Life Turned Upside Down

Running Can't Save You Now

Hello again, look at me updating only one week later. I hope you all enjoy this update and any comments are greatly appreciated. Only 12 more days until the most awe-inspiring couple comes back to us!

The first thing Andy noticed when she regained consciousness was that her body felt like it was on fire. Burning hotter than any fire she had ever had to put out.

It took a few minutes until the searing pain of her headache abated enough for her to open her eyes. When she finally did, Andy found herself in a dimly lit room bathed in white from the walls to the sheet loosely draped over her torso. She could faintly hear the beeping of the heart monitor and the hum of the fan as it slowly pushed cool air over her overheating skin. Looking out the window the sky had turned black like soot, with only a few visible sparkles of stars. 

Noticing the glass of water on the bedside table, Andy took two large gulps to try and soothe her aching dry throat. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep.

"Nice to see you've finally decided to join us in the land of the living again," Amelia greeted, her voice soft, as she opened the door to her hospital room. Andy grunted in response and covered her eyes as the overhead fluorescent lights buzzed on.

The famed Shepherd sibling moved her arm back and using a pen light, checked Andy's eyes for any signs of irregular or unfocused movement.

"Is this really necessary?"

Amelia sighed, giving her a small smile in understanding. "You're a first responder, Herrera. You know I have to check to rule out that you don't have a concussion or a brain injury."

Andy scoffed at Amelia, refusing to hide her disdain for the entire situation. "I'm fine."

"Sure, you just passed out, but I guess you're fine."

"I was dehydrated and tired. I also didn't get much sleep last night and skipped breakfast. That's why I fainted. I really don't need all this fuss." Andy did her best to sound convincing, keeping full eye contact, but the tiredness in her voice gave away how exhausted she was.

Amelia didn't bother listening to Andy and continued the examination. "That's for me to decide." She scowled upon seeing that Andy's vitals from her annual checkup last month were less than ideal. Going through the list of required questions to assess her health, Andy responded to each in an entirely positive manner that Amelia was almost sure was fake.

"Any headaches?" Amelia watched as Andy's body tensed up, going rigid at the thought of answering.

"No."

"Is that the truth or are you just telling me what I need to hear so you can get out of here."

"Of course not—" but Amelia silenced her before another set of platitudes and lies could spill out.

"One of the most important parts about being a doctor is learning how to read people. I can tell from just your body language that you're lying right through your teeth." Andy looked down in shame.

"I care about you too much to let you lie like this when your health is at stake. So I'm going to ask again, have you had any headaches recently?"

At that question Andy broke eye contact and refocused on her right thumb which she was nervously rubbing against the scratchy hospital provided blanket.

"Yeah."

"How frequently are you getting them?"

"Not too often... just you know, a few times a week."

"And how many times is, 'a few times a week?'" Amelia probed, crossing her arms in displeasure at Andy's insistence on being flippant.

"Uh— like 3-4 days a week."