AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He didn’t catch wind that the woman that came into isolation with me, was someone that was a little more of an acquaintance, and that our infected numbers are increased.
As I turn my head to look at her, to see her hands clenching to the sheets of the bed she’s laying on—I hate this moment.
The second trial of a hopeful vaccine came this morning and the doctor immediately began us on the treatment. I want to feel instant relief, but I know that’s not how this works. I want to let everyone else in the store know what is happening, and not just let them see that person by person is no longer with them in the space.
No, they need to know something.
I turn my head again to look at one of the volunteer nurses who stays in this space, and she’s mixing something up.
“Can I– can I get some water?” I croak out.
She hurries and grabs a small bottled water from the mini-fridge along the wall, then pours it into a cup with a straw so I can drink from it. I lay back down and stare at the ceiling.
I hear Kendall moaning and I look over at her. I reach out for her hand and squeeze. The only acknowledgement of her knowing that I am here, is that she squeezes my hand in return.
* * *
I’m not sure how long we’ve been here. Not sure whether or not it’s been a day or if it’s been five days. I’ve gone through the back and forth of feeling like I’m crawling out of my skin and that I’m on my death bed. There hasn’t been much talking, because I feel like I’m swallowing glass.
“Sergeant First Class James!” The Colonel’s voice echoes through my walkie-talkie. I can’t muster up the energy to reach for it, nor do I particularly feel like it, if I could.
He needs to understand that I’m no longer working.
“James!” he repeats into the walkie.
The nurse comes to the bedside, grabs my walkie and speaks into the receiver.
“Sir, he cannot speak at the moment,” she says into the device with her eyes on me. “He’s in incredible pain.”
“Very well, what is his status?” he asks, his tone lowers with a small hint of concern.
“It’s too soon to tell whether or not the new vaccine is taking effect, he hasn’t gotten any worse and that’s what we’re holding onto,” she replies.
“Where’s the doctor?” He asks.
“He’s been restricted from entering into the quarantine, he would be in the isolation area.”
Quarantine? We’re in the quarantine?
23
Kendall
I don’t know where I am, but my body is killing me. I feel like there is someone squeezing me into a corset repeatedly ever minute or so. I can’t catch my breath and I just want to cry. My body moves from frozen to heated over with the tips of my fingers feeling like they’ve been stuck to ice for days. My eyes feel so swollen, and I can barely open them. When I do, the lights are low, with a hint of red and there’s a light beeping that continues throughout the room at different intervals. I feel like I’m dying within my body and that I’m screaming and screaming for someone to help me. But I don’t think my mouth is opening or that I’m moving at all.
Am I moving?
I see a nurse tending to someone off to the side out of the corner of my eye and with the switch that was placed in my hand upon my symptoms worsening, I push it.
A moment later, the nurse has come to my beside and she leans over me.
“Ah, there you are. You’ve been basically passed out since you got in here. Let’s see, what do we have here?” She looks at some machine that I can’t see and nods her head with a small smile.
“Your vitals look a lot better than they did earlier today,” she says.
Whatever else she starts to say gets lost in the darkness as my eyes close again.
* * *
