First names and no crinkly paper

Yesterday I thought Laurie was either taking me to a walk-in clinic or to my old pediatrician's office. She wasn't. She took me to her own doctor that she's been going to for like 20 years. When we got there, he said we were going to talk for just a couple of minutes just so he could figure out what blood tests he wanted, then he'd send me to the lab on another floor before they closed, then I'd go back to him and was getting his last appointment of the day. So we stood in an exam room and he took my hand and looked at my nails and asked how much I've been sleeping and when my last period was and how long I haven't been feeling quite right.

The blood lab lady took like five or six vials of blood, and then offered me either a lollipop or cup of orange juice on my way out. I took the lollipop. As I started to walk out the lady called to me, "You start on that now - nobody faints on my shift!" When I got back to the doctor's office he was sitting in a chair next to Laurie in the waiting room, talking. I tried not to be paranoid they were talking about me, and ripped the wrapper off the lollipop. Right as I started to put it in my mouth though, the doctor jumped up and yelled NO! at me.

I was so startled I dropped my lollipop on the floor, ruining it. In another place I'd just run it under water and consider that clean enough, but not in front of Laurie and her fancy doctor-friend. He picked up my lollipop and apologized for scaring me, saying he needed to look in my mouth and see my throat before I'd swallowed purple dye.

He opened the door that goes past reception and held it open for me. I looked back at Laurie and tried to do that thing where you communicate by giving a meaningful look to someone, but she just smiled at me encouragingly. So I asked her point blank to come with me and the doctor was like, "Everyone's welcome."

He didn't take me into a regular exam room, but I guess it was his office. I looked at his diplomas while he rearranged the chairs. Harvard and Columbia. He has two daughters older than me and a droopy dog. A boat. He gestured to the chairs and Laurie and I sat down. "So. I'm Doug. You're Sam. Before I forget, let me look at your throat." I don't have any throat problems. Or heart or lung problems. Or reflex problems. Or any problems you discover from looking in someone's eyes or ears. He gave me a butterscotch candy.

He did all that doctor stuff in an office and not an exam room. When he did the reflex thing on my knees he just had me sit on the corner of his desk. He asked what I'm doing for the summer. Who I live with. How many credits I'm taking in the fall. What I do on the weekends. What I do for fun. What I eat on an average day. How much I sleep. How much I drink. What drugs I use (I lied, since I smoke weed less than once a month). What my boss is like. What vitamins I take. How I like my college. A lot of stuff.

I told him he was asking a lot of shrinkly questions. He smiled and asked if I'd ever seen a shrink. I told him about Craig. About how I was on probation. He asked if I'd "been in trouble with the law since high school" and I shook my head no. He asked if I thought of myself as someone who was in trouble. I always think of myself as someone waiting to get in trouble and have my whole world come crumbing down. Laurie looked surprised when I said that, but Doug just nodded.

We were in his office for over a half hour. It's the longest doctor visit I ever had. Doug told me he wants to check my lab results and then see me again, but he thinks whatever might be wrong is fixable. I said thank you and we got up to leave. Laurie walked out first and then Doug like, just told her we'd be right out and closed the door trapping me inside with him. "Laurie may be an old family friend, but now you're my patient. How's your relationship really going with her son? Or anyone else? Anything I should know that you couldn't say in front of Laurie?"

I was really surprised he did that. In a good way, but still. I shook my head no and Doug said okay. He opened the door and as I walked past him he put his hand on my shoulder and told me he wouldn't let me slip through the cracks, and I'd hear from his office later in the week. Is there anything to the fact that the best doctors I've had have always been first-name types?