Lumpy arrived at the Happy Tree Hospital; he had checked in at the reception and was now waiting in the waiting room. Earlier today Dr. Wrinkles had asked him to come over to the Hospital for a Medical Check – Up.
After a few minutes, the door opened and someone called, "Next, please."
Lumpy got up and walked into the examining room. He sat on the examination table and waited for his doctor to arrive.
While waiting, Lumpy saw a light pink moose nurse, wearing a nurse uniform and nurse's cap, come in.
"Hello, Mr. Lumpy, how are you today?" she asked.
"Fine, thank you," said Lumpy.
"I'm Nurse Elkie," the nurse went on, "Before the doctor can see you, I'll need to do some Routine Observations on you."
"Okay," said Lumpy
Nurse Elkie started by placing her hand on Lumpy's wrist to check for a pulse. She felt a small thump in Lumpy's wrist underneath her thumb.
"I think you're a very healthy moose," she said, "But we'll see what the doctor says."
"Okay," said Lumpy.
"Next I'll check your blood pressure," Nurse Elkie said.
She wrapped a leather belt around his arm and started squeezing the squeezer connected to it. Lumpy cringed a bit as the leather belt tightened around his arm.
After a few seconds, Nurse Elkie looked at the reading and loosened the belt.
"It's normal, darling."
Lumpy sighed with relief.
"Now I'll check your weight," said Nurse Elkie.
She pointed to a scale, which Lumpy stepped onto. Nurse Elkie looked at the reading on the scale.
"Have you been exercising?" she asked. "You've lost a couple pounds."
"I have a bit," Lumpy replied.
"That's a good boy," Nurse Elkie replied as she patted his shoulder a little bit, "Now I'll check height."
Nurse Elkie then moved Lumpy to the scale, where she checked his height.
"Hmm, I'd say you're just as tall as you were the last time," she said.
Lumpy then stepped away from the scale and sat back down on the examination table.
"The doctor will see you in a few minutes to make sure everything's alright," Nurse Elkie said.
"Thank you," said Lumpy.
Nurse Elkie then walked out of the room, leaving Lumpy by himself.
Along the way, she left a hint of her familiar medicinal scent behind, tickling Lumpy's nose a little. The scent caused Lumpy's nose to twitch and then Lumpy let out a quiet sneeze.
"Ah... Aaaah... HAAAAH- Hah-chew!"
Lumpy blushed to himself from his own sneeze and rubbed his nose gently with his forefinger. After a couple of minutes of waiting, Dr. Wrinkles (a dark purple moose wearing a doctor uniform) came into the room.
"Good day to you, Lumpy," the doctor greeted Lumpy. "My name is Dr Wrinkles, and I'll be your personal doctor."
Lumpy nodded in understanding. "Okay."
"First, I'd like to take your temperature," Dr Wrinkles started. He held up a thermometer.
"Okay," said Lumpy.
Dr Wrinkles carefully inserted the thermometer into Lumpy's mouth, making sure it went underneath his tongue as he did so. Lumpy waited for his temperature to be taken. After a few seconds, it beeped. Dr Wrinkles removed the thermometer and looked at it.
"98 degrees Fahrenheit. That's normal."
Lumpy sighed with relief when he heard Dr Wrinkles say that.
"Next I'd like to check your sinuses," said Dr Wrinkles.
"Okay," said Lumpy.
Dr Wrinkles reached his hand over to the end of Lumpy's snout and gently squeezed the sides of Lumpy's nose with his fingers. Lumpy did not sneeze that time as Dr Wrinkles did this.
"Your sinuses seem to be in good condition," said Dr Wrinkles. He rubbed Lumpy's nose slightly as he continued to squeeze it. Lumpy cringed slightly as Dr Wrinkles continued to rub his nose.
After at least ten seconds of rubbing his nose, Dr Wrinkles finally pulled his hand away from Lumpy's snout.
"What next?" Lumpy asked.
"I'd like to check your reflexes," Dr Wrinkles said. He pulled out one of those reflex hammers.
Dr Winkles hit the hammer just underneath the knee cap causing Lumpy's leg to move on its own.
