at the door.
Lou and Lulu came into the small living room to answer the door, to find Stu and Didi standing there.
"Hey Pop, ready to go fishing?" Stu asked.
"Uh, sorry but I'm gonna have to take a raincheck on the fishing trip. This old man needs to rest." Said Lou, as he sat down in his favorite easy chair, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
"Oh don't mind him, you and I can take Dil out for the day while Didi takes Tommy to his checkup." Said Lulu.
"Great idea!" Said Stu, as his one-year-old son Dil tottled over to him, giggling.
"Ready to spend a day of fun with daddy and grandma Lulu Dilly?" Stu asked playfully, as he scooped up his son, and Lulu scooped up his diaper bag that was hanging on a hook by the door.
Didi came inside and found Tommy on the floor, who was watching everything going on.
"Time to go to the doctor's for your checkup sweetie." Said Didi with a smile, as she scooped up the two-year-old toddler and took Tommy out to the car. She buckled him into his car seat, and they were off to the doctor's office.
Tommy never looked forward to going to the doctor's. If anything, over the last year, he had been so many times, not to mention, to the hospital a few times too, that he was hoping it would just, all end one day. While on the drive to the doctor's office, he recalled everything he had been through over the last year or so. It all started a hair over a year ago, when he got The Gray Plague. He was in the hospital for practically forever, and even after he was released, until his second birthday, when he got the vaccination, he still didn't feel quite right. He also missed Chuckie's third birthday party, and half of a Reptar Live show as a result of the effects the plague was having on him. And if almost losing your Reptar wagon to the cousin of the Mcnulty boys isn't enough to make you mad, not to mention, your babysitter Taffy turning into a baby temporarily, as a result of hitting her head, just like what happened with his daddy a long time ago isn't difficult to deal with, having bad luck with your health is enough to make anybody cranky.
His health hadn't been exactly the best over the last year. Around the time when fall was really settling in, and he met Bobby Generic, on top of getting his first splinter and wasp sting at a preschool Chuckie was visiting for the week, soon learning he was allergic to wasps, he also caught a terrible cough and cold over the weekend. While recovering over that, he dealt with Angelica suffering from Amnesia, and once Angelica's amnesia was gone as well as his terrible cold and cough, he started suffering from the pain of getting some new teeth that were late coming in, going through those troubles over the next month or so, dealing with that up until right after Halloween, when that finally subsided, allowing him to celebrate Thanksgiving, Chanukah and Christmas, more or less, in peace. Also during this time, he helped Bobby become a better roommate with his brother Derek, learned from Taffy that everyone had been invited to go to Washington D.C. the next summer to see her start her international tour, and he helped Bobby and Hector, give Bobby's dog Roger, a bath. He also learned about the real meaning of Christmas from Zack, that it's about the birth of Jesus, and his little brother played him in a pajjent on short notice, and Tommy had fun telling Dil his own version of the story, of Twas the Night Before Christmas. Even Taffy got into the Christmas spirit, by telling them the story of The Nutcracker.
Then he celebrated the new year, though he was switched with Chuckie's body for a day, once he was switched back, things more or less, calmed down, and the first month of the year went off without a hit. He got his first library card and had fun with his friends. But then he fell ill with a terrible virus, that had every awful symptom imaginable along with it. A soar throat, a cough that caused him to throw up, and on top of it all, he got a sinus infection, and the antibiotic prescribed gave him diarrhea, and seeing he was also potty trained right after the start of the new year, which, other than having some accidents while adventuring, once he remembered to go enough, those quit, but diarrhea wasn't so easy to control, having several accidents, and while plagued with this terrible virus, he met Rosie, his first childhood crush, which, while he was happy to meet her, as a result of this, he had some embarrassing moments in front of her, and didn't feel quite up to his best, sort of dampening the experience. By the time he felt back to his old self, Rosie had left for home, and their only means of communication, was Peter's iPhone using something called Facetime Video calls.
Then, if that wasn't enough to dampen things, a couple weeks later, he was playing with Bobby Generic on the playground, when he fell down and broke his leg. He had to get his leg put into a cast, and he had to sit around, not being able to move for over a month. He tried to convince himself he was healed sooner than he actually was, by ripping off his cast and saving Kimi from being tortured by Timmy Mcnulty at some indoor fun zone place, only to injure his leg further, prolonging his time in a cast. It was the most boring several weeks in his short little life, and he hoped he'd never have to go through something like that again. At least come the end of that whole ordeal, Fifi had a second litter of puppies with the Generic's dog Roger, Tommy and his friends got to meet Captain Squash in person, and even more exciting, he had been invited to Rosie's birthday party, getting to take a trip to Boston for the big occasion!
