When I wake up, it's because Nero is shaking me awake, saying "Get up, it's time for breakfast." I sit up and yawn. I grab my crutches and get out of bed, slowly going downstairs. Nero and I head into the kitchen where we sit at the bar. We were handed plates with eggs, hash browns, and bacon. I'm sick of bacon. Dante can probably tell I'm put off by the bacon so he says "It's turkey bacon, something your parents never gave you." I pick up a piece of the turkey bacon, it's limp. I take a good size bite, as my dad, well, old dad, said when trying something new "No guts no glory." and he would take a giant bite. It tasted so much better than regular bacon, it had no fat on it, plus the texture was more pleasing. I finish my bacon but that's it, I'm so tired I can't eat. I put my head down on the bar and fall back asleep.

When I wake up I realize I'm in Dante's car. I see I was put so I was laying down in the backseat, that's the only way I can be in the car because of my leg. I also realize I woke up at the wrong time because when I sit up to look through the windshield I saw the hospital. Dante parked the car and got out and so did Nero. I stayed in the car, not wanting to get out. Dante opened the door to the backseat and got me out. I was shaking like a leaf now, I don't want to go inside, I don't want to go inside, I don't want to... As soon as I was inside I started crying.
"Why is she crying? She hasn't even been checked in yet," Nero said as Dante rubbed my back to calm me down.
"She's only eight, she's never even stepped foot into a hospital, and she always watches videos of people reading horrifying stories and some are about hospitals. What makes it worse is that she only listens to stories that actually happened." Dante said, suddenly Nero tapped my shoulder and said in a cheery tone that was an obvious attempt to get me to stop crying.
"Hey, if you stop crying I'll get you a drink and snack at the vending machines after your appointment, it can be whatever you want."

I quirk an eyebrow and say "What's a vending machine?" Nero took me from Dante and carried me into a very tiny room with four of what I'm assuming is the vending machines.
"This one sells water, flavored water, and vitamin water. This one sells soda and juice, this one sells chips, popcorn, pretzels and other good snacks and this one sells candy." Nero said, pointing at all of them. I looked at the juice, I've never had juice before, just soda and water. The candy looks good and so does the chips and popcorn. I look at them all and try to decide on what to get. Suddenly Nero put some money in the vending machine holding candy and pressed buttons. I saw this black metal spring unravel from a pack of blueberry gum and it fell to the bottom. He reached into the machine and grabbed the gum, saying "Here, you can chew this when the doctor is giving you your shots." I smiled and accepted the gum, saying "Thank you." but not taking my eyes off the gum. Dante laughed and said, "Well you certainly know how to calm down children." Nero just looked at Dante and said: "I technically still am a child so I should know how to calm them down." Dante smirked and said, "Sometimes you certainly act like a child." 

Nero didn't say anything but kicked Dante in the back of the knee. I didn't know why he would do that until I saw Dante almost fall forward. Dante looked annoyed but when I laughed he looked relieved and said: "Let's try and keep her in this mood until we leave." Dante checked me in and brought me to the waiting room. He settled me in his lap and I just looked around, getting scared again. Nero quickly tapped my shoulder and said: "How good is your imagination?"
"I don't know, my old dad says I have a very vivid imagination but I don't know what that means." Nero just smiled and said "That's good. Look up at the ceiling." When I do he says "See all those little dots? If you stare at them long enough and use your imagination you can make out pictures. Right now I can make out a poodle." As soon as he says poodle he points to where he spotted it and after staring for a second I can make out the picture. I look at other parts of the ceiling and make out a picture. I point and say "Look, a leaf."

For awhile Nero and I make out pictures on the ceiling. We were having fun. Until a nurse appeared and called my name. As Dante carried me to where the Nurse was going, I looked around and said: "This is a big hospital."
"Well, it has to be big. It's also a clinic that deals with minor stuff like the shots your gonna get." Nero said and started opening the pack of gum. As soon as we're in a small room, the nurse told us that the doctor would be here soon. I immediately start shaking again, and when I do Dante sets me on this weird table bed like thingy and goes over to this tiny counter. He grabs a rubber glove from a box and starts blowing air into it. Once it's been blown up pretty big, Dante ties the end and grabs a marker, writing something on it. He presents it to me and smirks, Nero and I read what was on it. It said 'I love...' then it had a word I didn't know but it started with an E. When Nero read it he started laughing, I looked at him and said: "What's so funny?" Before he could explain, the doctor came in, and he was scary. He looked like he belonged in a horror movie.

He walked over and grabbed the glove balloon, popping it and saying "We need those gloves and you cannot waste them." Nero immediately snatched me off the table thingy and held me protectively.
"I want a female doctor," Dante said in a polite tone laced with obvious annoyance.
"Too bad, I'm the one supposed to give her her shots and I'm gonna do it." the doctor said and reached for me. Dante grabbed his hand and said "If you touch my daughter I will crush every bone in your hand. Now leave and get a female doctor before I crush your hand for fun." The scary doctor backed away and said: "Fine, you asshole." As soon as the doctor was at the door, Dante stomped kicked him in the back. A female doctor came rushing in and said: "What happened, did he do something to piss you off like he does to all the other patients?"
"What do you think?" Nero said, the female doctor sighed and said "Sorry, he was suspended without pay for four weeks and just came back, now he's a total jerk to everyone. How about I give your daughter her shots? Is that okay with you?" Dante nodded. The female doctor looked at me and said: "Is it okay with you?" She seems nice so I nodded. She smiled and said "Okay. I'm Lucile. I'll be right back. To warn you, you have to get 5 shots." As soon as I hear that I was about to scream 'NO' but Dante covered my mouth and said "Don't scream, it's okay, shots aren't that bad. You'll feel just a little pinch." Tears stream down my cheeks, I don't want the shots, I know they're gonna hurt and I know Dante is lying.

