Michelle stepped inside the home, thanking Piero for his hospitality. As they walked to Chiara's bedroom, Piero explained the situation. The first thought to cross Michelle's mind was the poor woman was very close to death. Not the type of news anyone would like to hear, but she preferred being a realist more so than an optimist. 

"I'll be good for now, thank you," she replied, approaching Chiara's bedside. 

"Hi there," Michelle smiled, putting her stuff down. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to check out how you're doing." Michelle eased the eartips of the stethoscope in place and approached Piero's mother. She checked her heartbeat first before moving the diaphragm around various locations throughout Chiara's chest. Once she was done, Michelle hung the stethoscope around her neck and proceeded to check Chiara's eyes. 

"Hmm, okay. I'm going to take your temperature now, alright?" 

The woman nodded softly, making Michelle feel a tinge sad. The job didn't come without its consequences. 

"Okay, my dear, lift your arm just the slightest for me..." Michelle helped Chiara through process as she placed the thermometer under her arm. She could only smile as she waited out the time, her mind a bit occupied as to how she would approach Piero. When some more time passed, she remove the thermometer for a quick read. 

"Well, you don't have a fever, so that's good." Michelle reassured her, putting the thermometer away. "If I may have a minute, please." Michelle headed for the door, closing it behind her once she was outside.

"Okay, Piero, I'm going to be very honest with you. Your mother doesn't look good at all. The virus coupled with her already deteriorating health is making things worse by the minute. She has a weakened pulse and although she doesn't have a fever, her temperature is higher than I'd like. I have some medication for her but I have to advise that it will not kill the virus, so at this stage, there's a pretty good chance her symptoms will not alleviate."

Michelle paused for a moment, letting the news sink in. "I'm afraid there's not much I can do," she continued, sitting down and motioning for Piero to do the same. "I, um...I do have an option whenever you feel it would be the right time--if that's the option you would like to take in order to ease her last few moments of life. It is completely up to you both whether you would like to go that route. The procedure is commonly known as physician-assisted death or physician-assisted suicide. It is an extremely hard choice to make, but it [i]is[/i] an option in case the pain becomes too overwhelming."

She stopped, awaiting Piero's reaction. Her expression was one of kindness and concern.