Hello, Doctor

Disclaimer: I don't own it my friends…

Chapter 1

Having a kid at the age of sixteen is pretty much every teenager's nightmare.

And mine became reality… straight up.

I do have to admit it was really stupid of my girlfriend and I to get lost in the passion of the night and forget about all those silly things such as pregnancy and responsibility.

So when we discovered that we were in fact a pregnant couple, you can imagine the shock and utter horror that came over us in a matter of nanoseconds.

And dealing with a pregnant girlfriend for nine months along with school was by far the hardest thing I had ever done in my entire life.

My girlfriend, in the end, couldn't take the heat and dropped out of school. She blamed me for everything. She and her family claimed that I was responsible for ruining her life.

I understood that I had a part in destroying the normalcy of her life, but I was not the only one responsible. She certainly played a part in her own demise.

The baby wasn't guilty of anything though. The baby was the result of stupid decisions. So I was grateful that she didn't blame the baby.

Or at least I thought.

If there was ever a time when I wanted to really hurt someone, it was the day she abandoned her own child.

On the day it was born. I was dubbed the sole caregiver of our baby. I was furious, not because I would have to take care of a baby by myself…

…But that my beautiful child would grow up without a mom. The idea that she would do that to her own kid just made me sick to my stomach.

In the end, I was happy though. I wouldn't have wanted my Kairi to have such a weak and cruel hearted mother anyway.

So I took on the role as mom and dad with pride. Sure my Mom was also the biggest help in rearing my kid, but I made sure that I, myself, would pay for every need that my daughter may have.

I graduated from high school, which was the most fulfilling moment of my life besides when I became a dad, and went directly into working.

I got a job at a convenience store in the neighborhood during the weekdays and a Saturday job at Chuck E. Cheese.

They were the only places that allowed me to take my kid to work. So from the time she turned one to the day she turned three. She and I commuted to work everyday with the exception of Sundays.

Sundays, I look forward to every Sunday. Those days belonged to Kairi and I. We'd see a movie, go to the park, get some ice cream. We could do anything we wanted to without a care in the world.

Sundays were like heaven on earth to me. I loved just being with my daughter more than anything in the whole world. And the smiles Kairi would give me on Sundays were more valuable to me than life itself.

I was probably the luckiest dad on earth to have such a loving and kind kid. Kairi may not have been penciled in my high school agenda, but I could never regret having her.

She was definitely a curveball in the throws of life… but she wasn't a mistake.

Never a mistake.

When Kairi started school, I think my mother and I got used to the flow of childhood. I was so happy that Kairi was making friends and enjoying school. I always knew Kairi loved to learn. She was innately curious about everything… she was always ready to discover something.

But this sort of innate curiosity needed to be monitored. The last thing I needed was for her to see something she shouldn't see or get hurt. But for now… most of the things she was curious about were dirt and bugs and other types of animals.

I soon discovered though, that being interested in dirt and bugs and animals has its dangers.

I figured this out when Kairi tried to eat a slug. I had the biggest nervous breakdown of my entire life. I remember snatching that slug out of her mouth quicker than lightning and driving her home to brush her teeth and wash her mouth out with hydrogen peroxide. And after that, I gave her a long lecture about treasuring the sanctity of nature and therefore leaving animals in their natural habitats and not in our mouths.

It might have been excessive but it was one of the scariest moments of my life. For all I knew, that was a poisonous slug that kills its victims weeks after being ingested.

And that is why, on this Sunday, Kairi and I were at a hospital for a check up. She's had two bouts of hiccups over the span of a week… I knew for sure it was a warning sign.

I could tell Kairi was nervous. I knew it was partly because I was nervous myself, but it was also because we had never been to this clinic before.

It was a small family owned clinic that I had discovered was the only one that took appointments on Sundays. Usually, I have to take the day off on a Saturday for an appointment with Dr. Cloud Strife. I met Cloud one day when he took his son to Chuck E. Cheese. Our kids hit it off really quickly and I guess we did too.

He and I were both single dads so there was a lot we could talk about. It was surprising to think that someone like him was single. I mean, the guy was a super successful pediatric doctor. It was almost appalling that a great catch like him was without a girlfriend.

But as much as I would have loved to make an appointment with him, I couldn't miss any more work so one of our precious Sundays was devoted to Kairi's health and prosperity.

I filled out all of the paperwork and returned the papers to the nurse at the front desk. She smiled at me as she took the clipboard from my hands.

"You're little sister is absolutely adorable." She said.

