Like Chocolate for Bribery

I'm sure it was the chocolate bar that made her all better. The trip to the ped was no fun, with a strep culture--Sis cried at the very mention of the culture and only cooperated after receiving a "yes" to her request for a big chocolate bar (the nurse grimaced when the doctor requested one; she has given them to Sis before and hates to see her that miserable, knowing Sis must blame her, she said. Wait til shots in August, which Sis said must be worse than a culture! For the first time ever, it didn't take 2-3 people to restrain her while the nurse did the test. She actually sat on my lap and opened her mouth. Chocolate is a powerful antidote to fear and pain, I guess.). Throat cultures suck, so I agreed with no guilt. The rapid culture came back negative. She had a low point after the visit but was better by nightfall, bright-eyed and almost chipper during storytime as Mama entertained her and Bud with a muppet-like green dinosaur. They talked for 45-minutes after lights-out, a sure sign of improvement. And she's been sleeping ever since. The doctor thinks it's just another virus--asked if we'd been in a pool with lots of kids or something like--and thinks it will last a few more days. The doctor called Sis "the fever kid", making Bud, who I don't think has ever had a fever, or maybe just one, the "injury kid," with stitches, staples, dislocated elbows, neck braces, etc. At least it's not both at the same time, which hopefully means our week will end better than it started. With chocolate . . . .