“All right,” I say. “Well,” I turn to Foxy. “It sounds like his asthma is a little out of control right now, but that’s okay. We have a few options.”
“We do?” She asks. “So there’s a way to treat him?”
“Absolutely. The good thing about asthma is that with careful management, he can live an ordinary life. He can do all of his normal activities. He won’t be limited just because he’s got asthma.”
Foxy looks like she’s about to cry.
“Really?”
“Really and truly,” I smile. “So here’s what we can do. First off, we can get him a nebulizer.”
“Shifters can use those?”
“You know what a nebulizer is?”
“Yeah, he’s been to the hospital before,” she tells me. “And they used one to help him breathe better.”
“Well, we’re going to get one for your home,” I tell her. “It’ll cut back on emergency room visits. The nearest hospital is much too far, anyway.”
“I know,” she sighs. “Thirty minutes doesn’t seem like much, but when you can’t breathe...” Her voice trails off and I know what she’s thinking.
Thirty minutes is an eternity when you’re in trouble.
“What else can we do?” She asks.
“We’re going to try a daily medication,” I tell her. “There are a few options. I’m going to prescribe him one that I feel the most comfortable with. It’s just a little pill. He’ll take it every day. It usually takes a few days to start actively working, but then he should notice quite a difference in his ability to breathe. Sound good, Max?”
“Yes.”
“Are you ready to be able to run again?”
“Yeah,” he smiles.
“Thank you so much,” Foxy says. “This is incredible.”
“Well, it’s not very fun to be laid up, is it? I’m sure Max is ready to be able to play with his friends again.”
“Kyle Winters is having a birthday party next week,” Max says. “We’re all going to play tag!”
“And now he can,” Foxy says, patting her brother’s shoulder.
“Are you going to fill your medication in Claw Valley?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll send everything over to the pharmacy digitally then.”
“You don’t need to write me a note?” Foxy asks.
“Nope. Sending everything digitally is
faster and greener than writing everything on pieces of paper. Besides, this way, there’s no chance of you losing it or misplacing it before you can get to the pharmacy.”
“Wow,” Foxy stands up. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Of course. Now, Max will still need to keep his rescue inhaler with him, okay? There may still be times when he needs to take a puff, and that’s okay. He should always take it when he feels like it. The goal of the medication is to help stabilize him and get the asthma under control so he can live a more normal life.”
“You’ve been fantastic,” Foxy says. “Thank you again.”