First, they stoped to get her weight before continuing into the exam room.
A nurse came in and gave Emily some paperwork, and a couple minutes after, Dr. Coves came in.
"Hi Charlotte" she greeted warmly.
Charlotte didn't say anything but waved hello shyly from Emily's lap.
"How have you been since I saw you last?" She asked, encouraging Charlotte specifically to talk.
Charlotte shrugged and took her thumb out of her mouth to answer, "Good." She whispered.
"Have you done anything fun?" She asked, washing her hands.
"I had dance cwass" Charlotte answered after thinking for a moment.
"Dance class?" The doctor exclaimed. "Did you know that I used to be a dancer?"
Charlotte's eyes widened. "Weally?" She said.
It was like her whole vision of the young doctor changed.
Dr. Coves smiled and nodded. "Really. I danced all through school and even performed in a ballet until I hurt my knee. But now, I get to be a doctor and help people, so it all worked out."
She logged into her computer and sat down on a stool across from them.
"Ok Emily and Derek- good news is that Miss Charlotte has gained 6 pounds since you first brought her here. She's still well under what we'd like to see her at for weight but it's good progress. How has the medicine been going?"
"Good." Emily answered. "We only have a few of the tablets left and have been putting the balm on most nights."
"I'm very glad to here that." She said, typing a little more.
"Alright Charlotte, can you hop up on the table for me?" She asked, getting up to wash her hands.
Charlotte froze in Emily's lap and didn't move.
"Come on Charlotte, just up on the table, you'll be all right" Emily said, gently pushing her up a little to encourage her.
Charlotte shook her head furiously no, with her thumb back in her mouth, and her braids swung back and forth.
"Come on honey, you'll be just fine" she promised, now lifting her up and quickly setting her down on the table.
Charlotte burst into tears immediately.
"No! You pwomised you not leave me" she cried in a small, desperate voice that made Emily's heart ache.
"Ok, ok" Emily soothed, surrendering on this one. "I'll stay right by you" she promised, sitting next to her on the exam table. "No ones going to hurt you sweetie."
She and Derek exchanged glances.
This was not a good start.
Dr. Coves brushed the panic outburst off like it didn't happen, and proceeded to check Charlotte's eyes and ears.
Even though she wasn't actually touching her, anytime an instrument got near her she flinched back from it.
She put her stethoscope in her ears. "Remember this from before Charlotte? It's just so I can hear your heart." She said, moving to put it on her back.
Charlotte seemed confused and like she was going to try to say something or move, but the stethoscope was on her back quickly and she calmed down a bit after feeling the harmlessness of it and allowed her to listen.
Surprisingly enough, her calmness remained as Dr. Coves took out a blood vile and needle to draw blood.
Charlotte's eyes watered up when the needle went into her arm, but she didn't fight it off like Emily was expecting.
Emily and Derek held their breaths, hoping that what they were seeing was all they had hoped: that Charlotte understood she was safe at the doctors and could separate her negative abuse memories from the present.
After handing the blood vile off to a nurse, the doctor sighed knowing what was next and silently got out an exam gown from the cabinet and placed it next to Emily, then excused herself from the room.
Once she left, Derek also excused himself so she could change without feeling embarrassed.
"Ok Char, you know the drill" Emily said, holding up the exam gown for her, hoping to make this as painless as possible.
Not wanting to risk making Emily mad, she tensely complied, but Emily could tell how much her anxiety was raising.
Charlotte felt vulnerable and scared.
She knew what the doctor was going to do and she wasn't happy.
Derek came back in and saw her slouched on the exam table, face looking down at her lap.
"Baby girl" he said, going to her and gently lifting her chin to meet his eyes. "We talked about this. This isn't like the other doctor. She just wants to help you, not hurt."
Charlotte gave a half hearted nod and continued to look down and swing her legs back and forth.
Derek and Emily knew how hard it was to go to the doctor no matter what they tried to tell her, and it broke their hearts to see her in so much discomfort.
A moment later, Dr. Coves knocked and came back into the room.
She quickly tested her knee reflexes and looked over all the visible healing bruises.
"These look so much better! In another week, I bet they'll be completely gone" she told Charlotte with a smile.
Charlotte's mood eased a little knowing this and she nodded, relieved.
