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She chuckled and stuffed a bag with sweets. “I wasn’t oblivious. My only focus was you. You were the only person I wanted to have my attention. How does that make you feel, Dr. Cones?”

I chortled. “Like I’m the special one. Would I be too forward if I said I wished you were here with me right now?”

Dom paused from her packaging and looked at me. “That can easily be arranged, Sur. Just say the word.”

“Well, damn. If I knew I had it like that, then I would’ve rescheduled my last appointment.” We laughed. “I’m kidding though. I don’t wanna distract you from working.”

“I appreciate that because I’m easily distracted, especially if the man looks like you.”

“It better be me only,” I voiced, sitting up in my seat.

“Possessive, are we, doctor?” she probed, laughing.

Dom found it funny that she had me worked up. Her ass almost had me about to ask if there was someone else that had her attention, but I had to play it cool… for now.

“Oh, absolutely,” I responded.

She grinned as she wrote on her notepad next to her.

“You can relax. You’re the only man that has my attention,” she confirmed without looking at me. There was a knock on her door. Dom looked up.

“What’s wrong, love?”

“Nothing. I just wasn’t expecting any visitors. Give me a sec.”

Dom removed her black latex gloves then walked over to her door. I smiled because she had no idea I’d sent her a few gifts to help keep her going throughout her day. Seconds later, Dom walked back into the view with the biggest grin on her face.

“You are so sneaky yet charming, Sur. Thank you so much for my flowers and fruit and chocolate arrangement. You’re so attentive and intentional. It feels damn good to have someone like you looking out for me. Thank you for seeing me,” Dom announced with a slight sniffle.

“Aww, beautiful. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just wanted to send you a small gift to keep you going throughout the day.”

“These are happy tears, love. Thank you again so much.”

“You’re more than welcome, beautiful. I gotta go because my next appointment arrived, but I’ll call you on my drive home.”

“Sounds good to me. I look forward to your call. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You do the same.”

I ended our call, feeling more hopeful than I did when I first called her.

Dom was something special. I hadn’t even smelled or completely felt her warm pussy, but here I was courting her like a lovesick fool already.

As I exited my office and walked to room six, I thought about how I was glad I got to know Dom on my own terms. She was totally worth it.

I stopped at the nurse’s station and chatted with my one of my favorite nurses, Mildred.

“Hey, beautiful. Who’s my last appointment?”

Mildred wore a solemn expression. “Sorry, Dr. Cones, but it’s little Diana.

Mom and dad brought her in for a follow-up appointment because Diana fractured her collarbone at a park.

She fell off the monkey bars, but there are bruises on her collarbone and back that don’t coincide with a fall.

Mom and dad are in there waiting with her.

Funny thing… mom is wearing shades. Go figure. What do you want to do?”

I took her folder from Mildred and chewed on my lip as I looked through it. That man thought shit was sweet, but after today, it wouldn’t be. I hated to do this to a family, but if mom couldn’t keep her daughter safe from that monster, then they left me no choice. I looked up at Mildred.

“I’m going to do something I probably should’ve done a long time ago. Contact the social worker, and the police. This appointment won’t end well. When you’re done, meet me in there.”

“Yes, Dr. Cones.”

Mildred walked away to make her calls. I proceeded to room six, trying to contain my anger.

I knocked then entered. Ten-year-old Diana was on the bed swinging her feet.

Her shoulders were slumped, and her left arm was in a sling.

Diana’s brown eyes widened, and a smile adorned her small face when she saw me.

I adored her so much, and it broke my heart to see her mistreated the way she had been.

“Dr. Cone!” she recited happily.

“Hey, munchkin. How are you? How are you, Mr. and Mrs. Moore?”

“I’m okay,” Diana replied.

I looked at her parents. Mr. Moore completely ignored me, and that was cool with me. I preferred he didn’t say shit anyway.

“Hello, Dr. Cones,” Mrs. Moore greeted me.

“What happened to Diana?” I inquired.

Mildred walked in as soon as the question left my mouth. I thoroughly cleaned and dried my hands as I listened to Mrs. Moore’s explanation. Mildred rolled her eyes.

“We took her to the park, and she fell off the monkey bars. It’s one of her favorite activities, but she can get carried away with it,” Mrs. Moore responded with an uneasy chuckle.

