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“Well, Colby, sometimes shots do hurt, but only for the tiniest moment of time. I bet Doctor Gareth is super good at giving shots, and he’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt you very much at all.”
“I like Doctor Gareth, but I don’t like shots,” Colby repeated.
“Most people don’t,” Aria told him.
“Have you had shots?”
“I have.”
“Did Doctor Gareth give them to you?”
“Nope. I had a different doctor when I was your age.”
“And did the shots hurt you?”
“Only a little bit, but then I got a lollipop afterwards.”
“Oooooh,” Colby crowed. “I love lollipops. I think I got one last time I got a shot.”
Gareth grinned. Lollipops for the win.
“We have a bunch of flavors, so once you’ve had your shot, you can come choose one.” Aria pointed to a basket on her desk.
“Okay. Let’s get this done!” Colby held his little hand up, and Aria gave it a light smack.
Turning in her chair, Aria’s gaze landed on Gareth, and she startled. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there.”
“That’s fine. I hear that I’m giving a shot to a brave little guy this morning.” He grinned at Colby, then looked up at his mother. “Nice to see you again, Joce.”
“You, too.” She gave him a friendly smile with no sign of flirtation, which Gareth really appreciated. Even though she was a single mom, she’d never shown a bit of interest in him.
“Let’s get this done,” Gareth said. “So you can get your lollipop.”
Colby waved at Aria. “I’ll be back.” As the three of them walked down the hallway, the little boy said, “She’s so nice, and she’s pretty like you, Momma.”
“Only six and already he’s appreciating the ladies,” Jocelyn said with a shake of her head.
Gareth chuckled as he stopped at the door to the exam room and gestured for them to precede him inside. “Thankfully, he’s got you to teach him to treat them right.”
“Oh, most definitely,” Jocelyn said with a nod.
Colby chatted throughout most of the appointment, sharing about his love for dinosaurs. They traded a bit of dino trivia since Gareth had also gone through a phase when he’d been fascinated by the animals.
The shot went without incident, and soon the boy was running down the hallway in search of his lollipop. Gareth and Jocelyn followed a bit more sedately.
When they reached the receptionist desk, they found Colby and Aria in the middle of an intense discussion about which flavor was the best. Colby was debating between strawberry—his favorite fruit—or green, which was his favorite color.
“You’re not going to like the green one,” Jocelyn said. “It’s lime.”
Colby looked up at her and wrinkled his nose. “But Aria said it’s her favorite.”
Gareth struggled not to laugh again. Yep. Only six and wanting to impress the ladies. It was kind of sweet to see, especially when a light flush crept up Aria’s cheeks.
“I like strawberry too,” Aria said. “I think you should go for that one.”
“Okay. Strawberry, please.”
She held the red lollipop out to him. “There you go. Enjoy.”
