Today the breathing was wrong. Too shallow, too irregular, with small catches between inhale and exhale that had nothing to do with exertion.
Dr. Marsh reviewed the test results from the folder in her hand, though she had already committed them to memory. She set the folder down on the counter and looked at Alex directly.
“We ran everything twice,” she said. “The kidneys are functioning at a fraction of normal capacity, and there is fluid accumulation in the lungs. His overall condition is severely compromised, and it has been declining steadily for the past two weeks despite treatment.”
Alex absorbed this without expression. He had been absorbing versions of it for the better part of a month.
“Surgery,” he said. “Is there a surgical option we haven’t tried? A specialist somewhere, a different facility, something experimental?”
