Let Us Help You

Waiting Room Troubles

"Well, here we go again," Nick told April, who just nodded as she hated that they had to go back into the hospital when it felt like they had just left but she knew this was the best way to help Mal.

   "And what brings you in again today?" The receptionist asked as she looked at the young couple and the toddler once the three of them had finally entered the hospital.

   "Our daughter accidentally spilled a glass and we turned away for a second and she must have tried to clean it up and got some glass in her. We managed to get most of it, but some are just too deep for us to get to," April told the receptionist, who just nodded as she started typing things into the computer.

    "Aw poor baby that's not fun but accidents happen, am I right. Anyway just fill out this form and the doctor should be with you shortly. Hope she feels better soon," the receptionist told the young couple who just nodded as they took the form and sat down in the waiting area to wait to be seen.

     "Ape you okay?" Nick asked April as he could tell she looked completely out of it as she just kept watching Mal who was calmer now but it was obvious she was still in pain.

      April just jumped a little as she looked at Nick as she had been zoning out. "Oh um yeah I'm fine I just feel horrible. You're right I was supposed to be watching Mal. I just got distracted and now she's hurt and I just feel like it's my fault for not watching her like I should have," April told Nick as she began to cry again from all her guilt that she was feeling.

      April had been trying to forget about it but every time she looked at Mal who was still covered in glass and clearly masking pain she just couldn't help but feel guilty like it was her fault.

      Nick just sighed as he held April closer to him. "April it's okay accidents happen. Don't beat yourself up about it and I should have been watching her also. Let's just not think about whose fault it was and just focus on helping her get better," Nick told April as he tried his best to make things better for her.

     He hated seeing April feeling so guilty when sometimes these things just happened. While Nick was trying to comfort April and the two of them were distracted, Mal was just picking at the glass in her hand trying to get some of it out. She didn't like the feeling and just wanted it gone.

    Mal kept trying to pull it out until she felt her skin start to burn more as the pain increased causing the small girl to scream out. Nick and April immediately looked up from their conversation as they quickly rushed over to Mal seeing that she was pulling at the glass in her hands.

  April felt the tears start to fall more as she realized she was crying harder again. She couldn't believe that she had let this happen again. April quickly snapped out of it though as she realized that the longer she wasted feeling guilty the worse things would get. April just sighed as she bent down by Mal and carefully moved Mal's hand away from the glass covered one.

   "Mal it's okay, but let's not touch that okay. That's gonna make it hurt worse. The doctor is gonna help things feel better soon but you can't keep touching it," April told Mal in her most gentle voice trying to calm the small girl and stop her from harming herself more. "Bu it huwts! You ma it bewow," Mal cried out as she held her hand up to April.

   "Aw Mal I know it hurts. I promise that we're going to help make it better, but we just have to wait a little longer,"  April told Mal as she carefully rubbed on the part of her hand where the glass wasn't located and pulled her close to her knowing that she couldn't do much more than that right now.

   Mal just calmed a little bit as she laid her head down on April and just waited for them to be called back. Finally after what felt like forever someone came out calling for them. "Well that's us," Nick told April who just nodded as she picked Mal up not wanting to disturb her as Mal had been starting to fall asleep.

   "Yeah let's just get this over with," April told Nick as the two of them got up and followed after the nurse. "So what brings you in today?" The nurse asked the two of them as they were following her back to the exam room that they would be in. "Um well she sorta broke a glass and got some of it stuck in her. We tried to get out as much as we could, but some of them were just too deep for us to get to," April explained to the nurse who just nodded as she started writing.

   "Okay well let's just get some of her vitals and then the doctor should be in shortly to take a look," the nurse told Nick and April as she just took Mal's blood pressure and temperature then left the room to get the doctor. "How much longer do you think this is going to take? I hate all this waiting. She's in pain and I just want them to help her already," April told Nick who just nodded as he sat down by her.

   "I know Ape me too, but it can't be much longer now," Nick told April who just sighed and nodded as she just held Mal closer to her and waited once again for the doctor to come in. "Finally," April called out about fifteen minutes later as she heard the door open and the doctor entered. "Sorry that took so long, we've been pretty busy today. Now I see here that we had a bit of a glass incident. Is this correct?" the doctor told both April and Nick who just sighed and nodded as they looked at the doctor.

    "It was an accident. We thought the kids were in bed, but I guess they weren't and by the time we noticed it was too late," Nick told the doctor as he was still feeling horrible for what happened with Mal. "I see and what about the other injuries," the doctor asked in suspicion as she got a look at Mal and saw she was still covered from head to toe in the scars and bruises from her own mother.