Sam’s Little Girl by Pepper North

Chapter 14

“How’s our patient doing?” Doniphan’s voice sounded from the hallway.

“I think she’s doing well. Come see what you think?” Sam invited.

“I’m good,” Hope called proactively. She sat up from her nest she’d settled into on the big comfy couch.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Doniphan said as he set his medical case on the coffee table. “You gave us quite a scare. No more running from Daddy.”

“No more running,” Hope promised. She shyly held out her left hand to reveal the sparkling ring on her third finger.

“Congratulations! I wondered which of us would be the first to get married,” Doniphan said as he smiled at Hope before holding out his hand to shake Sam’s.

“I’ve just been the lucky one to win the best prize at the fair.”

“Daddy! I mean Sam!” Hope said, feeling her face heat with embarrassment over her slip.

“You can call him Daddy, Hope. We all understand. I’m envious. Someday I hope I’ll find my little girl. Maybe you could be her friend.”

“I’d like that,” Hope rushed to say. She folded her hands across her lap, pleased that she could help someone else.

“Where would you like to do your exam, Doniphan?” Sam asked.

“I’ll have to gear up and get my examination room in my house completed. For now, we just need a flat surface. Can we use the kitchen table?”

“Good idea. That has everything. Good lighting and access to water.”

“What? You need an exam? Are you sick, Daddy?”

“No, candy girl. Doniphan is here to make sure you’re doing okay.” Sam leaned over to scoop Hope up out of the covers. “Grab Hedgie. He can come with you, too.”

“No! Sam, I’m fine. I don’t want an exam. It’s embarrassing. Doniphan is your friend,” Hope hissed.

“Doniphan is a very skilled nurse practitioner,” Sam comforted her as he carried her toward the kitchen.

“I don’t care. He’s going to treat me like a little girl,” she whispered, trying not to offend her daddy’s friend.

Hope hugged Hedgie close to her when Sam set her down on the table. The movement made her cough. The sound was low and deep in her chest, bringing tears to her eyes.

“That’s not a good sign, Hope,” Doniphan observed as he handed her a tissue. “You need medical treatment.”

“I don’t like going to the doctor,” she whispered. Immediately, another coughing spell hit her hard.

“I could wait and go in a few days if I’m not better,” she suggested.

“That’s not an option. I can tell already that your fever is back, and your throat is sore,” Doniphan intervened.

“You know all that?” she whispered after swallowing hard.

Doniphan opened his case and pulled out his stethoscope. Fitting it into his ears, he approached Hope and waved the bell end of the device as if asking for permission. When she nodded, he said, “Thank you, Hope.”

Pressing the instrument to her back, Doniphan instructed, “Take a breath, sweetheart.” When she did, he stepped back with a concerned look.

“Your lungs are definitely congested. You’ll need a round of antibiotics to feel better. Before I prescribe anything, I need to examine the rest of you. If your daddy is right here, will you let me assess your condition?”

“Are you going to put the thermometer in my butt?” she fussed. Hope hadn’t felt too bad just lying around. Now that she had to sit up on her own, she was exhausted again.

“Yes, Hope. I’m going to examine you completely.”

Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Doniphan, she feels awful. Please do what you need to help Hope feel better.”

“Let me look at your throat. Say ‘ah’ for me, Hope.” Doniphan shone a light down her throat and quickly swabbed a few spots, making Hope cough.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I know that doesn’t feel good. Here. Suck on this.” Doniphan pulled a plastic-wrapped item out of his case.

Tearing off the covering, he revealed a large throat lozenge attached to a plastic holder. He popped it into her mouth, and she sucked hesitantly. Coolness flowed down her throat as she swallowed, taking away the worst of the soreness.

“Good, huh?”

“Mmmhmm,” she murmured, slouching against Sam. Maybe Doniphan really knows what he’s doing. He keeps all the men healthy.

“Let’s get her shirt off, Sam. I want to check her lymph nodes.”

Within seconds, the men had divested her of the large T-shirt of Sam’s Hope wore as a nightshirt. She crossed her arms over her bare breasts to shield herself.

“Press your hands on the tabletop, Hope. I need to see your body to help you feel better.”

