Disclaimer: I don´t own anything except my OCs and the plot.
Chapter 3: Radio Ga Ga, Emma POV
After a surprisingly good week at work I was having another free weekend, which I took advantage of to finally make an appointment with another dentist. The Grangers looked like good people and I was desperately trying to find an odontologist who didn't make my knees go weak with fear. Also, because If I had to listen to another lecture from my sister about how important it is to have a good oral hygiene and to visit a dentist regularly and how drinking too much coffee would make my teeth rot, I was sure to shoot myself or something.
It's not that I don't really know all that, but in all honesty, I was scared shitless of dentists. It was more like a phobia actually and I admit it was embarrassing to some degree, specially because I couldn't help the extreme level of anxiety being in a office with all those weird little gadgets that made the annoying and terrifying noises produce in me.
In the last few years, since my sister started to study odontology and needed patients to practice with, I offered to be her guinea pig (more like my mother did) and I found that being with someone you have a certain level of trust really helps to reduce your stress significantly. But ever since I moved to London I had trouble finding a dentist that inspired even a little bit of trust and that resulted in me almost having panic attacks at the dentists offices. In the last year I've been to two appointments with different doctors and neither worked as I had hoped.
I decided to take my car to the appointment with the Grangers and, thankfully, I arrived just in time. Since I come from a small town where you can get everywhere in under 20 minutes, I had a little trouble adjusting to the really long distances and the horrific traffic that living in a big city came with. In the first few months I either arrived incredibly early or embarrassingly late to work. And I came to know that English people value punctuality very much, something that not all Mexicans fret too much about.
"Good evening, I have an appointment with doctor Granger," I said, smiling to the secretary at the front desk in the little clinic the Grangers have their practice. I hoped she didn't notice my hands trembling a little, that would be really embarrassing. "It's just for a checkup".
"Of course, your name, please?" She said. She has a lovely smile, I wondered if she was also a patient of theirs.
"Emma Torres".
"Yes, here you are," She said while checking her computer. "Dr. Granger is just finishing his last appointment before you. You can take a seat if you like".
I thanked her and took a seat at the small and beautifully decorated waiting room. I was starting to get more nervous and my restless leg syndrome was beginning to show.
While I was waiting to be called, one of the consulting rooms doors opened and the female dr. Granger came out saying goodbye to her patient.
"Oh, doctor Emma!" She said smiling when she saw me. I was a little surprised that she recognized me seeing as we only met once. "I see you made good on your promise".
"Hello, dr. Granger! I really had to, I just couldn't stand another lecture from my sister." I said, laughing a little bit. "How are little Leo and Scorpius doing?"
We started talking and she told me that her daughter returned to England on Thursday, so her grandsons were already with their parents. She seemed surprised that I remembered the names too, but when you give your children names like that, hardly anyone would forget them. She also asked me some questions, mostly about work and to know how I was setting in England after a year of living here. I was actually really thankful that she came out when she did and continued to talk to me, she was so nice that I found my anxiety diminishing the more we spend talking. I was pleased to see that I haven't lost my touch when treating with older people. My mom used to joke that ever since I was a baby I could charm people older than me into taking a little fondness of me. She was actually surprised when I told her I wanted to be a pediatrician and not a geriatrician.
While dr. Granger and I continued talking -she told me her name's Gwendolyn- the other door of the consulting room opened and out came the male dr. Granger -his wife told me his name is John- and the patient he was attending. I was also grateful to hear music coming out of his office, Cyndi Lauper if I'm not mistaken. This appointment was starting to be marginally better than the previous ones I had.
"Oh, doctor Emma!" I found a little funny that his first words to me where the same as his wife.
"Good evening, doctor Granger," I said with a smile, pleasantly surprised that my anxiety levels were still low.
"You're my next patient so, shall we?"
I said goodbye to Gwendolyn and turned to follow John. The moment I sat in the dentist chair my hands started shaking again. Dr. Granger must have noticed, as he started making small talk while preparing his torture instruments.
"Would you like to hear some music while I work, dear?" He asked me.
"Oh, yes, please. That would be wonderful." I said with a relieved sigh. He just smiled at me as if he knew what I was going through. Seen as a lot of people is afraid of dentists, he probably did. But still, I had to warn him. "I should probably tell you I'm kind of afraid of dentists," I couldn't help but cringe, "more like a phobia really".
"Don't worry, dear. I find that music helps to calm people, and this is just a checkup, nothing to worry about." He said, grabbing his cellphone. Before he started the music again, he threw me a confused look. "Oh, but didn't you tell us your sister is a dentist also?"
"Yes, she is," I couldn't help blushing from embarrassment. "Ironic, right? Is just as my mom says, whatever you can't stand, you shall have it in your house."
He looked pensive for a moment, "I've never heard that saying before".
"Is something Mexican women used to say about their husbands." He laughed out loud at that. I was pleasantly surprised to find that dr. Granger was just as nice as his wife. He started the music and turned to put on latex gloves to start working. I couldn't help the gasp that came out of my mouth when I heard the first notes of one of my favorite songs ever.
"Queen! Oh, I love them," my feet started to move at the rhythm of the song.
