What If?

A Fluke?

"Mom!"
I scream. I stand frozen not knowing what to do. Nate is lying on the floor unconscious.

I hear footsteps running down the hallway and I see my mom come around the hallway out of the corner of my eye. My eyes are still fixed on Nate.

"Ellie. What's the matter?"
She says worried.
I don't respond so she follows my gaze to Nate.

"Oh my gosh!"
She says loudly and runs to Nate's side. She touches her hands to his pale face.

"Ellie. Call an ambulance. Now!"
She orders me and starts to take his pulse.

I call 911 and with a shaky voice, give them directions to our house and what I know about the situation.

I go back into the kitchen and see mom still on the floor with Nate's head in her lap.

"Mom."
I whisper.
"Will he be okay?"

"Yes yes. He's breathing. He'll be fine. He's a strong boy. He'll be just fine."
She sounds like she's not only trying to convince me, but also herself.

After ages I finally hear the sirens and I go to the door to meet them. Three medics come in and immediately get to action. Two of them lift Nate onto a stretcher while the other takes his pulse, listens to his heartbeat, and shines a flashlight in his eyes.

"Ma'am? Do you know how long he's been like this?"
A short woman with long red hair that has been pulled into a long ponytail asks.

"N-no. My daughter found him as soon as she got home."
She replies.

The medic then looks to me.
"What time did you get home?"

"Um... I'm not sure. Maybe around seven?"
I reply.

"Ok. We're going to take him to the hospital now. We'll try to wake him up in the ambulance. You'll need to ride in your own car if you don't mind."
And with that they wheel him off and into the ambulance.

"Let's go."
Mom says as she grabs her purse and keys. Then she runs out of the door with me following closely behind.

Once we arrive at the hospital, mom has to check in at the front desk.

"I'm here to see Nate Grey. He just came in. He's my son so I need to see him. Now."

I put my hand on her shoulder.
"It's gonna be fine mom. Just calm down."
I say trying to soothe her.

"Ok ma'am. He's in room 331. It's on the third floor."

"Thank you."
She says as we leave the desk and walk/run to the elevator.

We soon arrive at room 331 and waste no time knocking. As soon as we walk in we see nurses and doctors surrounding Nate. Some have clipboards and they're taking notes. Others are reading his vitals.

My mom lets out a sort of cry/gasp and runs to his bedside pushing aside doctors and takes hold of his hand.

"Has he awaken yet?"
My mom asks, her eyes never leaving Nate.

"He awoke shortly on the ride here and then fell back into unconsciousness. He should wake up any minute now. His pulse has steadied and his breathing is normal. As soon as he wakes we need to run a few tests. This could all be a fluke in his system, which is what we're hoping for. But we need to make sure that it is nothing serious or fatal."
A doctor with obviously bleached blonde hair tells us.

"Okay. Thank you Doctor..."
My mom pauses not knowing his name.

"Whale. Doctor Whale. I'll be overseeing your son until he is released."
He reaches out and shake my moms hand.