"Alright buddy, you're good to go." I smiled and ruffled the little boy's hair before he jumped down from the table with a giggle. As his father came over to me I shook his hand and led them out to the front desk. On our way there I caught Normani's eyes as she looked like she needed to say something. I held up a finger before turning back to the patient and his father. "So I will send the prescription out but if the cough gets worse or it doesn't get better within two weeks let me know and we'll go from there." As if on cue the eight year old started coughing mildly.
"Alright thank you so much doctor." The father shook my hand one more time before he finished checking out. I made my way to my office where Normani had led me. When I got there I doused my hands in hand sanitizer so I wouldn't end up sick in the end. I sat down in my chair and finally gave my attention to Normani who was standing at the side of my desk with her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face. I raised my eyebrow in confusion as she persisted in trying to tease me for something I didn't even know was going on. I rolled my eyes before trying to send off some prescriptions causing the darker skinned girl to laugh. She came to rest against my desk right next to where I was so her body was facing mine, her arms still crossed over her chest. I stayed quiet knowing the older girl would eventually stop teasing me for whatever reason and tell me what was going on.
"You got two phone calls from Clara Jauregui, it seems like it's pretty important if you ask me." Normani finally spit out causing me to look back at her. "She keeps asking about the chiropractor appointment, seeing if you could go. It's tomorrow at three thirty I think she said. Personally I want to see you go." The shorter girl laughed lightly at my unimpressed look. "What? It's only going to make Lauren like you even more and she'll feel more comfortable, if she picks you as her primary caregiver. Plus my best friend side says go for it because she's cute and she obviously has a thing for you. And don't think I haven't noticed that you have a thing for her as well." She smirked causing me to once again roll my eyes.
"Yeah I'll go but chill out Mani, it's not going to go anywhere." I sighed. I knew she was going to speak up but she was cut off when my phone rang in the middle of our conversation. I had an idea of who it was so I put the phone between my ear and my shoulder before sparing a glance at Normani. "This is Doctor Y/LN." I said professionally. I heard the voice of my receptionist.
"Oh finally you answered, I have Lauren Jauregui on the line asking for you. Do you want me to put her through?" Camila asked and instantly my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I expected Clara to be the one calling in all honesty but I didn't mind one bit. It had been about four days since I last talked to the green eyed girl and I was craving to hear her husky voice again. I cleared my throat to rid of the thoughts before telling Camila to allow Lauren through the line so she could talk to me. I waited a couple seconds as Mani jumped onto my desk in a full sitting position. She looked at me expectantly so I held my finger up to tell her to give me a minute.
"H-Hi Y-Y/N!" Lauren squealed through the phone and I had to slightly pull it away from my ear since it was so loud. Normani laughed beside me and I couldn't help but smile at the husky voice I've missed. I brought the phone back to my ear. "My-My mom has been-has been trying to uh trying to call you. Did you not an-answer because you don't-you don't-you're not friends with her?" I was about to correct her but before I could she continued. "And-And you only answered me because-because you and me are fr-friends?"
"Hi Lauren." I started off quietly. "I've been very busy so I'm sorry for not answering earlier but it's not because your mom and I aren't friends." Normani was still laughing at me so I pushed her lightly and pointed at the door, signaling for her to leave. Eventually the nurse left my office and closed the door behind her. "Anyways, what can I help you with, Ms. Jauregui?" Lauren giggled loudly and I could faintly hear her telling her mom what I said all the while with her cute stutter. My smile spread even wider at the pure excitement in her voice and her enthusiasm. Her laugh was so childish and cute it made a flutter in my chest every time I heard it. I waited patiently for Lauren to finish telling her mom what I said as I finished off reports and added notes to patient profiles. Finally the younger girl yelled my name while a chuckle left my lips. "Yes?"
"My mom-My mom asked if you-if you wanted to come with us-with me to my chi-the chi-whatever that word is, can you come with m-me?" Again I couldn't help but laugh that she gave up on pronouncing the word chiropractor. "I really want my-my best friend to go w-with me!"
