The Pink Haired Woman

by Seran

The doctor

It was a rainy Thursday morning. The pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof awoke John, his bladder jumping from the sounds of falling water. As he rose from bed, his head felt as if it was in a vice. The crushing pain was a reminder of the bad decisions he made last night.

‘Last night, Sven and I had a chugging contest,’ he recalled. ‘Bad idea. But there was someone else there.’ That thought raced through his mind. He couldn’t remember anything from last night, just fragments. He knew someone was there, but just not who. ‘They probably went home.’ He concluded.

A visit to the toilet and an aspirin later, John waddled into the kitchen. John half-mindedly opened the fridge and readied his breakfast. He pulled out the egg carton and a rectangular vacuum sealed pack from the cold meats drawer.

Fluttershy was still sound asleep, however a new smell alerted her nose. Her eyes shot open. This new smell was amazing, the texture was rather smoky, salivating, pinching at her taste buds. Her stomach turned to this new smell and like a bee to the flower it attracted her. She had to get up and see this new flavor.

“What could it be?” she asked herself. “It smells like fried oily bread, but different. Is this some new pasta or perhaps grilled eggplant recipe?” Her mind was boggled. She couldn’t wait to see what this new things were waiting for her in the kitchen.

She peeked into the dining room and found John setting the table for himself. A single plate sat on the table carrying two eggs and what looked like fried corn husks. The smell intrigued her.

John looked up to see the starving pink haired roommate that he had forgotten about. He was shocked that he hadn’t made anything for her. He hoped she wasn’t angry.

As he swallowed the food he had in his mouth, he remembered some key points about her. If he had to do something, he felt he needed to do it now.

“I kinda forgot you were here.” He sheepishly said. “I’ll uhh…” He looked into the kitchen hoping he could find something for her to eat. “I’ll get you some cereal if you want me to.” Having left a tortilla over his plate, he carefully stood up and headed into the kitchen.

Fluttershy, still curious about the food, sneaked over to the table and looked down at the plate. Her eyes glistened as she wondered, ‘what could this be? Is this some new human food I have never heard of before?’ Her mouth watered as she slowly lifted the tortilla and gazed upon the food.

“I made you some raisin bra…” John came out of the kitchen to catch Fluttershy with a strip from his plate in her hand. “DON’T EAT THAT!!” was the only thing he could say as he tried to stop a catastrophe.

The woman dropped the strip on the table, missing the plate by an inch. Drawing her hand onto her chest she gasped defensively. Her gasp sounded like a crying whimper, making John uneasy.

“I… I don’t think you would like it.” John sighed.

“Why not?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the plate again.

“Well, it’s meat.” He stated bluntly. He placed the bowl on the table before a backlash of screams.

Fluttershy stayed silent for a moment as John braced himself for impact. With her thumb on her lips, she asked, “But how can meat smell so good?”

John opened his eyes. He was surprised she was still calm, although confused. “What?” was the only thing he could say.

“I mean, I’ve smelt a… dead… body, and it wasn’t too fresh.” she dug her chin into her chest as she relived the incident. She covered her mouth in disgust of the returning smell of rotting flesh. It was not something she wanted to remember.

“It’s different when it’s, well, fresh.” John tried to explain. “When it also has the right spices and marinade it can smell great and the flavor is exquisite.” It took a while for John’s half damaged brain to comprehend that she may not have wanted to hear this.

Her cheeks clenched as she relived the smells and John knew what that meant. He acted quickly. He rushed into the kitchen to get the trash can. Unfortunately by the time he touched the rim, a groaning splatter sounded on the linoleum dining room floor. John’s appetite suddenly vanished in the heat of the moment.

It took two minutes of cleaning to rid the floor of the mucus and stomach acids; those of which Fluttershy spent crying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t be angry.”

John got a little annoyed with the constant whining. ‘I don’t see the worry, it’s not like it was the first time I’ve seen vomit’ he muttered to himself. As he made the last passage with his mop, he started to think, ‘what if this was brought on by a bacterium or something?’ He remembered that she lived in the forest, without clean water or certified doctors. ‘Something might be wrong with her.’

