I woke up with excruciating pain in my lower abdomen. Screaming bloody murder, I clutch my stomach. My hair was everywhere and beads of sweat appeared on my brow. Fire set to my insides, sending a shooting pain up my spine. I screamed again, ripping my throat raw.
My parents ran into my room. Everything was blurry, and confusing. All I could think about was the pain.
I remember someone laying me down in the backseat of the car.
I remember being laid down on a squishy hospital bed, nurses pushing it at a steady pace down the hallway.
A doctor giving commands. Tiny needle pricks that I couldn't feel.
I screamed again. My head pounding. My trembling hands clutching my stomach.
The next thing I know I'm in the ICU. I could tell. I've been in here dozens of times. I pretend I'm asleep because I don't what to hear the news I know I'm going to get. I don't see myself getting out of this hospital anytime soon.
My abdomen doesn't hurt anymore. My head isn't pounding. Peering through my half-closed eyes, I look at what's on my IV pole. Fluids and chemotherapy... and Intravenous antibiotics?
Before I could think anymore, a nurse saw my bewildered eyes and came over.
"Honey, how're you doing?" A dark-skinned nurse slurred her words at me.
"Mom, where's my mom?" My voice cracked. I didn't know what was happening.
"I'll go get 'Em right now, sweetheart."
When my parents came in my confused and bewildered expression gave them my thoughts.
"Miley, it's okay. This has nothing to do with your cancer." My moms soothing voice calmed me down a bit.
"Your appendix ruptured. It was a bad one. You'll have to stay admitted for another four days." My father chipped in.
My appendix? Why does all the bad thing happen to me?
"Why?" I asked.
"The high dosage of chemotherapy drugs causes the appendix to become infected. If not treated, it will burst. In your case, suddenly."
So, I spent the next four miserable days until he hospital with Nurse Accent. I hated accents. I could never understand them.
Then my doctor kept me for an additional three days because my stitches were not healing fast enough. All I could keep thinking about was how much time I was wasting.
When I got home, my grandmother was waiting for me. She gave me a big, but gentle, hug and handed me a little wrapped box.
"Grandma, what's this? You don't have to give me gifts, you know that." I sat down on the couch and careful led unwrapped the package. In side a cardboard box was two tickets. Looking closer, I realized these weren't just any tickets. These were Carolina Panthers NFL tickets!
I couldn't believe my eyes.