The Doctor Will See You Now
What would happen if Gaia went to see the doctor for an infection?
“Oh, what if there’s nothing he can do?” Ms. G thought to herself as she twisted the tissue in her lap.
“Ms. G?” called the slim young woman who stood in the doorway with a very thick binder in her hands. She held the door open as she scanned the room.
“Maybe I could just leave and they won’t notice as I slip out the door,” her mind raced as she fidgeted in her chair. Her long, lithe legs crossed and uncrossed betraying her discomfort.
“Uhm, Ms. G,” the receptionist who had checked her in was looking at her with a questioning stare. “You can go back to see the Dr. now.”
“Oh, sorry, was that my name that nice young lady called,” Ms. G muttered as she stood up. Her hands slid down the front of her dress trying to press the imaginary wrinkles she felt were surely there.
“Right this way, please, Ms. G,” the young lady with the 18-inch-thick binder said sweetly as she held open the door for her to pass through.
“Ok, you know the drill. You can set your things down on that counter and then step on the scale,” the assistant guided her over to the scale that lurked in the corner.
Ms. G carefully placed her handbag on the pale-yellow countertop. She stood in front of the scale staring at it. Then she turned and looked at the young woman waiting patiently next to her. “Is this really necessary?”
“Oh, it’s OK. No one but the Dr. gets to see your information. And we must keep an accurate record of your wellbeing. There’s a lot at stake for you.” She smiled as she nodded toward the scale and clutched the weighty binder to her chest.
Ms. G turned back to the scale, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the platform. The numbers flashed rapidly, then settled down to a final amount.
“See? You didn’t have anything to worry about. You’ve actually dropped several measures,” the young woman chirped.
“Oh, that’s what I was afraid of. I’ve certainly purged some excess, however, I’m afraid it’s not enough and not the right areas,” Ms. G moaned as she stepped back off the scale.
“Well, that is something you can discuss with the Dr. Come this way and he won’t be a moment,” the assistant assured her as she directed her to a room that was just down the hall to her right.
Ms. G. shuffled to the room, sat down in the chair, and slumped. She felt defeated and was even more worried now than ever before.
“Dr. H will be with you shortly,” the assistant told her as she closed the door with a reserved look on her face.
She was roused from her stupor by a light tapping at the door.
“Ms. G, is it OK if I come in?” a deep, melodic voice called through the thick door.
“Yes, Dr. H, please do,” Ms. G replied.
The door swung open and Dr. H ducked through the doorway that barely fit his massive frame. His head grazed the top of the doorframe and he lifted his hand to straighten the thick mop of black curls that rode on top of his head. They waved cheerily to anyone who cared to observe as he passed by.
“Weeellll, Ms. G. We’re seeing a lot of you lately,” he said to her, then he leaned close and winked, “Not that I mind. It’s always a pleasure to see you. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Yes, well I truly wish the circumstances were better,” she gurgled. “I even shed some more weight.”
“I saw that. I guess that virus might have helped,” he said as he flipped open the colossal binder that was laying on the bench. “Did it burn itself out or did it adapt?”
“Oh, the first few waves weren’t enough. It’s adapting nicely, but so is the bacteria,” she sighed. “The little buggers just keep coming up with new ways to fight it off. They’re quite ingenious, you know.”
“It sounds like you admire them,” Dr. H chided. “Are you going soft?”
“I admire their resilience and perseverance; however, I do not appreciate what they are doing to me,” she admonished him. “I need your help to get rid of them once and for all.”
“So, the latest virus hasn’t done the trick. Hmmm, and the dehydration? How is that coming along?” he asked.
“There are pockets where I’m seeing less activity, but of course, they just move to another place or divert what little water there is to where they think it should be. Selfish. That’s what they are. They don’t care a hoot about the other creatures they share their habitation with.”
She turned her head and looked at him like an owl watching a mouse, “You know, as clever as they are, they are really stupid. If they would just stop trying to change everything. Stop sucking out my life force, killing all my little creations, draining my blood, and polluting my body, then we could live quite a happy life together.”
“How about the firebombs I gave you last time, did they help at all?” Dr. H asked as he tapped his finger on the edge of the binder and flipped a page.
“Well, they certainly gave them a fright. A good majority of their habitat was covered in flames and now it’s scarred almost beyond recovery.” She shook her head, “Unfortunately, they persevered yet again and overcame the fires.”
Dr. H furrowed his brow and ran his finger down the page, reviewing the previous visit notes.
“Have you thought about trying to communicate with them?”
“You know my history better than anyone. You know I’ve tried everything. Floods, fires, droughts, tornados, hurricanes. I’ve even sacrificed some of my favorite creatures just to get their attention. They just keep growing, expanding, and ignoring anything that doesn’t fit their agenda. They destroy everything in their wake. Including themselves. I just don’t know what else to do other than to wipe the slate clean and start over again.”
“This is a really drastic move,” Dr. H told her as he gently rested his hand on her shoulder. “You’ll not only wipe out the bacteria but everything else you’ve created along with it. Is that what you want to do?”
“I think it’s time for drastic measures,” Ms. G answered. “It worked for those huge beasts way back when I was first experimenting, it should work for this batch too.”
“Ok, well, I’ve put in the call to Mrs. U and she has a lovely specimen on its way now.”
“Will it be enough to do what is needed?”
“Yes, I believe it will.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“What will you do when the dust settles?” Asked Dr. H.
“Start again, of course,” Ms. G said as a beautiful smile graced her face and a brilliant light shone all around her body.
