The Plague

Chapter Three Beside You

I ran into my parents' room, turning the light on to find dad snoring.
"What on Earth-Mary? What's wrong honey?" Daddy groggily asked.
"Mummy's sick," I said, running back to my room.
She looks even worse now. Sweat laced her forehead, while she was coughing violently, shaking with chills, white as a sheet with dark bags under her eyes. Not the mum I know.
"I'll get the thermometer," I said, and went into the kitchen, then went back inside my room.
"101.7," daddy announced, clearly more alert and worry.
"Mummy, I love you," I said, daddy doing the same, then hugged her, knowing that'd the future would not be bright. I think mum and daddy knew this too.
"Mary, stay here with her while I call the paramedics," daddy said, pulling out his port.
"Dad, no! We all know she will be separated from us! You can't call them!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face.
"I know it's hard pumpkin, but she has to see doctors to get better," he said, pulling me into a tight hug.
"NO! I can't let you! Please, don't!" I begged, sobbing now.
"Sweetheart, we don't even know if she has it, it's probably the flu," he said, but I knew he was lying.
"We all know the truth. Tonight will be the last time we see her not hooked up to tubes, deathly ill. You know I'm correct," I said, looking into his eyes. He knew.
"Go comfort her, please. Taking her to the hospital will be the best for her to survive," he said, and I knew he was right. Either way, both of us have to see her slowly fade away, and gets so sick death is a blessing. Knowing I wouldn't win this argument, I went back into my room to comfort mum.
"Before... before the paramedics come..." She coughed, "I need to tell you- stay strong, never give up, and know you are loved. Promise?" She asked, her brown eyes looking into my bright blue ones, I nodded.
"I swear on my heart," I croaked, then cried on my mothers lap until paramedics arrived.
"She's down there," I heard daddy say, then paramedics came streaming in.
"NO!! STOP! PLEASE DONT TAKE HER!" I cried, daddy holding me back, tears in his eyes. I saw two other ambulances, knowing we'd be tested too. Soon enough, they came in, and I tried and tried to resist. Daddy was stronger, and laid me down while paramedics strapped me in.
"Please, I'm not sick, neither is my daddy. Only mummy, I miss her," I choked, trying in vain to unbuckle the restraints.
"Please stop moving, we need to do a blood check," a man said, hooking me up to an IV, and drawing blood.
"Just relax sweetheart, the medicine we gave you should help," the venal paramedic said calmly. Two minutes after that, my body went numb, and I couldn't move.