Infirmities

My kids have been surprisingly healthy this winter. I knew that it was a matter of time until one of them got sick.

As fate would have it, my daughter woke up with a fever and sore throat on the same day that we noticed that our cat had chewed off all the hair on its ears.

"Have a fun day," my husband smirked as he left for work.

We went to the vet first. The vet tech who collected our information became very excited when she saw our address.

"You live right by Samantha and Louie and Veronica!" she cried.

The names didn't ring a bell.

"I love those little snoogums," she continued. "They were just in last week for their shots."

That's when I realized that the neighbors to which she was referring were cats.

The vet could tell right away that our cat had an ear infection. "Poor kitty cat," she purred as she rubbed her face against my cat's cheek. "We're going to make you all better. Yes we are."

The vet tech practically started crying when she went to take the cat's temperature. "This hurts me as much as it hurts you," she told her new furry friend. She visibly cringed as the thermometer went in.

Next up was the pediatrician.

The doctor barely looked at us when she walked in. "Open your mouth," she said. My daughter complied. After swabbing Camber's mouth, the doctor left the room. And never returned.

Fifteen minutes later, I poked my head out the door. "Hello?" I called. Eventually a nurse acknowledged my presence.

I asked her about the results of the culture. She looked at me like I was stupid. "It was positive," she said. "There's a prescription for you at the check out desk."

While I was swiping my credit card, Camber asked the receptionist for a sticker.

The woman stared at me blankly. "We're out," she replied.