In Another Life

9 - "You're there asking if I'm alright"

9 - "You're there asking if I'm alright"

The last week of January had Ava throwing up everything she ate. Lynn had broken up with her boyfriend, broken down and missed classes for an entire week despite the girls urging her to go. It had reached such a critical stage that Amy had called her parents to come get her. She'd spent a weekend at home to recuperate then had to come back because her brothers had all gotten sick. Seemed to Ava that she'd brought the bug with her because in the space of that one week, Ava, Tina and Polly had had to bow out of classes due to being weak and unable to hold down any food.

Lynn could not apologise enough and had ended up bawling over everyone, much to Haley's disgust and Ayeleen's sympathy. The fact of the matter was, the house was a mess and a pity party was being thrown.

Mak: Ava, you sounded terrible on the phone. You should come home.

Ava: I don't want you guys to get sick, Mak. We're quarantining here. We'll be fine.

Mak: Is someone making you soup? Toast? Are you taking your meds everyday?

Ava: The girls have their own selves to worry about and us three sad souls are sorting ourselves out. We're going to the doctor today to get shots to stop the throwing up. Not seeming to keep anything down.

"Hey Ava. How are you doing?" Polly asked, walking in then flopping down almost on top of her, trying to snuggle her face into Ava's chest as she dropped her phone to the side. "Soft pillows. Make my head stop pounding."

Ava's face flushed in embarrassment. "Wow, way to say I have big boobs."

"You do but we love them because they're so comfortable."

She slapped Polly's shoulder lightly before shifting herself to get comfortable. "What time is your mum coming?"

Polly's mother lived an hour away and on hearing about their sorrowful states, had volunteered to take them to the doctor before taking Polly home for the weekend. None of them had objected because they felt miserable and anything would be better than throwing up everything they ate. And then throwing up on empty stomachs.

Her phone buzzed before Polly could answer.

Mak: What time are you going to the doctor?

"I think my mum said around six? There's this GP that stays open three nights a week or something. And his prices are reasonable."

Ava sent the time to Mak before collapsing back in bed and wiping her forehead. "Polly, I love you but you gotta shift over. I'm beginning to boil up here."

Her friend grumbled and flopped to the side, almost falling off the single bed as she did. Ava shifted to make space until her back hit the wall, groaning when the coolness of the bricks seeped through her pyjamas.

Tina had long since taken a sleeping pill and knocked herself out, grumpily telling them that she hated Lynn's ex-boyfriend and was going to kill him. They'd wake her when Polly's mum came. Until then, sleep was the order of the day.

* * *

Ava woke to the sound of soft voices in the hallway and blinked her eyes open to see two fuzzy figures in the doorway.

"Hey sleepyhead. How are you feeling?"

She turned her head to see Haley looking at her with concern, passing a glass of water over when Ava tried to clear her throat and started coughing instead.

"I hate this. I don't ever get sick!" Ava groused, gulping the water down and wiping the little that fell on her chin. "A whole year travelling and the worst I got was a sinus attack. Back in my own country for a few months and I'm throwing up like a waterpump."