"Yes Lauren, I'll go with you." At my words the younger girl started squealing again, telling her mom what was going on. "It's at three thirty tomorrow, correct?" I made sure what my nurse told me was correct before I showed up only for nobody to be there. Lauren confirmed my question with a yes before she started rambling on about what had happened in the four days we haven't seen each other. I listened patiently as she stuttered through her days with the phone resting on my shoulder. I took the time to finish all my paperwork and sending off prescriptions to various pharmacies. I looked at the clock to see I had a couple more appointments before the end of the day, and my next one was starting in about five minutes. I waited until Lauren paused so that I could catch her attention. "Lauren, I have to go okay? I have other appointments. I'll be there with you tomorrow, I promise, but I have to go right now." I quietly stated.
"Uh, o-o-okay. But-But you promise to-to be there t-tomorrow, right?" She asked. I answered with a small 'I promise' before the smaller girl begrudgingly agreed. "Best f-friends have to-have to keep their promises. I-I'll be really sad if you-if you don't come with m-me. Real sad." I softly smiled at her words before she was eventually ready to say her goodbyes. "B-Bye, Y/N. I-I will see you tomorrow, o-okay? You promise right?" My heart started fluttering at the thought that I already meant that much to her for her to be this concerned about me showing up. I gathered the important things I needed for my last appointments before focusing back on Lauren.
"Yes Lauren, I promise to be there. I'll see you then, bye." I waited to see if Lauren would hang up but instead I heard her telling her mom that we were done talking, and I heard rustling on the other line but no other voices so I took the initiative to hang up as a wide smile took over my face. A couple minutes later Normani came into my office with her vitals done, now she was just waiting for me to go back in with her. She handed me the patient records before the two of us finished making our rounds for the day.
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As I parked my car in the familiar parking lot, I got out only to spot the Jauregui's car right at the front. I had an idea what was going on inside because I had hit traffic and was late. I rushed in and my suspicions were right as I heard Lauren arguing with whoever was trying to talk to her. The closer I got I realized that the chiropractor was trying to get her into a room but the younger girl sat in her chair. "I-I'm waiting for my-for my best friend. Y/N pr-promised to be here." I made my presence known by calling Lauren's name as I walked up to her side. Immediately she smiled and jumped out of her chair to hug me. "Y/N!" She squealed. "Yo-You're here! I thought-I thought you weren't coming."
"I'm sorry I'm late." I apologized as I rubbed Lauren's back. "I promised I'd be here." Clara seemed extremely relieved to see me as the chiropractor looked between Lauren and I in confusion. I motioned for him to lead the way as I walked behind him, Lauren still clinging onto me. As we were walking Lauren grabbed my hand only to hold it against her own face. The smaller girl leaned into my touch with a smile on her face and her eyes closed. "Alright Lauren lay down, he's going to try to fix your back." I pointed to the small bed-like table but Lauren shook her head.
"No." She simply stated. The chiropractor waited for the smaller girl patiently and quietly. I took the initiative to walk next to the table where I waited for Lauren to lay down. She clung onto me even tighter if that was possible. Clara had stayed behind in the waiting room leaving just the three of us in here. "I-I missed you Y-Y/N." Lauren mumbled against my shoulder. I smiled to myself at her words.
"I missed you too Lauren." I patted her back a couple of times. "But now you have to lay down and let the doctor help you feel better, okay? I'll be right here." Finally Lauren hesitantly laid down on the table where the chiropractor gathered some lotion on his hand. He kneeled down at Lauren's side before looking between the two of us. The smaller girl grabbed onto my hand and mindlessly played with my fingers, not paying attention to anything else.
"Okay Lauren, I'm going to rub this lotion on your lower back and you might feel some stinging." The chiropractor spoke before he went ahead to rub the lotion on Lauren's back. After a couple seconds she looked down at him before looking back at me. She moved away from him clinging onto my neck. The doctor looked up at me confused.
