Maria and the Day at the Hospital

It was a Monday morning, and little Maria woke up feeling a bit odd. Her nose was red, and her throat felt a bit itchy. Soledad, her mom, seeing her pale and hearing her cough, knew something was not right.

«I think we should go to the doctor, Maria,» said Soledad softly, trying not to worry her daughter.

But upon hearing about doctors and hospitals, Maria hid under the covers. «I don’t want to go, mommy. Hospitals scare me,» she murmured in a thin voice.

Juan, her dad, came over with a reassuring smile. «You don’t have to be afraid, Maria. I’ll be with you the whole time,» he assured her, smoothing her hair.

Sebastian, her younger brother, jumped onto the bed with his favorite superhero toy in hand. «I’m going too, Maria. The doctor isn’t bad, he helps people feel better,» he exclaimed enthusiastically.

With a bit of persuasion and the promise of an ice cream afterward, Maria agreed to get dressed and ready. The whole family set out, with Maria holding her mom’s hand, while her dad and Sebastian played a game of guessing the colors of passing cars to distract her.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the bright colors on the walls and the kind greetings from the nurses made Maria feel a bit better. But when it came time to enter the consultation room, her heart began to beat faster.

Doctor Oscar was waiting with a kind smile, his glasses gleaming under the light. «Hello, Maria! How are you feeling today?» he asked softly.

Maria, still a bit scared, snuggled closer to her mom. Doctor Oscar noticed and crouched down to her level. «You know, I used to feel nervous too when I was little and had to come to the hospital,» he shared, pulling a stethoscope out of his pocket. «Do you want to hold it? It’s magical because it lets me hear the noise your heart makes.»

Intrigued, Maria reached out and touched the cold metal. The doctor winked and placed the earpieces in her ears. «Listen,» he said as he placed the disc of the stethoscope on her chest.

The beating of her heart boomed in her ears, and a smile crept onto her face. «It sounds like a drum,» Maria exclaimed, momentarily forgetting her fear.

Doctor Oscar proceeded to examine her, explaining each step so Maria could understand. «I’m just looking at how your throat and ears are to make sure everything is alright,» he explained while looking and listening carefully.

After a few minutes, Doctor Oscar sat at his desk and wrote something on a paper. «Well, Maria, it looks like you have a little flu. Nothing to worry about,» he said with a smile. «I’ll give you some medicine that you need to take three times a day, and you’ll feel much better soon.»

Maria, now much calmer and a bit embarrassed about her initial fear, nodded. «Thank you, Doctor Oscar. It wasn’t as bad as I thought,» she admitted, looking at her parents with a shy smile.

Before leaving, Doctor Oscar gave Maria and Sebastian superhero stickers and reminded them of the importance of washing their hands to stay healthy. Maria, feeling brave and a bit proud, promised to come back without fear next time.

As they left the hospital, Juan and Soledad hugged their children, happy to see that Maria had learned a valuable lesson: there is no need to fear doctors or hospitals because they are there to help.

And so, with light hearts and promises of ice cream, the family headed home, talking about all they had learned that day about bravery and care.