His worries grew as he thought through the problems he had when he went camping with his family; the flu he caught from the mosquitoes, a worm he caught from drinking from the river, and the dysentery. His stomach turned from the thought. “I have to do this as soon as I can.”

He left the mop in the kitchen and went to his list of emergency phone numbers. Shifting through the list, he came to the medical section. He reached the general doctor, a ‘Doctor Joseph Kline’. John took the house phone and dialed in the number.

The phone rang on the other end as John checked the time. “6:40?” He said to his surprise, “they’re probably not open.”

A click sounded on the other end, along with a voice. “Morning?”

“Doc?” John asked. The voice sounded different on the phone.

“Yes. And may I ask who this is?”

“This is... John Alvarez.” John was always hesitant when it came to answering with his name.

“Oh, John.” He responded loudly as he remembered his name. “For what reason are you calling? Is your medication not working? Have you been having more digestive problems?”

John paused for a moment making sure he had no more embarrassing questions. “It’s not me I’m calling about.” He tried to collect his thoughts for an explanation.

“Is someone hurt?”

“No, no, it’s not like that. Sh- this person hasn’t been to a doctor and I think they may have some illnesses.”

“Illness?” The doctor asked, “what are the symptoms? Is this person vomiting or having irregularities with restroom needs?”

John was embarrassed by the line of questioning. “Well, not exactly.” He tried his best. “This person has been in the woods for most of their life and I, well, want you to run a physical or something, just to make sure she doesn’t have anything wrong.” After trying his hardest to keep her gender out, he noticed a slip.

The doctor was silent in the other end. John was scared he might reject the offer. As the silence progressed, his worries grew more and more. “Hello?” John broke the silence to make sure the call wasn’t cut.

“Yes?” The doc finally responded.

“Did you hear what I said?” John carefully asked.

“Yes, I heard. But I have a question.”

“What?” John worried.

“Are you willing to pay full price for this when she come in?”

“Yes, I’ve paid for worse things.” John jested through the question. “What time should I be there?”

“I always have an hour after opening that is left free. Come in around eight and we’ll see what we can do.”

“Thanks doc.”

“Anytime. Oh, and I will be running a blood test, so make sure she fasts.”

John looked over to see the woman holding her stomach in the corner of the dining room. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“Okay, then. See you at eight.”

After hanging up, John took his time to practice explaining to that woman what the doctor probably would and wouldn’t do.

“Okay Fluttershy, the doctor is going to stick things into you and take pictures of you from the inside so he can see if you are healthy.” He stared at the sink trying to see the response to his words. The sink did not move, but he could still see what could happen. “That’s not a good idea,” he told himself.

After a minute of thinking it through, he headed out to the dining room to try to not frighten the poor woman.

Fluttershy was curiously taking peeks at the plate and continued to hold her mouth in disgust. John took a seat and folded his hands over his forehead. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Fluttershy.

“Um, Mister John?” Fluttershy stated softly.

“Y-yes?” He was surprised by the sudden interruption.

“I know it may not be my business, but I wanted to ask you something.”

John looked at her with a curious gaze.

“Umm, this lie you’ve been telling everypony… Where did you come up with it? I mean if it’s not rude for me to ask.”

John was surprised this lie was getting to her head. “Wh-why do you ask?”

“It seems I don’t exactly fit in here and your lie made ponies understand better. I-it has been picking at me since the first time you said it.” Her blush made John more enticed to answer. It called to him, saying ‘I want to know but I’m embarrassed to ask.’

“Well, everyone here expects different things when they hear the word ‘California’, he explained. “Most people think of them as ‘hippie liberal salad eaters’, as stated by a local resident. And you fit the bill, well, perfectly.”

“I’m, um, not talking about that one.” She corrected bashfully.

John was curious to what she meant. As she stood there looking off to the side, John thought about what exactly she meant. He looked at the time, remembering the appointment. Seven forty-two. John realized they were almost late for the appointment.