Well he and Peter went on this trip, only for Tommy to get a stomach bug while visiting, making it the worst vacation he had ever taken in his entire life, and once again, being sick in Rosie's presence. After returning from this trip, he had only been home for a few days, when he and his brother Dil, both got colds, and Tommy's, turned into a sinus infection. At least with the second sinus infection, the antibiotic didn't give him diarrhea, but he was having trouble sleeping at night and during naptime, thanks to some nightmares, as a result of the torment he underwent while in Boston, with Rosie's evil villan, a boy named Reggie, who in Tommy's eyes, was even more of the bane of his existence than his cousin Angelica surprisingly. That was finally rectified right before his mommy graduated from college, when Reggie came to town to visit his uncle, showing up at the park, at which time, he stood up to that kid, and with the help of his little brother and friends, got rid of Reggie and his terrible nightmares, once and for all. He also discovered his favorite celebrity singer, Sherry Berry during this time, and while it was sad to learn that his mommy wasn't going to have another baby as a result of a miscarriage, he didn't mind too much, since he already had a little brother to play with.
Then, on the day of his mommy's graduation, he awoke with a terrible cold, which actually turned into an ear infection, and man did that hurt! Not only were the tubes in his ears uncomfortable, but as a result of Zack trying to get them to the graduation by himself, after overhearing something his mommy said to his daddy about getting yourselves to her graduation, they got lost, Tommy got hurt, and while in the hospital recovering, he was hit by Dr. Difinsmirtz's turn everything evil inator, so Tommy dealt with being an evil wreck for about a week, thanks to the shadows that took over his body. Once that ordeal was all over though, he still had the ear infection to get over, and the trauma of being worried he'd hurt people, seeing halusinations of the shadows in his mind, until everyone reassured him that they were gone for good, he had nothing to worry about. Things calmed down after that, as they had a surprise graduation party for his mommy, then over the next month, Tommy attended Bobby Generic's first t-ball game of the season, and some sleepovers with his friends. He also witnessed being shrunk to the size of a crumb for a day with his brother and friends, thanks to a shrink ray invention his daddy and Peter had invented, luckily, they eventually, became regular size again. And then at Father's Day, they learned the truth about Kimi's daddy. He even had a nice Fourth of July, going to see the new art museum reopen and rescuing his screwdriver and Chuckie's moon rock from a reflecting pool on the grounds, thanks to Dil grabbing a hold of them and throwing them into one of the pools while venturing through the grounds of the museum with their folks. They also saw fireworks and heard grandpa play trumpet with the local band, thankful he didn't lose his teeth this time around. But not long after that celebration, Dil came down with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, and it was up to Tommy and his friends, to make him feel all better.
While they got him to feel better, thanks to Peter taking them to the Hundred Acre Woods to get him some honey for his tea with lemon, Tommy caught it a few days later, not long after he said his first word to the grown ups, and being worried that Reptar would disappear. He was sick for a week with the worst case of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease his doctor had ever seen, and had to miss the big trip to Cynthia Land, seeing Dil go do something without him. He was cheered up though when Zack and his friends had all risked their lives without him at the theme park, to bring him back a get well present, a stuffed blue kitty cat. A few days after that, he was over the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, so he then went on a camping trip with his grandpa, Bobby Generic, and Bobby's uncle Ted, only this trip wasn't the most pleasant experience either.
Poor Tommy nearly drowned in the lake, got lost in the woods with Bobby, who got sprayed by a skunk, and if that wasn't enough, Tommy got into some poison ivy, making him all itchy, and as a result of eating some bad trout on a stick that Ted had brought along, not realizing the expiration date, poor Tommy on top of his poison ivy, also suffered from food poisoning, which took forever to go away. He couldn't eat anything for days, and suffered some terrible pains in his stomach, that sent him to the hospital. Also, his grandpa Lou hurt his back and twisted his ankle on a route while searching for him and Bobby, and during a good part of that trip, grandpa and Ted didn't get along. The best parts of that trip were Tommy helping Bobby overcome his fear of thunder storms, and Bobby, finally convincing Tommy to try swimming, then he wouldn't drown, as the water was nothing to be afraid of, once he knew how to swim.
