Shackles on the heart (Book #1)

44. Hidden condition

(RaeAnna's POV)

The rumors have finally died down a little, but I can't think about that right now. I am feeling extremely sick again, it has been coming and going for months. I am feeling so weak, I can barely walk. Lincoln took me to the nurse's office. They checked my temperature, it was slightly elevated, but nothing alarming. "Can I stay here with her?" Lincoln asks the nurse. "Oh I dont know." She responds. "Please." He pleads with sad eyes. "Oh okay."

I laid back, the room felt like it was spinning. Then I jolt up to go to the trashcan to puke my guts out. Lincoln was holding my hair back. After I was done I slid down onto the floor. "I'm so thirsty." I say, my voice feeling weak. Lincoln is quick to get me a cold bottled water from the nurses fridge, I drink it quickly.

"You might have some kind of virus." The nurse says. "No. This is something else." I tell her, while Lincoln helps me up off the floor to lay me back onto the nurses bed. "Well whatever it is you should definitely go home to rest. I'll call your grandmother." I reach for Lincoln. "Something is wrong with me."

"I know Ann. I know." He runs his fingers through my hair, until the sensation has me falling asleep.

I'm gently woken up by my grandma. "Let's get you home sweetie."

"I'm coming." Lincoln states. "Lincoln you have school." Rosie says. He crosses his arms. "I don't care about that. RaeAnna needs me." She cant say no to him and eventually agrees that he can come.

They both help me into the back seat of the car. I can't even sit up, I instantly lean over to lie down, falling asleep once again.

I'm being lifted into somebody's arms, I can tell it's Lincoln, but I can't manage to open my eyes. He gently lays me down. I can hear Gunnar barking and howling. "I think we should take her to the hospital. Something is wrong." Lincoln says. I don't know how long I'm laying there until I'm being lifted up again. I fall in and out of sleep, waking up in the hospital bed. I can finally open my eyes, I still don't feel right.

My grandma comes to my side. "They said you just have the flu sweet girl." I grow angry at her for no apparent reason. "This is not the flu!" I yell.

"Calm down sunshine. They are going to send you home with some medicine."

"Gramma listen to me! This is not the flu. Something is wrong with me!" I shout out again. "I'll tell them to run some more tests, but they said it was the flu and with the medication you should feel better within several days." I huff and roll my eyes. "Whatever!"

They did more tests on me and didnt find anything. They must be really ignorant, I know something is very, very wrong with me, but they wont do anything else for me and have already discharged me only a few hours later. I'm able to walk after they put some fluids into my body, but I still feel absolutely terrible, like I'm knocking on deaths door.

Lincoln has his arms wrapped around me, keeping me upright. "I'm staying with you tonight." He tells me. I nod weakly. "Okay."

We make it back to my house. "You want to change?" Lincoln asks. "Um.. sure. Just grab a shirt and some shorts out of the bottom drawer."

"Here you go." Lincoln walks out of the room so I can change. "Yell if you need anything." He gives me a pointed look. "I will." I change as quick as I can, ready to lay in my bed. "Okay you can come back in."

Lincoln lays down with me, pulling me to him so my head lays on his chest. "Goodnight beautiful. Wake me if you wake up please." I barely manage a grin, feeling frail. The constant sound of his heart beat lulling me to sleep.

We both wake up at 3:30 a.m. to the sound of loud gunshots right outside my window. "Stay here!" Lincoln states quietly. He jumps out of bed,

grabbing my gun out of my bag and leaving before I had the chance to stop him. I'm about to get up to go search for him when he comes back into the room."I didn't see anybody, but I'll stay awake just in case. Your grandma and Kota are still asleep."

"Its William." I tell him. He grows frustrated. "I'll stay awake, try to get some sleep. You have had a long day."

I fall asleep in 45 minutes, having a hard time sleeping. I don't feel good enough to deal with this.

I wake up at 7:00 to Lincoln looking over at me. He leans in to kiss my nose. "How you feeling?" I shrug. "I feel okay." I lie straight through my teeth, I feel horrible, maybe even worse than yesterday. "You don't look okay to me." I shake off his concern. "I'm fine link. Go to school."

After 20 minutes of convincing him that I'm fine, he very reluctantly agrees to go to school, on the condition that his uncle comes over to keep an eye on me. I told him that was fine if it made him feel better. He can't miss school just because I'm not feeling well and because he's worried about the gunshots from last night. I'll be fine with Chester here. "Please text me."

"I will. Now go before you're late." His dad picks him up. My grandma waits for chester to get here before she takes Dakota to school. He comes straight to my room to sit on the edge of my bed. "Hey kiddo. You don't look so good." As soon as he says this it's like it sets off my gag reflex. "T-trashcan." I say while trying not to throw up on the bed. He gets it immediately and holds it up to me so I can empty the contents of my stomach until I'm only dry heaving. He sets the trash can aside.

"Can I get you anything?" He questions, deeply concerned. "Some water please. I'm so thirsty." I reply. He bobs his head up and down, rapidly speeding off to the kitchen to get me a bottle of water.

After I drink my water, I doze off, not being able to help it. I just feel utterly and absolutely exhausted.

I wake up after what feels like hours later, feeling like I'm in some kind of daze like state. My vision is blurred. Am I going blind? I wonder in my head. I try to talk, but no words will come out of my mouth.

I can barely make out the outline of Gunnar laying in bed with me. I dont see or feel anybody else in the room. Where are they? I need to find them. I need to go back to the hospital.

My vision continues to get blurrier by the second. I try to stand up to go find someone, immediately falling face first to the floor. Gunnar starts licking my face, which I'm assuming to keep me awake. He is barking frantically, not wanting to leave my side, but like he is trying to call someone in here to help me. I can't stay awake any longer, I close my eyes allowing the darkness to consume me.

*beep beep* I hear echoing from all around me, along with frantic shuffling. "We're losing her!" is all I hear before I dont hear anything anymore. I'm still alive, but it's like I no longer exist. I'm sucked down into the abyss of nothingness.