“Fluttershy, we gotta get going,” John ordered as he turned to her. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Late to what?”

“Your doctor’s appointment.” He darted up and reached around the table. “We gotta get dressed and head to the car.”

“But I haven’t eaten yet.” She said as she was dragged off to the bedroom.

“You don’t need to, he’s going to check your blood. Now get dressed.” John ordered, “We need you to be presentable in the office. They judge you on your entrance.” He continued to lie to her to make her wear clothing. John didn’t expect her to comply, but he hoped things would go well.

________________

John headed in from the rain to see that the clinic was empty, even for a Thursday morning. The clinic was small, with only twenty seats in the waiting room and a hole in the wall for reception. It was not very welcoming, but it had the necessities.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind though. She sat down and waited patiently. John didn’t have time to sit down; he had to assure the appointment was set. He headed to the receptionist and rang the bell. The reception room was empty. ‘Probably since it’s so early’ John thought, as he rang the bell a second time.

Finally, a receptionist arrived. She was an older woman, possibly around fifty, with green scrubs and a scowl that said, ‘what do you want.’

She glared at john as she took sips from her coffee. “Can I help you?” She stated coldly. John remembered stories about this woman. The best thing to do was state your business and walk away.

“I’m here for an appointment.”

“Are you the patient, or are you here with someone else?” She asked.

“I brought the patient.” John saw the soulless eyes staring across the room at the girl who was patiently waiting.

“Have we seen her before?” The receptionist asked with a blank tone.

“No.” John answered the best he could.

“Is she coming in as an emergency patient?”

“No.”

“Does she carry any infectious diseases or contaminants?”

“Not that I’m aware.”

“Does she have insurance?”

“No.”

She paused for a bit. “Are you interested in our lower income program for lower medical treatment costs?” Her voice continued to sound un-enthusiastic. She rolled her eyes as she reached for the paper and clipboard set for the situation. As she placed it on the counter, she pointed out the necessary sections. “For lower costs we will need the patients name, date of birth, social security number, and lists of emergency contacts. Please write in blue or black ink.”

John rubbed the back of his head. “Yeeeah, she doesn’t actually have her card with her.” His nervous smile was all he could give her.

With a glare, she took a red pen and marked out the title and section for Social Security with ‘N/A’. “We will still need your contact information. Please use this sheet to write it down.”

As he took the board, he feared for the worst. He headed back to the seat and handed Fluttershy with a worried sigh ‘I hope this goes over well. I don’t want the feds knocking on my door.’

“Umm, Mister John?” Fluttershy called him with her soft voice, and a tug on his shirt. John peered over. “I can’t… read this.”

John slapped his palm to his face and responded with an annoyed grunt, “great, now she’s illiterate.”

With a fearful squeal, she shook from the statement. Shyly, she defended herself from John’s statement. “I-I can read, but not in your language.” She looked at the paper with a frown.

John was confused even more. ‘But what am I to expect from someone who lived in the forest all her life,’ he thought to himself.

He took the paper from her and readied it for each question. He was annoyed, but saw no way out of it.

‘Name? Should I put Fluttershy? Or Mary?’ As he remembered the way the receptionist acted, he thought it best to use the latter. ‘Next question, date of birth.’ As he read the question, he immediately turned to Fluttershy and asked, “What is your date of birth?”

“Umm. The eighth of Noverence 978 era 3.”

John didn’t expect this. He took a slow breath and continued. “What month is that?”

“Oh, it’s the ninth month of the year. Is it a problem here?”

John counted to himself using his fingers as he counted the months away. His left pinkie landed on September. “September… eighth…” He paused as soon as he had to enter the year. His mother, along with every comedian he had ever seen, said it was never a good idea to ask a woman her age. He had to ask carefully if he wanted to know that information.

“What year is it?” he asked slyly.

“Umm,” Fluttershy was hesitant to answer. “It’s 1003, isn’t it?”

John immediately began to do the math in his head. He wasn’t the best at math, but he still got what he needed. ’78-3=75, 100-75=25, 2013-25=1988.’ Finally, he wrote down the date of birth: September eighth 1988, aged 25.

