The Perfect Husband Read Online Free PDF Page B

middle of an examination though the object of
his pain stood less than ten feet away. He had to get a grip.
    “I’m just going to lift your T-shirt so I
can have a look at your tummy. Is that okay?” He included Charlie’s
mom in his gaze. Both of them nodded. Mason pressed gently on the
boy’s abdomen and palpated it beneath his fingers.
    “Does that hurt, Charlie?” he asked.
    “No.”
    “How about here?”
    “No, not really.”
    “What about here?”
    “Ouch,” Charlie complained and a wave of
concern washed over his mother’s face.
    Mason continued his examination. When he was
finished, he pulled down the boy’s shirt.
    “How long has it been since you went to the
toilet, Charlie?”
    The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. I did a pee
while I was still downstairs.”
    “No, I mean a poo. Do you remember when you
last went to the toilet for a poo?”
    Charlie frowned in thought. His mother sat
forward in her chair.
    “Have you been today, Charlie?” she
asked.
    “No.”
    “What about yesterday?” Mason asked.
    “No. I remember because I had to go, but it
was in the middle of class and I didn’t want to ask the teacher if
I could leave, so I just held on. Later, in the break, I didn’t
feel like going.”
    “Do you normally do a poo most days?” Mason
asked.
    Charlie’s mom nodded. “As far as I know. He
seems to spend an awful lot of time in there.”
    The young boy’s cheeks turned red and he
stared down at the sheet. “It’s only because I take a book in
there, Mom. I like to read. It helps pass the time.” His blush
deepened and Mason couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
    “I like to read in the toilet, too,
Charlie,” he said and the boy shot him a grateful look. “Sometimes
it’s the only quiet time I get.”
    “Yeah,” Charlie replied with feeling,
shooting Mason a grin. “It’s the only place I can get away from my
pesky little sisters.”
    “Charlie, that’s not very nice,” his mom
admonished.
    “It’s true, Mom,” Charlie insisted,
unabashed.
    Mason cleared his throat and brought the
conversation back to point. He stood and folded his arms across his
chest.
    “I’m pretty sure I know what the problem
is,” he said and both Charlie and his mom turned to him, expectant
looks upon their faces.
    “I think your tummy ache is being caused by
constipation.”
    Now it was the mother’s turn to blush.
Charlie just looked confused. “What’s constipation?”
    “It’s when your bowel gets hard and full and
tight because you’re not going to the toilet often enough,” Mason
explained.
    “What’s my bowel?”
    Isobel moved nearer and Mason steeled
himself against her closeness. She smiled down at his young
patient.
    “Your bowel is a storage compartment in your
tummy,” she explained with a soft smile. “It holds all the food
waste that you’ve eaten. It’s really important to go to the toilet
when you feel the urge. That’s your brain telling your body it’s
time to go and empty out. If you ignore it too often, your poo ends
up hard and impacted and your tummy gets really sore. Doctor
Alexander thinks that’s the reason for your tummy pain.”
    Mason shot Isobel a look of gratitude and
then offered Charlie a wink. “I couldn’t have put it any better
myself.”
    “How do you fix it?” Charlie asked.
    “Well, the easiest way to fix it is to go to
the toilet,” Mason replied.
    Charlie frowned. “Will it hurt?”
    Isobel squeezed his hand. “A little bit, but
we can give you a special medicine that will soften things up and
help it on its way.”
    Mrs Alsop shook her head, her cheeks still
slightly pink. “I can’t believe we rushed here in such a panic when
it was only constipation.”
    Mason was quick to reassure her. “It’s
always better to be safe than sorry, especially with children. They
can go downhill very quickly. You were right to bring him in.”
    She offered him a smile filled with relief
and gratitude. “Thank you, Doctor Alexander. I