A Summer To Remember

Rest

My thoughts were racing when I woke up in the middle of the night. I checked my phone to see if there was a missing call or text from Jade but it was empty. Maybe she didn't miss me quite as much as I missed her. And damn, that made me feel pathetic.

I rolled onto my side and pulled the blanket tighter over my shoulders. My head was pounding and I amounted it to not getting enough sleep. It was early in the morning and not quite time to wake up. I knew I needed more sleep if I was going to make it through my full day of school. Jake never would have let me live down falling asleep in class.

My headache or the fact that I was freezing never went away. After several minutes of piling the blankets over my body and shrinking into myself, I realized there might actually be something wrong. And that really freaking scared me.

I didn't know the odds of the virus coming back. I didn't know if it was even possible. But I wasn't ruling it out and getting my hopes up that it'd never happen again. Because that hope being crushed would have killed me if the virus didn't.

I sat up and put my hand on my head. It felt too heavy and stuffy. It hurt to keep my eyes open for too long, especially if I looked at any lights.

I pulled my chair closer to the bed and tried lifting myself into it. Only my arms were too shaky and I was too weak to do so.

I knew I needed to call for mom and have her be there to help me but I was too weak to do so. I collapsed back on the bed and felt my breaths quicken as I passed out.

Shit.

I wasn't ready to die yet.

---

I knew where I was before I opened my eyes. The familiar beeps of the machines around me and the forced oxygen through the mask I was required to wear sent one word to my mind: hospital. I could feel the heat from the lights overhead.

My nerves and anxiety immediately spiked upon the realization that something was wrong with me. Was I going to die?

I knew mom was near. I could smell her light vanilla perfume, could feel her fingers brushing through my hair that desperately needed cut. It was a big comfort that I needed but it wasn't nearly enough.

I rolled toward her, ignoring the fact that an IV was stuck in my arm and multiple monitors were attached to me. I couldn't be bothered to care.

Mom lifted the blanket and adjusted it so it was covering my arms. They were only sheets, nothing heavy enough to make me too hot. "Hey, sweetie."

I forced my eyes opened, trying to ground myself so I wasn't trapped in my head. I'd felt that way when I was admitted to the hospital the first time and it terrified me. I didn't like the thought of not having some sort of control.

My vision was blurry but I could make out mom sitting beside the bed. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and leggings. It was her typical overnight outfit which meant she hadn't changed before leaving the house. I had no idea how we got to the hospital.

She smiled at me and brushed my hair off my forehead, making it easier for me to see. "You're okay, Dyl."

I relaxed into the bed though my nerves were still high. I still had no idea what was wrong with me. But mom had to have known how panicked I felt by assuring me that I was fine when I first woke up.

"Get some rest. We'll talk more once you gotten some sleep."