Rainbows and Butterflies
Chapter 3 – The Littlest Doctor
Sharice watched Noel carefully her big blue eyes filled with curiosity.
"Why are you doing that?" she asked innocently leaning on the reception desk the pens and paper he had fetched for her lying untouched.
Noel looked up from the patients files he was copying into the system.
"So that if the patient comes in again we know why there were in here today." He explained simply
"Why?" Sharice asked
"So that the doctors can find out what they need to know." Noel added as she typed in the next patients address.
"Why?" She asked again
"Because I have too." Noel sighed frustrated with the constant questioning
"Why do you have too?" Sharice asked
"Because it's my job." Noel closed the patients file and looked over at the little girl
"That's a boring job." Sharice stated turning away and picking up one of Noels action figures
"Hey put that down!" Noel instantly jumped up protectively
"It's a toy!" She said waving the action figure in the air
"For looking at!" Noel snatched the action figure off he child and held it protectively to his chest "You have to be careful with them."
"That's a rubbish toy." Sharice said simply
Noel pulled a face and then headed over to the counter where a patient was waiting to be checked in.
Sharice swung her legs as she watched Noel placing the toy down close to him and typing what the patient was saying into the computer. She hadn't thought it would be this boring in the hospital she thought Zoe might let her help treat patients but watching the boring receptionist was boring. She picked up her toy stethoscope she hopped down off the chair and took one last look at Noel busy typing on the computer before vanishing through the double doors that she had seen the nurses taking patients through. She'd make her own fun.
Zoe signed off yet another patient as ready to go home and ran her hand through her hair. Her mind was on finding Sharice a baby sitter and wondering if Noel was coping with the feisty seven year old.
"Too much work for you?"
She looked up to see Nick watching her carefully
"Or just been run ragged by a small monster with long brown hair?"
"Neither." Zoe rolled her eyes definitely
"Zoe!" Zoe spun round to see Noel appear from reception looking especially flustered her heart skipped a beat, what had Sharice gotten up too? "Its..." he took one look at who Zoe was stood next to and the warning look in Zoe's eyes and paused rethinking what he was going to say "There's someone on the phone..." He lied
Nick gave both Zoe and Noel a suspicious look as Zoe straightened up.
"I'll be right there Noel." She replied simply.
"Its kind of urgent..." Noel added trying to get across the urgency
"Ok, I said I'll be right there..." she trailed off, Noel shuffled his feet and then headed back off to reception looking a little worried.
"Not a personal call I hope!" Nick said suspiciously
"I doubt it is!" Zoe replied heading off after Noel hoping that Sharice hadn't destroyed the place.
"What do you mean missing?" Zoe said angrily as Noel tried to explain that the seven year old have vanished.
"Well she was here one minute and gone the next..." Noel said shrugging
"She's seven years old!" Zoe sighed "You can't let a seven year old roam freely around the department! Its like letting a bunch of wild cats loose in a bird sanctuary!"
"I'm not a baby sitter!" Noel pointed out "I don't have eyes in the back of my head!"
Zoe rolled her eyes and stormed off in the direction of cubicles. Where the hell could Sharice have gone?
Sharice sneaked through the cubicles. Zoe had told her to stay put but reception was boring, she wanted to watch the doctors and nurses at work. She put the stethoscope around her shoulders and peeked around the curtain of one of the cubicles.
An old man looked over at her and started screaming. She quickly shut the curtain and hurried off to hide behind the nurse's station peeking out she watched one of the nurses go into the cubicle she had just been looking in the calm the patient.
Creeping round the nurses desk she watched as a porter wheeled a patient into another cubicle and she watched a doctor taking a large needle into another cubicle. Fascinated she watched the hustle and bustle of the cubicle area for a minute before she decided to try another cubicle. Sneaking over she peeked inside cubicle five.
"Are you all right there?" the patient, an elderly lady, asked as she spotted the little face peaking around her curtain.
This patient seemed much friendlier than the strange man who started screaming. She nodded and stepped inside.
"What's your name?" the lady asked peering over the bed at her
"Sharice. I'm a doctor!" She said innocently "Look I have a stethoscope!" she held up her toy stethoscope proudly
"Wow!" The elderly patient smiled
"Can I check you over?" Sharice asked excitedly
"Of course you can dear." The woman smiled bemused by the small child's excitement
Sharice stepped up and reached up placing the end of her stethoscope on top of the womans gown. She listened carefully for a minute before announcing her 'findings'
"You need some special medicine and you will be all better in an hour." She nodded
He woman chuckled and then coughed slightly.
"If only all medicine was that efficient!" She smiled "Where is your mummy?" she asked kindly
"She's dead." Sharice said bluntly
"Oh I'm sorry sweetie" The patient said immediately regretting the question
"She is in heaven drinking strawberry milkshakes!" She told the woman
The lady smiled slightly
"I live with Zoe now she's like my new mummy." She explained "she looks after me."
"I see." The elderly lady smiled "Where is Zoe then?"
"She's being a doctor, she brought me with her but left me with the boring receptionist." She pulled a face "I want to treat patients too! I'm a doctor!"
"I see..." the patient began as the curtain flew open
"Mrs Wilmslow..." Nick started as he entered the cubicle before spotting the small child next to her bed. Sharice's eyes widened as she spotted the scary looking older man entering. He looked down and spotted the small child stood next to the patients bed, his looked a little surprised. "Sharice isn't it?" he asked as the shock wore off slightly
Sharice nodded nervously
"She's been checking me over haven't you dear." The patient said simply
"I'm sorry Mrs Wilmslow we do not condone children being left alone in the department..." Nick immediately began to apologise
"It's ok." The patient smiled
"You're the dragon!" Sharice suddenly said with a squeak causing the patient to chuckle
"The dragon?" Nick raised and eyebrow
"Zoe said Mr Jordan is a dragon! If your Mr Jordan that means you're a dragon! Do you breathe flames?" She asked innocently causing further laughed from the patient
"I certainly do not breathe flames!" Nick confirmed
"Can I help and be a doctor too?" Sharice asked innocently as she relaxed in the knowledge Nick was not about to start breathing flames
"If Mrs Wilmslow is ok with that...?" Nick looked at the patient who nodded
Sharice jumped on the spot excitedly
"Can I use your stethoscope?" she asked looking up at him with her innocent bright blue eyes
Nick chuckled slightly and pulled it off from around his shoulders and handed it to the child unable to disappoint the little girl with the big blue eyes.