Small But Loved (Age-Regression)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Surgery Day

Theo POV:

I hold a sleeping Mila in my lap, comforting her as she prepares to have her tonsils removed. She's dressed adorably in a little hospital gown that's decorated in tiny puppies. A pink pacifier is firmly placed between her lips, making the nurses that come in and out of the room frown in confusion. Her real age is on her chart, so I'm pretty sure they're wondering why a fifteen year old has a pacifier.

It's none of their business, honestly. Mila's had a hard enough time lately. My sick baby hates hospitals and the only way to get her here was to hand over her Nuk. We're lucky we even got her out of a diaper and into some panties. So far, we haven't had any accidents. That's a blessing because she's deeply in her headspace right now.

Mila's tiny knuckles are digging into the shoulders of my t-shirt as she clings to me in her sleep. She had no interest in Hazel this morning for some odd reason. I have a feeling it was because she sees me as her big, scary Daddy that protects her from the mean doctors.

A weary sigh comes from next to me, making me turn my head towards
my wife. The worry in her eyes makes me pause from comforting Mila. "Babe, it's going to be okay. It's a standard procedure and she'll be out in an hour or two. There's no need to fret over something this small."

Hazel shoots me a death glare and gently takes Mila out of my arms. She rocks our little girl with one arm, the other used to stroke her blonde hair. "She's just so tiny, Theo. Every time she goes under any type of anesthesia it's a risk. I wouldn't be subjecting her to this if it wasn't important. She hates hospitals just as much as we do."

She's right, but I'm not too concerned about this. Yes, Mila is small, but doctors are paid to make sure she gets the right amount of anesthesia. They wouldn't give her more than her little body could take. "Mila's strong, Hazel. If I truly believed this surgery was any risk to her, we wouldn't be here. I can promise you that." My voice is firm and strong as I speak, making sure my wife knows how serious I am.

Her posture and body language tell me she's still a little unsure, but she relaxes just in time for a team of nurses to come and get Mila. Hazel sighs and gently bounces Mila in her arms. "Come on, pea. It's time to wake up. You're going to go with these nice nurses while Mama and Daddy wait for you in the waiting room."

Mila whines and sits up, rubbing her eyes with tiny, balled up fists. She slowly lowers her hands and promptly starts crying when she sees the nurses. "I know, pea. It's just for a little bit and then you'll be back with us. Give me a hug and a kiss." Hazel puckers her lips and Mila places the button of her paci against her lips, while continuing her crying.

She's passed over to me and I do the same. "Daddy will be here when you wake up, ladybug. I love you." I say, handing Mila over to the nurses. The brown-haired nurse sets her down on the small hospital bed, unlocks the wheels, then escorts her out of the room.

My babygirl watches us sadly over her shoulder, her cries escalating to the point that her pacifier falls out of her mouth. The whole scene breaks my heart and I wrap Hazel up in my arms. Waiting for my little girl to come out of surgery is going to be the hardest thing I've done in a while. I know she'll be fine, but I'm always going to be concerned for my daughter.

***
Hazel POV

Theo and I sit side by side in the waiting room, anxiously holding lukewarm cups of coffee while we wait for a nurse to come get us. An hour and a half has passed, letting us know that Mila's surgery is officially complete. We're basically just waiting on her to wake up a little bit before we're allowed back to see her.

"Do you have her stuffy and diaper bag? I have a feeling she's going to want her blanky too. We also might need to put a diaper on her." I ask anxiously as I bite down on my thumb nail. My foot taps up and down on the floor in a rapid motion, making Theo place his hand on my leg.

"Yes to all of that, babe. Everything is taken care of." He replies, looking worn. I know my anxiousness is affecting him. He's holding it together better than I am, though.

Twenty more minutes pass before a nurse comes through a set of double doors. She walks straight towards us with a reassuring smile, "Mila is awake and is asking for her Mama and Daddy. Sweet thing is really confused, but the surgery went perfectly." Her name tag reads 'Charlotte.'

"Thank you so much." I breathe out a sigh of relief, and follow the nurse towards Mila's room. I can hear my baby's croaky cry several hallways away. Theo and I's footsteps speed up until we're in front of a curtain that separates Mila's tiny room from the nurses station. I'm quick to push the flimsy fabric to the side and rush towards my babygirl.

She looks so tired and confused. There's a blood pressure cuff wrapped around her upper arm, an IV in the top of her hand, several leads leading into her hospital gown, and crusties around her eyes. I instantly want to pick her up and wrap her in my arms.

Instead, I crawl into the small hospital bed next to Mila, and brush her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Mama and Daddy are right here, pea." I whisper. Mila whimpers and burrows her tiny body into my chest. She seems to calm now that I'm next to her.

"Owie, Mama." Mila cries. Her voice is raspy and nothing like her sweet toddler voice. Her throat will be hurting for a while. But I would rather have it hurt now, rather than every other month from catching strep throat.

"I know, ladybug. Daddy will go see if the nurses can give you some medicine." Theo calls out before walking out of the room in search of some help for our daughter. He comes back a couple minutes later with a new nurse that I've never seen before.

"Hi! My names Amanda. I'm going to be Mila's nurse for the time being. Shift change just happened, so let me read over this cuties chart really quick to see when her last dose of medicine was." Amanda grabs Mila's chart that's hanging off the foot of her hospital bed, reading the contents throughly.

"Mila isn't due for anymore pain medicine for a couple more hours. What we can do is give her a popsicle and see how she does with that. The coolness will help with some of the pain in her throat."

I hum and nod, not entirely sure if Mila will even want to eat or drink anything right now. I remember having my tonsils out when I was a child, and not wanting to touch any sort of food or drink for days. The pain was like swallowing shards of glass.

"Do you want a pop pop, pea? It'll make your throat feel a whole lot better." I question softly. Mila nods her head against my chest, making Amanda smile and step out of the room to go get the frozen treat. In the meantime, Theo climbs into the other side of Mila's bed and snuggles into her back.

The only person missing is Kai, but he had to go to school. Ever since the incident with the supposed bullying, we've gotten a lot stricter with him about school. He'll see Mila this evening since it's an outpatient procedure.

"Okay, I have one red popsicle and some napkins. Here you go, little miss Mila." Amanda announces as she walks into the room. I sit Mila up on my lap and offer her the popsicle. She's still a little out of it and needs help bringing the treat up to her mouth.

"There you go, pea. Is that good?" I coo as I watch her suck the popsicle. She's not really swallowing, though. Red juice runs down her chin and neck, staining the neckline of the hospital gown she's wearing. Theo's quick to grab a bib, placing the soft white material around her neck.

"No more mess. All better." He says in a soft voice that he only reserves for Mila. She doesn't even reply to him. All she does is wobble slightly to the side. My hands wrap around her stomach, keeping her secure.

Eventually, the popsicle slowly starts to melt in Mila's hand. Making a sticky mess everywhere. Theo takes the stick from her and hands me several baby wipes. I clean Mila up, then turn her body around so she's facing my chest. "Go back to sleep, pea. We'll go home soon and you can spend all day with Mommy in bed."

A little head nod is all I get before Mila falls asleep again.