Chapter 5
After all, had been gathered around the kitchen table, Murdock asked, "okay, what did Face do to get you so mad?"
"It's more of what he didn't do," muttered Hannibal. "Okay, I had to go to the doctor to get the prescription for that medicine only to find out that they had no records for a Templeton Peck or a Templeton P. Smith!"
"But how can that be Hannibal. I dropped him off at the doctor's office for his check-up just a week before he was kidnapped," replied Murdock.
"Did you see him walk in or did you just come back and pick him up an hour later?" asked Hannibal.
"He was walking towards the doctor's office when I left, was I supposed to make sure he actually went inside?"
"Apparently, that is the case now. I signed him in and made an appointment for him for a complete check-up three weeks from now. He should be fully recovered by then. One of us will be accompanying him not only in the doctor's office but in the examination room!" ordered Hannibal.
"He's going to hate that, Hannibal!"
"I know BA, but he only has himself to blame for it!"
"You know Face wasn't that great about going to the infirmary when he was hurt in 'Nam, Colonel. It would take a direct order from you to get him there, and unless one of us were with him, he would leave soon afterward. I remember when you ordered him to report to the infirmary, he went but as soon as he entered, he turned around and left. He said you ordered him to go but said nothing about seeing a doctor. BA had literally carried him there until a doctor could see him," remembered Murdock.
"Well, if it takes you to carry him in, BA, you have my permission to do so."
"What are you going to do about his deceit Hannibal?" asked Mrs. B.
"I don't know…grounding him for a week for this…no car, one of us taking him to school and picking him up afterward, not leaving the compound unless he is with one of us, early bedtime, how does nine sound?"
Mrs. B, Murdock, and BA all smiled and nodded. "He better think twice before he pulls a stunt like this again!" BA said.
It was the day of his doctor's appointment, and Face was trying his best to come up with an excuse not to go. "I don't feel good, Mama B. I think I will just stay in bed until I feel better."
Mrs. B put her hand on his forehead to test if he felt warm…he didn't. "You don't feel warm, honey, but I know what will make you feel better."
Face began to smile, only for the smile to be wiped away when Mrs. B added, "a trip to the doctor. Isn't it good that your appointment is in an hour? Now get dressed, or I'll have Scooter come in and dress you. Don't forget to shower first!" and with that Mrs. B left his room.
Face grumbled as he got out of bed and slowly went into the bathroom. Once he was in the shower, his next stalling tactic was to stay there until it was too late to make the appointment.
When Face didn't appear for breakfast fifteen minutes later, Mrs. B sent Scooter to hurry him on. "FACE!" shouted BA as he entered the kid's room.
"I'm in the bathroom taking a shower!" Face shouted back.
"How much longer are you going to be?" asked BA.
"I don't know, maybe fifteen more minutes," replied Face. "I want to be sure I'm clean for the doctor's appointment."
Two minutes later BA busted in and pulled Face from the shower. "You are ready now! You get dried and dressed and be down for your breakfast. You have five minutes before I come back and dress you myself!" he ordered as he landed a might swat to Face's bare backside.
"OW!" cried Face as he hurried to dry off and get dressed. He was at the breakfast table four minutes later.
"It's good to see you for breakfast, kid. Have a seat and eat your breakfast, you have a doctor's appointment in thirty minutes and we don't want to be late," Hannibal said with a smile.
Face sat down gingerly causing Hannibal to raise an eyebrow. "Face had to be motivated to get ready for his doctor's appointment," chuckled BA.
"And if you dawdle over breakfast you will feel more of my motivation, little brother," snarled BA.
Face nodded, defeated for the time being. Mrs. B came in with a bowl of oatmeal which she placed in front of the boy. Eat up, son."
Face was about to whine when he caught BA's look and took a tentative taste before gobbling the oatmeal down. "That was good, Mama B. The oatmeal served at the orphanage never tasted this good."
"That's because I added brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon to it along with milk. Since you like it so much, we will add it to your breakfast menu!" Mrs. B said with a smile.
"Come on kid, I'm taking you to the doctor's, " Hannibal said as be headed outside. "We'll take your car."
Face slowly followed hurrying only when being heard, "Move it, Lieutenant!"