But the poison ivy and food poisoning felt awful, and even though they went to Tommy's maternal grandparents, to use the same treatment for curing skunk smell on Bobby that was used on Chuckie, Tommy felt miserable by this point, and just, wanted to go home, which got prolonged even further when Ted went the wrong way, getting them lost for several hours. They finally got home, and Tommy spent a lot of time in bed, on the couch, or in the bathtub, until his poison ivy and food poisoning went away.
Now he was heading to the doctor's for his checkup, after being able to eat regularly for only a few days at this point, and in about a week, they would be leaving for Washington D.C., and in a week and a half, Tommy would be turning three-years-old. In Tommy's eyes, he'd classify his year at age two to be a year of the terrible two's, and he only hoped the checkup would go well, as well as his trip to Washington D.C. and his third birthday. He was also hoping he wouldn't have to get a shot at this particular appointment, but if he did, he's just stick it out and go through with it, and not run off like what he did at his last checkup, when he originally met Hector.
"We're here Tommy." Said Didi, as she pulled into the parking garage at the doctor's office, got Tommy out of his car seat, and they went inside.
They headed up to the waiting room, and Didi let the secretary know they were there. Tommy sat down and played at the duplo table, saddened to learn he was the only child in the waiting room at the time, waiting for an appointment.
"Tommy Pickles?" Said a nurse in the doorway, as Didi gathered him up from the duplo table, and they headed back to an examining room.
While there, the nurse weighed and measured him, took his blood pressure, and wrote some things down on a chart. She also let them know Tommy wouldn't be having to get any shots at this particular visit, which was a relief to Tommy, as he didn't particularly like getting stung by the needle. Once the nurse was finished, and Tommy changed into one of those examining gowns, the kind that tie in the back, which his mommy did, the doctor came in.
"Good morning Tommy." Said Doctor Shacter with a grin as he entered the room.
"Reptar!" Said Tommy with a smile.
"Ha ha ha, I see!" Said Doctor Shacter, as he took out a clipboard and set it down on the examining table next to Tommy.
"Oh, don't mind him now, Tommy just started talking about a month ago, saying his first word." Said Didi.
"Oh yes, yes. So, how are things? Is the food poisoning finally gone? Do you still need that referral to the gastro ancronolgist?" Dr. Shacter asked.
"No, I don't think so. Tommy seems to be eating just fine for a few days now, so I canceled that appointment." Didi replied.
The doctor looked through Tommy's medical history on the chart.
"I see this little boy has been through a lot this past year. His first splinter, we have documented that he's allergic to wasps. He hasn't developed any other allergies, has he?" The doctor asked.
"No, thank goodness." Didi replied.
"I see he's had quite a few colds, contracted that virus that was going around last winter, stomach bugs, two sinus infections, a broken leg, a head injury and ear infection, a really bad case of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease just a few weeks ago, and some of his teeth came in late. No surprise on the teeth thing since he was born one month premature, according to our records here." Said the doctor.
Didi nodded when the doctor looked up, then turned back to the chart.
"He got his booster shot at the last checkup, and he has gained some weight, gained about ten pounds since his last checkup, and grown roughly five inches. Good, good." Said Dr. Shacter, as he made a few marks on the chart and continued to look through it.
Then, something caught his eye.
"Tommy wasn't, a Gray Plague survivor, was he?" Dr. Shacter asked.
"Yes, yes he was." Didi replied.
"Well I have some news for you on that. It says here after suffering for approximately three months, he was finally vaccinated, however, while he can't get the plague again, we've recently been doing some research on this terrible plague, as it's only broken out in the U.S. over the last year, unknown to us until now, only being known by people in third world countries, most of which, don't survive from it. Turns out the gray plague is known for weakening, if not destroying the immune system. So while Tommy can't get the plague anymore, during the three months he had the plague, it weakened his immune system to a point, that had things gone much longer, he would have most likely died from the plague." Explained the doctor to Didi and Tommy, who was eyeing some pictures the doctor had on the wall, but also listening.
"So are you suggesting that this weakened immune system could be the reason for why Tommy got sick so many times over the last year?" Didi asked.
