Pedes

Chapter Three - Stranger

Collin

"Alright, Champ, all done," I said as I wiped the tears off of the little boy's face.

"Now, I'm sure if you go to the front desk and tell Sandra what a trooper you were, she'll give you a sucker."

His face immediately lit up with a wide smile and he hopped off the bed and ran toward the door.

"Jordan," I called, stopping the boy in his tracks. He turned around to look at me.

"You have to ask your mom first."

He quickly ran over to his mom who was still standing by the bed where he had received his shot.

"Please, mommy? Can I go?" he begged, grabbing onto her jean-covered thighs and tugging slightly on the fabric. She laughed lightly and leaned down.

Jordan's mother chewed on her bottom lip, apparently deep in thought as she looked between her son and me. I did my best to suppress my annoyed sigh.

"I don't know," she hesitated, her eyes still flickering away. "You just had vaccines, I don't want you putting too many unnatural things into your body at once."

I stifled my immediate response - that's not how medicine works, idiot - and instead plastered a fake smile on my face for the little boy.

"The suckers are made with real fruit juice. I promise, they won't hurt your son."

She didn't seem to fully believe me, but she conceded anyway, to the delight of her son. "Alright," she sighed, "just don't-"

Off little Jordan shot, sprinting out the door before his mother could change her mind, barely remembered to shout. "Thanks!" behind him.

"-run," she sighed again.

"So," I said a moment later, interrupting the awkward silence that had filled the room after the boy had left. "Jordan's all up-to-date on his shots and is ready for school in a few weeks."

"That's good," she mumbled slightly. She must have sensed the bad news I was planning to deliver.

"However, I have to ask, how often has he been taking his inhaler?"

She shifted slightly in her seat. "W-well, he takes it a half an hour before physical activities - like you said - and once in the morning every other day."

I sight slightly and sat down on the tiny chair by the counter.

"Ms. Miller, didn't I prescribe Jordan to take his inhaler once a day? If the price is a problem-"

"No, no, it's not the cost," she interrupted, seeming upset that I would even suggest that her family might be having trouble with funds. "It's just - I worry about him taking such strong medicine all the time, that's all."

"Uh-huh." I turned away from her, resting my elbows on the countertop and my head in my hands. I counted to ten before turning around again. "Maybe I didn't explain to you well enough the first time what exactly asthma is."

She didn't look happy with me, but I continued anyway.

"Healthy lungs, and many asthmatic lungs, have plenty of room for air. The difference between the two isn't the air sacs holding the oxygen, but the airways themselves."

I paused for a moment, writing down an additional not to Jordan's file, before continuing.

"Your son's airways swell with inflammation, making them narrower and making it difficult for Jordan to get enough oxygen. The steroids in his inhaler help to fix that, but he has to take it as I've prescribed. That means daily, as well as before physical activity. Otherwise-"