Chapter Twelve

"Good afternoon, Little Taylor."

The doctor was a handsome, pleasant fellow who looked rather distinguished, befitting his profession.

"Good afternoon, sir." Her voice was shaky as she muttered the greeting. She kept her eyes cast downward toward the floor.

"There's no reason to be afraid, honey," the physician said.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sure you're very nice," Taylor said. "But…"

The doctor chuckled. "No need to explain. Even my wife and Little, Ella, is nervous at the doctor's office." He stopped before Taylor and smiled. "I'm Dr. Kirk. It's lovely to meet you."

He held out a hand. She shook it and looked at him briefly, but her eyes fell back to the floor only seconds later.

Dr. Kirk directed his next statement at Ireneo. "You have an adorable Little. Where'd you find this cutie?"

Oh no! Taylor thought as her body went rigid. Is he going to tell him the truth? He found me on the streets!

She wondered if Dr. Kirk would think less of her.

"In New York," the king said. "I was there on some United Nations business and we stumbled upon each other. It was… explosive …to say the least."

The good-natured humor was evident in his voice. Taylor snuck a peek at him and he winked, causing her to giggle and relax slightly.

"Well, I'm glad you two found each other." The doctor walked to the nearby counter, reached past the glass jar of cotton balls and another one of tongue depressors, and grabbed a pair of blue, latex gloves from a box. The snap as he put them on was jarring, causing Little Taylor to jump slightly.

"Alright," he said. "Let's start the exam." He grabbed the blood pressure cuff from the peg it hung on and walked to Taylor. "I saw, thanks to the information your Daddy completed before the appointment, that it's been quite some time since you've seen a doctor or had a check-up."

"He's, uh, not my Daddy," Taylor said, trying to deflect attention away from the inconvenient fact Dr. Kirk had just mentioned.

"Oh, I'm not, huh?" Ireneo said.

"I mean…I don't know…"

Both men chuckled.

"This is just going to check your blood pressure. Have you seen one of these before?" Dr. Kirk asked. He held the cuff closer.

"Yes, sir."

"Then you know it doesn't hurt."

"Yes, sir."

"Just a little bit of pressure. It's like a hug for your arm," he explained as he slid it up and into position. "Try to relax. This is no big deal."

Taylor focused on her breathing as the cuff grew tighter and tighter around her upper arm. Finally, she heard the hissing of air as it deflated, the firm grip relaxing, making her feel a little better.

"It's a tad high," the doctor said, "but that's to be expected as nervous as you are. We'll try it again later just to make sure you're within a healthy range. Even now, it's not awful." He took the stethoscope from around his neck, raised it to his ears, and said, "Just breathe normally." He put the cold end on her bare chest, causing her to squirm and giggle. "Aww, that's a sweet sound. That's what we like to hear."

From his seat across from the exam table, Ireneo agreed.

"Big breaths now," the doctor said as he moved the stethoscope to various points on Taylor's chest. "Good girl. Just like that."

He shifted it to her back and repeated the process.

"Sounds great! And you're being such a big, brave girl. I'm very proud of you. I'm sure your Daddy is, too."

Taylor thought once again of reminding Dr. Kirk that Ireneo was not her Daddy, but she held her tongue. She wasn't really sure what Ireneo was to her, so how could she explain the dynamic to someone else?

Addressing Ireneo, Dr. Kirk asked, "How have her wet diapers been? On a good schedule?"

"So far, so good," Ireneo confirmed.

"And how about messy diapers?"

Taylor's hands shot up, covering her face as her cheeks glowed a hot red hue.

"She's been holding out. Either that, or she can't go."

"Hmm," the doctor said. He turned back around to consider Taylor. "Lay down, honey. I'm going to get that diaper off you."

Taylor thought of protesting but decided to comply. The sooner this was over, the better!

So, she lowered her arms, took a big swallow, and then slowly shifted her body until she was lying flat on her back.

"Sweet pea," Dr. Kirk said, as he methodically unfastened the tapes on her diaper, "I know making dirties in your diapee can be hard, but it's not healthy to hold that in. There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's a perfectly normal and necessary bodily function."

Taylor wanted the ground to open and swallow her and that exam table whole! Could this get any worse?

"Now, roll over onto your little tummy. I'm going to check your temperature."

Oh crap! she thought. Does he mean what I think he means?

She quickly realized he did. He walked to the counter, opened a drawer, and retracted a thermometer, a disposable cover to go over the long, thin tip, and some lubrication jelly.

"This won't hurt, honey," Dr. Kirk promised as he walked back to her. "Just relax. Don't squirm, though. I need to get the instrument all the way in to ensure an accurate reading."

Despite everything in her body telling her to clinch up and resist the intrusion, Taylor willed herself to remain loose—even as the gelled-up thermometer pierced her tight, virgin hole.

She whimpered softly as the long instrument slid in.

Then, a wave of unexpected comfort swept over her. She wasn't sure why until she realized, somewhere during the process, Ireneo had walked to her and was now holding her hand as he stood at her side.

She cooed.

"Such a good girl," he said in a low, soothing tone. "The best girl."

That was all it took. Taylor now had the strength to face whatever the doctor needed to do.

Or so she thought.

Her newfound resolve would be tested a few moments later.