Where The Sun Never Sets

Chapter Six

I'd never realized how long it took to get to the hospital; I'd only ever been twice. We took Mama there the first time she got sick; a doctor came to visit her the rest of the time. I'd also been once when I was six or seven, when I fell out of a tree and broke my wrist and my ankle. Living this far out in the country had its benefits, but there were also quite a few downsides; one of them being that it takes forever just to get to town to see a doctor or get groceries. I look over at Aunt Delilah and see that her eyes are closed. The pained expression on her face makes me think of mama. A lump rises in my throat, and I turn away to focus on the road.
When we finally got to the hospital, the same doctor that had taken care of Mama saw us. "How are you ladies today?" Dr. Winslow asked as he examined Aunt Delilah's arm and checked to see if she had a concussion. "Well, not too well at the moment." I replied sarcastically. He smiled at me, then turned to Aunt Delilah. "Hmm...It seems you do have a broken arm, but no concussion." he said, and I relaxed knowing that nothing else was broken. "I'll just put a cast on that and have you fill out some paperwork and you two are free to go. I'll be right back." He left the room, and I immediately remembered how and why she had broken her arm in the first place; it was my fault. "Aunt Delilah," I said, trying not to start crying. I had been so....selfish. And to think, I had called her out for being selfish. She turned to face me. "Yes, honey?" She acted as if our argument had never even happened. "I'm so, so..." My voice broke and tears started to fill my eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't mean all those things I said. It was so stupid and disrespectful of me to say what I did. If I hadn't have ran off like I did, you would be okay...I'm so sorry." I buried my face in my hands as Aunt Delilah stood, walked over to me, and put her good hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Abby. I understand how you feel. I mean, I could have at least considered your decision to visit the house. It was crazy of me to think I could stop you." She laughed, and I looked up to see her eyes sparkling. "So, you...forgive me?" I asked, still sniffling. "Yes, baby. Of course I forgive you." I smiled, but then a wave of nausea washed over me. I felt like I was getting a fever. "Aunt Delilah," I said. "I don't feel very good." She gave me a look of concern and then felt my head for a temperature. "You do feel hot. When we get home you can lie down and I'll get you a cold washcloth. Sound good?" I started to reply, but when I opened my mouth, I threw up. As if on cue, Dr. Winslow walked in with the paperwork. "Woah! You okay? Let's get you a garbage can and some medicine! You two can go into the next room and I'll have someone come clean this up." He laid the paperwork on the counter and walked briskly out of the room. "Oh, honey." Aunt Delilah said, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go in the other room." As we walked out of the room, I realized that I probably had the flu. I'd had it before, and I felt the exact same symptoms coming on.
Even if Aunt Delilah did allow me to visit her and Mama's old house, I wouldn't be able to go with the flu. My day just keeps getting better, I thought as I sat down in the next room.
When Dr. Winslow returned and finished putting on Aunt Delilah's cast, he gave me a check up and diagnosed me with a bad case of the flu. He told me to get some rest and drink plenty of liquids, and told Aunt Delilah to come back in a few weeks so he could make sure her arm was healing. As we walked out of the hospital, I remembered how long the drive was to get home. "Do you think you'll be okay to drive?" Aunt Delilah asked. I didn't feel like doing much of anything, but I knew I didn't really have a choice. "Yes, I'll be okay." I lied. I'll be okay.