𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐑 | j. kirstein

𝐱𝐢𝐯 | tell me a secret

Reiner comes closer.

"Indeed, your fever is gone," Caldwell announces as he analyzes the thermometer. He puts it away and moves on to the stethoscope, placing its diaphragm on her chest.

As he does, he briefly glances at her sullen face, "Miss Elvira, do you remember anything from last night's events?"

"It was raining," she says, "I was walking and somehow I ended on that alley. Stayed there for hours, I suppose, before Reiner found me. I just had a massive headache and I was cold. That's all I remember."

Caldwell nods, moving the diaphragm to her back, "Reiner said that at one point, you were struggling to breathe and passed out shortly after. Can you tell me what happened exactly?"

"My heart... all of the sudden, started beating fast. I thought it was going to come out of my chest. It was so painful to breathe. I felt dizzy and really tired," Iris explains, excluding her breakdown, "I passed out after that."

"I see," Caldwell says, wrapping the instrument around his neck, "Your heart beat is stable right now. That's good, but we should go back to what you said."

"What about it?"

"Miss Elvira, what you experienced was, most likely, tachycardia. Your heart rate accelerates and goes beyond a hundred beats per minute. It is a common response we all have to physical activities, or even stress. In some cases, it can happen more often than normal and be severe, like what you experienced. Is this the first time?"

She shakes her head, "No. It has happened four times already, counting this one. My heart just gets all crazy for no reason. I didn't think much of it. I thought it was weird, yes, but not concerning."

Reiner looks like his eyes were gonna pop out any second, "Iris, when did this happen? Why didn't you say anything?"

"About three years ago," she says, running a hand through her hair tiredly, "I didn't say anything because of this. I knew you would get mad."

His face softens, "Iris, I'm not mad at you, I'm just worried."

That surprised her, but she didn't bother to express any emotion, wishing she could sleep her life away in that moment.

"Well, it's possible that you may have a heart condition."

"Heart condition?" Reiner frowns at the doctor, "What's wrong with her heart?"

"Based on what she told us, and what you saw yesterday, Miss Elvira has an irregular heart, meaning her heart is not beating in the proper rhythm, for no apparent reason, whenever and wherever, and not to mention, all the fainting and chest pain. This sounds a lot like arrhythmia," Caldwell turns to her, "Does you family have any history with heart failure?"

Family, huh? There's only one man left to call family.

"My, um... My mother's side," she gulps, a sour feeling in her stomach when she remembers her mother, "I think her father, my grandfather, and a cousin of mine. I've heard they also experience, uh..."

Dr. Caldwell notices her struggle, and finishes her sentence, "Arrhythmia, and it is likely you managed to inherit it, Miss Elvira. I've seen this in elders, mostly, but there have been young people as well. Though, I'm afraid there's no cure for your heart."