On the eighth（第八）/eɪθ/ of February（2月）/ˈfɛbruˌɛri/, Jonas had an appointment（预约）/ә'pɒintmәnt/ at River Clinic in downtown（市中心的）/'daun'taun/ London（伦敦）/ˈləndən/. He had travelled from England（英格兰）/ˈɪŋglənd/'s northern coast after graduation（毕业）/.grædʒu'eiʃәn/, but a headache（头痛）/ˈhɛˌdeɪk/, waist（腰部）/weist/ pain, and tight chest began to bother（困扰）/'bɒðә/ him. At the entrance, he felt his legs collapse（倒下）/kә'læps/ and struggled to breathe（呼吸）/ˈbriːðɪŋ/. A passer-by did not scream（尖叫声）/skri:m/ or clap（拍手）/klæp/ for attention; she calmly called an agent（代理人）/ˈeɪʤənt/ at reception and supported his belly（腹部）/'beli/.
A nurse attached a capsule（胶囊）/'kæpsju:l/-sized monitor and checked his pulse（脉冲）/pʌls/, lung, and every major organ. The system（系统）/ˈsɪstəm/ showed no acute（尖锐的）/ә'kju:t/ infection（传染）/in'fekʃәn/, although sweat（汗）/swet/ covered his skin. Jonas had suffered a gymnastics（体操）/dʒim'næstiks/ injury（伤害）/'indʒәri/ fourteen（十四）/ˌfɔrˈtin/ days earlier and feared internal damage. The nurse examined the specific（特定的）/spɪˈsɪfɪk/ spot and found no torn tissue（薄的织物）/'tiʃu:/ or broken flesh（肉）/'fleʃ/. Her obvious confidence helped him overcome（战胜）/.әuvә'kʌm/ the first wave of panic.
Dr Malik asked about physical（身体的）/ˈfɪzɪkl/ exercise, mental（心智的）/'mentl/ stress, and drug abuse（滥用）/ә'bju:s.ә'bju:z/. 女“Pain is real even when a dangerous disease is not. We can cure（治愈）/kjuә/ the cause only if you describe it honestly.” Jonas admitted that he had trained through discomfort and ignored a mosquito（蚊子）/mә'ski:tәu/ bite that later became red. Tests ruled out aids（援助）/eɪdz/ and other serious infection. The likely cause was muscle friction（摩擦）/'frikʃәn/ combined with exhaustion.
Treatment began with rest, water, and a gentle heat pump（抽水机）/pʌmp/. Jonas made slow movements to strengthen（加强）/'streŋθәn/ resistance（抵抗力）/ri'zistәns/ without increasing suffering（苦难）/'sʌfәriŋ/. A little humor（幽默）/'hju:mә/ softened an uncomfortable（不舒服的）/.ʌn'kʌmfәtәbl/ discussion about asking for help. The doctor explained that immigration（移民）/.imi'greiʃәn/ paperwork and money shortage（缺额）/'ʃɒ:tidʒ/ should not prevent urgent care. She gave him a useful reading sheet and asked him to record any sigh（叹息）/sai/, fever, or change in breathing.
After fifteen（十五）/ˈfɪfˈtin/ minutes of walking, Jonas could recover（重新获得）/ri'kʌvә/ without support. Apparently（显然）/ә'pærәntli/, the clinic's ability to attract（赢得）/ә'trækt/ trust had more importance（重要性）/ˌɪmˈpɔrtəns/ than its urban（都市的）/'ә:bәn/ address. He still felt upset（弄翻的）/ʌp'set/, but affection（影响）/ә'fekʃәn/ from strangers had replaced fear with patience. A visitor from another continent（大陆）/'kɒntinәnt/ began to yell（叫喊）/jel/, so a nurse obviously（显然）/ˈɑbviəsli/ moved loose stuff（东西）/stəf/ out of the hall. Jonas calculated the sum（总数）/sʌm/ on his bill and admitted his weakness（虚弱）/'wi:knis/. Before leaving, he wrote down the emergency number. The visit taught him that independence is not cruel（残酷的）/kruəl/ self-denial: a body contains living substance（物质）/'sʌbstәns/, and responsible adults listen when it asks for care.