"It is very likely so, yes. Tommy is lucky to be alive. I do have to ask you, what is Tommy's date of birth?" Dr. Shacter asked.
"August 11, 2011." Didi replied.
"Ah, so he'll be turning three soon then. Are there plans to send him to preschool?" Dr. Shacter asked.
"Yes, he'll be attending in the fall. Anything you recommend? He will be around other children, in a new environment." Said Didi with concern.
"I wouldn't worry too much, though with his weakened immunity, I'd take some extra precautions. You know, make sure he gets his flu shot, and during cold and flu season, just keep a closer eye on him, as sometimes, the vaccination isn't for the virus that's going around, as we saw happen this past winter. And of course, make sure he has a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, make sure he gets plenty of rest, I recommend he continue to take naps at least once a day for another couple of years while he can, make sure he's dressed appropriately for the weather, you know, warm clothing on cold winter days, and staying in wet clothes or playing out in the rain is strongly discouraged, as that can lead to colds faster, encourage hand washing, that will help keep the germs away, and if going on any trips, all of your family, Tommy included, can benefit from taking Airborn." Said Dr. Shacter.
"Now no worries doctor I've read about the bulk of this in Lipchitz, but what is this, Airborn stuff? We will be taking a trip in about a week to Washington D.C." Said Didi.
"Oh no worries Mrs. Pickles, Airborn is this tasty liquid, it's like a special kind of juice, you drink it or mix it in with water and drink it either right before you leave on the trip, or while traveling, and it helps to ward off air born diseases that you could catch while traveling." Explained Dr. Shacter.
"Well thank you doctor, I'll see about having Tommy drink some." Said Didi.
"You like juice Tommy?" Dr. Shacter asked, as he continued on with the examination.
Tommy smiled and nodded.
"He loves apple juice, huh Tommy." Didi said playfully, as Tommy cooed.
"Well I believe you're in luck. There's an apple flavored Airborn that they say is appealing to young children. You can get it at your local supermarket." Said Dr. Shacter, as he listened to Tommy's heart and lungs, looked in his eyes, and looked inside his ears.
"Ears look clear, good, glad to see no more ear infections." Said the doctor.
"Heart and lungs are sounding good too. You're healthy as a horse, for now anyway kiddo." Said the doctor, as he finished up his exam.
Then, he tested Tommy's reflexes, which were quick, and to wrap up the exam, he had Tommy stand on the floor, and bend over.
"Balance is good. Well Mrs. Pickles, despite all that's gone down over this last year, he's doing great for now. Do you have anymore questions for me before I see to wrapping it up here?" Dr. Shacter asked.
"So, tell me something, do you see Tommy having trouble with his health as he gets older?" Didi asked.
"I wouldn't worry too much. He is still young, it's quite possible what all went down this last year could just, be a complete cooencidence. Chances are he might suffer from stuff while in preschool and kindergarten, ear infections, colds, and stomach bugs are the most common things we see in children between ages three to five, but lucky for Tommy, he already had the chickenpox last year, so he'll bypass that entirely. My advice, I'd just make sure to keep things sanitary and healthy around him for the next few years, now that the gray plague is no longer in his system, and because he's so young, there's a good chance his immunity will build back up over time, in fact, I bet ya within the next six to seven years from now, he'll be so healthy, hardly ever catching what's going around, it will be as if this year of unlucky health, never happened." Said the doctor with a twinkle in his eye.
"Thank you doctor." Said Didi, as she helped Tommy get dressed in his regular clothes.
"Want a lolliepop Tommy?" The doctor asked, as Tommy eyed some stickers on the counter, and saw a Reptar one.
"Reptar! Reptar!" Tommy said excitedly, pointing to the sticker.
"Ah, good little boys, do deserve a sticker. Here you go." Said Dr. Shacter, as he gave Tommy the Reptar sticker, and he stuck it to his shirt.
Then he gave Tommy a green lolliepop, and Didi grabbed Tommy's hand, and they walked out of Dr. Shacter's office.
"Have fun in Washington D.C. and good luck with starting preschool." Said the doctor.
"Thank you." Said Didi, as they walked down the hall back towards the waiting room, and saw to leaving the building.
