Prompt 18 - I trusted you.
Melinda was trying to downplay Daisy's fears. It wasn't working. It seemed the more she tried to reassure her, the more stressed she got. So she tried silence. But that must have unnerved the younger woman even more.
"Why are you just sitting there?"
"Huh." Melinda looked up from the magazine she had pulled from the rack.
"You should be telling me everything will be okay. Instead your reading about...," Daisy moved the magazine in Melinda's hands to read the front, "Better Homes and Gardens. Seriously? You're reading about garden homes at a time like this."
Melinda sniggered. She knew Daisy was talking crap just so she could stop thinking about what was to come. "Garden homes? It's more like nice fancy homes with gardens and landscaping."
Daisy stared at her blankly.
"You know like normal people have. They like nice homes and gardens."
"I wouldn't know. I'm an orphan, remember."
"Well technically you're not an orphan."
"Hello. I was raised by nuns and whacko foster parents. The literal definition of orphan. Hell, Oliver Twist had it better than me."
"It's going to be fine."
"Well my experiences say otherwise."
"Chloe Martin."
Neither Daisy nor Melinda turned to the person calling the name.
"Chloe Martin. Is Chloe here?"
"That's you." Melinda hit Daisy on the shoulder lightly."
"Oh yeah." She turned to the lady and called out, "I'm here."
"We're ready for you. Come with me please."
"Ready for what is the question. God they all look like extras on the Frankenstein movie don't they Melinda," Daisy whimpered as the two followed the lady down the hall and they passed other techs and nurses.
Melinda patted her arm in support. "It's fine Chloe."
"Right in here ladies. Have a seat in the chair Chloe. Mrs. Martin, will you be staying for the entire procedure, or just till we put Chloe under the anesthesia?"
Daisy grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly.
"I guess I'm staying for the whole thing."
"Okay. You 're good with needles and blood and won't pass out right?"
"Right."
"Alright then. Chloe can sit here," the dental assistant patted the chair that Daisy had yet to sit on, "and you can sit over here." She pointed to a chair about ten feet from the other chair.
Melinda noted the panic that crossed Daisy's face. "Can't I just stand next to her?"
"That's not a usual request."
"Oh well we aren't usual people." Daisy spoke up. Which made everyone in the room laugh.
Melinda smirked. Even when scared half to death, Daisy was still a snarky thing. She touched Daisy on the shoulder. "If the surgeon doesn't mind, I can sit over there for now while she is prepped and then come stand off to the side and hold her hand while she goes under. I can back away for the surgery and then when you are waking her up come back next to her and take her hand again. Really, I used to be a medic in the Air Force. I'm not squeamish at all."
The dental surgeon had entered the room." That sounds fine. He nodded at the nurse and the techs in the room. Then he spoke to Daisy. "It's fine if you feel better about this with your mom close."
"Yeah I know I look silly. I'm a grown woman about to have a panic attack in a dentist chair."
"You're not in the chair yet hon." Melinda smiled sweetly at Daisy.
She sighed and hung her head. She slowly got in the chair. The techs attached a blood pressure monitor to her left arm. Daisy closed her eyes and practiced her breathing techniques that Melinda had taught her so long ago. Melinda sat down and watched as they prepped her. Soon enough after being prepped and the surgeon explained exactly what they would do, he told the nurse to start the IV anesthesia. Melinda got up and moved to Daisy's side and took her hand and held it. Daisy's eyes were still closed but she held tightly to Melinda's hand.
"Okay Chloe, start counting backwards from 100."
"Hey Chloe. Wake up. Time to wake up."
Melinda watched holding onto Daisy's hand as she slowly woke up. Her eyes fluttered for a few seconds and then blinked open. Melinda had stayed for the procedure and had actually walked away to the back of the room while they worked on Daisy. She had been surprised at her reaction, considering she had seen much blood before, and bad injuries on other agents and herself. But seeing the procedure being done on Daisy had sparked a queasiness and unease that was unexpected. Now she held tightly to Daisy's hand to reassure her, she was there, and everything would be okay.
