259 Game: @ Porterville HS 9 (2/2)

Mr. Atkins guided me through another door, and we came to a small hallway of multiple doors. We entered through one labeled 'Exam One' and he sat down on a side chair, leaving me the exam table. I sighed and hopped up.

We didn't even wait a full minute before an older gentleman walked in with a white lab coat on. He shook Mr. Atkins hand immediately. ”Hello, Wayne. Good to see you. How are the boys doing? Baseball going well?”

Mr. Atkins smiled. ”Yes, everything is great with the four. Here, this is Jake. Our foster son. He's the one we called you about.”

”Right.” He faced me and the wrinkles by his eyes multiples when he smiled at me. ”Jake. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for me to shake, so I did so. ”I'm Dr. Darien Walker, a family physician. Wayne called my office earlier to ask of I could stay in late to see you. What brings you in tonight?”

”We just came from a game in the mountains and I think he may have had altitude sickness. The game was up in Porterville. He had trouble breathing and right after the game, even with an oxygen mask it seems like he passed out. I say this because he just woke up in the hallways and had some mild confusion as if he didn't know he fell asleep.”

Dr. Walker looked at Mr. Atkins. ”Wayne. I know you like to be involved, but you should know that I like to hear it from my patients.”

Mr. Atkins' smile started to look forced. ”Well, Jake is a little bit special. I was able to have his medical records sent over before we arrived, but not his psyche records. He suffers from social anxiety and selective mutism.”

”Ah.” He looked at me. ”Do you mind answering my questions? If not, we can figure out something else to do to help you. But for a more accurate diagnosis, it's always best to hear it from the patient and for the patient to be honest.”

I swallowed. ”It's okay. I'm okay with just us.”

He smiled. ”Okay. Let's start with when you started to feel unwell.”

”I didn't feel sick at first. I was just having trouble breathing after running around the bases. It got easier after the athletic trainer brought an oxygen thingy to help me. And then after the game I started to feel sick to my stomach. Then I woke up here.”

”Okay.” He pulled up to a computer and started to type, probably inputting my information. ”Let's talk about your medical history first.”

Ahhh. This is gonna take awhile then. I let out a dejected sigh.