Doctor Daddy’s Holiday Little by Scott Wylder
CHAPTER FIVE
Peyton
Gregory continued to stand there in my doorway with a strange look of concern on his face. I couldn’t tell if he was worried about my appearance, which was a little messy but suitable for bed, or if he was worried about what happened at dinner, which was not his fault. When I didn’t answer right away, he pressed a hand to my forehead and winced when he felt the heat radiating from my face.
“You’re burning up,” he remarked, his voice much softer than I expected from him. Because of his serious demeanor and cold, calculating facial expression, I had a hard time believing he was even capable of sounding as kind and caring as he did in this exact moment. “You’re shivering, too.” I frowned as I looked down at myself.
In all honesty, I hadn’t even noticed, and I had been too upset to pay attention. Now that he pointed it out, I realized my teeth were chattering, and I felt as though my feet were made of ice. Gone was the silent stranger who had been watching me at dinner, and he knelt down next to me, just like my family doctor when I was a kid.
“Does your throat or anything else hurt?” he asked, and I nodded.
“My throat does feel scratchy,” I admitted, my voice sounding even more hoarse than when I first called out to him. He nodded at me.
“Open your mouth,” he instructed, his voice a bit urgent. “Let me see.” As if on instinct, I did exactly as I was told, and he pulled out a tiny flashlight in order to examine my throat. After a moment, he shook his head and turned off the flashlight. “It’s swollen.” He sighed and rose to his feet. “I’m going to see if Auntie Patty has anything for you. Go climb into bed and cover up. I’ll be right back.” With that, he took off downstairs, and I crawled into bed, curious about the change in his behavior.
I knew he was a doctor at a hospital back in New York, but I never expected him to act this way, especially since we had just met. I was starting to wonder if it was just because of his job when he came into the room, carrying a glass of water in one hand, and something cupped in his other hand. As soon as he reached my bedside, he sat down on the bed next to me.
“If I had started working already, I could take you to the office to run a few tests, but, since I no longer have access to everything, we’re going to try this for now and see how you feel,” he explained, sounding just like a doctor, not a Daddy as he handed me a the cup and some Tylenol. I accepted them gratefully and took them. As soon as I had downed the water, he took the empty glass. “Are you warming up?” I shook my head, my teeth still chattering.
“I’m freezing,” I admitted, hating how vulnerable I sounded when I spoke. He examined the covers on my bed and shook his head.
“I’ll see about getting you some more,” he informed me. “Just stay here and stay warm. I’ll be right back.” Before I could even think of a response, he disappeared back out the door, and I curled up into a tiny ball under the covers.
He must really hate me now. My sister had embarrassed me at dinner, and I was coming down with something, which made things even worse. After seeing the way he was behaving, I was more than certain that he was just acting out of instinct and was likely to forget about me as soon as I was better. Finally able to warm up a little, I found that my eyelids were too heavy, and I closed my eyes.
Being an Auntie didn’t seem like such a bad fate at this point. After all, Auntie Patty was allowed to live in the house with Nathan and Cynthia, and I already knew Nathan paid her a lot of money to look after just Cynthia. Maybe I would find someone who would hire me as an Auntie now that I was going to be too old to be a Little. As I slowly came to terms with my fate, all thanks to Cynthia and her selfish ways, I finally fell asleep.
