Halstead Sister

Allergic Reaction

Tess POV (9 years old)
"Dinner's here!" Will called as he entered the apartment with the Chinese take-out. I was very hungry and rushed to the kitchen. "Whoa, slow down there, kiddo" Will chuckled.
"I'm hungry!" I told him, bouncing up and down.
"Then you can help set the table so we can eat faster" Jay said as he came into the room. I sighed but took out cups and paper plates and put them on the table while Will put out the food. Finally, we were ready to eat. Jay served me some fried rice and sesame chicken.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to a container which had food I've never seen before.
"Cashew chicken" Will answered. "Wanna try some?"
I hesitated. Will and Jay were both eating it so I figured it was probably good. "Yes please" I nodded. Will put some on my plate and I took a bite. Will and Jay stared at me, waiting for me to react. "It's good. Can I have more?" Will smiled and put some more on my plate. The three of us continued to eat and talk about our days. I told them all about school and they talked about some boring adult things. As we were finishing up, I started to feel a little nauseous.
Will and Jay both got up and started clearing the table. "C'mon, T. Clean up your plate." Jay told me.
"My tummy hurts." I whined and placed a hand on my tummy.
"You probably ate too much. You'll be ok in a little bit." Jay reassured me. I still didn't stand up. I was worried if I stood, I'd throw up. "You can still clear your plate." He looked at me.
"I don't wanna move. I feel sick." I pouted. Will and Jay shared worried glances and Will came over and knelt in front of me.
"You think you're gonna throw up?" He asked me. I shrugged. "Why don't we go sit in the bathroom, just in case."
"Can I just lay on the couch?" I looked at Will with puppy dog eyes, which of course he fell for. I slowly stood up and made my way to the couch and curled up on my side.
Jay came in and placed an empty garbage can next to me. "In case you do need to throw up." He said.
He turned to leave but I reached out to grab his leg. "Will you stay with me?" I asked. "I don't feel good." Now not only did my tummy hurt but I felt hot and itchy, my head hurt, and my mouth felt funny.
"Yeah, of course" Jay said, clearly concerned. He took a seat on the couch and I scooted closer to him. He turned on the TV and we watched Disney Channel. Soon, I started to feel really itchy and began scratching my neck and arms. "You okay?" Jay smirked.
"Itchy" I simply stated. The itchiness was now in my mouth and throat and my mouth felt even funnier. I coughed a few times to try and get the itchiness out of my throat. I whined and rolled around.
"Tess, what are you doing?" Jay turned to look at me as I twisted around, trying to get comfortable. Suddenly, my tummy got tight and I knew I needed to throw up. I started reaching for the garbage can and Jay helped me and quickly placed it in front of me just as I threw up. "Alright babe" Jay soothed and placed a hand on my back. I groaned and threw up again. When I didn't feel like I was going to throw up anymore, I leaned back against the couch. I was very sleepy. I was still itchy and my throat felt funny, like it was too small.
"I.. don't... feel... good" I weakly said to Jay.
"Will!" Jay shouted, panicked. "Get in here!" He turned to me. "It'll be okay, T."
Will quickly made his way into the living room. "Something's not right. She threw up, she's itchy, and now it sounds like she's having trouble breathing." Jay sounded scared but I was too tired to fully pay attention to what he said.
"Tess," Will got in front of me. "What are you feeling?"
"Fun...ny" I couldn't say the full word without taking a breath. My throat felt very small and I couldn't get a lot of air in it.
"Open your mouth" Will ordered and I did as he said. His eyes widened and he lifted up my shirt. I was embarrassed but too weak to fight. "She's got hives and swelling. Let's take her to the ED. Now." He said to Jay. Without hesitation, Jay scooped me up. I whined in discomfort.
"Sorry, Tiny. But we've got to take you to the doctor so we can get you feeling better." Jay said. He followed Will out of the apartment. Will opened the door to Jay's car and Jay put me in the back seat and buckled me in. I whined again. I really didn't feel good and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
"Use your lights" Will said to Jay as he climbed in the back with me and Jay got in the drivers seat. "You doing ok, T?" Will asked loudly. I shrugged. I didn't really know. "Alright. Just hang in there. Try to take slow deep breaths." I tried but couldn't and started to get nervous.
"I'm... sc...ar...ed" I huffed.
"You'll be okay. We're almost at the hospital." Will reassured me. He was right. A few seconds later, Jay pulled in front of the hospital. Will got out of the car and came around to my side and carried me in. He said something to the lady at the front desk and then carried me back into the ER. He brought me to a room and put me down on the bed. A nurse came in and wrapped something around my arm and finger and put stickers on my chest.
"Hey." Connor came into the room. "What's going on?"
"She's having an allergic reaction. She needs epi. Now." Will said seriously. Connor turned and nodded to the nurse.
"Hi Tess," Connor said to me. "I'm going to take a look at you." He listened to my lungs and looked in my mouth. The nurse came back in and passed something to Connor. "Alright, Tess. I'm going to give you a shot now. It'll make you feel better." I shook my head and looked at Will.
"It's ok, Tiny T. I'm right here. You're going to feel so much better after the shot." He told me. Will held my hand as Connor put the shot in my leg.

Will POV
After the shot of epinephrine, Tess seemed less tense. I relaxed too, knowing she was getting treatment.
"Her BP's still low" Nurse Doris told me and Connor.
Connor nodded. "Let's get an IV in her and get Benadryl, prednisone, and an epi drip." He ordered. "Tess, I'm going to examine you again, just like I did before." I was grateful Connor was treating my sister and not some intern who had only been practicing medicine for a month. "Swelling's gone down" Connor reported. "Still wheezing, though. I'll order an albuterol treatment."
"Thanks Connor." I said.
"Of course, man. I'll be back to check on you guys once she gets the meds." Connor left the room. I stood beside Tess and stroked her hair.
"How is she?" Jay blurted as he rushed into the room.
"She's ok." I said calmly. "Right, T?" Tess nodded, now breathing much slower. Jay sighed with relief and came closer to the bed.
"What happened to me?" Tess asked us.
"You know how you tried that new chicken tonight?" I asked her and she nodded. "It seems you're allergic to it. Probably the cashews." I told her.
"Like how Jay's allergic to cats?" Tess questioned. Jay and I chuckled.
"Not quite, kiddo." I explained. "You're allergy is much more serious. If you eat cashews you could get really sick very fast and it is very dangerous."
"Oh" Tess sounded sad.
"It's okay though. As long as you don't eat cashews, you'll be just fine." I reassured my sister.
Tess still looked upset. "Yeah, but I really liked that chicken."