After the paperwork was done, John returned to the receptionist, who was in a better mood now that she had some time to relax and drink her coffee. “Thank you,” she said in a more polite tone than before. “Now if you could please wait in your seat , the doctor will be with you shortly.”

John took his seat with a sigh. The television in the waiting room had not been turned on yet, so the room had an eerie silence. That was the case until the other morning patients came in. One was a moderately obese woman with her arm in a cast but couldn’t keep away from her phone. Then entered a mother with her five and eight year old daughters. The children could not keep their eyes of Fluttershy’s hair. John knew both of these women and they were not pleasant people.

Fluttershy grew scared as the woman sitting across from them gave her the meanest scowl she had ever seen. Like a child, she leaned in to the closest pillar of comfort. It happened to be John. John, feeling the light grasp of a hand on his arm turned to see what was going on. Fluttershy was tensed up, her eyes shook from fear of something that was unknown to him.

Making a guess, he thought of the most rational fear of the moment. “Don’t worry, doctors aren’t that scary. They want to know what is wrong with you so they can fix it.”

“But,” she whimpered, “all these ponies are looking at me.”

‘Again with the P word,’ he thought to himself. John took a look around to see the two women giving the stink eye. The children were giggling at the pink hair, something they had never seen before. He now saw why she was uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry, they won’t bite.” John patted her shoulder with a strained smile. He knew how these people got at times, but all he hoped for was that they didn’t start rumors.

A few minutes of awkward staring passed until the orderly opened the security door. “Mary Posa,” he called. John poked at Fluttershy’s shoulder to remind her. With a bewildered look, they stood up and exited the room.

The pale room frightened Fluttershy. The cleanliness and organization made John uneasy as well. The woman shook as she remembered the cold air and fear of the doctor’s coming actions. It took a while for John to notice the heavy shaking. He didn’t want to seem like a jerk anymore. He already brought her to a doctor, by force, in a way.

The nurse opened the door and looked at the two. One look at the bright pink hair, and she stepped out and closed the door. Fluttershy was surprised, but John wasn’t. It took a few seconds for the nurse to return.

“Sorry about that.” She apologized, “that was very unprofessional.” The nurse gave a smile in response to her actions. “Now then, the doctor ordered a series of tests for your physical.” She looked at the chart, peeking back at Fluttershy’s hair every now and again. “I just have some questions before we get started.”

John worried for her. ‘If she said something that sounded off they may put her under quarantine,’ he thought to himself, ‘who knows how they would react to her forest talk.’

“Have you vomited in the past month?”

“Just this morning.” She looked at John with shame in her eyes. The nurse took notes and went on to the next questions.

“Does your family have any history of cancer?” The nurse asked.

“Cancer?” Fluttershy responded, “no, not that I can remember.”

“Any other diseases like high blood pressure, cholesterol, Alzheimer’s, or diabetes?”

“Umm…” She was quiet as she thought it through. “My father had high blood pressure. I don’t know if it’s hereditary.”

“Have you had your vaccines for Polio, H1N1, Shingles, or any recent vaccinations?”

“I don’t know what these diseases are,” She said with worry. “I did have a vaccine for tetanus and rabies.”

“Have you been taking any medication in the past six months?”

“I was taking some antibiotics for a stomach infection last spring.”

“What type of stomach infection was this?” The nurse asked attentively.

“It was bacteria/, from some bad carrots.” She turned her head in shame.

John was surprised by all this. He did not expect her to know so much about medicine. He expected her to be bewildered by the information.

“Alright, now step on the scales.” The nurse asked, while trying to stay focused. The nurse seemed more and more distracted by Fluttershy. Her eyes seemed to dart back and forth between the nurse’s head and clipboard.

She continued with the test. Fluttershy’s weight and blood pressure indicated that she was in a healthy state, but the tests had to continue and the more invasive tests had yet to begin.

