Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
“You’ll make sure someone with training examines her?”
“Definitely. I’ll be the first to bring her in if there’s a problem.”
When the man nodded and turned to head back to the ambulance, Ivy tugged on Steele’s vest. “Thanks. I’ve had enough for the day.”
“Oh, Doc’s going to check on you. He takes care of everything for us,” Steele assured her.
She grinned at him happily. Anything was better than going back to the hospital or getting in that emergency vehicle.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
“Hi, Ivy. How do you feel?” Doc asked quietly before sitting on the couch next to her.
“I’m good. I don’t know why Steele insists on you checking on me,” Ivy said quickly. She’d hidden her teddy behind her when Doc had entered Steele’s apartment.
“You’re injured and we need to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself worse,” Doc answered, nodding at Steele. “He’s a worrywart.”
Ivy stared at him, trying not to laugh at the accusation that her tough Daddy worried about anything. Steele’s chuckle made her look at him quickly, jostling her head. “Ooh!” she gasped and set her hand down on the cushion to ground herself when the world spun around her.
When everything settled back into place, she looked at Doc and said, “Maybe it isn’t a bad idea, but that happened when I moved my head too fast before today.”
“Gotcha. Let me look at your eyes first, Little girl.” Doc shifted to kneel on one leg before her so their eyes were on the same level. He opened a small satchel and pulled out a penlight.
“Look at my nose. Good girl. Now, follow the light with your eyes.” He held a hand over her left eye and then her right as he tested her responses.
“How’s the head? Do you have a headache?” he asked as he turned off the light.
“Shining a bright light in my eyes didn’t help,” she muttered unhappily.
“I’ll take that as a yes, your head hurts. Steele, get her a couple of those over-the-counter pain tablets, please.”
“I thought you didn’t have a headache, Little girl,” Steele said ominously as he shook out the pills.
“It wasn’t bad until Mr. Spotlight came in to torture me,” she groused, knowing she was already in trouble.
“No torture, Ivy. It is important that you tell me the truth,” Doc warned as Steele handed her an open bottle of water and the medicine.
Popping the tablets into her mouth, she washed them down with a gulp of water. She grimaced at the feeling. It felt like she was swallowing boulders. When she saw their worried expressions, she forced herself to say, “I guess you want to know my throat hurts, too.”
“Definitely. Inside or out?”
“Both. They tried to yank me out into the open by my hair and my neck got twisted around. Even though I couldn’t make a ruckus, I kept screaming. I think I irritated everything inside, too,” she admitted.
“Let me check.” Doc pressed several places on her cervical spine as he observed her reaction. None of that felt painful until he stroked over the front of her throat.
“Ouch!” she complained.
“Sorry, Little girl. There’s some soft tissue damage to your neck. Steele, keep an eye on her if she frequently rubs the back of her neck or if the pain increases, she’ll need an x-ray.”
When Steele nodded, Doc requested, “Open your mouth, Ivy. Let me see inside, too.” He cupped her chin and held the flashlight expectantly.
“Ahh!” she said after opening her mouth.
“Definitely red. Could be from screaming, might be something else. Any time you’re under stress like you have been, your entire immune system is being attacked. I’m going to give you a quick exam to make sure you haven’t caught a bug.”
Doc pulled a stethoscope from his bag and fitted it to his ears before holding the bell of the device to her chest and back as he asked Ivy to take a few deep breaths. “Sounds good. I don’t hear any rumbles in your lungs. Let’s get a quick temperature to make sure you’re not running a fever.”
Replacing the stethoscope in his bag, Doc pulled out a small package of supplies. “Steele, this is the starter pack I’ve decided all the Daddies need. I’ll let you explore through everything I’ve included. If you need refills or something in addition, let me know.”
He opened the small case and Ivy peered inside to see what looked like a regular first aid kit. What he pulled out was not something she expected to see.
“What’s that? A thermometer for an elephant?” Ivy trumpeted like one of the giant pachyderms to make a joke of it. Instantly, she grabbed her throat and croaked, “Bad idea.”
“Definitely,” Doc sympathized. He set the thick glass tube to the side and removed a tub of lubricant. Opening the jar, he set it next to the first item.
“Let’s get your leggings off, Little girl.”