Page 38 of Tinley's Daddy
I squeezed her hand, and we rode up the elevator to the tenth floor.
We stepped out into a dark hallway. The overhead fluorescent lights came on with a pop one by one as we made our way down the hall. A hint of florals filled the air. I smiled down at Tinley. She looked up, her lips a thin line. Her hand tensed as the door at the end opened.
“Josh.” Dr. Anna stood in the doorway, her dark hair pulled into a low ponytail. She pushed up the sleeves of her oversized pink sweater. Her dark gray slacks hit mid-ankle and showed off her socked feet. She stepped back. “Good morning.” She waved us in.
“Morning, Dr. Anna.” I attempted to drop my hand to shake Anna’s, but Tinley held on tight. “Thanks again for opening the office up so early for us.”
“Oh, sure, no problem.” She waved me off. “You must be Tinley.”
She reached out and touched Anna’s outstretched hand but quickly pulled it back when a noise from the back of the office made us all jump.
“I’m sorry.” She motioned for us to sit. “Give me just a couple of minutes and we’ll be all set.” She made her way to the back behind a tall reception desk. “Maria. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” A high-pitched voice and giggle came from down the hall.
Dr. Maria poked her head out and spotted us. “Oh. Hi, Josh. Long time.” She shuffled forward, her long dress trailing behindher. Her hair was a mess all over her head. She pushed back a loose curl and kneeled in front of Tinley.
“Dr. Maria.” I nodded.
She waved a hand at me.
“Hi, Tinley.” She sat cross-legged in front of us. “It’s great to meet you. I love your sneakers.”
“Thank you.” Tinley looked down at her own feet.
“So I thought I’d give you a little rundown of what’s going to happen this morning. If that’s okay?”
“I’d like that,” Tinley whispered and squeezed my hand before releasing it.
“Awesome.” She fished her phone out of a deep pocket in her billowy dress and tapped the screen. “Dr. Anna will give you an exam. She’ll check to make sure you are in tip-top shape. She’s going to ask you some uncomfortable questions, but anything you don’t want to answer, just tell herI’d rather not say at the moment.”
“I’d rather not say at the moment?”
“Yep, just like that.” She scrolled up and then back on her phone. “Easy-peasy. Then she’ll take some blood and do some X-rays, and then you and I can have a little chat afterward. Okay?”
Dr. Maria lifted her head.
“Okay.” Tinley frowned and dropped her head.
“Hey, Tinley.” Dr. Maria sat up on her knees. “You are in a safe place. Nothing that happens or that you tell us will go beyond this office. We are here to make sure you are healthy and safe.”
Tinley nodded.
“Maria!” Dr. Anna’s head poked out from the back.
We all jumped.
“I’m all set.” She smiled and waved at the girls.
“Okay, let’s get started.” Maria stood and held out her hand. Tinley held it and stood. She still held mine with her other hand.When I didn’t stand, she looked back at me and realized before dropping it.
“Tinley.” I pointed to the couch. “I’ll be right out here the whole time. If you need me, just call out, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded and tried to give me a smile.
That’s my brave girl.
She disappeared with Maria into the office. I sank back into the couch in the waiting room and tried to get my instincts in check.