Reluctantly, she lowered her palms to the kitchen table. Doniphan’s concerned expression didn’t change. He looked at her as a patient. Glancing at her daddy, Hope was reassured that he wasn’t concerned at all by the exam.

Doniphan palpated her neck and over her collarbones. He listened to her chest. “Next time, you punch Hank in the nose. That way you won’t get sick, little girl.”

“I won’t get that scared next time,” she promised before sticking the pacifier lozenge back in her mouth.

“Temperature time. Lie back, Hope,” Doniphan instructed, pulling out a thermometer and a tube of lubricant. Tearing a paper towel from the roll, Doniphan squeezed out a large portion of thick goo before pulling on a pair of gloves.

She fussed as Sam settled her on her tummy. Doniphan separated her bottom, and she felt his finger press into her small entrance.

“Mmm!” she protested around the pacifier. Couldn’t he just put the thermometer in?

“I know. Little girls don’t like things in their bottoms,” Doniphan commiserated with her. He didn’t, however, remove his finger.

“Sam, Hope’s very petite here. You need to widen her,” he shared with Sam as that inserted digit continued to spread lubricant on all the walls of her rectum.

“Hope has already worn the smallest plug as a punishment. I’ll add wearing one to her schedule.”

She began to protest, but Doniphan removed his finger. The glide of the cold thermometer deep into her interrupted her momentary relief. When she wiggled, trying to get away, Sam rubbed her back, comforting her.

“Squeeze Hedgie, Hope. Your stuffie wants you to be healthy, too,” Doniphan soothed. He chuckled softly as Hope hid her face against Hedgie’s soft fur.

Ten minutes later, Doniphan frowned as he read the instrument. “The fever has returned. Hope will need some medicine.”

Hope didn’t see Doniphan pull another packet from his bag. This time when he opened the wrapping, it revealed a folded plastic bag with a thick nozzle on the end. Doniphan walked to the sink and started the water, adjusting it to warm. When she peeked at the noise, Hope saw him filling the bag and shaking the contents.

When he turned, she saw the nozzle dangling from the bottom of the bag. There was no doubt where that was going. “No!” she protested as the lozenge fell from her mouth.

“This is a fast-acting antibiotic solution. Your bottom will absorb it quickly and it won’t upset your tummy. It will make you feel better very quickly. Sam, I’m going to have you administer this because I’ll leave several doses more for her,” Doniphan told her daddy. “Let’s get her on her knees with her head down.”

“No, Daddy!” Hope shouted as Sam lifted her body to the new position on her hands and knees. She squirmed, wearing out the last of her energy as he pressed her chest down to the table. Hope gasped as her nipples met the cold wooden table.

“Shh, little girl. We want you to feel better.” He tethered Hope easily in place as Doniphan spread her bottom.

“Lubricate her thoroughly and spread a lot over the nozzle. Press this against her opening and push it slowly inside,” Doniphan coached. “That’s it. The nozzle needs to enter her completely. Now, open the clamp and elevate the bag to allow it to flow inside.”

Warm water flowed inside her body. It didn’t feel bad. Just so very wrong. Instantly, she tried to push it out. A flash of pain made her pause.

“No, Hope. The medicine needs to go inside you. Don’t make me spank you with a bottom full of antibiotics,” Sam warned.

“No, Daddy,” she whined.

“Be good. Doniphan is helping you feel better.”

Almost instantly, Hope relaxed on the table. Her eyes closed and her breathing quieted. Doniphan slipped the pacifier back into her mouth and patted her on the shoulder.

“I’m glad you feel better, Hope.”

“Better,” she mumbled in agreement.

“Sam, the medicine has a calming influence as well. It will allow Hope to sleep rather than continue to cough herself awake. When the bag has emptied completely, we’ll put a plug in her bottom for two hours. Repeat this entire process every four hours until you’re out of medicine. I’m also going to give her a decongestant so she stops coughing and can rest.”

“Thank you,” Hope mumbled again. With her eyes closed, she didn’t see Doniphan drawing an injection to give her. She whimpered as he pressed the needle into her bottom. “Meanie!” she added in a tumble of letters before falling asleep.

