It was morning, 7:30 a.m. Marie, 18 years old, with shoulder-length brown hair, woke up with stomach pain and a fever. She got up, went to her sister Julia, who was two years older, and told her what was going on. Her sister said to her:

**Julia:** Get dressed and we’ll go to Dr. Meier’s office right away.

Marie went into the bathroom, then to her room and got dressed. She put on a brown sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Once she was ready, she went downstairs and, together with her sister, headed to the doctor’s office, which was only a few steps from their home.

When they arrived at the practice—it was around 8:20 a.m.—she checked in with one of the medical assistants and described her symptoms. The assistant replied:

**Medical Assistant 1:** Okay, Marie, you’ll need to wait a little longer. Please take a seat in the waiting room; you’ll be called shortly.

Marie and Julia went to the waiting room, sat down, and waited. About 10 minutes passed, but suddenly the pain became so unbearable that Marie doubled over and cried. Julia touched her forehead.

**Julia:** Oh my God, your forehead is really hot! I’ll go let them know—maybe they can see you sooner!

Julia got up and went back to reception, explaining the situation to another assistant. She decided:

**Medical Assistant 2:** Okay, we’ll send your sister straight to the surgical treatment room, and I’ll call Dr. Meier immediately.

Meanwhile, the first assistant went into the waiting room and got Marie.

**Medical Assistant 1:** Marie, would you please come with me?

Marie carefully stood up and followed her into the room. In the meantime, the doctor entered and examined her.

**Dr. Meier:** Hello, Marie. Tell me, what symptoms are you having?

**Marie (crying):** My stomach hurts terribly. The pain is everywhere.

**Dr. Meier:** Okay, could you please lift your sweatshirt so I can examine your abdomen?

Marie lifted her sweatshirt, and the doctor gently began to palpate her abdomen. Marie grimaced and said that it hurt in certain places.

**Dr. Meier:** Have you had a fever as well?

**Marie:** Yes, 37.5°C. That was at home—it's probably gone up now.

The assistant took a thermometer and placed it in Marie’s ear.

**Medical Assistant 1:** 38.0°C.

**Dr. Meier:** So, Marie, the fever has risen. You’ll get medication to reduce it, and we’ll take some blood and send it to the lab. I’d also like to listen to your abdomen and your heart.

Dr. Meier took her black dual-head stethoscope from her bag and put it in her ears. Then she began to listen to Marie’s abdomen.

**Dr. Meier:** The bowel sounds are somewhat abnormal. You probably have a gastrointestinal virus. Now I’ll listen to your heart.

She listened to her heart at several points and said it was beating a bit fast, but that was likely due to the fever. Marie felt somewhat relieved.

**Dr. Meier:** Okay, we’ll take some blood now. I’ll briefly check on another patient and be right back.

The assistant took four vials of blood and then measured Marie’s blood pressure, which was 140/90. In the meantime, the doctor returned and had her temperature checked again.

**Dr. Meier:** Alright, the fever has gone down a bit. You can go home now. If the pain gets worse again, come back immediately.

Marie got up and went home with Julia. She went to her room and lay back down in bed.

After lying down, Marie fell asleep and slept until the afternoon, around 4:00 p.m. Then she got up and went to the bathroom. When she came out, Julia was walking down the hallway and asked:

**Julia:** So, are you feeling a bit better?

**Marie:** Yes, the stomach pain has eased, but I still feel a bit nauseous.

They both went into Marie’s room. Once there, Marie lay back down on her bed. Then Julia asked her a question:

**Julia:** Marie, I know this sounds a bit strange, but I’d like to listen to your stomach. Would that be okay?

**Marie:** What would that be good for?

**Julia:** I’ve always wondered what it sounds like and what you can hear.

**Marie:** Okay, you can do it—but only if I can listen to your heartbeat afterward!

Julia was momentarily speechless.

**Julia:** You’ve never told me you were into that.

Marie blushed slightly and replied:

**Marie:** Well, I just never dared to tell you before.

Julia smiled and briefly went to her room. When she returned, she was holding a pink Littmann stethoscope that she had bought online the previous summer.

**Julia:** Okay, Marie, could you lift your shirt a little so I can listen to your stomach?

Marie nodded and lifted her Snoopy sleep shirt slightly. Julia put the stethoscope in her ears and gently placed the diaphragm on her sister’s abdomen.

**Julia:** Wow, there’s quite a lot going on! The sounds don’t stop at all!

She moved the diaphragm to different spots and continued listening. When she was done, she took the stethoscope out of her ears and was about to hand it to Marie, but Marie shook her head and said:

**Marie:** Thanks, Julia, but I’ll use my own.

Julia looked at her in surprise.

**Julia:** Wait—you’re telling me you have a stethoscope too?

**Marie:** Yes, I got it from Grandpa. It was his old one, and I really liked it.

Marie got up, went to her dresser, and took an orange stethoscope out of one of the drawers. She returned to the bed.

**Marie:** Would you mind sitting on the couch for a moment?

**Julia:** No, that’s fine. I’ll lift my sweater a bit.

**Marie:** That’s nice of you.

She spread the earpieces and put them in her ears, then placed the diaphragm on Julia’s chest and listened to her heart.

**Marie:** That sounds nice. So far, I’ve only ever heard my own heartbeat—and once Steffi’s. We could do this more often if you’d like.

**Julia:** Yes, I was thinking the same. Once you’re healthy again, we can do that.

Marie moved the diaphragm a few times and listened. Then she took off the stethoscope and put it back in her dresser.

**Julia:** Well, now we both have our little secret.

Marie laughed and lay back down.

**Julia:** Okay, I’ll go back to my room now. I’ll check on you later.

**Marie:** Alright, see you later.

Julia picked up her Littmann, opened the door, went into the hallway, and closed it behind her.

**THE END**