CONTAGION- A Divergent Spinoff

Sick.

I expect myself to wake up just as I always do. My alarm goes off, I get up, and prepare myself for my day. Routine.
But today is anything but what I assume it will be, and I find that out very early in the day.
I wake up and my head is already spinning. I dismiss it at first, and then it hits me. This can't be normal.
I sit up, gasping, and nearly jump out of bed. Which, of course, makes my head spin even more. I make it to my bathroom and dig through the drawers until I find my thermometer. I stick it in my mouth, briefly looking in the mirror. My appearance isn't promising at all. My cheeks are flushed and my face is damp with sweat. I look as helpless as I feel, and there's a frown on my face.
I take out the thermometer, crying out audibly when I see what it says. 101.6°. I'm sick.
This is how it starts. Fever, headache, dizziness.
My immediate reaction is to cry, but no. I don't have time for that.
I drop the thermometer, grab my phone, and dial my assistant's number. I take note of the time. It's 3:26 am. Too early, and yet too late for me.
My bottom lip trembles, but I quickly stifle any tears. No crying.
"Jeanine? It's 3:30 am..." I hear Nancy's tired voice on the other line. She won't be as tired once I explain.
I take a deep breath. "I'm... sick." I say, and await her response.
She gasps. She's quiet for a minute.
"How?" she asks, and just as I expected, she sounds much more awake.
I take another deep breath, though that just makes me start coughing. I focus on breathing.
"I've got a fever of 100.6°, a cough, and a headache." I say, pressing a hand to my forehead.
Those are the beginning symptoms of the disease, of course.
How? How did I get sick? I tried so hard to prevent it. I haven't touched a door knob or stair railing for 21 days- starting the day that the first signs of the epidemic began. I've always been germaphobic, but it just became more extreme after the breakout. I just don't understand, something I absolutely hate to admit.
"And those are the symptoms... Jeanine, I'm so sorry..." she whispers. Her voice is trembling. The line goes silent for a moment and so do I.
I continue to stifle my tears, wrapping my comforter around myself tightly. I don't know why I feel like I'm going to cry. I don't cry. Maybe it's the fever? I don't know.
I don't know.
Almost immediately, my temperature changes. I'm hot suddenly. I throw off the comforter, and close my eyes before I lose control of my emotions.
"Don't come over tonight, Nancy. I'm not risking getting you sick. As for the faction leader meeting today... I can Skype call the room. My input of how it's personally affecting me could be helpful." I say, finishing my plan for today as I speak. I need to find out who was the one who infected me. I need to find out where it started mainly, but right now, focusing on my own cause of infection is easier. I feel awful.
"Please get some sleep and call me if you need anything. You need a medical professional to come over in the morning." she tells me. I sigh and that starts me on another coughing fit. I can't stop coughing again. She remains silent as she waits for me to take a deep breath. When I finally catch my breath, I tell her, "Get a list of everyone I came in contact with. I need to stop the spread." My voice is weak. I don't think I'll be able to speak for much longer.
"You don't sound good." she says softly. I can hear the worry in her tone. "That's because I'm sick. Don't come over." I say, coughing again. "Jeanine, you already told me that. I can't tell if you're emphasizing it or if you're repeating yourself without realizing it." Nancy brings me out of my coughing spell.
"Right. I'm sorry. Goodnight, Nancy." I don't wait for a response. I don't want to make her more nervous than I already have.
I hang up the phone and drop it down on my bed.
I take in a deep breath to try and regulate my erratic breathing. It doesn't exactly help.
My head continues to spin around in circles. My state continues to deteriorate.
The minutes after that become blurry, both in my memory and literally; my vision starts to blur together. I become more feverish, and I can't think straight. All I know is that I need to lay down.
I lie down in bed, and find myself asleep almost immediately. I go in and out of sleep, until I hear a knocking at my door as the light of day shines through my window. Early morning goes by full of fever dreams and brief moments of consciousness.
All I know is I've begun to feel worse.
I open my eyes, and unlike I've done for the last few hours, I keep them open and very slowly sit up.
My head is spinning violently again, but I drag myself to the door.
My body is trembling as I fumble with the door knob.
I look up at the newcomer in my doorway.
"Ms. Matthews, hello. I'm Beth McNamor, one of the public health associates. Nancy Williams called me and informed me of your case."
I can barely see her face.
"Hi." My voice is thick with grogginess and saliva.
She presses a hand to my face. Her hand is gloved. I realize she's completely germ-proofed.
"I'm so sorry."
I look at her, and I feel like my entire body has gotten so much heavier than it ever has been. It seems like gravity has gotten more intense.
"It isn't your fault." I whisper, taking a deep breath.
I barely feel her check my lymph nodes that I don't doubt are very much swollen.
In fact, I don't feel anything.
Because before I can stop myself, I find that I'm collapsing.
I'm unconscious without any chance of keeping myself conscious.
I'm out of control.