* * *

“How’s our patient?” Doniphan asked with a smile.

“Grumpy! Tell Daddy I can get up and do stuff. I’m soooo bored! I’d die of blahdom, but you probably have some medicine to put in my bottom for that.”

“Sounds like Hope feels better.” He grinned at Sam who sported the same expression.

“Seems my sweet little girl can be slightly theatrical when she’s kept quiet,” Sam confirmed.

“I’d still like you to conserve your energy for a couple of days, Hope. Perhaps your daddy can find something creative for you to do.” Doniphan turned to Sam. “I remember you buying those paints and special watercolor paper when the craft store was going out of business.”

“Paints? You have paints, Daddy?”

“I do. I don’t suppose you’d like to see if they’re any good,” Sam asked with a wink at Doniphan.

“Yes, please!”

“Before I pull out the art supplies…”

“You have more than paints?” Hope grilled him.

“I do. Before I let you get started, Doniphan is here to talk to us about birth control.”

She looked at them both with her mouth agape. Surely this was a joke. Her face burnt with embarrassment as she realized Sam was serious. “Daddy…”

“Sam wants to take care of you, Hope. He says you’ve discussed birth control, and you’d like to be on something, so you don’t have to use condoms. Is that right?” Doniphan asked.

He was so matter-of-fact that Hope actually relaxed a little. This was Doniphan who’d already seen her naked. He seemed to know his stuff. She’d felt better immediately after his treatment.

“Yes. I know Daddy’s concerned about taking care of me.”

“Good Daddies always are. Here’s what I would suggest. Let’s do blood tests on the two of you to make sure you’re free of anything that would hurt the other. I test Sam regularly for a battery of ailments as part of his routine health care. I’ll stick him to double check since I’ll need to draw your blood.”

“Hey!” Sam did a double take at the medic.

Hope couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure I’m clean, too, but I’ll suffer through the stick for you, Daddy.”

“To give you medicine, I’ll have to examine you, Hope.” Doniphan broke the bad news.

“You haven’t examined enough of me?” His meaning dawned on her, and Hope blushed again. “A pelvic exam? I hate them. Wait! You treat men. Can you even do those?”

“The military has females, too, Hope. I graduated with the ability to treat both sexes.” Doniphan covered his mouth with his hand to hide the tickled smile that followed his answer.

“Are you laughing at me?” she demanded.

“Hope! Watch your manners, little girl.”

“No harm done, Sam. These are all valid questions from your Little.” Doniphan turned to Hope and apologized. “I’m sorry for not anticipating your questions. I’m used to being on this side of the stethoscope. Do you have any more questions for me?”

“No,” she huffed. When the two men said nothing further, she asked, “What?”

“If you would like to be on birth control, Doniphan can take care of that for us, Hope. Would you like to do away with the barrier between us?” Sam asked directly.

“Dad-dy!” Hope drew the word out until it sounded like two words. She was mortified. The two men just looked at her, waiting for her answer. “Yes. I’d like to be on birth control.”

“I have a block of time this afternoon at two. Your daddy will bring you over to my home office,” Doniphan explained.

“Can’t you just do it here?” she asked, hearing the betraying waver in her own voice.

“No, Hope. I need the equipment in the exam room to draw bloodwork and prepare the tests. I’ll see you at two o’clock,” Doniphan said and waved his goodbye as he headed for meetings.

“Could you have embarrassed me just a bit more?” she commented snarkily to Sam.

“You will be well behaved, polite, and thank Doniphan for taking care of you. In larger communities, there are Little enclaves with doctors. Here, I would either have to send you in by yourself or we’d have to delay until we could find someone that we can trust. Neither of those options are good ones,” Sam stressed.

Hope opened her mouth to reply, but closed it quietly. She nodded. “I’ll be good, Daddy. We are lucky to have Doniphan. He really helped me when I was sick. As nervous as I am, I trust him. He’s not going to do something that’s not right for us.”

“That’s my candy girl.”

“It doesn’t mean that I’m not nervous. Prepare to have me dig my nails into your hand if he hurts me!” she warned, glowering at him.

“Duly noted.”