“Not in front of the child!”

“Oh, right… Sorry, Baggie.” Baloo said, looking ashamed, he really should have known better than to act or talk sadistically in front of a child.

“Honestly, you haven’t changed much, have you?” Bagheera sighed, letting go of Chris’ ears. 

Chris looked up at Baloo with a worried expression. “Daddy Bear, you’re…. you’re not gonna hurt anybody, are ya?”

Baloo felt his violent anger melting away as he gazed into Chris’ beautiful blue eyes and felt like breaking down, pulling Chris into an embrace and never letting go.

“No, Lil Buddy, I won’t hurt no one.” Baloo promised, picking Chris up and hugging him. “…not unless they hurt my two boys first.”

Chris hugged Baloo’s neck. “I love you, Daddy Bear.”  And then he did something he has never done before, for the first time since he had met Baloo, he kissed his Daddy Bear on the cheek.

“Aww, that was sweet, Chris.” Baloo said, smiling, and then he kissed Chris on the forehead.  

“Uh, as much as I’d hate to break up this touching moment…” Bagheera said. “But I have a job to do and I’m still not finished with Chris.”

“Oh great, way to ruin the moment, Baggie.” Baloo said resentfully as he sat Chris back down on the examination table.

“Sorry…” Bagheera muttered sheepishly

Bagheera continued his thorough checkup on Chris, checking his blood pressure, giving him an eye and hearing exam, which all were declared normal. And then he laid Chris on his back and started checking his teeth for cavities. Bagheera told them that he was able to do teeth cleanings since he was a full all-around doctor. He gently tries to clean Chris’ teeth but Chris, who has never been to a dentist in his life and therefore never had all these metal cleaning instruments in his mouth, couldn’t find himself able to hold still for the doctor and Baloo had to hold him down.

Finally, Bagheera sat Chris up into a sitting position after his teeth-cleaning.

“We’re almost done, Chris, you’ve been very good today.” Bagheera told him, smiling. “The last thing is your booster shots and then you can go.”

Chris was sitting there, thinking that he likes the doctor — that is, until he saw Bagheera coming back to him with a needle. His eyes widened in panic at the sight of it.    

“Wh-wh-what’s that?” Chris asked fearfully, pointing at the needle in Bagheera’s hand.

“This is what I going to use to give you your booster shots.” Bagheera said simply. “I’ll give you a lollypop if you’ll be a good boy and hold still for me.”

If he had thought the bribery of a lollypop would make Chris feel better, he was widely mistaken. Chris jumped down from the examination table and ran, crying, to hide behind Baloo.

“NO! I DON’T WANT A SHOT!” Chris cried from behind Baloo. “Daddy Bear, don’t let him give me those!”

 Baloo picked Chris up in his arms and patted his back consolingly. Chris buried his face in Baloo’s chest and whimpered.

“Aw, Baggie, does he have to have those nasty shots?” Baloo asked, stroking the back of Chris’s head soothingly. He hated it when something frightens Chris this badly. “Shh…There, there, Lil Buddy…it’s alright... Shh….”

Chris sniffed in response, sticking his thumb into his mouth and started sucking on it.

“I hate this part of the job…” Bagheera sighed. “Believe me, Baloo, I don't like giving these shots either, but it’s my job, I have to. If you would like, you may hold Chris till I’m done,” he said comfortingly. “Chris is such a sweet little boy, but I really need to give him these so he can be immune to colds and other aliments. You don’t want him getting sick, do you?”

 

“No,” Baloo sighed. “Get it over with, I’ll hold him fer ya.”

 

“What?! Daddy Bear, no!” Chris cried; looking so betrayed that it broke Baloo’s heart into pieces. “I don’t want water coming out of me!”

 

“WHAT?” exclaimed Bagheera, looking outraged. “What have you been telling him, Baloo? Are you trying to turn all the children against me?”

“It wasn’t me, Baggie,” Baloo said defensively. “Chris’ cousin, Jeffery is a magician’s assistant and he made the remark at the last show.”

“Ah, yes,” Bagheera said, nodding in understanding. “Jeffery’s sword trick. ‘Watch where you’re sticking those things, they’re worse than the doctor’s needles,’ he said, and then he drinks a cup of water and water sprouted out of his chest, is that the one?” 