I smiled in return. "Thank you, but she's actually my daughter. It says right there on the paper!" I said in a cheerful voice.

"Oh! I'm sorry, and I call myself a nurse! I'll read the paper before I speak next time." She said with a blush.

I shook my head. "It's no biggie. I get it all the time. I'm twenty one but I still kind of look like a teenager." I said.

"Wow, she looks to be around five. It must have been real tough to raise her at such a young age yourself." She said.

"Oh it was… but it was definitely worth it. Kairi do you want to come say hello to the nice nurse?" I asked Kairi who seemed glued to her seat.

She got off of the chair and started walking slowly towards the desk.

I chuckled. "Sweetheart, there's nothing to be afraid of, c'mon! I thought you were really brave!" I said.

Kairi huffed a little and started to walk quickly over to me. "I am brave!" she boasted as she hugged my leg.

I laughed. "Yeah, brave enough to try and eat a slug." I said and picked her up from the ground. "Now this nice nurse said you were adorable, what do you say when someone pays you a compliment?" I asked.

"Thank you." Kairi said with a smile.

I kissed her on the cheek. "Good. Now why don't you go and play with the toys with the other nice kids while the nurse and I talk about the boring grown-up stuff." I said.

"Okay." She said and I put her down. I watched her move over to the toys.

"So I was wondering if you could tell me about the pediatrician here. Kairi has no problem approaching other kids, but when it comes to adults, she gets really shy. I usually take her to see another doctor at another clinic and so she's really gotten used to him. Do you think she'll have problems with your pediatrician?" I asked.

"I can assure you that Riku Uchida is an excellent doctor who really loves kids. Personally, I don't think you'll have any problems with him. Dr. Riku comes from a long legacy of doctors. Almost all the members of his family are doctors. They've ran clinics for generations. I think it's really great." The nurse said.

"Well since you speak so highly of him, I don't think Kairi will have any problems adjusting." I said with a smile.

"Daddy! Look! I finished the puzzle all by myself!" Kairi yelled from her side of the room.

I cringed but walked over to her. "This is a hospital Kairi, you know you have to be quiet in the hospital." I said to her in a clam voice.

"Sorry…" she pouted.

"Now what did you want to show me?" I asked.

Her face brightened again when she pointed to what was supposed to be a finished puzzle. But it looked as though some other kid had decided she was finished with it and mixed up the pieces again.

I frowned. I could almost see the wave of sorrow that washed over Kairi's face when she saw that her hard work was destroyed before I could see it.

Her eyes welled up with crocodile tears and she started cry. "That boy over there broke it!" she whined as her tears fell.

"Awe, don't cry. It was only a puzzle." I said to her softly.

"B-but I wanted you to see it! It was a puppy dog! It looked like you!" she cried.

I laughed. "So I look like a puppy dog, honey?" I asked.

She started to wipe at her eyes as she nodded.

"Well, if I look like a puppy dog then you look like a kitty cat!" I said and scooped her up.

"Meow!" she said with a giggle.

It was at that moment that I hugged her tightly before showering her in kisses. "You are so cute!" I said before looking her in the face.

"Do you know how happy you make me, Kairi?" I asked.

"Really, really happy?" she asked.

"More like really, really, really, really, REALLY happy!" I said and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, daddy." She said.

"I love you too, hun. Now let's wait for the doctor to come and look at you so I can finally get some peace of mind about this darn slug!" I said.

It was about six minutes later that a nurse finally called my name. I stood and took Kairi's hand. "Let's go get a check up!" I said excitedly, hoping that maybe it would make her less shy.

It was too late, she had already initiated the shy mode sequence which begins with a death grip on the three fingers she was holding.

She and I walked over to the nurse who smiled at us. "My name is Naminé, I'm the nurse who's going to start your check up. It's really nice to meet you, Kairi."

Kairi hid her face in my pant leg before giving a little wave. I smiled and shook my head at her. "She's a totally different person when it comes to meeting adults." I said.

"She's not the only one. Why don't you follow me so that I can weigh her in and all that good stuff?" Naminé asked.

I nodded. "Kairi, did you know that there was a shy eating monster?" I asked.

Kairi looked up at me with a confused expression.

"There's a monster that eats shy little girls and I thought I saw him down that hallway." I said.

Kairi's eyes widened in fear, "Is he after me?" she asked.

I nodded. "You wanna know how to defeat him?" I asked.

She nodded her head frantically. "I don't wanna get eated!" she said.