"Ow, Ow." Lauren repeated several times. She rubbed her lower back where the chiropractor had put the lotion before looking at her hands, holding them up to me. "Y/N why does it-why does it hurt? It's hurting me. It stings. It's hurting me." I intertwined our fingers, feeling the cooling effect of the lotion on my hand. Lauren seemed to relax when I grabbed her hand causing me to smile. The chiropractor started to do his thing as I kept Lauren occupied. She started to play with my fingers not minding the other doctor one bit.
"It's supposed to relax your muscles so that it's easier to pop your back. Just don't touch your eyes because it will hurt very bad." I explained quietly. The chiropractor lifted Lauren's right leg over her left so that she was in a twisted position. Lauren looked to see what he was doing but she didn't comment. Suddenly he pushed down on Lauren's leg but I could tell her back didn't pop from the force. The green eyed girl yelped in pain. He sighed and looked at me.
"Can you push her shoulder back as I do that again? I don't want to make her uncomfortable or anything. And maybe you could explain it to her in a way that I can't." I nodded my head and got up from the chair so that I could kneel in front of Lauren. She looked at me with teary eyes and I couldn't help the strain in my heart at the sight. Lauren grabbed onto me with an ironlike grip so that she could hug me. I rubbed her shoulder blades to try and comfort her as I leaned closer to her ear.
"I'm going to push back on your shoulder when he does that okay? It will hurt but only for a little bit until your back pops. Then after this it won't hurt anymore and I'll tell you what, we can go get some ice cream or something if your mom lets us. I know it hurts Lauren but I promise it'll feel better afterwards." I whispered as Lauren sniffled, her head still buried in my neck. At my words she leaned back to look at me, her green eyes still filled with unshed tears. She eventually nodded her head. "That's it baby, it'll be over quick." I smiled. Both the chiropractor and I worked to pop Lauren's back as quickly and painless as possible. When he was done he clapped his hands.
"Alright Lauren, you're done. You can come out into the lobby whenever you're ready." He left the room to handle all the paperwork with Lauren's mom just leaving the two of us in the room. Lauren instantly clung onto me as if she were afraid to let me go. I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her closer to me while nudging her cheek with my nose. I knew it was too close for a doctor to be with her patient but at this point I just wanted Lauren to feel okay. If that meant her hugging the shit out of me at this point I didn't care. I was completely happy to do it. The green eyed girl seemed to calm down in my hold which made me feel better.
"Th-That hurt. Please don't-don't make me do that a-again." Lauren mumbled out against my shoulder. I nodded my head slowly before starting to sway us back and forth. "Y/N are you- can you- can you come with us? Can you come eat with-with me and my mom?" Lauren pulled away to look into my eyes. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.
"If that's okay with your mom." I said softly. "You have to ask her before we go." Lauren grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the door as she practically ran to where her mom was still filling out paperwork. She called her name but I softly pulled her back into me. "Wait until she's done okay?" I asked. Lauren nodded and fidgeted in her spot as she waited for her mom to finish. I smiled at the sight since she practically bounced up and down. The raven haired girl picked at her fingernails until I grabbed her hands to hold them in mine. She looked up at me with a smile before tackling me into a hug once again. She cuddled against my chest and I could see that she had even closed her eyes.
"I like- I like when you hold my hands." Lauren mumbled against my chest. By now Clara was done and watching our interaction with a smile on her face. "And I like when you- when you hug me. I like hugging you. You're really- you're really warm and c-comfy." The green eyed girl kept going on about how much she liked hugging me causing Clara to laugh lightly. A couple seconds later Lauren had finally noticed that her mom was done with the paperwork causing her to perk her head up in excitement. "Mom! Can Y/N- can Y/N have lunch with me and you?" She asked. Clara looked at me to which I responded in a shrug with a small smile.