“Yeah, that’s the one, Baggie.” Baloo said,

Bagheera sighed and shook his head. “That line and that trick shall be the end of me; it is not good for business.” He reached out and patted Chris on the back consolingly. “There, there, child. I would never harm you. Jeffery was just joking when he said that and the water that sprouted out his chest was just a trick, it is physically impossible to do that without dying doing so.” 

Chris moved his face away from Baloo’s chest and stared at Bagheera with teary eyes.

“R-really?” he sniffed.

“Let me tell you something, Lil Buddy.” Baloo said, raising Chris up a little. “I’ve known Baggie since my own school days, he wouldn’t hurt you and he wouldn’t give you those booster shots if you didn’t need ‘em.”  

“R-really?” Chris sniffed again, with half a glance at Bagheera.

“Really,” Baloo and Bagheera confirmed in unison.

Chris looked between Baloo and Bagheera as though trying to make up his mind about something.

“O-okay…” he said timidly, then he look up at Baloo and tightened his arms around Baloo’ neck. “Hold me, Daddy Bear.”

“Sure kid,” Baloo said softly and he moved toward the examination table and sat Chris down upon it but he kept his arms around Chris in his comforting hold.

Bagheera then put on a new pair of white rubber gloves, and began to start by checking the needle to make sure it wasn’t contaminated.

“Chris… please be very brave for me.” Bagheera said comfortingly. “I promise you, this will all be over soon.”

Chris was still clinging to Baloo as Bagheera approached him with the dreaded needle. Bagheera gently grasped Chris’ wrist and pushed up his left sleeve and he dabbed his arm with an alcohol-filled cotton ball. And Chris whiningly turned his face away from his left arm and hid it in Baloo’s chest again.   

 

“Relax Chris, it’ll be over soon, but it’ll hurt worse if you move too much.” Bagheera said gently, aiming the needle to Chris’ arm.

Chris froze, as still as a statue and Bagheera gave him his first shot. He let out a weak cry as he felt the prick of the needle on his arm, a tear slid down his cheek.

 

“You’re doing well, Chris.” Bagheera said gently, patting Chris on the back. “You’re being very brave.”

 

“Is it over?” Chris whimpered in a muffled voice, his face pressed against Baloo’s chest.  

 

“Not yet, Chris. You’ve still got a few more, just a few. Keep being brave for me.” Bagheera said comfortingly

 

Chris begins to cry as Bagheera gave him the second shot.

 

“Sometimes I really hate this job.” Bagheera muttered, patting Chris back consolingly. “I find no pleasure in making children cry.”

 

“Shh, Chris… It’ll be okay, Lil Buddy,” Baloo said, comforting Chris with a gentle pat as well

 

“N-n-no more, Daddy Bear,” Chris sobbed. “P-p-please, no more, I wanna go home!” 

“We’re nearly done, sweet child,” Bagheera said gently, patting the back of Chris’ head. “We’ve got one more to go, just one more and then it’ll all be over.”

“No, I wanna go home!” Chris cried.

 

“Chris,” Baloo said gently. “Just take one more and then we can go home, scout’s honor.”

 

“NO!” Chris shouted, “I wanna go home—NOW!”

 

“Chris Buddy Cloudkicker!” Baloo said sternly, and Chris shrinks in Baloo’s arms. “Do not shout at me like that.”

 

“I-I’m sorry, Daddy Bear…” Chris whimpered,   

 

Baloo sighed; he really didn’t want to be stern with Chris, not now when he was upset about having gotten two shots already. He hugged Chris a little tighter.

 

“Hey, I know you wanna go home now, but you’ll have to take the last shot.” Baloo told him gently. “Just one more shot and then we can go; can you do that for me?” 

 

Chris looked up at Baloo’s face with teary eyes, hesitated, then said: “O-okay, Daddy Bear, I’ll take one more…”

 

“That’s my boy…” Baloo said softly, he gently wiped Chris’ tears away with a finger. “You’re doing great; it’ll all be over in a moment. –Hurry up, Baggie, this is torture for him.”

 

Chris extended his arm to Bagheera while burying his face in Baloo’s

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