"Well, if you don't hide behind me and talk to the workers here like you talk to me, he'll perish by the brightness of your smiles and you wont get eaten." I explained.

Kairi immediately ran over to the nurse and took her hand. "Hello, nurse Naminé." She said with a huge smile.

I laughed at how gullible my daughter was. Though I'm pretty sure her smiles could melt the hearts of evil monsters.

We entered a room and I sat down and watched Kairi interact with the nurse. To be completely honest, nurse Naminé was really gorgeous. Not only was she beautiful but she was kind and caring towards Kairi.

If I ever wanted Kairi to have a mom, nurse Naminé would be a very strong candidate.

"Daddy! I grew an inch from the last time I was at the doctor's!" Kairi beamed.

"Well, don't get too big Kairi or you won't fit in the car!" I joked.

"I won't get that big!" Kairi said with a laugh.

"Well Mr. Smith, from what I can see, Kairi is as healthy as a horse!" Naminé said.

"That's a relief. This little goof decided she would try and eat a slug. I just about had a heart attack." I said and put my hand on Kairi's head.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Dr. Riku should be here soon and he'll confirm that for you." She said before leaving the room.

When nurse Naminé left the room I sat Kairi up on the patient's bed. The crackle of the paper over it was the only noise in the room.

"Kairi, didn't you think that nurse was really pretty? She was gorgeous!" I said with a smile.

Kairi nodded. "I like her hair."

I nodded and then there was silence. I looked at Kairi; she was looking around the room. She looked nervous again.

After a while she started to pick at the paper she was sitting on. The crackling was a little annoying but I let her do it anyway.

After another minute of silence I decided that I had had enough. "Hey, Kairi." I said.

My daughter looked at me with her large blue eyes.

"Semolina pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower. Elementary penguin singing Hari Krishna…" I started to sing.

Kairi listened, a small smile forming on her face.

"Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe. Sing it with me now Kairi!" I said and took her hands and started to dance.

"I am the eggman, they are the eggman…" I quickly let go of Kairi's hands to steal two tongue depressors. I stuck them under my lip and turned to Kairi with a goofy look on my face.

"I am the walrus! Goo goo g'joob! Goo goo g'joob!" I sang with those tongue depressors acting as my walrus tusks.

Kairi began to laugh at my antics so I turned it up a notch.

"One more time! I AM THE EGGMAN!" I pointed to Kairi.

"Eggman!" she squealed.

"THEY ARE THE EGGMAN!" I sang and pointed to her again.

"Eggman!" She laughed again.

I didn't notice the door open as I danced around and sung some more.

"I AM THE WALRUS! GOO GOO G'JOOB! GOO GOO G'JOOB! GOO GOO G'JOOB G'GOO GOO G'JOOB GOO GOO G'J-OH GOD THE DOCTOR'S HERE…" I immediately pulled the depressors from my mouth and hid them behind me.

Kairi was still laughing as the doctor stared at me with a weird look.

"Ummm… You must be Dr. Riku… Over there is Kairi, my daughter… and I… I'm embarrassed." I said with a blush.

I felt my blush deepen when the doctor started to laugh. "Well, that was unexpected. I'm just glad those tongue depressors were put to good use." Dr. Riku said with a chuckle.

I threw the used tongue depressors in the trash and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that…" I said.

"You don't have to apologize. That was probably the liveliest thing that's happened in weeks. Usually people are too nervous to have parties in the small rooms we put them in." He smiled at me.

"Well… I think it's mostly because no one wants to disturb the peaceful vibe this little clinic gives off." I said.

Dr. Riku chuckled again and turned to Kairi. "I'm Dr. Riku, and I am very happy to meet you." He said and smiled down on Kairi.

I was actually shocked when Kairi beamed back at him and spoke. "Nice to meet you!"

That has certainly never happened before.

Dr. Riku turned to me. "Naminé told me in advance that Kairi was a shy girl." He said.

I shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm pretty baffled myself. She just warmed right up to you. She didn't even do that with Dr. Strife." I said.

"You know Dr. Strife, Kairi?" Dr. Riku asked.

Kairi nodded. "I'm friends with his son, Zell."

"He's fun isn't he?" Dr. Riku asked.

Kairi laughed. "Yeah! He's my best friend at school!"

"That's good. Yeah, Cloud and I go way back to college and med school. We even did our residency together." Riku directed to me as he pulled out his stethoscope.

"That's cool. I'll have to tell him we met." I said with a smile.

