Gary sighed, closing his book and setting it aside. “Alright, alright, come here, Ash. Let me see.”

Ash sniffled, stumbling toward him with a hand clutched over his left ear. His face was scrunched up, tears welling in his eyes. He let out another whimper, rubbing his ear frantically.

Gary’s brows furrowed. Ear pain? That could be a lot of things…

He motioned for Ash to sit on the bed. “Okay, buddy, sit still. I need to check what’s going on.”

Ash sniffed and plopped onto the mattress, squirming. “It really hurts, Gary…”

“I know, I know,” Gary said, grabbing his medical bag. He pulled out an otoscope, snapping on a fresh cover for the tip. “I’m gonna take a look inside, okay? Just hold still.”

Ash flinched. “Is it gonna hurt?”

Gary softened. “No, it shouldn’t. Just a little pressure.”

Ash whimpered but nodded.

Gary gently tilted Ash’s head, carefully pulling his ear up and back to straighten the ear canal. He turned on the light on his otoscope and peered inside.

What he saw made his stomach drop.

Ash’s eardrum was red and bulging. There was fluid buildup behind it, and judging by Ash’s complaints of pain, the infection was bad. Ear infection. And a nasty one.

“Yikes, buddy,” Gary muttered. “You’ve got a full-blown ear infection.”

Ash whimpered. “Is it bad?”

Gary sat back, thinking. “Well, it won’t kill you, but it will get worse if we don’t fix it.”

Ash’s eyes widened in alarm. “Fix it?! How? You’re not gonna do surgery on my ear, are you?!?!”

Gary rolled his eyes. “No, doofus. But if the fluid builds up too much, your eardrum could burst. That would really hurt.”

Ash paled. “I- I don’t want it to burst, Gary!”

“I know, I know,” Gary said, rubbing Ash’s shoulder. “Luckily, I can fix it. We just need antibiotics, and I’ll do something to drain some of the fluid so you feel better faster.”

Ash squirmed. “D-drain it? How?”

Gary reached into his bag, pulling out a sterile needle and a tiny tube. “A myringotomy. It’s a small procedure where I make a tiny cut in your eardrum to let the fluid drain out. You’ll feel way better after.”

Ash wailed in terror. “You’re gonna cut my ear?!?!”

Gary winced. “Not your ear, just the eardrum. And it’ll heal fast, I promise. I have to do it, Ash. Otherwise, it might burst on its own, and that will be way worse.”

Ash shook his head rapidly. “Nope! No way! Not happening!”

Gary pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ash. Buddy. Look at me.”

Ash sniffled, staring at him with wide, watery eyes.

“I promise I’ll be as gentle as possible. You trust me, right?”

Ash hesitated. Then, reluctantly, he gave a small nod.

Gary smiled. “That’s my guy. Now, lay down so I can numb your ear.”

Ash obeyed, though he trembled slightly. Gary worked quickly, cleaning around the ear before administering a local anesthetic with a tiny needle. Ash whimpered but didn’t fight it.

After a few minutes, Gary gently tested the area. “Can you feel this?”

Ash shook his head. “Nuh-uh.”

“Good. Then let’s do this.”

Carefully, Gary used a sterilized lance to make the tiniest incision in Ash’s eardrum. A small trickle of fluid immediately drained out, and Gary quickly used a sterile cloth to catch it. He inserted a tiny tube to help further drainage over the next few days.

Ash let out a small, surprised noise. “Oh… it doesn’t hurt?”

Gary chuckled. “Told ya. You should feel a lot better now.”

Ash blinked. “I kinda do…”

Gary wiped away the last of the fluid and placed a small bandage over Ash’s outer ear. “There. Now, I’ll get you some medicine, and you just have to let the tube do its thing. You’ll be good as new.”

Ash sniffled but managed a small smile. “Thanks, Gary…”

Gary smirked. “Anytime, Ashy-boy. Now, let’s get you some cookies as a reward for being so brave.”

Ash beamed. “And donuts?”

Gary rolled his eyes. “Fine. One donut.”

Ash cheered, forgetting his ear pain entirely.