Adopted by Katie Mcgrath

Chapter 36

For the past month or so I had been feeling really tired, and it was showing. My grades had started to slip and I was also starting to get out of breath really easily during P.E. I have had a slight cough as well. But nothing prepared me for what happened today.

It was the middle of gym class and we were running laps. Usually, I could run for a while before getting out of breath. But today, I barely even managed one before I started coughing. I continued coughing for a few minutes, unable to catch my breath, I was gasping for air. I couldn't get any air in, I started to panic.

"Hey, you okay Clem?" I heard someone say. By this time it felt like I was gonna puke.

"Clem?" I continued wheezing, trying to get some air, but it wasn't working. This continued for about another 30 seconds before I eventually got my breath back. It was only a matter of seconds before I ended up throwing up.

"Cara, get her to the nurse, and get a janitor." The teacher said. I barely had enough energy to stand.

When we got to the nurse, Cara explained what happened, while the nurse checked me over. "The only way I can explain it was- it was almost as if she was whooping." She explained. I honestly wasn't focusing on what I sounded like, I was more worried that I couldn't breathe.

"How long have you had a cough like that?" The nurse asked.

"Um... I dunno a week or so. It's never been that bad though." I stated.

"Okay," she said writing notes down on a form, "I think you might have whooping cough. But you need to go to the hospital to get it checked out properly. Do you want me to call your mom?"

"No, she's at work. I'll call someone." I explained.

"Okay. Miss Edwards, could you possibly go and get Miss Morgan's belongings?" The nurse questioned.

"Sure."

I went into a side room to call Dad, as he wasn't filming or had any interviews today. "Hey, Dad Are you free?"

"Yeah. Is everything okay?"

"I need a lift to the hospital, to get a cough checked out," I explained. "Could you come and collect me?"

"Sure, I'm on my way."

After about twenty minutes, Colin was pulling into the drop off zone.

"Hey."

"Hey, wanna tell me why we're getting a cough checked out at the hospital?"

"The school nurse thinks I might have whooping cough. Seeing as I had a coughing fit during gym class."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"Nope, I couldn't breathe." I chuckled, causing another bout of coughing to ensue.

After I was checked by the doctor, I had to wait a few hours for the test results to come back. Which, believe me, was not fun.

"Okay, Miss Morgan, it does seem you have whooping cough. Unfortunately, because you've already got the cough we can't do much for it now. But we can give you some medication to help ease it. It may get worse and take a while for it to clear though." The doctor explained.

" How long?" Dad asked.

"It depends, 2-3 months or so."

"2-3 months?!" I exclaimed. Was he serious? I could have a coughing fit like that for 2-3 months!

" I would recommend that she should keep exercise or any strenuous activity to a minimum, as they can trigger coughing fits." The doctor continued. "Other than that, the release forms are all signed so you're good to go."

Great, so I've got to deal with this stupid cough for another 2 months and not do any exercise. Plus, on top of all that it could get worse?!

We got home later that afternoon, and I felt completely exhausted. Dad and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie when Mum came in.

"Hey, you two," She said coming over and placing a kiss on my head.

"Hey," Both of us greeted.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"I had to go to the hospital," I said casually.

"What?!" Mum questioned. "Are you okay?" She asked coming around to face me.

"She had to go get checked out," Dad started, "She had a coughing fit at school and the nurse suspected she has whooping cough, which she does," he explained.

"Mum, I'm fine. I've got medication and guidelines to follow," I added.

"Such as?" she prompted.

"No exercise or strenuous activities," I replied, returning my focus back to the movie.#

*That night*

I woke up with a familiar tickle in my throat, I looked out of the window and realised that it was still pitch black outside. I tried to clear my throat but I ended up going into a full on coughing fit. This one was way worse than that the one at school. I tried calling out for my Katie, but I just continued wheezing and gasping for air. After what felt like an eternity I felt someone place their hand on my back and start rubbing, but it wasn't helping. I just continued to cough and wheeze, with a few dry gags in between. I tried to focus on my breathing and calming myself down, but it wasn't working. I looked towards the person rubbing my back, trying to get help.

After a while, I managed to stop coughing but another familiar feeling washed over me. I got up as quickly as my tired, aching body could, and raced to the bathroom bringing up whatever I had for dinner. If this is what it was going to be like for the next two months, and may get worse, it's gonna be one word: Hell.