"Sure. Where do you want to go eat?" Clara asked. The three of us started to make our way out of the building and to the parking lot. Lauren seemed to think about it as she grasped my bicep in her hands. We came to a stop by Clara's car as Lauren continued to think about what she wanted to eat. Suddenly she clapped her hands together several times as she cheered.
"I know I know!" Lauren yelled. Clara tried to quiet her down but the green eyed girl didn't seem to mind one bit. I laughed at the scene. "Mom can you make my- make my favorite dinner? I want to show Y/N my room!" I widened my eyes at her request but Clara only looked at me to see my response. Again I just shrugged my shoulders. "Don't you want to see my room- my room Y/N?" Lauren started to ask me.
"Uh sure Lauren. I don't mind." I smiled at both her and Clara to reassure her that it was okay. "As long as it's okay with your mom." As soon as she turned to her mom she started bombarding her with all kinds of questions and explaining how she wanted me to see her room. I couldn't help but chuckle. Finally Clara agreed causing Lauren to cheer while she was still clinging onto my arm. She cuddled into me even more if that was possible.
"Can I ride with-with Y/N then?" Lauren asked. Clara was about to object but I quickly waved her off, knowing that Lauren would throw a fit if she didn't ride with me. I knew that Clara knew it as well so after I waved her off she stayed quiet and agreed for Lauren to ride with me to their house. I opted to follow her as I led Lauren to my car. I opened the door for her and closed it once she was seated inside. I climbed into the driver's seat but once I was settled Lauren instantly grabbed my hand to start playing with my fingers. I waited for Clara to pull out of the parking lot before I followed behind her through the city. Soon enough we came upon a moderately sized two-story house which had three additional cars parked out front. I parked on the street and got out only for Lauren to run inside, calling for me to follow her. I laughed as I walked behind Clara inside the house who was amused as well.
"Are you sure you're not busy? We can always reschedule or something. You don't have to stay." She tried to reassure but I shook my head. Lauren came running back down the stairs in search of me and once she found me she grabbed my hand and hauled me up the stairs. I lost count of how many times I almost fell on the stairs because she was going so fast. When we came upon her room I saw that her walls were decorated with a couple posters, but mostly printed out pictures that I'm assuming were of her family and others that she took. Her bed was draped in black and white sheets to level out the color in the room. The whole room just fit Lauren's personality all the way.
"Do you like it?" Lauren asked. She seemed nervous as she stood playing with her fingers, looking around the room just as I was. I nodded my head with a smile before going to sit down on the bed. Lauren flopped down beside me and pushed me down so that she could cuddle with me. I laughed but wrapped my arm around her nonetheless. "Y/N you're my best friend." Lauren blurted out quietly. I looked down to see her playing with the buttons of my shirt while she avoided my eyes.
"Well you're my best friend Lauren." I smiled. The green eyed girl hesitantly met my eyes. After a while she grabbed my hand to place it on her cheek where she held it against her skin. She leaned into my touch so I started to softly caress her cheek with my thumb. I had to keep reminding myself that she was my patient but it was hard when she always acted like a lost little puppy. Lauren closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh.
"You make me- make me feel funny." The raven haired girl mumbled. I rose my eyebrow in confusion and just waited for her to elaborate. "It's like a tingly feeling in me- in my tummy. It tickles s-sometimes. And it happens when you- when you touch me and when you s-say nice things to-to me. It makes me feel good." It seemed like the smaller girl was confused by what she was feeling but I smiled at her. I didn't know I made her feel that way but I could honestly say that I felt the same way. I didn't want to push anything though, I didn't want to make Lauren feel uncomfortable around me or anything like that. I really enjoyed her presence and I didn't want to ruin that by trying to move too quickly.
"I feel the same way too." Lauren opened her eyes at my words so that she could look back up at me. She smiled widely with a squeal before she cuddled back into me. She was too innocent for her own good, but it was just another thing that made Lauren, well Lauren. I enjoyed every single bit of what made her herself because it was so pure and I didn't want that to be ruined. She made my heart flutter in my chest, and it wasn't something I expected one of my patients to be able to do.
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