“No...what?”
“I don’t want you,” he tells me.
“I believe there’s been some sort of mix-up,” I tell him. “I’m Doctor Robert. I’m here to examine Lucy.”
“You won’t be doing a damn thing in here,” the man yells. “Now get out!”
“Woah,” Lori rushes into the room and looks from me to the man and back to me. “What did you do?”
“I walked into the room,” I say drily. Of course Lori would take this guy’s side. What a clown.
“Now Pete,” Lori says with a sigh. “I told you we had a new doctor in town.”
“You didn’t tell me it was a man.”
“He’s an adequate doctor, Pete.”
Adequate?
Seriously, what the fuck?
“Lori, you know what I think.”
“Sir, if you don’t want me to treat your daughter, I’m sure we can find another medical team member who can examine her.”
“I want a different doctor.”
“Unfortunately, there are no other doctors available today,” I tell him honestly. “But we have a nurse practitioner who has an appointment opening and can see Lucy.”
“No, she needs a doctor.”
I shrug and wait. I’m not going to do anything this guy doesn’t want, but damn if it doesn’t hurt to be treated like a freak just because I was born somewhere else. Growing up, I always thought being black would be the reason I stuck out when it came to small towns. Who knew it would simply be because I’m from another place? Nobody here seems to care at all about my skin tone. They just care that I’m from a different zip code.
“Well, Pete,” Lori says. “You know your options. Choose one. We don’t have all day.”
Lori is a little harsh and a little rough around the edges, but I like her style. I can certainly appreciate all that she brings to this clinic. She might not like me specifically, but she keeps things running smoothly.
Pete sighs loudly.
“All right,” he says. “I guess it’ll be okay.”
“Come on in, doc,” Lori says. I come all of the way into the room then, and as I pass her, Lori touches my shoulder gently. I turn to look at her and she gives me a slight nod, as if to say that I can do this.
As if to tell me that everything is going to be okay.
“All right,” I sit down my swivel chair and turn to little Lucy. She’s holding a plush close to her chest and she looks nervous as hell. Anxiety is wafting off of her, and I take a deep breath. “My name is Doctor Rob,” I hold my hand out. “What’s your name?”
“You know her name is Lucy,” Pete snaps.
“No offense, sir, but I’d like to hear it from my patient.” I look up at him and smile tightly. “Body autonomy is very important to me. My patients, no matter how small or young they might be, deserve to feel as though they are in control of what’s happening to them. Lucy is no exception.”
Pete glares at me, but says nothing.
“What’s your name?” I ask her again.
“Lucy.”
“And who is this?” I gesture to her plush. Again, her father sighs, but building a relationship and stablishing trust is very important to me as a physician. I want each of my patients to know that they’re valuable to me.