Learning to Be Little Again Read Online Free

prefer.”
    “Grape, please.”
    He handed me another juice box and I began drinking it as he sat down in front of the computer again. Then he asked me a bunch of standard doctor questions, and when he finished, he told me he needed to take a few vials of my blood to run some tests.
    “I don’t like shots,” I said matter-of-factly as he wrapped the tourniquet around my arm. He cleaned a spot on my arm and then got a needle and a vial ready.
    I squeezed my teddy bear closer to me to try and not make me worry so much.
    “Don’t worry, Juliana. It’s only going to hurt a tiny bit, I promise. Close your eyes and give your teddy a big hug.”
    I did as he told me and had to fight back a whimper when I felt the pinch in my right arm.
    “All done, Juliana,” he said, and I opened my eyes to see that he had put a Hello Kitty band aid where he’d taken my blood.
    “Thanks,” I said, pulling my teddy bear closer to me.
    When he finished, he left the room and closed the door so I could get dressed again. He told me when I finished to open the door and that he would be waiting for me outside.
    I got off the exam table, reached for my clothes, and looked at my underwear. Deciding I couldn’t not wear them, I slipped them back on and put the rest of my clothes on too. When I finished, I opened the door to see him standing there, just like he promised.
    “I need a urine sample from you,” he said, handing me the plastic cup.
    “Okay.” This was another part about the doctor’s office I was not a fan of.
    “The bathroom is two doors down to the left. When you’re finished, just put the cup behind the small door in the wall. I’ll be able to do an analysis on it quickly and have the results in about twenty minutes. Would you like to wait in my office after you’re done, or go back out by Mark?”
    “I’ll wait in your office.”
    “Alright. My office is right across from the bathroom. Would you like me to tell Mark to wait in there with you?”
    “Yes, please.” I was about to leave when I remembered I was still holding my teddy bear. I can’t bring my teddy bear to the bathroom with me. “What should I do with the teddy bear?”
    “I’ll take him and he’ll be waiting for you in my office,” he said, grabbing my bear and giving me a wink before he turned and walked down towards his office.

Chapter Four
     
     
    After Juliana walked to the bathroom, I quickly ran into my office and placed her teddy bear on one of the seats across from my desk. Then I walked out into the waiting room to talk to Mark.
    “Hey. How’d it go?” he asked, standing up and putting his cell phone in his pocket.
    “Overall, the experience went fairly well. She got scared a few times, but we worked our way through it.”
    “How bad is she? I know that she lost weight, but that won’t have permanent effects on her body, will it?”
    The concern in Mark’s voice touched me. On the outside, he acted like the typical tough cop, but on the inside, Mark was the biggest softie. He could never stand to see someone that he cared about hurt.
    “I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to run tests on her blood. But, I think that it’s clear to see that the stress from her last relationship is taking a huge toll on her. She is severely underweight, she has a low grade fever, and she looks exhausted. I’m guessing that she’s also is anemic and has multiple vitamin deficiencies.”
    “We can fix all that right?” he asked, rubbing both of his hands through his hair.
    “Yes. With a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep, and some exercise, she should be back to a healthy weight range in about three to four months. I would also highly recommend that she see a therapist or at least talk to someone who will help her cope with the situation she was in.” As I said that last sentence, a part of me strongly wished that Juliana would choose me to be that person to talk to, to help her get through all of this. I knew that I could help.
    “Thank