person at all. The standard samples of blood and urine were required plus a throat culture. Then Chris described his recent bout of weakness and dizzy spells while Dr. Brown checked his heart, blood pressure, eyes, throat, ears, reflexes, and muscle tone, occasionally asking probing questions about what he felt during his 'spells'.

For several minutes she made entries in Chris's file, then read through a few previous pages. Finally, she closed the folder.

"Well, Chris, I'm sure what you have is a low grade staff infection. I can't be sure without the lab results but I'm pretty sure they'll confirm my diagnosis. It's a very simple condition to treat. A shot of antibiotics along with a prescription will have you back to normal in just a few days." She gave him the shot. Then, while he dressed, unlocked the glass door of a drug cabinet and selected a brown bottle of small white pills and handed them to him after writing directions on the label. "Take one of these four times a day, before meals and at bedtime. And make sure you get a good night's sleep. I'm going to ask Mary to restrict your activities at the office, too, at least for a couple of days. Also, you are to avoid any strenuous physical exercise, and stay off you feet as much as you can. Any questions?" Chris finished dressing. "Thanks for the help, Doc. Do you want me to call you about the lab results?"

"No, my nurse will call you if there is any need. But I'm sure this will do the job." She tapped the bottle she had just placed in Chris's hand. "Oh, and Chrissy," she stopped him as he was leaving. "I really like your new look. becoming." She smiled broadly.

Very

"Uh, thanks," he stammered and left. Friday afternoon found Chris and Mary at their usual afternoon coffee break when Chris mentioned

that he was considering calling about the lab tests. He had been taking the pills as instructed and had been feeling considerably stronger, but three days had gone by without a word from the doctor's office.

Mary seemed unconcerned. "Don't worry. If there had been anything unusual you would have been told before now."

"Well," he admitted, sipping at his second cup of coffee. "I suppose but I would still

Without warning there was a monsterous roar in his ears and the room pitched sideways before blackness descended.

Chris awoke in the hospital, his left hand and wrist taped to a small board with an IV taped securely to the top of his hand.

A nurse by his bed saw that he was conscious and reached for the phone. "Stay still, Chrissy. I'll have the doctor here in a giffy!" She spoke quietly into the receiver and Dr. Brown was there almost before she hung up. "Well, Hi!" she exclaimed. "I'm glad you decided to wake up." She checked for his pulse, then answered his unspoken question. "You're going to be fine. The medicine I had you on seems to have had a delayed and unpleasantly adverse effect. How do you feel now?"

"Groggy," he croaked. "How long have I been here?" Sunlight angled through the window but was it morning or afternoon. The clock he saw over the door showed 10:17. Ok, he reasoned quickly, so it's morning. But what day?

"Here, you can sit up." She nodded to the nurse who cranked up the upper end of the bed and propped some pillows behind his head. "All told, you have been out about twenty hours. It's Saturday now. But we did some of that so you could rest. And it made it easier for us to use