"Well, that's normal," Dr Wrinkles commented before he did the same to Lumpy's other leg. Lumpy's other leg moved on its own too.
"That's normal, too." Dr Wrinkles put away his reflex hammer and put on his stethoscope. "And now I'd like to check your heartbeat."
"Okay," said Lumpy.
Dr Wrinkles put the end of the stethoscope on Lumpy's chest and listened.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!" went Lumpy's heart.
"Your heartbeat is normal," said Dr. Wrinkles. He moved the stethoscope to a different part of Lumpy's chest. "Now breathe in, please."
Lumpy breathed in.
"Now, breathe out," Dr Wrinkles said.
Lumpy breathed out.
"Looks like your breathing is normal, too," said Dr Wrinkles. He removed the stethoscope from Lumpy's chest.
Lumpy waited for Dr Wrinkles to do the next thing.
"Now I'd like to check if there's anything wrong with your stomach," Dr Wrinkles said.
"Okay," said Lumpy.
Dr Wrinkles slowly and gently placed his hand right on Lumpy's belly. When Lumpy felt it a tiny smile appeared on his face.
"Hmm, I'd say your stomach is doing alright as well," Dr Wrinkles said.
"Thank god," muttered Lumpy quietly.
Dr Wrinkles removed his hand from Lumpy's belly.
"What now?" asked Lumpy.
"Now I'd like to check your ears," said Dr Wrinkles.
The dark purple moose doctor pulled out one of his ear-lights and looked into one of Lumpy's ears. He saw that the inside of his ear was almost completely clean. He then did the same thing with Lumpy's other ear and that was almost completely clean too.
"I'd say your ears are working just fine," Dr Wrinkles said, "Now I'll check your eyes."
"Okay," said Lumpy.
Dr Wrinkles then pulled out an ophthalmoscope and he looked into Lumpy's eyes with the ophthalmoscope. "Hmm..."
"Well?" asked Lumpy.
"I'd say your eyes are working just fine," said Dr Wrinkles and then he put the ophthalmoscope away.
"Lumpy, may I ask, do you have any allergies?" Dr Wrinkles wanted to know.
"Yes, I have an allergy to flowers," Lumpy responded.
"Interesting." Dr Wrinkles said. "And how strong would you say your immune system is?"
"My immune system is weak and I catch a lot of colds and respiratory/nasal-related illnesses," said Lumpy.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Dr Wrinkles replied. "However, the best thing to do for that is to take at least one of these every day." He pulled out a bottle of Vitamin C pills. "Just one of these pills will improve your immune system."
Dr Wrinkles put down the bottle, and then picked up a hypodermic needle filled with a vaccine.
"I hate to do this, Lumpy, but this will also improve your immune system," he said.
Lumpy gasped in fear when he saw the needle and quickly braced himself. Dr Wrinkles put his hand on Lumpy's shoulder, trying to comfort him.
"It may hurt, but it won't last as long as you think," he reassured him.
Lumpy sighed with relief when he heard that, and feeling reassured he calmed down. Dr Wrinkles slowly inserted the needle into Lumpy's arm, and then pushed the liquid into his body and Lumpy winced in pain.
Dr Wrinkles removed the needle and smiled reassuringly at him.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"No, I suppose it wasn't," Lumpy repiled.
Dr Wrinkles then wrapped a bandage over the area where he had given Lumpy his shot.
"Your arm should be all better by tomorrow," said Dr Wrinkles.
"Thank you," said Lumpy.
Dr Wrinkles smiled at him in response.
"Well, Lumpy, it seems to me that you're a very healthy moose," he said. "But if you ever feel like you're coming down with something, just give me a call."
"Okay. Got it," said Lumpy.
"And one more thing..." Dr Wrinkles said. "This may sound a bit personal, but I have never heard you sneeze before..."
"Well, I do have a pretty darn sensitive nose, so there's that," Lumpy said.
"That's perfectly normal," said Dr Wrinkles. He wrote something down on a piece of paper and gave it to Lumpy. "Here's my number. Call me if you'd like to make an appointment with me."
"Okay, thank you," said Lumpy.
"You're welcome," Dr Wrinkles replied.
And with, Lumpy left the Happy Tree Hospital and went on his way home.