I watched as Dr. Riku listened to Kairi's heartbeat, then check her eyes and ears. I smiled at all the questions Kairi asked and how easily Riku answered them all. It was like speaking to children was so easy, almost completely natural.

But I guess that's what happens when you spend most of your time with children with all different kinds of shapes and sizes.

After everything was checked over Dr. Riku turned to me. "Miss Kairi is a happy, healthy kid. Its days like these that make me really happy. Three healthy kids in a row so far." Dr. Riku said.

"Well to be honest the reason I brought her here is because she tried to eat a slug and I was worried that it might be dangerous. I mean what if it was poisonous or something. I've been freaking out about it all week." I said.

"Well, did the slug look like this one?" Dr. Riku looked into a cabinet and pulled out a printed picture of a slug.

"Yes! That's exactly what it looked like! Is that bad?" I asked.

"No, that slug was nothing but an unfortunate garden slug. Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Dr. Riku said.

It felt as though ten thousand pounds were just lifted from my shoulders. "I want to take this moment to thank you for the wave of relief that just washed over me." I said.

Dr. Riku let out a soft laugh. "You're very welcome. It's part of the job." He finished.

"See Kairi, I told you nothing was wrong! You were so worried." I said.

Kairi laughed. "That was YOU, daddy!"

I snorted and picked her up. "Are we all finished?" I asked.

"Yes, I believe we are. Take good care of your dad, Kairi." Dr. Riku said.

"I will!" she said with a smile.

"Goodbye!" Nurse Naminé said from down the hall.

"Bye." I said and left the clinic.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

Naminé and I watched as the two cutest people I have ever met left the clinic. This was the first time I have ever wished that a patient would come back to the hospital.

Because if they came back, that would mean one of them was sick.

I hoped that maybe one day we would meet on better circumstances. Maybe then I could get closer to them in some way.

"I know what you're thinking, Riku. I've never met a sweeter father and child. It's good people like that that deserve good futures." Naminé said with a smile.

"They were so close, and Sora Smith has got to be the most loving father I have ever met in my entire life. And to be so young, I know he must be older but he doesn't even look a day over twenty." I said.

"He's twenty-one…" Larxene said from her spot at the desk. "It says here on his paperwork."

I walked behind the desk and took a look at the clipboard. "That means he must have had the child at sixteen!" I realized.

"I think it makes complete sense if you look at it that way. He must have knocked up his girlfriend in high school; the girlfriend probably left after having the kid. It's sad, but it makes sense because Mr. Smith showers his daughter with love. He must be trying to make up for the absent maternal unit." Larxene said as she cleaned her nails.

I shook my head at that. "That's a damn shame. What a stupid girl to miss out on such a great thing. Ooooh, it just burns me up! Mr. Smith must work his ass off to take care of his daughter. She's so well taken care of. To think she left such a devoted father… I could hit something!" I fumed.

"Riku calm down… there's nothing you can do about it." Larxene said and Naminé put a hand on my shoulder.

I took a breath. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me… I need to get back to work. Do I have anymore patients?" I asked.

"No, Kairi was your last patient." Naminé said. "To be completely honest Riku, I can understand your anger. Bad things like that shouldn't happen to good people. But all we can do to help is use them as examples for our own lives. And I hope to build a just as sweet a family with my fiancé in the future." She finished, her eyes sparkling.

I laughed. "You should worry about getting married first. The wedding is in two weeks isn't it?" I asked.

"Yes, and I couldn't be any happier." Naminé said.

"That's good." I said and turned when I heard Larxene making a gag noise.

Naminé flushed. "You're just jealous!" she yelped.

"Excuse me? I'm married already!" Larxene said and lifted her left hand to reveal her wedding ring.

Naminé huffed and walked off to do something. Larxene just laughed in her spot behind the desk.

"That was cruel and you know it Larxene." I said with a smile.

"Well, sometimes you just have to keep the younger one's in line you know. They act like the whole world is there's for the taking." Larxene explained.

"How is the husband by the way?" I asked.

"I think he's going through an early mid-life crisis. He dyed his hair pink last weekend. Personally, I think it's a nice color on him but I don't know what possessed him to do it. He said he needed control over his life and changing his hair was something he had complete control over. The guy's an idiot." Larxene said.

I laughed. "Tell him to give me a call when he's free. We need to go out for drinks."

"I sure will… I think Marluxia forgets that he actually has friends." Larxene said with a fond smile on her face.

"Well, I guess we can just clean up and go home then…" I said and started clearing some of the papers away from the desk.