The drive to the doctor's was relatively quiet as Face was waiting to try his last trick to get out of his appointment. Hannibal glanced at his son, recognizing what he was up to and waiting to stop it.
"You can just pull up here, Hannibal," directed Face to the front of the doctor's office. I'll get out here, and you can pick me up an hour later."
Hannibal ignored him and parked in the nearby parking lot. When he got out at the same time that Face, the boy asked, "what are you doing?"
"I thought I would come in with you," replied Hannibal innocently.
"You don't have to do that. I'm sure you have more interesting things to do than come in with me."
Hannibal only laughed, unable to keep a straight face any longer. "I know what you have been doing, kid, and that comes to a stop now."
"What are you talking about?" Face asked innocently.
"Cut the bull, kid. You haven't been going to any of your check-ups, Face. You lied to me, Mrs. B and Murdock. Today you are scheduled for a complete check-up, and I'm here to make sure you get it!"
Face looked stricken as he was pulled into the office. "This is Templeton Smith. He is scheduled for a complete check-up," Hannibal informed the nurse at the front.
"Are you his father?"
"I am."
"Mr. Smith you can sit our here while your son has his check-up," she said, motioning to the reception area.
Hannibal turned to Face and said, " Remember, you survived Vietnam; I'm sure you will survive your physical as well; after all, you went through one when you enlisted?" And when Face didn't answer, Hannibal added, "you didn't have one when you enlisted, did you kid? What did you do, con the doctors?"
"No, not the doctors, but there were several pretty nurses," Face admitted.
"Well, you are going to have one now. You go with this nurse and do everything they ask you to do, and if I hear that you tried to get out of anything, you can kiss your Corvette goodbye, and you will be running my obstacle course every day after school for a week! Do I make myself clear…Lieutenant?"
Face nodded and glumly followed the nurse into an examination room.
About thirty minutes Face returned; his face was red with embarrassment. "Can we go now?" he asked as soon as he saw Hannibal.
Hannibal nodded. "Wait for me in the car, I want to talk to the nurse and doctor."
Face was out of the office as soon as he saw Hannibal nod and missed what he said.
Hannibal waited until Face was out of the office before turning to the nurse to ask, "did he behave?"
"He was a little nervous when I was about to get a blood sample from him. He admitted to me that he was scared of needles, something that sprang from his childhood, he said."
"You were able to get the blood sample anyhow?"
"Yeah, I told him to look the other way and then flattered him until I was finished," the nurse said with a smile.
"What about the rest of the tests?"
"He did fine, and we should have the results by this afternoon. I can call you about the results if you like."
"That would be good," Hannibal said as he told her his phone number.
"Hannibal," hissed Face as Hannibal got in the driver's side of the Corvette, "why didn't you warn me about that last test. It was so embarrassing."
"I'm sorry, kid. I thought you had already had experienced a prostate exam before when you enlisted, or I would have warned you. You only hinted that you had conned the nurses but not the doctors, " consoled Hannibal.
On the was home Hannibal asked," Why didn't you tell me that your were scared of needles?"
Face only shrugged his shoulders. "At the orphanage, we were always getting vaccinations or shots when we were sick, and they hurt!" Face finally said.
"Are you going to punish me, Hannibal?"
"Yes, I am kid; I understand your fear, but you lied to your family, which is never acceptable. You are grounded for a week. That means no car. We will be taking you to and back from school. You can't leave the compound unless you are with one of us, and your bedtime has been reduced an hour; it will be nine instead of ten!"
Face nodded, not offering any protest which surprise Hannibal.
After getting out of the car back home the car Face asked in a small voice, "are you still mad at me?"
Hannibal only gathered his kid in his arms and hugged him. "No, kid, I'm not. So what do you say we go and see if we can talk Mrs. B out of a helping of her chocolate pudding?"
"I could go for some of Mama B's pudding just about now. I wonder if she has any cookies to go along with it," Face said with a smile.
As they walked to the kitchen Face said, "By the way, I'm going to need a large bed it's getting kind of cramped cramped with Maggie on it, too."
"I think that can be arranged, and while we are at it, I'll ask BA to build a ramp to fit to it so Charlie can get up and down by himself!"
The End
