The Family Doctor Read Online Free Page A

task of monitoring vital signs.
    â€œAcute GI symptoms,” Jensen concluded. “You have any history of intestinal problems, Tony?”
    Tony gasped and shook his head. “Tylenol,” he managed to croak. “Four Tylenol…empty stomach…need water…”
    Jensen gave him a small paper cup of water, and Tony swallowed it in one sip. “I just need some food,” he groaned, his eyes streaming from the pain in his chest and abdomen. “That Tylenol I took is killing me.”
    Being told he probably had sarcoma hadn’t helped, either, but Tony didn’t have the breath to say so.
    â€œGo down to the kitchen and ask for a bowl of clear broth,” Jensen barked at an aide, “and be quick about it.”
    The burning subsided enough so that Tony could straighten. A nurse stayed with him, and when the aide arrived with a large bowl of broth on a tray, she cranked the back of the bed higher so he could sit more comfortably.
    Tony had never been as grateful for a simple bowl of beef broth. He spooned it up, and almost immediately the pain in his chest and abdomen began to ease.
    â€œBetter?” The nurse smiled at him, and he was able to give her a facsimile of a smile in return.
    He finished the entire bowl in less than two minutes. The nurse set the tray on a cart. Sinking back on the bed, he heaved a sigh—and with the speed and intensity of a killer wave rolling in, a sensation of extreme heat rushed over him. It grew more and more intense, and as he felt his throat begin to swell, panic overwhelmed him.
    â€œAllergy,” he whispered with the last of his breath.
    He heard the nurse shouting and was dimly aware of bodies surrounding him and voices talking in urgent tones. In the few moments before he lost consciousness, he knew he was about to die, after all.

CHAPTER THREE
    â€œD ID YOU HEAR THAT O’C ONNOR’S now on a respirator in ICU?”
    Leslie was taking hungry bites of her tuna sandwich. It was past two in the afternoon, and she and Kate were sitting in the hospital cafeteria.
    â€œThe whole story’s been flying back and forth on e-mail all day,” Kate said with a shake of her head that sent her auburn hair flying. “It’s hard to believe there could be such a series of problems, and with the chief of staff, of all people.”
    â€œIt would be funny if it hadn’t almost been tragic,” Leslie agreed. “The final straw was that new French chef in the kitchen.”
    â€œRene Lalonde,” Kate said. “I heard that he put eggshells in the beef broth. Now, why would he do that?”
    â€œApparently it’s a traditional French custom. It clarifies it or something. How was he to know that O’Connor was violently allergic to eggs? We had his allergy marked down on the admitting form, but none of us suspected there’d be eggshells in the broth. I tell you, I’ve seen some panic situations in the ER, but today took the prize. Practically everydoctor in the entire hospital was down there at one point. Nobody could see any obvious reason for such extreme symptoms. It was Jensen who finally asked for a detailed list of what the broth was made of.”
    â€œTony’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Kate felt ashamed of her earlier lack of sympathy for his medical problems. He certainly didn’t deserve to be in ICU on a respirator.
    Leslie nodded. She finished her sandwich and gulped some of her coffee, swearing when it burned her tongue. “He’s stable at the moment, but it was touch-and-go there for a while. They even called next of kin—his family’s upstairs right now. Apparently his mom is really up in arms. According to the nurses, she’s been making noises about suing the hospital for malpractice.”
    They looked at each other and shook their heads.
    â€œCan you imagine the headlines?”
    Kate could, only too well. “Sounds like Tony’s mom is