Dr. Johnson

[This is a short story from a collection I wrote some time ago.  It is memoir.]

Ben was waiting in the car for us.  My mommy and I were in one of the little rooms in Dr. Johnson’s office.  I was happy because I would get to see Dr. Johnson in just a little while.  I liked seeing him.  He would smile at me and pick me up in his arms and hug me and kiss me.  I loved Dr. Johnson.  I came to see him all the time.  I got sick a lot so I could go see him and when I wasn’t sick and one of my brothers or sisters was sick, I would come with them to the doctor so I could see my Doctor Johnson.  It didn’t matter to me that we would have to sit and wait in the waiting room for a long time.  It was worth it to me as long as I got to see my Doctor Johnson.

I heard Dr. Johnson talking.  He was outside the door.  I heard him take my folder from the door and I knew I’d see him now.  I tried not to smile because I was supposed to be sick but I couldn’t help it.  The doorknob turned and I felt dizzy.  That happened sometimes when I saw Doctor Johnson.  He came in the door and looked straight at me with the smile I had been waiting to see.

“There’s my little Susie!  Are you sick again?”  I liked that he called me Susie.  Only my family called me Susie.  They called me that because I liked the name of a flower called a Susan so I called myself Susie, and so did everyone in my family.  Dr. Johnson picked me up in his arms and kissed my cheek.  “What’s wrong with my little one today?”  he asked as he hugged my mom and looked at my folder.

“I don’t know what’s wrong this time.  She doesn’t have a fever but she keeps crying and saying her stomach hurts and that she’s sick.  She begged me to bring her to see you,” my mother told him.

Dr. Johnson smiled at me and checked my throat and my ears and I had to cough and breathe deep.  He told me to lie down and he pressed on my stomach.  He asked if it hurt.  When he was finished he winked at me and told me I could go out and get a toy and wait by Virginia’s desk so he could talk to my mother, so I did.

I waited by the nurse’s desk and Virginia told me my mom would be out in a minute.  When Dr. Johnson and my mommy came out, Dr. Johnson said he wanted to talk to me in his office so he took my hand in his and we walked to his office.  My mommy didn’t come with us.  I sat in the big chair where my mother sat when she came in to Dr. Johnson’s office and Doctor Johnson sat on the other side of the desk.  He smiled at me.

“You know that I love to see you but I don’t like it when you get sick.  It makes me sad when you’re sick.  And your mommy and daddy have to pay money when you come to see me.  I know you aren’t always sick when you come.  Right?”  he asked me and looked at me.

“Well my stomach feels like I have to see you sometimes.  I need to see you and it hurts because I have to see you,” I told him.

“I know you like to come see me but you can’t say you’re sick.  It makes me sad and your mommy gets worried.  She has to find a ride to bring her here with you and then she has to pay the bill.”

I looked at the floor.  I didn’t want Dr. Johnson to be mad at me.  I didn’t want him to see me cry.

“Let’s try something.  How about if you tell your mommy when you want to see me and then if I don’t have a lot of sick people waiting to see me and your mommy can bring you, you can come and visit me.  Okay?  Don’t tell her you’re sick unless you really are.  Just tell her you want to see me.  Okay?”  He came over to me and picked me up in his arms and told me not to cry.  He wiped my tears and kissed my cheek.  He hugged me.   I hugged him back.  I hugged him tight.  Doctor Johnson took me to my mommy and told her I was not going to be sick a lot anymore.  He kissed me again and winked at me and put me down.  He told Virginia there was no charge for today and he waved good bye to me.

After that, I didn’t see him all the time but I did see him when I had a fever or felt very sick.  I still liked to get sick because I could see Doctor Johnson but I knew I couldn’t get sick too much, especially when I started kinnigarden because I couldn’t miss school.  I loved school!