Butterflies

Appointment

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm and rolled over, seeing Shawn's side of the bed empty. After minutes of contemplating getting up, I wearily made my way to the kitchen and flicked on the coffee maker. 

"Not so fast" I heard as two arms wrapped around me from behind. "You aren't supposed to be eating anything today and that includes coffee."

"Oh right" I sighed, remembering I had to have surgery in a little bit. "No coffee for me" I said as I frowned. He pulled me into his chest and gave me a gentle kiss on my lips, not bothering to touch the sides of my face. Up until then, I hadn't noticed that the pain had gotten worse. 

"You ready?" he asked with a small grin on his face.

"No, and stop looking at me like that" I responded which only made his grin grow wider. "I just want some coffee."

"I know, Rach. I can get you some afterwards but right now you have to get ready. I don't want to be late" he spoke. With that, I made my way to the bathroom where I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I then changed from Shawn's oversized t-shirt to my favorite pair of leggings and a white tank top, followed by a cozy unbuttoned flannel to keep my arms warm. I threw my hair into a bun and slipped on some jewelry. Within minutes, I was ready to go.

"You look cute" Shawn said, which made me smile. He quickly finished getting dressed, wearing black jeans and a white button down shirt. He left the top two buttons undone, as always. "Alrighty," he said, grabbing his keys. "Lets head out."

***

"Hey Rachel! Do you have an appointment today?" the receptionist asked as Shawn and I walked into my office. 

"Yes I do" I said, chatting with her a bit as she signed me in. 

"Great! You're all checked in. Just take a seat and someone will be with you in a few minutes" she smiled. I did as I was told and sat near the door leading to all of the exam rooms. Shawn put his hand on my knee and started tracing circles with his thumb. I think he could tell I was slightly nervous. After a few minutes of waiting, Lee, one of my coworkers at the office, called us back to one of the surgical rooms. I took a seat in the large dental chair placed in the center of the room all while watching Shawn pull up a chair beside me. Lee was behind my head moving trays around but I knew what he was setting up. I really did not feel like doing this today.

"Looks like Dr. Finn is running late with another patient. I'll go check to see if he's ready" Lee said, pulling me out of my train of thought. He quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. 

"How yah feeling?" Shawn asked, breaking the silence. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back in the chair, looking at the adjustable light hanging from the ceiling. 

"Fine I guess. I just don't feel like doing this today" I responded, getting a sympathetic smile from him in return.

"Just think that once you fall asleep it will go by super quickly and then we can go home and watch a bunch of movies and eat ice cream. You'll be all done." he said. I smiled knowing he was already planning on taking good care of me. He probably already had the freezer stocked with my favorite flavors. "Plus you get to spend the whole day with me."

"That doesn't sound too bad" I smiled, jokingly. He reached over and grabbed my hand, continuing to rub circles with his thumb, as the door opened once again. We turned, seeing Lee and Dr. Finn walk in with smiles on their faces. 

"You ready, Rachel?" they asked. I nodded.