House calls are something I would rather not do. It’s not exactly easy to get an X-ray or a test done on someone in their own home, so the whole appointment usually ends with me setting a time for them to come into the office anyway. It’s a waste of time and money for the patient as well as myself. However, Dr. Calloway paid me upfront which isn’t something that usually happens to me. He must have known I’m a sucker for not having to deal with insurance companies. 

I picked up my phone and punched in the number for Jane Ashford. After a few rings, she picked up.

“Hello?” she whispered in a weak, raspy voice.

“Ms. Ashford? This is Dr. Susan Linden. I was contacted by Dr. Calloway and asked to conduct a home visit. How are you?”

“I’m fine, just…a bit rough.” she wheezed. 

“Well Ms. Ashford, you will be fine once I’m done with you. I’m the best doctor in town.  Don’t let Calloway tell you otherwise.”

“Call me Jane.” she whispered. Her voice was so weak I had to turn off the fan in my office just to hear her better. 

“Alright Jane, the earliest I can get there is tomorrow morning at nine, although I prefer it if you came in to see me instead. The whole process would be much quicker.”

“I can’t really get there…too dizzy.”

“Okay, then what’s your address?”

There was a long pause where the only sound coming through the receiver was her raspy breathing.

“I’m staying at the Stone Coast Inn, for the time being… Room 314.”

I cleared my throat. “So, more of a hotel call than a house call I guess?” 

“Yeah…I guess. It’s only for a little bit. I just––” 

“No need to explain a thing. I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.”

I hung up the phone and shivered at the thought of having to visit that dump of a place, then felt a twinge of disappointment in myself for judging the situation she was in.

“She must be in a bad place to be staying there.” I said to myself.

I arrived at the Stone Coast Inn the next morning and punched the call button on the elevator. The hydraulics hissed and the metal door slid open with a groan, blasting me with the stench of smoke and mildew. Gray mats worn down with overuse and stained beyond saving covered the floor. The walls were grimy and stained from years of neglect. I held my breath as I stepped into the moldy coffin, punching the button for the third floor. The doors closed and the motor screeched to life as the elevator jerked upward. I clutched the sticky metal handrail to steady myself and sighed. I reached into the bag slung across my shoulder and pulled out the baby wipes. 

“No wonder she’s sick.” I said, wiping the mystery gunk off my hand. 

The door hissed open, and I stepped out onto her floor, which was in no better shape than the elevator had been. Dirty, torn carpets stretched out in every direction. Outdated wallpaper was peeling off the walls. The sound of a couple in the middle of a screaming match echoed from the hallway to my right. Luckily for me, I was heading in the opposite direction.

I found room 314 at the end of the hall and could hear the muffled sounds of the TV coming through the door. I knocked twice and the TV went quiet, the sound replaced by footsteps that grew louder as someone approached the door.

“You need to go; we’re not buying anything.” Said a voice on the other side of the door. It wasn’t Jane’s voice but the voice of some kid.

“I’m not selling anything.” I shouted, confused. “I’m a doctor and I’ve been sent here to check on Jane.”

“What’s your name?” 

“I’m Dr. Susan Linden… Who am I talking to?” 

“I’m not supposed to tell strangers my name. You could be an abductor like they say on the news.” 

“Abductor?”

I took a step back from the door and groaned. No one had bothered to mention that a kid was here too. 

“What’s a kid doing watching the news?” I asked.

“I’m not a kid, I’m twelve. And you’re a stranger. Go away.”

“Hold on, I’m here to help make your mom feel better. She’s sick, isn’t she?”

There was a pause before he spoke again. His voice was lower than it had been, and I had to lean my ear into the door just to hear what he was saying. 

“She hasn’t gotten out of bed or said anything since lunchtime.” 

“That’s normal if someone’s sick. It’s only been a few hours since breakfast, I bet she was just exhausted. That’s nothing to be worried about. Why don’t you let me in so I can check on her?”

“I can’t let you in until you prove you’re not an abductor.” 

I crossed my arms and let out a sigh. “And how can I do that?”

“You could slide your doctor’s degree under the door. That way I know you’re a real doctor.” 

I readjusted the bag on my shoulder, suddenly aware of how heavy it is. 

“Where’d you get that idea from? That’s not a thing doctors usually carry with them so why don’t you just go wake your mom up and she can tell you I’m not an abductor.” 

“What does your last name mean?” He asked.

“What?”

“Mom told me what your last name meant, if you know then you must be the doctor she talked about and not some abductor.”

I placed a hand on the door and leaned against it, breathing slowly in a futile attempt to calm down. “It’s a tree, my last name is a tree. Now wake your mom up and let me in.”

“I can’t wake her up; I’ve been trying since after I ate lunch yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“Yeah…It’s not like mom.” 

I dug through my bag and pulled out my phone, dialing Jane’s number as fast as I can. 

“Hey kid, I need––“ 

“My name’s not kid, it’s Noah.”

“Okay, fine. Noah, I’m calling your mom’s phone.”

The ringing of a phone came from deeper in the room.

“See, that’s me. I have her number because I called her yesterday. Now hurry up and let me in!”

The deadbolt clicked and the door slowly swung open. A young boy stood across the threshold. His shoulders sagged and he clasped his hands together in front of him. A tear was rolling down his face and his breath caught in his throat while he spoke. 

“You sound worried… Is it bad?” He said as I rushed past him towards the bed. 

She was lying in bed with the covers pulled up to her neck. Her long brown hair looked greasy and matted, like she’d been sweating for hours on end. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were a deep violet. I placed two fingers on the side of her neck, checking for a pulse. When I couldn’t find one on her neck I picked up her arm and checked her wrist. She was cold to the touch and slightly stiff. 

 I looked over at the kid. He was standing in the corner, shaking as he silently wiped the tears from his freckled cheeks.

“Is it bad?” Noah asked, his voice shaking. 

“It’s going to be okay, Noah… You’re going to be okay.”

Noah walked over to the other side of the bed and shook her leg. “Mom… Please wake up.” 

“Noah, I need you to go into the bathroom and wait for me. I’m going to be right behind you.”

His breath caught in his throat and his face turned a bright red. The realization of what was happening hit him like a brick. He leaped onto the bed and grabbed his mom by the shoulders, shaking her as hard as he could. 

“Mom! Wake up!”

“Noah, stop!” I leaned over and wrapped my arms around his midsection, pulling him off of his mom’s body and dragging him to the corner. He was kicking and screaming, doing everything he could to get away from me. 

“Stop! There’s nothing you can do!” I yelled, struggling to keep hold of him. 

“Let me go!”

I tightened my grip and brace my back against the wall, slowly sliding the two of us to the floor. It wasn’t too long before the fight drained from him, and he broke down into tears. He turned and buried his face in my shoulder and screamed.

“Mom!”

 I placed a hand on the back of his head, hoping that would help in some way.

“Everything is going to be fine, Noah.”

I pulled out my phone with my free hand and dialed 911.