[Sam260]

Silas laid his head down on Sidney's shoulder and closed his eyes. He still felt responsible for his daughter's behavioral problems - he had to be the cause, because he definitely wasn't a solution. "She still tries to feed from... Sidney even now. I don't know if that is just habit or part of what is wrong with her. It is mostly just when she is very sleepy and happens to be in his arms at the time. She will just start gumming at his shirt."

It was difficult to list all of the things that Calla did during the two years that she had been alive - It was hard to decipher which were normal or which were just part of the problem.

[hockeypreg2]

"How is she when she interacts with other children her age?" Dr. Todd scribbled down a few more notes, then looked at them.

"She ... doesn't much. She spends time with her brothers and our friends children but they are all older than her. The closest one is about 10 months older than her." Sidney chewed his bottom lip. "Maria says she prefers to play by herself at the playground or at any play groups they go to."

[Sam260]

Silas nodded slightly "We got her a puppy a few days ago, because she was always upset that our older dog, Duke - he's a Great Dane - refused to play with her... but she doesn't even acknowledge that Chloe - the new puppy - exists. Calla seemed to love Chloe the day we got her, drew a picture of the pup and everything..."

He rubbed the back of his neck "The next day? Calla didn't even give her a pat on the head or so much as a glance..."

[hockeypreg2]

Dr. Todd nodded and put down her notepad. "Okay. I think that is a great start. I am going to need to examine Calla but if you would sit on the table with her on your lap that might make things go easier, Mr. Flint."

She moved a little closer. "Calla? Would it be okay if I touch your arms and legs and head if you sit on your daddy's lap at the same time?"

"He's her Adda," Sidney said quickly. "I'm Daddy."

"Sorry, on your Adda's lap. Would that be okay, Calla?"

[Sam260]

Calla looked up at Silas with wide, fearful eyes. Silas frowned and kissed Calla lightly on the forehead "It's okay, princess. Adda will be right here with you - Do you want Dr. Todd to check me out before she checks you out? Show you that it doesn't hurt one bit?" Silas asked softly.

Calla nodded and pressed herself up against Silas' chest, although she did turn around so that Dr. Todd could see her, and so she could see what Dr. Todd was going to do "Adda go firss. And then Calla." She said to Dr. Todd rather firmly, a bit of a furrow coming to her brows.

[hockeypreg2]

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Dr. Todd said with a smile. She began to move slowly through the tests, measuring Silas's head and proclaiming how big it was, then moving to testing his reflexes on his arms and legs. "What do you think, Calla? Can I do those to you?"

Calla still looked unsure but nodded. Dr. Todd talked to her the entire time, touching her as little as possible. "Good job. Are you ready to see the next few things I need to do to Adda?"

Calla nodded and looked up to watch as Dr. Todd looked in Silas's eyes. "Now open your mouth for me and stick out your tongue. To the left. To the right. Good."

Calla actually giggled at Silas sticking his tongue out and hugged her kitty tightly.

[Sam260]

Silas smiled after Dr. Todd had finished her exam on him and looked down at Calla "See baby, none of it hurt at all." he kissed the top of her head and then looked back up at Dr. Todd "So... Am I in good health Doc?" He hoped that Dr. Todd said yes, because this exam wasn't for him - he knew he had problems mentally, sure they were mostly self-diagnosed, but, he knew they were there already.

He wanted to ask more, wanted to ask how Calla was, but he had a feeling that his daughter's testing was far from over, and that he would not be able to take all the tests for her to get her more comfortable with the idea - especially blood draws; he couldn't do them even for his daughter, no matter how much he loved Calla, blood draws was definitely where he drew the line.

[hockeypreg2]

"You are healthy," Dr. Todd said with a smile. "Calla, can I listen to your lungs and heart and tummy with my stethoscope? When I'm done, you can listen to your Adda's heart. I'll show you how to do it."

Calla's eyes brightened at that and she scooted forward. "Okay. Calla first den Adda."

Dr. Todd had her breathe deeply and she followed the instructions easily, letting Dr. Todd do all the tests before she gave Calla the stethoscope and showed her how to listen to Silas's heart. Her eyes were wide and she looked so gleeful.

"Babump, babump, babump." Calla settled back in Silas's lap, clearly not letting go of the stethoscope now.

"I hope you don't need that back right away," Sidney grinned a little.

[Sam260]

Dr. Todd shook her head and smiled "Not right now, no. Hopefully it will help keep her occupied when I draw her blood. I want to be as thorough as I can to rule out everything and find the proper diagnosis." Dr. Todd said as she turned her stool and grabbed the blood drawing kit from it.

Silas paled and scooted his chair back as far away as possible, causing Calla to squeak and hold onto her kitty and the stethoscope tighter. Silas shook his head "I won't be volunteering to her that it doesn't hurt... I cannot, will not..." he hooked his arms over his stomach and shook his head as he looked over at Sidney pleadingly.

[hockeypreg2]

"I can," Sidney said easily. "It doesn't bother me."

"I'm afraid I don't need a volunteer for this part. It is just going to have to be her," Dr. Todd said regretfully. "Has she had blood drawn before?"

"Not since she was a baby," Sidney shook his head, looking at Silas. "I can hold her for this if you want. It might be better since you don't do well with blood."

[Sam260]

Silas nodded and looked down at Calla, smiling softly at his daughter "Calla, baby... Daddy has to hold you for a little while." Calla squirmed and shook her head "Calla, princess please listen to me... This test that Dr. Todd has to do, its very hard for Adda to watch... Don't you want Adda to be calm for you, when its over?"

Calla seemed to think about what Silas said, very seriously, and she sniffled but nodded her head "Adda no watch then." she said as she slipped off of Silas' lap and climbed up into into Sidney's lap, she placed the stethoscope against Sidney's chest and giggled "You heard is just like Adda's, dada." Calla said with a toothy grin as she looked up at Sidney.