Dante removed his hand from my mouth and before anyone could say or do anything, Lucile came back in the room with all the shots. Nero immediately took my coat off and settled me on his hip, grabbing my head and moving it so my face was buried in his shoulder and he said "Don't look at it, it will just scare you even more, the more scared you are the more you'll think it'll hurt, the more you'll think it'll hurt it really will hurt more."
"Okay, this one is for chicken pox," Lucile said and rolled up my sleeve. When she started rubbing my shoulder with something cold and wet, Nero put a piece of the blueberry gum in my mouth.
"Okay, one, two, three." On three Lucile stuck the needle in my shoulder and I bit down on the piece of gum. As soon as I bit down on the gum, some goo exploded from it and it had a strong blueberry taste.
"Okay, the second one." She swabbed a different part of my shoulder and counted to three and stuck the needle in my arm. This wasn't that bad. For the third shot, she did my other shoulder. For the fourth shot, she told me to take deep breaths. So I did and as soon as I inhaled she stuck the needle deep into my shoulder, it hurt so bad I let out on ear piercing scream and start crying.

"What the hell did you do?" Nero snapped, completely pissed. Though I'm pretty sure he's pissed because I just screamed in his ear.
"It needed to be deep in the muscle," Lucile explained,
"And you couldn't warn her?!" Nero snapped. Dante took me from Nero and said: "It's okay, it's okay just one more shot." The band-aid was put where the needle was. Lucile let out a shaky breath, saying "The only other place I can administer this shot is in her- No." Dante said and shook his head,
"She'll freak out even more and be screaming her head off. Find another place for the shot." I didn't know what she was gonna say but I knew it was gonna be bad. Lucile sighed and said, "The only other place is either the thigh or the hip." I start shaking like a leaf, not sure where the needle is gonna go but I don't want to know, I don't want the last needle.

After a bit of silence, Dante bounced me gently and said "Evangeline, it's just one more shot, one more and you're all done. It's gonna be like the first three, but it's gonna be in your hip. It's only gonna hurt a little bit more." I shook my head and whimpered.
"Come on, just one more than you're all done and we can go home. And Nero's gonna get you whatever snacks from the vending machine you want like he promised to get you." I don't want the shot but I know I'm not leaving without it. I bury my face in Dante's shoulder and go still and silent. He pulls my pajama pants down a little to expose my hip, which was immediately rubbed with the cold wet pad and stuck with a needle.
"Good job, you did so well," Dante said, and I don't know why but the little praise made me feel better.

The band-aid was put on my hip and my pants were fixed and I was trying to calm down. My left shoulder still hurt like crazy. Lucile told me to pick a flavor, so I randomly said "Raspberry." she then handed me a raspberry flavored lollipop and said "Have a good day. Bye." She left the room and Dante carried me out of the room and over to the vending machines. Nero pulled some money from his pocket and said: "What would you like?" I looked through them all and pointed at a bottle of cranberry apple raspberry juice and a bag of gummies.
"You have to spit the gum out before you can eat the gummies." Dante told me, I just tried to open the juice and said: "I, uh, swallowed the gum when I got the fourth shot."
"Now it's gonna stay in your stomach for 7 years," Dante said.
"Really?!" I screech, Dante just laughed and Nero said "No, he's just screwing with you. It's an old wives' tale."
"What does that mean?"
"It means it's something that is supposedly true but is actually fake." Nero said, then he said with a grin, "Dante lied to you and that wasn't very nice, slug him in the shoulder." I smile and punch Dante in the shoulder, he just grinned and said: "Did a mosquito just bite me?"
"Did you hear that? Punch him again!" When I punch him again, he says sarcastically "Ow, you broke my arm."

"Are you gonna take that from him?" Nero said, when I look at him he said "He's making you mad, right? Make him mad!" I couldn't think of what to do, but then it hit me. I reached over and licked his eye.
"Oh, gross!" Dante said and covered his eye. Nero laughed and said "Good job!" Dante got me in the backseat and turned to Nero, saying "Your dead meat." Nero just laughed and said, "I didn't do anything."
"You told her to do it."
"And it was funny as hell. Hey, we should get her to do it to dad."
"If she does it to Vergil then your off the hook," Dante said and started the car. They put their seatbelts on and Dante started driving to get Vergil.

~

Dante parked the car outside this really nice looking library and Nero got out, getting in the backseat with me. Vergil walked outside and over to the car, getting in the passenger seat.
"You'll never guess what Evangeline did," Nero said with a light smile. Vergil turned around to face me and said: "What did you do?"
"Dante was making me angry, so I did this..." I immediately licked his eye and burrowed deep into the back seat so he can't get me.
"Why did you do it to me?"
"Because Nero would have been in trouble if I didn't because he told me to do it to Dante," I said and tried to hide my grin. Vergil wiped his eye and said, "Let's just hurry up and go to lunch." Dante started the car and started driving off to somewhere I don't know. I hope it's not a fast food place, I've had enough of that stuff. Well, I'll find out soon.