"Well Tommy, glad your checkup went well. We'll just need to make sure you get a flu shot when they're giving them out come October, November or so, and we'll get some of that Airborn stuff to take on our trip next week." Said Didi with a smile, as she saw to buckling Tommy into his car seat, and she got into the driver's seat of the car.
Before driving off, she looked at her phone, to see if she had any text messages. There was one from Stu, claiming that because grandpa had canceled the fishing trip, as a result of feeling tired, he and Dil headed for home, and he fed Dil his lunch. Didi turned on the car, put on one of the CD's that she had bought a while back from the music class that Tommy and Dil attend with their friends on Saturday mornings, and they headed for home.
While on the drive home, Tommy thought about what all went down at the doctor's appointment. He also thought about the times he got sick over the last year. It usually happened, either when Rosie was present, or after he had just accomplished some major adventure, saving somebody or overcoming some huge problem. He also thought about all of the things the doctor was suggesting to be done to stay healthy, and remembering to earlier that day when he overheard his grandparents talking about high blood pressure. Now he didn't quite understand the whole thing about high blood pressure, but he surely knew what blood was, it's that red sticky stuff that comes out when you get a cut. Worried that maybe his current way of life was causing him to get sick so much, Tommy decided at that moment, that it was time for a change. No way was he going to let this upcoming trip to Washington D.C. and his third birthday, be sad, ruined events for him.
Upon getting home, Didi took Tommy inside where she smelled pizza.
"Hey champ, how was your doctor's appointment?" Stu asked, upon Didi and Tommy entering the house, where they found Stu and Dil on the couch, watching a Goober video.
"It went just fine Stu, though I found out something interesting today." Said Didi.
"Oh? What is that?" Stu asked.
Didi went on to explain to him what the doctor had told her about the gray plague, and that it's possible that could partially be the cause of so much of Tommy's illnesses over the last year.
"Well what do you think Deed?" Stu asked.
"Well, I think it's quite possible it was only a cooencidence, but I'm gonna continue to make sure my children are fed a healthy diet, and encourage healthy practices around here. Hand washing and getting plenty of rest being amongst them. We should also make sure Tommy gets his flu shot come the fall." Said Didi.
Stu nodded and returned his gaze to the television, as Didi took Tommy into the kitchen to feed him some lunch, where she saw that Stu had fixed Dil pizza squares for lunch.
"Honestly, doesn't he know how unhealthy those things are?" Didi said to herself, as she dished up Tommy a plate, as despite this, she knew he liked them too, and he was very well behaved at his doctor's appointment, so he deserved a treat.
However, overhearing what his mommy said, Tommy wasn't interested in having any pizza squares. He ssat there at the table, staring at his plate for a minute, before pushing it away.
"Come on Tommy, you don't want any pizza squares? Hmmm." Said Didi, as she looked around the kitchen, until she found a nice tasty banana, and chopped some up in a bowl for him.
"Here sweetie, want a banana?" Didi asked, as she gave him the bowl. Realizing that a banana was fruit, and the doctor said to eat lots of fruit, Tommy ate it with no hesitation. He then drank the sippy cup of apple juice that was placed before him, before jumping down from his place at the table, and running off into the living room.
Once in the living room, he curled up in the easy chair where his grandpa would usually pearch himself when he'd come for a visit. No sooner had he sat down, when Dil tottled up to him.
"Hey Tommy, wanna play?" Dil asked.
"Nope, this old baby needs his rest." Said Tommy, memmicing what his grandpa had said earlier that day, as he leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes.
Dil just stood there, looking at his brother, a bit shocked and worried. It wasn't like Tommy to volunteer himself to take a nap, unless he was really tired, or didn't feel well.
"Did something happen at the doctor's today? Is my brother Tommy ok?" Dil thought to himself, as he toddled away from Tommy, who was now, fast asleep.
And this, ends chapter 1. So, has Tommy indeed changed? We'll find out, in chapter 2!
Author's Note: I'll point out very quickly here that the bulk of the things that Tommy remembered happening to him over the last year, have occurred in several Fan Fic stories that I've either released over the bulk of this last year, or have yet to release in the future. However, all stories referenced in this one, have their summaries on my profile, if they have yet to be completed at this time, to give you an idea of what was being talked about, and when it will most likely occur on the timeline of events during Tommy's second year of life. And, I should hopefully, have the next chapter up sometime later on today, since it seems the distractions of my neighbors, are at a minimum today.