Silas turned away from where Dr. Todd, Calla, and Sidney were - he knew if he watched the blood draws, he would be useless to his daughter afterward - he would be able to handle her crying or screaming, he was used to that - but the blood would definitely freak him out more than anything.

[hockeypreg2]

Dr. Todd moved easily and gently talked to Calla as she drew her blood. Oddly enough it didn't seem to phase Calla. She just watched, kicking her legs and listening to Sidney's heart and watching Dr. Todd work. She poked at the band-aid that covered the spot, but otherwise didn't seem to mind. Sidney was completely shocked.

"Adda," Calla slipped off Sidney's lap and climbed back up on Silas's. "I gots a bubberfly." She pointed at her band-aid to show Silas.

Dr. Todd shrugged and labeled the tubes. "Some kids with sensory issues don't feel pain as strongly."

[Sam260]

Silas sighed as he wrapped an arm around Calla's waist and turned back to face Dr. Todd and Sidney "Wouldn't that be a bad thing though? What if she seriously injured herself and she did not feel it?"

Silas gently scooped Calla's hair up and tied it up into a small pony tail to keep it from her face. He then grabbed a small snack pack from the bag and opened it up so she could munch on the fruits that were inside.

Calla giggled and started plucking strawberries out of the container, eating those first before moving onto the pears and grapes.

[hockeypreg2]

"You would have to work with therapists to train her to recognize when she would be in a situation that could cause pain and tell you so you can check her. I obviously want to wait for the blood tests to rule anything out but I feel it is safe to say that Calla has sensory processing disorder. This means that she becomes overstimulated very easily by noises, tastes, the way things feel. She's also understimulated in other ways which is the low reaction to pain. Even the inability to handle change is part of that. There might be some other things going on as well but I'm not comfortable making a diagnosis yet. I'd like to get her into a number of different types of therapies to help her out."

Dr. Todd gave them both encouraging smiles. "There is nothing wrong with Calla. She simply has different needs than other children. The therapies are designed to give her the tools to succeed in her life. We can give her those tools and in the process make things easier and more comfortable for her."

[Sam260]

Silas nodded and stood up, hoisting Calla higher up on his hip "Well, we appreciate you taking the time to see us today, Doctor Todd." Silas turned to his daughter "Calla, can you say goodbye to the doctor?" he asked, tapping her on the knee lightly.

Calla nodded and gave Dr. Todd her stethoscope back with a shy smile on her face "Abye Docter Todd." Calla said shyly before burying her face back against Silas' chest, hugging her kitty close.

Silas smiled and kissed the top of Calla's head before taking Sidney's hand in his own and heading out of the doctor's office "I hate doctors..." Silas mumbled warily, frowning in Sidney's direction.

[hockeypreg2]

"I know, but you did great," Sidney said softly. "And we'll get Calla the help she needs."

----

Four years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Sidney didn't know how it happened. One minute the house was full of kids and the next they were all in school. Titan and Theo were in third grade and Calla was in first. Duke had passed away at the age of seven, and Silas was making noises about getting another Great Dane or another giant dog of some sort. Chloe and Jasper were still chasing each other around but Jasper was slowing down and finding corners to sleep in more often than not.

Silas had opened a second restaurant two years before that had just as many rave reviews as his first restaurant. Amazingly he worked less than he had with just the one, making sure he spent time at home with Sidney and the kids every day. Sidney had stopped working when Calla was two, spending his time working one on one with her to help her with her sensory issues and socialization problems. It had worked and she was mainstreamed with kids her age now.

But now Sidney was bored. He wasn't interested in going back to Silver Hill even if the job had been open. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do really. There was only so much to do around the house when the kids were at school and he hated daytime TV.

What he really wanted was another child. When he had mentioned it to Marc, he had gotten yelled at and reminded that another pregnancy was a very bad idea for him. As his doctor, Marc did not recommend it and as his friend, understood but still didn't recommend it.

So Sidney was stuck wanting and just trying to be the best parent and husband he could be; albeit a bored one.


Sidney sighed heavily, putting down his tablet on his chest and looking over at Silas who was playing a game of some sort on his tablet, holding it close to his face because he refused to believe he needed glasses. "Maybe I should go back to work."

[Sam260]

Silas turned his head to look at Sidney, smiling slightly "It wouldn't be a bad thing to go back to work. There is a lot that you can do in the world with your brain and the college degrees to back it up." Silas clicked off his tablet, setting it on the nightstand and sitting up a bit.

He chewed on his lip and looked down at his hands "but it is not work that you miss, is it? You have said many times over the years since retiring that you enjoy being home... That the stress-free life is much better..." Silas rubbed his knuckle and looked at his husband again.

"What do you want to do, Sid?"

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney sighed again and looked at the ceiling. He knew what he wanted but it wasn't something he could really have. "Our kids are growing up," he said softly. "And the house is really empty during the day."

He rolled onto his side to finally look at Silas. "I want another child."

[Sam260]

Silas frowned and turned onto his side as well, curving his arm under his head as he scooted over so him and Sidney were almost nose to nose "And you cannot have another child, because of the complications it would cause..." Silas nodded as he reached up and gently stroked his knuckles across Sidney's face.

"Tomorrow... Tomorrow after the kids have gone to school, we will go and see Marc - if he has an opening - and we could ask him if I'm a carrier. And If I am not, we will start the process of finding someone who can carry for us..." Silas leaned over and kissed Sidney softly on the lips "I want to give you more children, Sid... As many as you want."

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney blinked back tears. "You would really carry a baby for me? I ... it's not very. People would think about you a certain way. If you carried."