A Close Call Part 8

The doctor arrived just after six o'clock. Eve could here him asking Alex where the patient was. "She's upstairs. First on the right."
He made his way up stairs. She heard the footsteps and also saw his smile fade as he entered the dim room.
"Hello, now you don't look too well now do you. Let's have a look to see what's going on" he said jovially trying to mask the concern.
Dr Harris asked the same questions he did on the phone, while taking her temperature, blood pressure and also listening to her heart and lungs. All the while not giving anything away. Just a mmm here and a mmmm there.
Strangely he asked "are you decent under the covers? I need to have a look at your legs"
How bizarre she thought, buy by this point she didn't care. He made her try and lift her legs in different ways. She had to try and move her head and neck too, but it was all too painful and an effort.
"Ok" he said. "I just need to go and have a chat with your husband if that's ok?"
She vaguely nodded through her half closed eyes.
When he got downstairs, she could only hear muffled speech between them.
"Mr Clark, your wife is seriously ill, she has pneumonia. Her whole respiratory system is infected and she has fluid on her lungs. We need to get her to hospital. If this had been a few days ago we could have treated her at home. My worry also is that there may be a risk of cross infection from going into hospital as her immune system is so low.there is no alternative. Are you comfortable with me telling your wife?"
Alex dazed, struggled a" of course."
Dr Harris returned upstairs to the bedroom.
Alex was screaming inside. This isn't happening. This sort of thing happens to other people, not us! Eve's fit and healthy, she runs 20 miles a week, how can she have pneumonia?
What was he going to do with Josh. Fuck. Panic ran through him.
Josh was still at the table colouring, being quiet like mummy had asked. Alex went over to him tentatively. "Josh, the doctor needs to given mummy some special medicine, but he doesn't have it with him. He can only get it in hospital. So he's going to take mummy there, ok?" Josh looked a bit puzzled. " Shell be better after that then?"
" Yes, but I need to go to, so Fiona is going to come round and make sure you get to bed properly until I get back. Shell even give you an extra story". Josh smiled, he liked it when Fiona babysat. He always got extra stories.
"So, as a special treat, you can pop to her house first." He was doubly excited now.