I'd sit alone and watch your light
My only friend, through teenage nights
"Well, who doesn't love Queen, right?" he said with a smile and started to work. I couldn't help but agree completely with him.
And everything I had to know
I heard it on my radio
The last time I was this relaxed siting on a dentist chair was on the last appointment I had with my sister. John Granger had surprisingly gentle but effective hands while working and the fact that he put on songs of one of my favorite bands on repeat just helped me to maintain the relaxed feeling, even when he used the noisy weird dentist instruments.
"And we're finished." He said while taking off the gloves. He finished in what felt like no time at all and I was so relieved to have finally found a dentist who wasn't my sister that could keep my anxiety on check.
"Thank you so much, doctor. This appointment went much better than I was expecting." I said with a relieved smile.
"Don't worry, dear, you have great teeth and there really wasn't any trouble," he said while I started to get up. His look turned pensive and he surprised me when he said, "you kind of remind me of my daughter, actually."
"Oh," I couldn't help the disbelieving look on my face. I mean, I don't exactly have dark skin, but I'm not a white woman either. I really feel there's no other word to describe me better than Latina. Besides, both Grangers where white, so… "really?"
"Yes," he laughed a little. "You both have this great mane of brown curls and the two of you hate dentists, even though you both have family in the profession".
I laughed too, even though I was secretly flattered. To remind a person of one of the most important people in their lives is a huge compliment.
While I was saying goodbye to the Grangers in the waiting room with Queen still playing in the background -I seem to be the last patient of the day- I heard the door of the clinic open up and hurried little footsteps followed by the sound of what I assumed were footsteps of an adult.
You had your time, you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
"Oh! Doctor Emma!" I turned around to find Scorpius dressed like a little model followed by a petit woman with a mane of curls bigger than my own carrying little Leo.
"Hi, hun! It's good to see you." I said to him, smiling unconsciously. Scorpius Malfoy really was a beautiful child. He seemed a little hesitant for a moment before he made up his mind and came up to me to give a little hug to my legs. I was a little surprised but in a good way. This family just keeps growing on me.
"Scorpius! Mind your manners, honey." Whom I assumed to be his mother said in a stern voice.
"Oh, don't worry," I said, patting the boy in the head while giving him one of my best smiles. I turned to the petit woman to introduce myself. "I'm Emma Torres, it's nice to meet you".
"I'm Hermione Malfoy, it's nice to meet you too." She said, her smile kind of guarded. She turned to greet her parents, "Hi, Mom, Dad."
"Dear, we weren't expecting to see you here." Said Gwendolyn and threw her daughter a pointed look. I had no idea what that was about. Scorpius pulled my hand to get my attention on him again while her mother and grandparents started whispering to each other. I took no offence, it probably was a family matter.
"Do you have more candies?" He asked me with a hoping look on his face. It made me laugh a little.
"As a matter of fact, I do!" I grabbed one of the lollipops I had in my purse. As a pediatrician, you learn early on that always having sweets on you it's a great idea. Seen as his mother was kind of busy talking with her parents, I decided to start a conversation with Scorpius.
He told me about his week with his grandparents and how his little brother got better just two days after the visit at the hospital. I was kind of amazed with how good his conversation was and he even told me he started reading the new book his dad bought him as a gift from their getaway. He said it was about dragons and that they were his favorite animals, specially the peruvian vipertooth. I haven't heard about that book yet, but seeing as I wasn't really updated with children books, I just let him talk. When his family finished talking in whispers, they turned to us.
"Well, I must get going," I said to them. "Thank you so much again, doctor Granger."
"Emma, wait!" said Gwendolyn, "I was just telling Hermione a bit about you, and seen as her birthday is coming up soon, I thought it's a great idea to invite you, dear."
"Oh, but…" I was a little stunned. "I don't really want to impose."
"Nonsense!" said John. Their daughter looked a little uncomfortable, but she wasn't angry. "My wife was telling us how you're still having a little bit of trouble adjusting to life here in Britain, and what better way to get to know more people than a birthday party."
"You can exchange phone numbers to pass on the details," said Gwendolyn, "besides, it never hurts to have a pediatrician number, specially when you have children."
"Well, you are right on that…" I said, but I was still a little unsure.
"Mom! If doctor Emma comes to your birthday, she can meet uncle Neville and uncle Harry and aunty Luna and uncle Theo and…"
"Yes, honey, she would." Said Hermione in a placating tone. She let out a little sigh before turning to me. "It really would be a pleasure to have you, my parents told me how well you treated my sons and really, that makes you more than deserving of an invitation."
"Oh, I'm flattered. I was just doing my job but, well, that…" I was kind of nervous, I wasn't expecting any of this from a dentist appointment, "that would be really nice, thank you."
"Then that's settled!" said John with a smile.
Hermione and I exchanged phone numbers and I said goodbye to the doctors and the little boys. I was kind of dazed thanks to the unexpected turn of events of the day. The last thing I expected for today was the possibility of meeting new people. Maybe I would finally be able to make some british friends outside of work, as pathetic as that sounds.
I spend the ride home with a smile on my face and Radio Ga Ga on repeat.