"I hope not."
"Let us try to get some food in you. That might help."
I sat up, and my head continued to spin. My face scrunched, and I kept my hands on either side of my body. Changing my mind, I laid back down.
"I can't."
Sawyer put the plate on the top of my dresser. He angled himself and slid down beside me.
"I feel dizzy," I answered before he asked.
Sawyer put his hand on my forehead.
"You're a little warm."
I nuzzled against him.
"I feel cold."
His arms wrapped around me.
"I'll have to warm you up then." Sawyer's voice was soft.
My eyes felt heavy.
"Can you stay until I fall asleep?"
"Of course," Sawyer whispered.
"Sorry for ruining your hangout with the guys."
"You never ruin anything."
Sawyer rubbed my back. My eyes closed, and I eventually fell asleep in his arms.
My body ached, and I coughed. My breathing was short and sharp. I couldn't get enough air in as I was nearly gasping. I coughed again, and heat radiated throughout me. A shiver ran through me. I gasped for another breath.
"Sawyer." I tried to cry out.
My breath was fleeting, and I coughed again. Sawyer opened the door. His eyes were wide.
Sawyer ran over to me and pushed the hair out of my face. My hair was wet and stuck to my face. Sawyer cursed and picked me up, cradling me to him. I gasped again. He turned sideways and ran out of the door then down the stairs. Sawyer leaned me against the wall as he grabbed his keys, and we were out the door. He laid me down in the backseat and darted to the front.
"I need you to hang in there, Madeline. I'm going to get you to the hospital."
Sawyer zipped out of the driveway. I heard his tires scream as he changed directions. He picked up his phone and started to call someone while he drove.
"Dad, answer your God damn phone, will you. Madeline's sick. I'm taking her to the hospital."
He chucked the phone to the seat beside him. As he did a rolling stop out of the neighborhood, there was a thud. The phone must have fallen off the seat. Grey dots formed over my eyes.
"Madeline."
I coughed, and white mucus came out. My eyes closed again. I couldn't open my mouth to speak. I just wanted to sleep and have it all the pain to disappear. Sawyer's words seemed to grow further and further away.
9
Sawyer
I had parked, and it didn't take the nurses long to take Madeline away from me. Madeline had passed out at some point during the drive, and I couldn't get her to wake up no matter how loud I called out to her or shook her when I hit a red light. A nurse ordered me to stay in the waiting room, but my insides were jumping around so much I didn't think I could sit. I paced the room. After a while, a nurse told me to sit because I was making people around me nervous. I sat down in a chair, and my leg bounced. I kept checking my phone to see if my dad had called or texted me back. Leaning my head back against the wall, and my knee still bobbed. I shoved my hands into the front pocket of my sweatshirt. I'm sure I was a sight. I didn't change from this morning, so I was still in my pajamas, a sweatshirt, and slippers. I didn't care, though. I just wanted Madeline to be okay. I needed her to be okay.
"Where is she?"
My father's face was pale as he stormed into the waiting room. He was standing next to Dr. Green. I sat up.
"They took her back there. I haven't heard anything yet." My voice broke up as I spoke, wavering as my eyes stung.
My dad and Dr. Green went to the counter. The two of them showed the nurse their badges. Then they disappeared behind the doors. Getting up, I ran after them. The nurse was yelling at me to stop. My dad and Dr. Green turned towards a room. Picking up my pace, I couldn't lose them. I stopped in the doorway, and I thought my heart had stopped. Madeline was lying in a hospital bed in a gown. Tubes were sticking into her pale arms, and a monitor beeped.
"She's having a lot of trouble breathing." The doctor in the room was talking. "We are waiting for the results, but I'd bet it's pneumonia. She has a bad case. When I listened to her lungs, I can hear the fluid."
"I'd like to see the charts when you're done." Dr. Green spoke up. "I've been her doctor since she took her first breath."
The hospital doctor nodded. Walking into the room, I sat in the chair next to Madeline. Bending over, I brought my hands to my mouth. My eyes were unable to look anywhere else.
"Thank you for bringing her to the hospital." Dad's voice was behind her; it was soft.
I couldn't speak as I just stared at her still body. Dr. Green took the charts from the doctor. The flipping of pages and the beeps from her monitors took over the room. My own heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.
"Her blood pressure isn't usually this low." Dr. Green started.
Before he could say anything else, a nurse came in, handing the doctor an envelope. My dad stood next to the other two. They were raising X-rays into the light.
"Just like I feared, she does have pneumonia. It's a horrible case."
I started to wring my hands. All the muscles in my back were stiff.
"I'm going to work alongside you if you don't mind. As I said, Madeline's a special case, and