The young doctor smiled back.
"Ok, can you lie down now for me Charlotte?" She asked kindly.
"I-I don't want to" she whispered.
"I won't hurt you" Dr. Coves reminded. "How about your dad can come hold your hand?" She compromised, remembering the good connection she had seen between Derek and Charlotte earlier.
At this Charlotte seemed to relax a little, and Derek came over immediately and took her small hand in his as she scooted back and some.
Dr. Coves smiled encouragingly and she laid down all the day.
"You're being very brave Charlotte" she commended. "I need to look between your legs now to make sure everything is healing ok. I won't hurt you though. If you're feeling scared, just squeeze your dads hand, ok?"
Charlotte tried to remember everything her mom and Dr. Freeman had told her- this was a good doctor, not a mean one. She could say stop and she'd listen. She was just trying to help.
Charlotte gently squeezed Derek's hand to test what Dr. Coves had told her and he gave it a reassuring squeeze back.
"Charlotte can you please pull your legs up to your tummy?" She requested
Slowly, Charlotte complied.
"Ok. Charlotte I'm going to take your underwear off now and open your legs, but I'm only going to look. And I won't hurt you." she reminded.
Charlotte's head shot over to Emily, and she could see tears threatening to fall.
She squeezed Derek's hand tight as the felt Dr. Coves lifting up the thin exam gown.
The doctor spread her legs apart and began, as quickly as she could, to visually examine the area.
Charlotte lasted about 10 seconds before the sobs began, and her eyes desperately looked over at Emily while she squeezed Derek's hand with all her strength.
"You're ok Charlotte, I'm just going to check one thing now" she explained, and as quickly and painlessly as possible put on two exam gloves and went to touch the area, checking for any genital rashes.
Right as her finger approached, Charlotte lost it, and burst out into tears, sobbing and rolling back and forth to try and stop her.
"Come on Charlotte, you're with us at Dr. Coves office, she's not going to hurt you" Derek reminded firmly, holding her arms in place to try and help.
"No! Stop howding me!" She cried. "Mommy!"
The doctor took a q-tip to swab which Emily knew was the last step and she knew Charlotte wouldn't get this far again.
"Honey it's ok, I'm right here, you're doing great." Emily said, standing beside her at the exam table.
"Mommy I don't wike this I want to stop, it huwts! Mommy!" She wailed, trying to squirm away from the doctors and q-tips touch.
As soon as her swab was done, Derek let go of her arms and let her free.
Charlotte stayed laying down, but curled on her side with tears streaming all down her face.
It broke their hearts to see her like that.
Emily went over to give her a hug and she attached herself to her mom, refusing to let go.
The doctor sighed and put up 3 fingers for how many shots she'd need and Emily and Derek both groaned internally.
Figuring it should all be done at once, Dr. Coves prepped the shots and came back in with them and an alcohol pad.
Charlotte had her head buried in Emily's lap so she didn't even see hat was coming until Dr. Coves was lifting her gown and pulling the top of her underwear down.
Charlotte wailed louder, confused.
Derek went over to hold Charlotte's legs still.
"You're just going to feel a little pinch" she told Charlotte, wiping an area on her bottom to inject the shots.
The first one wasn't too bad. Derek held Charlotte's legs still while Emily held her arms and she stopped trying to fight and laid still, barely reacting.
The second one was a little harder, and her crys began again. When she saw Dr. Coves prepping a third one, she twisted and squirmed to the side trying to hide her bottom from being sticked, and it broke Emily and Derek's heart to firmly hold her down in place to get the final injection.
When the needle pressed in, Charlotte screamed, but when it was over she just stayed frozen and quiet in place.
Dr. Coves left and Charlotte, after a few minutes and coaxing from Emily and Derek sat up an Emily wiped her eyes.
Silently and gently, they helped her out of her gown and back into her clothes.
When they were done, Emily lifted Charlotte who rested her cheek against Emily's shoulder, and drove to the closest ice cream store.
Charlotte wasn't crying and was responding which was a big step compared to the reactions of her previous visits
She ate her ice cream peacefully and clinged to her parents, refusing to be alone.
And she wasn't.
And they were all glad to be done with that visit, and glad she was ok.
Please pretty please review! What did you think? What do you want to see?