Daisy's eyes fluttered a few times and then she was slowly blinking them, waking.
"Okay Chloe. Everything went fine. We put gauze in your mouth, and you need to bite on that to stop the bleeding. You feel okay?" The nurse who had administered the IV was the one talking.
Daisy nodded.
"There won't be any pain now because of the lidocaine and anesthesia. It will bleed for a while, maybe as long as four to five hours. But for most people it stops after about three hours. We're going to let you wake a little more and then help you to the recovery room.?
Daisy nodded again.
The surgeon spoke to Melinda. "I'll check on her before she leaves. Everything went smoothly." With that he exited.
The nurse spoke up to Melinda. "She'll be out of it, in and out for a little while. In the recovery room, we'll keep monitoring her blood pressure and pulse. She can lay down if she wants to or sit up. I'll check back in 30 or 40 minutes and she can have a drink and I'll replace the gauze. She should be ready to head home then."
Melinda nodded.
"You can help me walk her to the recovery room."
Melinda moved closer to Daisy as the nurse stood in front of her. "Hey Chloe, try to stand up. Your mom and I will help you."
"By bom?" Daisy mumbled.
"Yeah I'm right here Chloe." Melinda shifted so Daisy could see her. To the nurse she said, "I've got her on this side."
"Pawindwa?"
Melinda smirked. "Good thing that Daisy couldn't talk right. Or they'd be in trouble. Obviously, the drugs had made her forget they were both most wanted fugitives and staying undercover was the best option. Melinda glanced at the nurse who seemed bored and oblivious. She did do this eight or so times every day.
They walked Daisy out of the room and down the hall a few doors to a room with a cot and two chairs. They gently sat Daisy on the bed and the nurse hooked up the blood pressure monitor and took Daisy's pulse.
"Okay you should lay down Daisy. There are a few pillows to prop your head. So not completely flat, okay?" Melinda helped Daisy, whose eyes were not really focusing yet, and she got her settled on the cot, pulling a blanket over her.
Daisy looked at her and smile or tried to anyway. "Danks Mawinder."
Melinda grinned. "How long will her cheeks be swollen."
"Oh a few days. We'll give you an ice pack soon. We need to let the blood clots form in her mouth so she should try to be still for a while. Between the cotton gauze and swelling and drugs she won't make much sense at all for about an hour. She should come down from the anesthesia slowly."
"Good to know. Oh is it okay if she sleeps." Melinda noticed Daisy's eyes were closed.
"Yes. Here's a paper with all the instructions she needs. I assume you will taking care of her for the next few days?"
Melinda nodded.
"Okay see you in about forty minutes. Press the call button if you need anything."
Melinda sat down on the chair and pulled it closer to the cot. She took Daisy's hand in hers and gazed at the younger woman. Daisy looked so peaceful sleeping. They stayed that way for a few minutes. Daisy suddenly opened her eyes and reached out her hand, gasping. Oh one of those sleep falling things. Melinda hated those.
"It's okay Daisy. You're okay."
Daisy's eyes locked with Melinda's. Then the hand Melinda was not holding reached up to her face. She looked back at Melinda confused. "Em I wurt?"
"It took a couple seconds but then Melinda figured it out what she said. "No you had your wisdom teeth pulled. Everything is fine."
"Fibe?"
"You're fine Daisy." Melinda said quieter. "Remember we are using aliases. You're Chloe today."
"Clobie? Whads a clobie?"
"Dais just don't talk okay. Let me do all the talking."
Daisy's face morphed back to confusion. "Huh?"
She moved to sit up and Melinda helped her propping the pillows behind her trying not to laugh. Daisy's coordination was highly lacking.
"Look just try to remember okay."
Daisy squinted her eyes hard looking at her. "Do woo habe ma bone."
Melinda raised her eyebrows. "Bone?"
"Ya ma bone. Daisy held up her hand in the universal phone motion. "Ma bone."
"Ah phone. Yes but why do you need your phone Daisy."
"Ah wan na take a shelfie. Of ma swollen. Ma bace."
"Why?" Melinda passed her phone to her.
