Saving Me

EIGHTEEN

School today was such a drag, maybe due to the fact that I was not feeling like myself. I was just really exhausted and just wanted to go home to my nice, warm bed. Which is exactly what I did the moment I stepped foot inside that house.

 
My throat feels a bit itchy and dry. My whole body hurts, like I was hit by a freight train. I groan as I snuggle into my covers, not bothering to change into my pajamas.

I feel cold and my skin is sweaty and clammy. I couldn’t stomach anything at school, couldn’t even hold a proper conversation ‘cause all I wanted to do was sleep.

I wake up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water, as I have finished the one I had on my nightstand. I don’t make it to the kitchen, my legs give out and I fall breaking the glass I was holding in the process.

I tumble down the stairs. Just as I hit the bottom of the steps, I hear my mom’s piercing scream. She runs down the stairs, my brother following her.

 
They help me get up and I go sit on the couch. A shooting pain in my left arm makes me wince. Seth cleans up the glass pieces and my mom looks at my arm.

 
“We may have to get you to hospital, I think it’s broken” she grabs a pillow to elevate my arm. I let out a huge sigh.

 
Seth looks at me “You’re sweaty. Why are you still in this morning’s clothes?” he asks. I try to talk but the pain in my arm and my dry throat make it pretty hard for me to say a word.

“I think she has a fever” mom places her hand on my forehead to check my temperature “She’s burning up. Bring her some water” she orders Seth.

 
I drink the water, relishing the soothing effect it has on my throat. It felt like someone scraped sandpaper on it.  Mom helps me up to my room to change out of the clothes I have on.

 
I put on some pajama bottoms and Seth’s green hoodie. I shuffle into my slippers and slowly make my way on to the car in the garage. Mom and Seth have already changed.

The drive to the hospital is quick. Purely because it’s the middle of the night and there isn’t much traffic to slow us down.

 
I hate the smell of hospitals. It just makes me nauseous and waiting on the nurses to hurry up and tend to me is not helping at all. Especially with my fever spiking up my temperature add that to the arm that’s turning a blueish shade.

I start shivering like a chihuahua. My teeth chattering. I get stomach cramps. My mom freaks out and starts flashing her name and reputation all over the place. I just sit there and watchwith my brother as he holds my hand through the pain.

I finally get assigned to an individual ward and wait to get examined by a doctor. A man with salt and pepper hair walks in holding a chart “Miss Melissa Douglas” he looks over to me as I sit on the bed. “I am doctor Anderson”

I try to greet him but it comes out as more of a groan that words. He chuckles and starts prodding at my arm. I can’t stop the flow of tears that come. I do not have a very high tolerance for pain. He then takes my temp and draws some blood.

Two nurses help me change into a hospital gown get me a wheelchair to take me for x-rays. After the x-rays I’m back in my room and wait for the doctor. He comes with the results.

“Well, it looks like your wrist is broken so we’ll have your arm in a cast for a few weeks. And you seem to be running a high fever. We’ll have to keep you under observation for twenty four hours” he looks at my chart.