“Okay, we have to check your throat.” The nurse said as she pulled out a swab. Fluttershy took one look at the item and covered her mouth the same way a child would. “It won’t hurt.” The nurse tried to assure her. “We only need to take a swab. Just a little rub of your tonsils to check for bacteria. Just to know if you are healthy.”

Fluttershy slowly took her hands away from her face, her lips still pressed shut, distrusting the nurse’s intentions. With a glance at John for assurance, she opened her mouth for the test.

The following tests were more invasive. John was asked to wait outside the room. This made Fluttershy tremble in her shoes. She didn’t react well to the breast lump examination.

The tests went fine until the needles were brought in for the blood test. The very sight of them made Fluttershy race for shelter behind John. The sudden shock toppled John of his feet as he fell back into his seat.

The nurse let out a giggle. “Your wife is very fearful, almost like a child.”

“You tell m…” He stopped once he realized the key word in the sentence. “We’re not married.”

“Sorry,” the nurse apologized. “I shouldn’t have assumed. Is she a friend?”

John took a long look at Fluttershy. “You could say that.”

“Well anyway, we need to do this test as per order of the doctor.”

“How much do you need?” John asked, pointing at the basket of vials and tubes. His head raced as he thought of the possibility of Fluttershy passing out.

“Just two.” The nurse replied as she prepared the needle.

Fluttershy slowly followed John’s motions. John held her hand as she was sat down on the chair smiling and repeating, ‘It’s okay’ to calm her down. Fluttershy was still jittery as she was swabbed down with the alcohol. The slight tingle of the alcohol caused her arm to twitch back. After a while it seemed to work well. When the needle came in contact with her skin Fluttershy closed her eyes and faced John. John remembered his compassion training and placed his other hand over her shoulder. Her shaking settled a bit more.

“There we go…” The nurse said as she injected the needle from the vein. “You did very well for your first time.” She gave some words of encouragement for her bravery. She labeled the vials and placed them on a tray, signifying that the test is done. “Now, the doctor will be with you in a bit,” she stated as she gathered the tests on the tray. “He will come with the results of everything but the blood tests.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

John looked down at Fluttershy, who was sniffling, looking at the newly placed bandage on her arm vein. The soft groaning tugged at John’s heart. He was reminded of his childhood experiences with his flu shots. It was not a very good experience for anyone at that age.

“You reacted well.” John commented, hoping to get her to calm down. “My first time was a bit painful, and the nurse was shaking more than me.” His smile was all he could give remembering the mishap.

Fluttershy took one look at him and turned away, letting her fears get a hold of her. “I… Don’t like doctors.” She whispered timidly.

John took a moment to let it sink in. He could see why some people wouldn’t like doctors, but often found himself confused by their actions. “But you were sitting through it very well…”

“I know they mean well,” she replied, “but I don’t feel comfortable with how invasive they can be.”

“It takes some bravery to let them touch you like that when it makes you uncomfortable.”

She gave a faint smile. Her cheeks forced themselves to widen as her face turned red. “I-I-I…” she stammered, “I’m not as brave as my friends.” Suddenly her own words made the smile go away.

John saw heard her give a depressed sigh. He worried for her. Every time she mentioned her friends she stopped and often cried. He stepped in before she let her tears run.

“Please,” he said to her, “tell me about them.”

Fluttershy turned to him in confusion.

“Tell me about your friends.”

“Oh, you really want to hear it?” Her interest was piqued by his request. John gave her a nod and a smile. “Well, I have six friends, really good friends, that stand by me at all moments.” She started with a crawl. “My oldest friend, Rainbow Dash, I met in flight camp. I was never the bravest filly, but she came to my rescue when I was being picked on.”

John let out a reminiscing sigh hearing a familiar story. “So, how about your other friends?” He tried to change the subject.

“Well, Rarity is another good friend. She makes formal clothing. It’s her passion.” A smile grew on her face as she continued to talk about her friends. “I often care for her cat, Opalescence. She has a younger sister, Sweetie Belle. They often fight, but they are good with each other. Applejack also has a sister, Applebloom. She’s good friends with Sweetie Belle. Applejack is one pony I could go to for moral support. She has a big family and she’s always honest with them”

‘Those names...’ John was distracted yet again by the names. ‘At least she’s not crying.’