Daisy gave her a dirty look as she made a grabby hand to get it but missed. "To send ta ma fwiends."
Melinda stopped Daisy's grabbing hands and placed her phone in her left hand. "Here."
Daisy smiled and her eyes lit up. She turned on her phone and played with it, finally turning the phone to her face and hit a button. She frowned when a flash did not go off. She shook the phone.
Melinda had her own phone out and she was recording. This was gonna make great blackmail material.
Daisy looked up at Melinda, oblivious to the phone in Melinda's hand. "It dwidnit work." She shook the phone again. "Is it bwoke?"
Melinda shook her head. "Not yet."
"Huh?" Daisy finally noticed the phone in Melinda's hand. She grabbed for it, but Melinda pulled it away still recording.
"Nuhuh. Here Daisy. Let me check your phone/"
"Okidoki." Daisy held out her phone. Melinda turned on the camera and got it ready. "
"Here you go. All set."
Daisy turned it and took a couple selfies. Melinda was pretty sure she was offscreen for most of them. She then turned the phone around and started typing something.
"Whatcha doing now Dais? "
"Imma texting ma friends."
"Oh sounds good. Tell them you are okay and will be home soon."
"Yep. Imma doing that."
A few minutes passed and Melinda turned off her phone camera since Daisy was just texting now. After another minute passed, she felt her own phone vibrate with a text message. She looked at it and laughed. Daisy had sent her a message. 'I at dentist who wisdom teeth but fine, feel good but cold.' Melinda looked at Daisy.
"Hey are you okay?"
Daisy blinked at her and then nodded.
"Are you cold?"
"How you know that?"
"You texted me Daisy."
"Yeah."
Shit. Daisy was a bit more out of it then she thought she had been. "Hey maybe you should lay down. Till the meds wear off more."
Daisy looked at her. "Em not trierded."
"Okay how about sitting back against the pillows and resting. You want to be able to leave when the nurse comes back to check on you, don't you?"
"Okay." She moved back against the pillows. "Gonna text more duff, 'kay?"
"That's fine." She watched as Daisy's fingers flew over her phone keyboard typing in messages. It appears that the meds were wearing off quickly. Her phone buzzed and she glanced at it. Phil had texted her.
'Why is Daisy sending messages about getting a puppy?'
Melinda looked up sharply at Daisy. She reached over and grabbed her phone.
"Hey!"
She clicked through and read the messages Daisy was sending. Then she looked up at Daisy. "I never said I'd get you a puppy, Daisy."
"Yah you did. "
"No I didn't. Stop sending text messages to everyone saying I'm getting you a puppy."
"But you pwomised." Daisy was whining now.
"Daisy I swear I never did. You must have dreamed it or something."
Daisy paused and looked at Melinda with puppy dog eyes. "But it was weal. You pwomised. We stop on the way home. You dwid."
"Daisy, having a puppy on base would not be a good idea. We are too busy. We have missions. There's no back yard. It's not logical."
Daisy's face fell. Her lower lip started quivering.
Shit. Damn it. "Hey you just had a good dream when they put you out for the procedure. Okay?"
Daisy looked away from her and stared at the wall. Just then, the nurse walked into the room.
"Okay let's take a look, shall we?" The nurse checked the blood pressure results and took Daisy's pulse. She unhooked her from the machine, took out the gauze, gave Daisy a drink of water and replaced the gauze. She talked to Melinda and went over Daisy's instructions and made a return appointment to check her mouth and take out the stitches. Then they left with Daisy shrugging off any help from Melinda.
Melinda and Daisy walked down the corridor heading toward the common room. Everyone was there waiting for them. As Daisy walked in Fitz and Jemma ran toward her and stopped.
"Oh my gosh, he's the cutest thing."
Melinda frowned at Fitz. "She."
Jemma smiled. "She's so fluffy."
Daisy grinned at them. "Her name's Chloe."
At the sound of Daisy's voice, the pup started wagging her tail and barking."
Phil looked over at Melinda who was failing at looking annoyed. "I trusted you."
She shrugged and turned, petting the tan and black face of the little puppy in Daisy's arms.