Elissa shrugged, and Leo gave her a knowing smile.
“Don’t want…to tell them…you fucked up?”
“Swear jar.”
He stuck out his tongue at her, drawing her attention to the blue tint to his lips and his pale face. The doctor better get here soon or she’d make a fuss.
“Okay, I won’t enforce it today,” she said, relenting in the face of his illness.
Leo leaned against her again. The silence in the room while they waited was broken by his wheezes and the crinkle of the paper cover on the exam table. Before long, a woman’s voice called out on the other side of the curtain.
“May I come in?”
“Yes,” Elissa said.
The curtain twitched back and a tall, dark-haired woman stepped in. Her coat and badge labeled her as a doctor, but she barely looked as old as Elissa.
“Hi, I’m Doctor Ruiz. Can I have your name and date of birth?”
Leo obliged, sucking in air in between words.
“Thank you, Leo.” The doctor turned to Elissa. “And you are?”
“I’m Elissa Wright, his sister. Our parents are out of town. I have a power of attorney so I can make decisions for my brother in their absence. I gave a copy to the intake clerk.”
“That’s fine. Thank you. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
Elissa opened her mouth to tell the doctor what happened, but she held up a hand.
“I need to hear from your brother. If he forgets anything, you can fill in the blanks later.”
Elissa closed her mouth and tried not to let the hurt show. Leo shot her a look of triumph before turning his attention to the doctor. In halting sentences, pausing frequently to catch his breath, her brother described his evening before Elissa rode to the rescue. He’d been feeling blah all afternoon, but the walk home from his friend’s house had done him in. The friend had dogs, which Leo was allergic to. He drank some water, took an allergy pill, and lay down for a nap. When he woke, he was wheezing and used his albuterol, and when it didn’t work, he’d called her.
“Is there anything you’d like to add?” the doctor asked her.
Elissa shook her head, and from her bag, she pulled out the medications Leo took regularly.
“Our mom usually has a list of all his current meds, but I forgot to ask for it before she left. Here’s what he usually takes.”
“Thank you. I’m ordering a stronger broncho-dilator.” The doctor made some notes on the computer by the bedside. “We’ll see how you respond, Leo, and go from there. In the meantime, I’ll take a look at these medications and see where you might want to make some modifications until you can see your regular doctor, okay?”
Leo nodded, and the young doctor left, toting the medications with her. A few minutes later, a respiratory therapist and a nurse came in with a nebulizer and began the treatment. Fifteen minutes after that, Leo’s lips were a nice pink, and his face was no longer deathly pale. The tension left Elissa’s shoulders.
“You look good,” she said. “You know, for a hobbit.”
He chuckled, but didn’t engage in their usual banter as the respiratory therapist took away the equipment, and the doctor returned for an assessment. After a brief examination, she hung the stethoscope around her neck and smiled at Leo.
“Your lungs sound much better, and I like the color in your cheeks. I’ll sign the discharge papers, but you need to go see your primary care provider as soon as possible for a follow-up. I would mention to them you haven’t been taking your long-term control meds.”
Elissa snapped her head around and glared at her brother. She opened her mouth to read him the riot act but stopped when she took in his posture. Leo hung his head, his shoulders hunched, his hands clasped in his lap.
“Perhaps this discussion can wait until your brother gets some rest?” the doctor suggested, handing over the bag of medications.
“Yeah, that’s a great idea.” Elissa shoved the meds in her bag.
“Do either of you have any questions for me?”
Leo shook his head. Elissa said, “No, but thank you, Doctor.”
