Emerge from Isolation (Whumptober 2019)

Infection

Lorna woke up from a twinge of pain in her side and drenched in sweat, and she quickly shoved the blankets off herself, checking to make sure no blood had seeped onto it. She lifted her shirt to check the bandages. There was a bit of red, but none of it had stained the shirt she had borrowed from her uncle’s closet.

Lorna pressed her hand over the bandage as she sat up in bed, but the movement made her vision swim. She waited for her vision to right itself.

Lorna still had no idea how to feel about her uncle having an apartment in a place she had not even known existed just a few days ago. It was a larger space than the cabin at home. There was a full kitchen like the kind she had seen in comics, and the bed in the bedroom was big enough for three people to sleep on—and far softer than she was used to. The bathroom also had plenty of walking space in it, having enough room for a dual bath and shower.

There was a knock on the door, and she jumped.

“Lorna, it’s Hattie. I’m just checking up on you. We have something you can eat for breakfast if you need it.”

Lorna set her hand on the headboard of the bed, and she stood slowly, trying not to make herself dizzy again. She shuffled to the door, wincing when the mayor knocked on the door again before she got to it.

Hattie was standing outside, holding a glass container in her hands. She frowned when she saw Lorna.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” she asked. “You don’t look good.”

Lorna felt herself wobbling on her feet. Hattie entered the apartment, and she set the food container on the table near the door. She took off her gloves, and she pressed her hands to Lorna’s forehead. They felt cool.

“Lorna, you feel warm. Are you sick? Good thing all we had left this morning was soup, huh? Let’s sit you down.”

Lorna offered no protest as Hattie grabbed Lorna’s arm and guided her to the kitchen table. She hissed when Hattie accidentally touched her injured side, and the older woman frowned at her.

“Let me take a look at your side,” Hattie said as she helped Lorna sit down, and she lifted Lorna’s shirt. “You’re bleeding? When did this happen?”

Hattie pulled off the bandage, and Lorna was just as surprised as Hattie to find a swollen and pus-filled puncture wound.

“All right, so it’s time to get you to the infirmary.”

Lorna grunted against the pain in her side as Hattie hauled her to her feet again, and Hattie walked with her to get her coat. The older woman scolded Lorna for not telling anyone about her injury the entire journey to the clinic.