The Sick Kid Club

Chapter 1 ~ The Sick Kid Club

Amanda.

Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
I watch the antibiotic and morphine mixture slowly drip from the bag above me as it slowly makes it's way into my veins. A nearly ruptured gall bladder with pancreatitis on the side was not how I pictured I'd be spending my last weekend of summer before senior year. No. It's not fair. I thought only old people had gall bladder problems, not fit seventeen years olds! I should be standing on the side of my best friend Eliza's pool in my bikini with a double margarita, surrounded by our friends, ready to make decisions we'd regret in the morning but instead I'm stuck waiting here with four fresh holes in my abdomen waiting patiently to receive two more. As the morphine kicks in I start to drift still staring at the dripping when my doctor walks in with the nurses.

"Amanda?" The doctor says waking me from my daze. My head lulls to look over at him. "It's time for blood work. How's the pain this evening?"

"Still hurts. Drugs help tho." I respond trying to smile as the nurse takes my arm and stabs a needle in, taking my blood. At this rate I'll have none left when I get out of here. "How were this morning's results?"

The doctor gives me a sad look.
"Your liver enzymes are still rising. We are going through with the second procedure in morning. But try and get some rest tonight."

"Thanks doc" I say quietly fidgeting with the skin around my fingernails as I take in the news. It isn't long before I'm drifting again into the darkness. Morphine wasn't exactly the buzz I was expecting this weekend but it's better than nothing.
- - -

Wednesday morning I wake up desperately trying not to feel the pain in my abdomen. It's been four days since my surgery and senior year is starting tomorrow.

"How are you feeling today Amanda?" Nurse Janice asks as she takes my blood.

"So much better. Really! Do you think I could go home today? I ate real food last night and everything!" I respond desperate to be free of this white room surrounded with machines.

"That desperate to get away from us are you?" She laughs, giving me a playful look as she removes the needle from my arm replacing it with a cotton ball. I instinctively grab my arm putting pressure over where I'm now bleeding. I blush at her words.

"I mean it's not that you guys aren't great but you know.. I'm starting my senior year tomorrow and I really don't want to miss the first day and.."

"I know Amanda," she cuts me off. "I'll talk to Dr. Young after we get the results of your blood test and we'll see if we can't get you out of here"

"Thanks Janice," I give her my best hopeful smile.
- - -

6 painfully long hours later I am released back out into the world. My mom helps me pack my things and we head for the door stopping at the nurses station to have me officially signed out. As we walk through the hospital my mom begins rambling on about her day at work and all the hot gossip of her office. I start listening but I get distracted as I see a girl sitting in the waiting room, Jenn Walker. She was always in leading roles in the school plays and sang the national anthem at assemblies. Her normally tan skin looks pale and she has dark circles under her eyes. What on earth was she doing here? We make eye contact and that's when I saw the white bandage around her left forearm right as she attempts to cover it.

Jenn.
17 hours. I have 17 seventeen hours until my life as I know it is over. I sit impatiently in the hospital waiting room as the nurses prepare the pump of medications for some infection they say I have now. I don't even keep track anymore. I let my eyes wander around the room when I see Amanda Tyler, our schools number one party girl, following behind a very chatty woman I assume to be her mother. We make eye contact and she looks down to the IV wrap covering my arm. I immediately pull my sweater sleeve down covering it looking away from Amanda.

"Jennifer!" A nurse name Debbie calls me, as I walk to the desk she looks me over and gushes, "look at you dear, you seem to be getting colour back in your face and those cheeks aren't sunken in anymore! I'd say we are making progress to getting you better! And just in time for senior year right?"

"Yes, I'm feeling much better." I respond flatly. I start to feel panic setting in as I realize senior year is starting tomorrow and in 17 hours I have to get up and sing in front of all the freshman for their first day orientation assembly. I reach up to where my hair is thinning out under my hood and force myself to hold back tears. I'd been diagnosed with lupus earlier last year and the hair loss had started this summer. In 17 hours all of Hartfield High will see the real Jenn Walker. I am not ready.

- - - - -
Heyooo
So I've been wanting to write this story for a long time just never found the time. I don't necessarily consider myself a writer but I wanted to give it a real try with this story cuz it's really important to me. So if you read it let me know what ya think and if I should continue.