Excellently helpful points, Bardi! Thank you for being picky, and all your thoughts are duly noted. I hope you feel better soon!

He does not pass the living room but he collapses on the couch?
In my neck of the woods, that would mean that he came into the living room - probably the door is in that room or close by - but he didn't come any further into the house than that. I didn't realize this wasn't common usage! Is there some other way you can think of to phrase that to make the meaning clear?