“Then there’s Pinkie Pie. She loves parties and plays many instruments and loves a good joke. She cares a lot for her friends, which is all of Ponyville, and wants to see them smile. Twilight Sparkle is a very good friend. We all got together because of her. She lives in a library with Spike. He’s a real nice.”

“Spike? What type of pet is he?” the name Spike reminded him of dogs.

“Oh, no, he may be a baby dragon, but he is no pet.”

John was confused. ‘A dragon? I hope she means a small lizard or snake.’ He looked at her to inspect for lies but to his surprise, she was calm. No tears, no pouting, not even a sad look in her eyes. She was at peace.

“You know, talking to you was calming.” She broke the silence.

“I know. You talked about your friends without crying this time.”

“Well, it is relaxing talking about them to a friend.” She turned her head and blushed. “I miss them, but I know I will see them again.” She suddenly turned to worry. “I hope.”

John knew where this was going. He reacted quickly. “You will,” he assured her. “With friends like that, I’m sure they care for you. Who knows, maybe they’ll find you here.” With a reassuring smile, John opened Fluttershy’s heart. She was distracted from her worries and focused on John’s smile.

A thought rushed into her mind, brought on by his expertise in friends. “I know you don’t have friends now, but have you had some good friends?”

John was silent. His face saddened as he thought heavily on the question. Fluttershy felt some regret for asking.

“I thought I did,” he finally answered, “but sometimes people follow the crowd more than their instinct.” His frown was short lived as he forced himself to smile. “But I’ve seen others who had good friends, so I hope to find one soon.”

An awkward silence filled the scene as they looked away from each other, trying to hide their shame.

A knock came at the door followed by it being pushed in by a tough male hand from a man in a white coat.

“How are you doing Miss,” he checked the clipboard, “Posa? Your results came back for the tests, and they came back negative for anything so far.” He ruffled through the pages, checking for anything bad. “However you are underweight by four pounds. It’s not much, but it could mean you are not eating right.”

“But I eat all my foods. Fruits, vegetables, milks, grains, grasses. I drink a liter of water a day.”

“But often it could be a deficiency of irons and lack of consuming more salts. Maybe a steak once a week could help.” He noticed the wording, “ And try to keep off the grasses.”

Once John heard the word ‘steak’ he knew he had to step in. “Doc, she’s a vegetarian. She hates meat.”

“A vegetarian? I haven’t seen one around here before. Where is she from?” The Doctor asked irately.

“She’s from, umm, California.” John lied again.

“Well, I’ve never been there but they have a large population of vegetarians. I guess it’s common.” The doctor scratched his head. “Well, we’ll need the results from the blood tests before we know what she’s missing.” The doctor then turned towards John. “Just a quick question. Have you been regular since I gave you the pills?”

John was embarrassed to have this question asked in front of a woman. “They, helped a bit,” he said with slowed speech. “So are we done here?”

“Yes.” The doctor answered, “Just pay on your way out and make an appointment for next Monday and we’ll give you the results.” John was about to get out of his seat when the doctor stopped him. “One last question.” He pointed to Fluttershy, “Is that her natural color? The nurses wanted to know.”

The silence could be cut by a knife. Fluttershy stepped forward and answered, “Yes it is. Is it a problem here?”

John was stiffened by dialogue taking place. He hoped it didn’t go south.

“I’ve seen Arabic tribesmen with blue hair,” he mumbled to himself, “I guess pink isn’t too far away from blonde or orange.” As he came out of his thoughtful trance, he signaled to them go.

John wiped his forehead signaling the trouble they just evaded, ‘Dodged a bullet there. I just hope it gets better.’

Comments

[JollyRogue]

Wooo!!! Love this story.

[xluferx]

Sometimes a shy person can surprise you with somethinv

[lilTurtle]

I feel like I should be offended by the constant jabs at people who live in California (I live in California), but I'm not for the reason that there really is a lot of weird people that live here.