The Silence Between Us

I Hate Sick Days

Chapter 14:

No.

No.

No!

This cannot be happening.

I cannot be getting sick right now.

And judging by the fact that my skin's burning but I'm cold from my sweat, I have a massive headache that I won't be recovering from soon, and I feel about ready to pass out whenever I stand up, it's not just a normal cold.

"Louisa, shouldn't you be on the bus right now? And what are you doing on the couch?" My mom walked into the living room pausing at the foot of the couch. "Oh boy, you don't look good at all."

Meet Cristina Kelley, my wonderful mother, part-time night shift nurse, best friend at times, and also under-stater of the year. I bet I looked like I was on my death bed, cheeks flushed with sweat droplets on my face. There are some people who can just do anything and nothing can stop them, suffering through sickness and conquering the world even with a fever. I was not one of those people.

Even with the smallest sore throat I would act like it was the most excruciatingly painful thing I have ever endured. Was I dramatic that way? Sure. But people have to understand that there is another group of people that just cannot deal with being sick. There's snot everywhere when I have a cold. Literally everywhere.

So instead of conquering the world like said people, I dress in my most comfortable, yet baggiest sweats ever, and my designated sick sweatshirt that has a gigantic hole on the bottom that I could fit my entire fist through. As soon as she saw me in this state, my mom ran upstairs to get those out immediately and laid them on the couch. Like I said, she's such a wonderful mother.

"Let me grab the thermometer. You look like you have a fever." She said while rushing off to the kitchen.

It felt like I had a fever. At least I wouldn't have to go to school today. Then again, if I had a fever, today might be the last day of my life. It's been a while since I had one of those. And last time I felt so weak I could barely stand.

My mom returned with the thermometer in her hand and told me to open my mouth, which I did willingly. In the thermometer went, and I stayed like that for quite a while before she pulled it out and read what it said.

"101! Louisa how did you get so sick so fast?"

I let out a grown of frustration at the news that I had a fever. It could only get worse from here. One minute I would be doing just fine, and the next moment I would be lying in my coffin. This was how sickness went for me. Maybe I just had a sucky immune system.

"Louisa?"

That's right, my mom asked me a question. What did she even ask again? I turned towards her, voicing my question and I could almost feel her eyeroll. She knew how I got when I was this sick. Delirious and delusional were the exact two words I would use to describe it.

"I asked how you got this sick. You were fine yesterday, and now you have a fever! I just don't get why you've just started feeling the symptoms now."

I rolled my eyes. Typical mother, once a nurse always a nurse. She made it her goal in life to figure out what was wrong with her kids twenty-four-seven. When I was younger, she would make a point of diagnosing me before I went to the doctor's office. Then when we did go, she would be right next to me the entire time, bobbing her head in agreement with every word the doctor said because she told me the exact same thing earlier. And the things she would make us do in order to stay healthy! I would rather suffer and stay sick than drink another one of her terrible green smoothies.