Eternal Rain - WrioLette

7

Wriothesley sat in his office, methodically stacking files into neat piles. The day he had accompanied Neuvillette to the opera had been a busy day, with meetings and discussions with families of prisoners, but he still decided to go with the Iduex

Fortunately, his colleague had recorded the meeting and organized it into a file for Wriothesley. Now, his desk was cluttered with stacks of files, awaiting his attention.

He had grown accustomed to the routine, and before he knew it, only an hour had passed. Wriothesley rose from his chair, gathering the weighty stack of files and heading toward the cupboards.

Just then, the door swung open, revealing Sigewinne.

"Wriothesley? Why are you carrying so many files?" she exclaimed. "You know you shouldn't be."

"It's fine, it's just a short distance," he reassured her. But as he spoke, Wriothesley's hands stiffened, causing him to drop all the files to the floor

"Wriothesley! Are you okay?" Sigewinne rushed over to assist him.

"Yeah, just a little hand cramp," he replied, glancing down at his hand.

"I've told you so many times! You know that if you keep pushing yourself like this, it's only going to get worse."

"I know, I should have listened," Wriothesley sighed, acknowledging her concern

"When was the last time you had a check-up? Leave these files here, and I'll get someone to pick them up. You're coming with me," Sigewinne insisted, grabbing Wriothesley's trousers and pulling him along.

"But I have a lot of work today that I need to catch up on," he protested weakly.

"It can wait. Your health is more important," she asserted, guiding him to the medical room and into her office.

As Wriothesley sat down, Sigewinne pulled out a folder containing details about the older man. "I haven't checked on you in two months. This is bad..."

"It's okay, it's not too bad," Wriothesley reassured her, though his expression betrayed a hint of concern.

"Tell me, have you had any pain recently? Major ones?" Sigewinne inquired with a furrowed brow.

"Um, I've had some," Wriothesley admitted.

"What were they?" she pressed.

"Last month, when I woke up, I didn't have the strength to get out of bed, but that was only for a few minutes," he explained.

"Any others?" Sigewinne's concern was palpable.

"The day Neuvillette passed out, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and it was difficult for me to breathe," he continued. "And then when I was at the opera, my hand tensed up, just like today, and I couldn't pick up a teacup."

Sigewinne diligently jotted down notes as Wriothesley spoke. "So the hand cramps have been common since before you were diagnosed," she observed.

Wriothesley nodded. "The only new things are not being able to get up and the breathing issue."

"They were only one-time occurrences; I've never had them again," he clarified

Sigewinne tilted her head and set the pen and paper down. "I'm worried for you. You need to lighten your workload. Can you not get someone else to help you?"

"You know how I am. I prefer to handle things myself," Wriothesley replied.

"Wriothesley, this isn't going to end well if you keep pushing yourself like this. Fortunately, we have medication to assist you," Sigewinne urged.

"I understand. I'll try to take on less. I promise," Wriothesley said with a soft smile

"Have you eaten today?" Sigewinne asked.

"I have," Wriothesley replied a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Okay, tomorrow I need you to come see me early. Don't eat anything or take any of your medications. Also, try not to exert yourself too much," Sigewinne instructed.

"Is something wrong?" Wriothesley inquired.

"No, I just want to check your respiratory function," she explained.

"Alright then, is there a specific time you want me to come?" Wriothesley asked.

"Anytime in the morning will be fine," Sigewinne replied.

"Thank you, Sigewinne," Wriothesley said gratefully.

"Please take care of your health, Duke. Even if you don't care, remember I do. I bet many others do too," Sigewinne said with a smile.

"I will," Wriothesley assured her with a return smile.

Wriothesley soon left and made his way back to his office. As he entered, his eyes fell upon the files which had fallen on the ground.

Wriothesley sighed as he crouched down beside the fallen files, beginning to pick them up one by one. As he lifted the first two, there was a knock at his door.

A guard entered, saying, "Dr. Sigewinne sent me, Duke. She said I had to help pick up something?"

Wriothesley chuckled softly. "Yes, thank you. Could you pick up these files and place them in this cupboard?"

"Of course, Duke," the guard replied, swiftly assisting with the task Sigewinne had assigned
.
.

The next day, Wriothesley sat in a chair in Sigewinne's office.

"Okay, are you ready?" she asked, putting on her gloves.

"Yes, ma'am," Wriothesley replied.

"Alright, I'm going to place this on your nose. Let me know if it hurts," Sigewinne said as she placed the nose clip and mouthpiece.

Wriothesley nodded, and Sigewinne watched the monitor intently. "Now, take a deep breath until it fills your whole lungs," she instructed.

Wriothesley complied, taking a deep breath.

"Now, forcefully exhale," Sigewinne directed.

Wriothesley exhaled into the spirometer, and Sigewinne observed the readings.

"I see," she remarked, removing the nose and mouthpiece. "Your FVC is not normal, but it's not low, thankfully."

"Is that bad?" Wriothesley inquired.

"Well, it can be dangerous if not managed properly. But if you keep physically fit, do breathing exercises, and stay away from polluted areas, it should be fine," Sigewinne explained.

"Understood. Are there any other check-ups you need to do?" Wriothesley asked.

"Not for now, but I'll need you to come in again after a few weeks for a follow-up," Sigewinne replied.

"Alright, just schedule a day and I'll be there," Wriothesley agreed.

"Before you go, Wriothesley, I want you to understand that I'm not just saying this. I genuinely don't want anything bad to happen to you," Sigewinne expressed her concern.

"I appreciate your concern, Sigewinne. I'll do my best to take care of myself," Wriothesley assured her.

"Good. I'll see you later then," Sigewinne said as Wriothesley left the office.

Sigewinne couldn't shake off her worry about Wriothesley's health. It wasn't getting significantly worse, but she felt it was important to ensure he followed the right steps to stay healthy

1070 Words