I looked at Mildred briefly, and she rolled her eyes to the ceiling again as I continued my examination of Diana.

“Is that what happened, Diana?”

I lifted her shirt partially and noted all the fresh and old bruises on her body.

This was the last time I’d go off a parent’s word when it came to a kid having back-to-back incidents like this.

I wasn’t a detective or FBI profiler, but I was a damn good doctor.

My eye was trained to notice physical and sometimes emotional abuse placed on a child.

I thought she was just a growing kid, but now it appeared there was something bad going on.

Her father was the type of man that made good fathers look bad.

“Why the fuck you ask her that? Didn’t you just hear what my wife said? And why you checkin’ her body instead of lookin’ at her collarbone?”

I released a deep sigh and turned to him.

“First, take some of that bass out yo’ voice.

I may be a doctor, but I’m a man at the end of the day.

Secondly, I believed every bullshit ass story y’all have fed me about Diana, but it stops today.

You all have no idea how severely uncoordinated this child would have to be by the way she constantly falls and hurts herself.

That means every few steps she takes, she falls.

There are also welts on her skin that are permanent.

I looked at the x-rays of her collarbone.

Yes, it looks as if she could’ve fallen from the monkey bars, but the bruises around her fracture don’t add up,” I stated with my voice elevated.

Her dad walked closer to me. “What the fuck you tryin’ say? That we abuse our daughter?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Our social worker, Dresser, and the police are currently on the way. Diana will undergo a full exam by me and will be interviewed by Dresser. If her stories don’t align with you all’s, she will be removed from your home today.”

Mrs. Moore gasped. “Dr. Cones, please don’t. I love her. I’d never hurt her.”

“Muthafucka!” Mr. Moore yelled then leaped at me. He knocked Mrs. Moore’s shades off, and Mildred gasped loudly.

I caught his goofy ass by the throat and hemmed him against the wall. Mr. Moore attempted to get me off him, but I was too strong for his weak ass.

“I’m not a woman or a little girl. You don’t put fear in my heart, you weak ass bitch. Hit me how you been hittin’ Diana. I dare you. I’ll toss yo’ punk ass out that fucking window!” I spat.

“Police! It’s okay, doctor. We’ll take it from here,” an officer voiced behind me.

I held on to Mr. Moore a few seconds longer before I released him.

He staggered over to the countertop in the room.

I turned to see uniformed officers had arrived, and Dresser was behind them.

Poor little Diana’s eyes were low as tears trailed down her face.

I hated that she had to see me in the same light as her father, but hopefully, she saw I’d only tried to protect her.

I looked at Mrs. Moore, and her right eye was swollen shut.

It was plumper than a ripe strawberry during strawberry season.

It was black, purple, and slightly blue.

There was also a thick white crust around her eye, and I suspected it was infected.

She looked down in embarrassment and probably guilt.

“Officers and Dresser, I suspect my patient, Diana Moore, is being abused by her father, Mr. Moore.” I pointed to him. “Diana needs to be interviewed separately from her parents, and from the looks of her mother’s eye, she needs to be interviewed then examined as well.”

“We’re on it,” the first officer stated.

He directed his partner to stay in the room with Mr. Moore, while he interviewed Mrs. Moore.

Dresser helped Diana down and guided her to her office.

I exited the room, hating that Diana would have to leave that house.

If Mrs. Moore told the truth, then maybe Mr. Moore would be locked up, and her and Diana could live in peace without him.

Hopefully, God’s will be done. I took an hour to regain my composure.

Mr. Moore had me hot. I was not a hood nigga like him, but I wasn’t no ho either.

I grew up with three brothers. I had no choice but to be tough. My brothers expected nothing less.

Time went by, and I completed Diana’s exam.

My speculations were right. Her dad hit her repeatedly just like her mom.

Their testimonies were the same. He was a loser and a drunk.

Mr. Moore was arrested, and by God’s grace, Mrs. Moore was allowed to keep Diana.

She feared him too much to leave, but she claimed now that he was gone, there was enough time to get Diana away from here.

There was family down South they could stay with.

Before they left, I treated Mrs. Moore’s eye.

It was infected and super weak after so much abuse.

I hoped she’d be able to see once it healed.

If not, she’d lose it after so much trauma.

They had a long road of recovery ahead of them, but I knew they could do it.