I tried to keep my blood from spilling on the tile as I stumbled into the ER. I knew from experience that blood wasnât easy to clean up. My pink jean jacket would never be the same shade.
I moved past a mother and her crying baby and a man who looked to be hungry.
A girl sat behind the receptionist desk. She was playing a game on her phone which I thought was kind of odd. Who knows, perhaps the ...
â No- No I swear- Iâm not the same as I was before â Aldrick said frantically, waving his hands as he took a few steps back. Heart pounding, he tripped on the rug, falling backwards onto his bed.
â Your majesty, you require medical attention. Do not deny yourself of it any longer. â Almax said, the advisorâs husband speaking up soon after.
The doctor clicked his pincers in what I could only assume was supposed to be an encouraging gesture. The deep blue tone of his exoskeleton was thoroughly out of place in the sterile, white, clinical infirmary.
He almost reminded me of my home planet, his appearance reminiscent of an insect found there called a mantis. I hadnât seen Earth in years. Planet Carbonem of...
"You're fine, Ms.Kennith," the doctor repeated, repeating the same mantra as the ones before him. "Have you tried the new anxiety meds your last physician prescribed you?"
"No," I replied dully. They always had an answer for my symptoms. Anxiety, depression, hormones, stress, "being a woman". How many times do I have to be rushed to the ER for them to take me seriously? "They won't work."
Blue and red spots danced in front of my eyes as I lay still on the hospital bed. My vision was blurred, I heard distinct conversation and the beeps of my heart monitor. A doctor walked into my room, a clear grimace on her face. ¨Am I going to be okay?¨ I tried sitting up but failed, my frail body struggling to carry its own weight. Her frown immediately changed to an obviously fake smile. ¨You we...
âTo think sheâd collapse like that.â A voice echoed through the darkness.
âAnd during the new governorâs acceptance speech too.â Another voice answered as something loosened its grip on my arm. âThese are normal too. Do you think it was due to stress?â
âHad to be.â The first voice said. I could recognize it as female now. âGovernor Woodrow brought in all sorts of doctors to do tests. And the...
Back home after another sleepless night at the A&E. Of course I was classified blue. By the time they saw me, the morning sun was coming in almost perpendicularly. Everything is fine, apparently, I must be imagining my excruciating leg pain. Next time, I might as well suffer sleeplessly at home than on some squalid plastic chair in a drafty room. Horizontal vs vertical agony.
The phone picked up erupting with uproarious laughter and inaudible chatter, making Alex almost jump. He felt a twinge of envy and a mix of gloominess as he closed the door behind him.
"'**_Sup Alex?_**" Avery perked up.
âMy lifeâŚâ he tossed his phone on the bed.
â**_What?_**â
âNothing... â he plopped down, the mattress gently sinking.
She knew they werenât telling the truth. She was too tired. Too slow. Too weak. It made her angry, being lied to. It made her feel small and helpless. She gritted her teeth as she lay in bed. They had made every effort to make her comfortable. When it has first come on, her and her husband had moved to her brothers property where he had access to the best healers. Her children visited often, bring...
