Stopping Time

Chapter ten

The first thing Evan did when he woke up the next day was sneeze. Three times. This lead to coughing, which quickly halted because his throat was burning and itchy.

    He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He kept asking himself how he got sick.

    It's because you didn't wear a jacket yesterday when it was forty three degrees out.

    Evan bit his lip, struggling to get his shirt over his head.

    But you don't get sick from being cold, you get sick from the bacteria.

    He let out an extremely loud cough, causing him to wince and put his hands to his throat.

    There was a soft knock at the door. "Evan?"

    "C-come in," Evan coughed. God his voice sounded awful.

    He gave up on the shirt and threw it to the floor just as Heidi walked in. Luckily he was wearing sweatpants so he wasn't totally embarrassed.

    "Are you alright?" Heidi asked.

    As if on cue, Evan sneezed and wiped his nose.

    Heidi came closer, putting the back of her hand on his forehead. "You do feel warm. Come with me to the bathroom so I can check your throat."

    Evan wobbled out of his room, holding onto the wall. Almost all of his muscles were sore.

    Heidi made him sit down on the toilet while she looked around for a thermometer. When she did, she set it on the counter and told Evan to open his mouth.

    She held a mini flashlight in front of his mouth. "Yeah, definitely a sore throat," she said.

    Evan wanted to roll his eyes. No kidding.

    She put the thermometer in his mouth. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

   Evan nodded.

    "Can you point?"

    Evan touched his legs, back, and head.

    Heidi nodded, taking the thermometer out. "100.2," she said. "You're staying home. It looks like you have the flu. Do you want me to stay with you?"

    "N-" Evan coughed. "I-it's fine." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I-I'll be fine. I kn-know where the medicine is."

    Heidi stared at him. "Alright." She out the thermometer away. "Text me if anything gets worse, or if you throw up. There's hot chocolate in the cupboards, make sure to get lots of rest. Do you want me to set you up on the couch so you can watch TV?"

    Evan opened his mouth to answer but even that hurt. So he just nodded.

    The two left the bathroom, Evan heading downstairs to the living room and Heidi heading to a cabinet in the hallway that holds the softest blankets and pillows they have.

    Evan curled up on the couch. He pulled out his phone which was painfully jabbing him in the hip and set it on the floor.

    Heidi returned with her arms full of blankets. She swatted at Evan's hand, which was currently scratching his rash. Evan gave a small smile as Heidi covered him with the blankets.

    She made sure the blankets were tucked tightly around him before turning to walk to the kitchen.

    Evan pulled an arm out from the blankets and tugged on Heidi's shirt. She turned around, only to see him typing away on his phone.