My Brother, the Dentist

Twenty-two

"Okay, Matt," Brandon said as he snapped some gloves on and sat down on the rolling stool. "I'm just going to lean you back and take a quick look. Ready?" he asked. Matt nodded his head gently and pressed his head back against the head rest. Brandon picked up some tools and hover them over Matt's mouth. "Open nice and wide for me, Buddy," he instructed. Matt complied. Brandon scanned his mouth before moving his tools back to the retainer. "Okay," Brandon said as he exchanged one tool for another. "So I going to work on taking the retainer out now but I may hurt a little. If the pain becomes too much for you, just raise your hand. Now, can I have you open as wide as you can and turn towards me?" Brandon asked as he arranged his tool in Matt's mouth. Brandon started working but Matt quickly groaned and shot his hand up. "I'm sorry," Brandon apologized and continued to work. "Do you think that you can slide the retainer the rest of the way out now?"

"It won't move," Matt said disappointedly. "It hurts pretty bad thought. If it needs to stay in a little longer I'm fine with that. I really don't care," he added. He paused and looked at his watch. "I need to get going," he mumbled. "I'll let you know if I hear from Abby."

"Thank you," Brandon said halfheartedly. "I'm sure that Abby will call either you or me later today. She's so independent," he added as he started to clean up the room. "Anyways, if she doesn't call, I know she will show up later this evening in her room. She always does."

"I wouldn't count on it; her phone and house key are in my truck. Don't worry, though," Matt informed. "I'll find her. I need to talk to her any way," he continued. "I was the one who talked her into braces. She wasn't ready. This is my fault. I'm so sorry, Brandon."

"It's not your fault," Brandon encouraged. A few moments of silence passed before Brandon continued. "Anyways, come back tomorrow and I'll finish. Any time is okay because I'm not too crowded tomorrow.

"I will just schedule an appointment with another orthodontist to see what they can do. Thank you for trying at least," he added.

"That's probably best," Brandon encouraged. "If you want, you can try to pull it out yourself tonight at home. You may be able to wiggle it out yourself," he added. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Matt stood up to leave. "If you find Abby, please let me know," he added quickly.

"I will," Matt said with a sad smile. "I'm sure she is fine, though," he added. He felt terrible for lying to Brandon but he also knew Abby would be livid if Matt broke her trust. Matt thanked Brandon one last time before he walked out to his truck.

"Where's your retainer?" Abby questioned. "I thought Brandon was taking it out."

"He can't get it out," Matt said as he climbed into the driver's seat. "It really hurt when he was trying to get it out, too. I'm going to have to schedule an appointment with another orthodontist." Matt turned the key in the ignition of the truck and started to drive out of the parking lot. They rode in silence for several minutes.

"Did he seem mad that I wasn't there?" Abby asked timidly. She knew that he would be, but for the record, she asked.

"Not at all, in fact he was glad you were there," Matt teased. Abby glared at him. "Yes, he was mad and not at me at you. His exact words were: 'It's not your fault,' and that's the truth."

"I believe you," Abby said quietly. "I'm going to be in so much trouble when he gets home."

"Do you still want to go on a bike ride?" Matt asked trying to lighten the mood.

"I guess," Abby answered softly. "You can drop me off at the street corner. I'll get my bike and ride it over to your house." When Matt stopped at the corner, Abby slid out of the truck. "See you in two minutes," she said before she ran off in a sprint.