Blind Sided

Signs Rejected

She picks me up and wraps me in the blanket. My dad comes in.
      "I am taking her to the hospital!" My mom says. He nods his head.
      "Make sure Aiden doesn't miss his bus." My mom says. She grabs my shoes and puts me in the car. I don't weigh that much to begin with. I stop crying but my body still hurts. When I get there doctors and nurses immediately put me on a stretcher and take me back.
      They start putting needles in my arms and an oxygen mask on my face. All I can think is my bones hurt, my bones hurt, my bones hurt. I have never felt this before. I don't even pay attention to the doctors and nurses around me until they are done. I fall asleep the pain now gone.
     They gave me an iv drip for the pain. The doctor comes back in and I wake up. I am drowsy and I can see light peeking out of the window. Pink and orange with blue and grey. My mom looks like she hasn't slept all night with circles under her eyes.
      "So, we will send you home. We are sure it was just growing pains, but some do get as bad as the pain you are describing. With the fever and nausea I suggest you stay home a couple days. Tylenol for the pain and plenty of fluids." The doctor says. It just doesn't feel right.
     He discharges us and we go home. I still feel weak and tired. I am really thirsty yet again. We stop at a gas station. My mom goes in and gets a coffee for her and a Gatorade for me. I drink half of it.
      "Well good thing I got two." She says, I manage to smile.
      "I am just really thirsty." I manage to say.
      "Do you still hurt?"
      "No, I just feel weak."
      "Maybe you're just tired. We will both go back to bed and I will call into work." She rubs the back of my head. I nod my head yes and we go home. Aiden is up. My dad is to. Aiden puts a piece of toast into his mouth then grabs his bag. He takes it out chews, swallows, hugs me, and runs out the door to catch the bus.
     My dad kisses the top of my head and my mom then he leaves for work. My mom calls the school and her job. I lay on the couch and cover up. I drink the other half of the Gatorade then a cup of water. She gives me Tylenol to break the fever and help with any pain I might feel.
      The next couple days drag on. I won't eat, I feel weak, and I run a fever on and off. I am drinking liquids faster than you can get them in front of me and in one instance I can be jumping all over Aiden when he gets home then I can't move.
     My body hurts at some points and at others just my arms or my legs. I have not been going to school. My mom got my homework for me and I have been slowly doing that. She has been staying home or taking half days. My dad stays with me half of the day then she does the other half.
      At one point Aiden took care of me. That was because my parents needed to get some bottled water and Gatorade. My mom is staying home yet again. She sits next to me.
     "I called the doctor. We will go at one." She says and I nod my head. I drink some more water and go to sleep. She wakes me up at 12:30 and I put my shoes on. We go to the doctor and wait for a half hour.
      When they finally take me back his nurse checks my vitals and takes my temperature. I have a fever again and by the look on her face I can tell it is high. The doctor comes in and examines me. He presses on my stomach and my arms. He checks my knees and my heart. He checks everything.
      "Okay, so I want to get her on a round of antibiotics she has an infection. We will try those for a week. I don't suggest school just because she is weak. I don't know why she is weak it could be the infection. So let's just try the antibiotics and go from there." He smiles and leaves the room.
      His nurse comes back in and discharges us. We go to the store and my mom gets me some ice cream and Gatorade then we go to the pharmacy. She picks up my medicine then we go home. She gives me more water and ice cream. We watch a movie then Aiden comes home. He does his homework then sits with me.
      "So, Ice, how was it?" He asks.
      "I'm on medicine and I can't go to school." I say, he hugs me.
      "On the bright side only 5 more weeks with the brace." He smiles but I just glare.
      "Oh shut up." I say, that is not helping.
      "Ohh, you just got cold." He shivers, I would punch him if I didn't feel so drained.
      "You are a jerk."
      "Aiden, leave Winter alone." My mom scolds him and that gives me a sense of satisfaction. He goes to his room to play on the computer. I eat a little dinner then go to bed. A week goes by and I don't feel any better. I hear my parents talking after we go to bed about me.
      My mom knows there is something more going on. I still keep displaying all of the signs. I am weak, loss of appetite, my bones hurt, and I have lost weight. I am starting to scare everyone. I have not been back to the doctor. I have finished the antibiotics, they didn't seem to help.
     I haven't gone back to school either. I don't have the energy to do any of the work that my mom gets for me and I have fallen so behind I don't know what is going on. My mom comes to my room.
      "I made you another doctor appointment." She says and I nod my head. "It's in about an hour." I nod my head yet again. "I have to run to the store do you think you can stay here alone for about 15 minutes?" I nod my head again. That's all I have been doing lately is nodding my head when asked a question.
      My voice is hoarse and raspy at this point so if I do try to talk no one hears me and I am lucky if anything comes out at all. I feel like an old cat that sleeps all day and when it finally talks you can't hear it the first couple times. I hear the door close 5 minutes later and I continue watching the movie I was watching before she came in. 
      When she comes home she spends about 10 minutes downstairs then she comes back up to me. I put my shoes on and we leave the house. The car ride is long and silent. I am nervous. What do we do now? I want it to be over. I am sick of feeling like this. We get there and check in. We wait forever.
      My heart races and I don't know why. I can't be that nervous can I? I am finally called back, the nurse weighs me and takes my height. I have lost weight, a lot of weight. We go back to the room and she does everything nurses do. Asks me questions, takes my vitals, and tells me the doctor will be in soon.
      "Are you nervous?" My mom asks me.
      "Yeah, this can't just be some sort of common cold." I say. "On the bright side I have 4 more weeks with the splint." I give a fake smile. She lets out a small laugh but I don't find it funny. The doctor comes in and he checks me out. He does what he did  before. He tests me bones and joints, asks me about my eating habits.    
      He asks about my sleeping habits and more. He checks my lungs, ears, throat, and nose. He taps on my head, cheeks, chest, and stomach. When we tell him all the answers to his questions and he finishes checking me out he nods his head and sits in his chair.
      "There is more going on, however I am not a hospital doctor, surgeon, or anything like that. I look for the common colds and give you antibiotics to heal. The last hospital you went to obviously had no clue what they were doing. I am going to send you to the children's hospital for further testing. They should do better considering that they do deal with these types of things and she is 12.
      I will order simple tests such as blood, urine, and X-rays. If they see fit maybe an MRI or a Cat Scan." He says. My heart sinks and I get a lump in my throat. I am really scared now. It's not the tests and the needles. It's not the hospital or the doctors. It's that there is something seriously wrong with me and I don't know what.