Two months had passed since Bree and I were at mom and dads. Unfortunately I had gotten some type of flu. The twins had to be moved to a different room to sleep. Bree would sleep on the couch, and I got the bedroom. It couldn't be anywhere near Bree. I couldn't get her sick.
I had to stay home from work. They had accepted me as a marine so I would have to go into practice, which was postponed from the flu. But apparently it got a lot worse! I had a viral infection, which could last months. It went from just two weeks, all the way to a whole six weeks..
I was extremely bored out of my mind, it sucked. I couldn't leave the bedroom, and if I did I had to be sterile if I went into the kitchen or living room. Sometimes I think that this is payback for when Bree was stationed in her room for months--at least I could actually move around.
I was feeling much better when the seventh week approached. I needed and wanted to go back to work.
That's when it was around six in the morning. Bree blew a kiss to me from the bedroom door. She was off with the twins, since they can't stay all day with sick me.
It's still dark in my room when a phone call rings. Vibrating the table next to my bedside. I pick it up, eager to hear who it is.
"Hello?"
"It's Commander Gunner from the marines" he says. My eyes become huge remembering this is the last day to train. "If you don't show up today, you'll never be able to come back."
I gulp, "Sorry sir, I'll come today. I'm feeling better."
"Sure?" He asks, "You can't afford to get the others sick, you understand me?"
"Crystal clear sir" I reply.
"Are you sure Mellark? I can't afford for you to be hospitalized for some infection that's spreading."
"It's not spread, I already told you I'm fine."
"If you really think so."
"Sir I know so" I reply. He sighs, "Get ready you have twenty minutes."
I nod and hang up. I have twenty minutes! That's nothing. I grab my uniform and throw it on along with my hair and other morning routines.
I'm out the door within ten minutes--now I just have to conquer this ten minute walk. I end up running there which makes me regret coming since my throats stinging.
The overcast sky, and stormy clouds worry me even more. If it rains I'm done.
I arrive there on time. It's just me and some other newbies. We are all given bows. "Take twenty steps back!" The commander yells. Twenty steps back is nothing. I can still shoot perfectly. And I do. The sound of a perfect hit in the middle.
Everyone looks at me in amazement. The commander smirks, "Okay Mellark, take thirty more steps back."
"Thirty?!" I mumble to myself. Still I take thirty steps back. Now it's ten times harder to see. Yes the pressure is on officially. I have to get this! I can't fail the easiest test. The commander will never stop rubbing it in my face and sense he's no better then the newbies of course he wants to see real talent.
"Ten more." He laughs.
"What? But sir I already am at fifty."
He shrugs, "And? Do what I say."
Stepping ten more big steps back. I can already feel myself become sicker.
"Is this good or do you want me to do a hundred?" I roll my eyes saying with a smart tone. He laughs, "Your invincible."
I only that as a compliment and hold the string back all the way to my cheek, praying that my accuracy is good enough. I remember breath, aim, shoot. Moms words never get old. And my talent never does either--it's a bullseye. Everyone cheers. He shakes his head, "Not good enough"
I'm confounded, "But?! I--did you just see what I did? No one else could've done that!"
"That wasn't good enough."
"It was a bullseye!" I yell. He smirks, "Ten more"
"No, how about eighty!" So I step back twenty more. Now it's almost invisible from the dense fog. Again I pull back the string and watch it soar. Again bullseye. I watch for the commanders expression. "Decent" he chuckles. I roll my eyes about ready to say something I'd regret.
"Okay Mellark you've won then, happy? You've passed, whoopee."
I roll my eyes, "Well thanks"
We throw knives, again he gives me a hard time: asking me to take thirty, forty steps back. In the end I always win him over. Then guns, I ace that too. Again with more challenges from the commander.
By this time I'm feeling terribly sick. Coughing, even gagging at times. I wish I could've stayed home, but I tell myself it's best I came.
We do push ups, pull ups, lift weights, sit ups, planks. All that makes it worse. Now having trouble breathing. I had a infection in my respiratory system, now I'm sure it's worse. We've been doing everything outside in the cold. I see sprinkles of water fall into the blacktop. Rolling my eyes cussing inside. I can't afford to get sicker.
We walk out onto the field. Now it's raining harder. Still coughing forcefully.
"You okay?" One guy asks. "Great" I cough. The commander silences us, "Five miles, and your timed. Go!"
I take off sprinting but at the same time trying to conserve my energy.
I pass up everyone by the 6th lap. Just four more miles. The rain pours now. It's actually more like sleet.
I can't give into my sickness, I have to keep going. My heart beating faster then I thought it could. I try to keep up my speed but my coughing slows down my pace. Just wanting so badly to give into it, almost crying from the pain. I can't keep it up anymore. I can barely breathe.
I overlapped everyone. I collapse onto the ground catching my breath. One of the guys tries to pull me up, "Hey you okay?"
Everything's blurry. "You need some water" another says. I find some strength to push myself up, almost chocking from coughing so hard. "I'm good" I say hoarsely.
Two more miles and I push through it even though I feel like my body is about ready to literally give up on me.
Still overlapping everyone--I sprint past the commander. He checks off my name. I'm done finally!
Still unable to breathe I sit down on the grass choking. The commander looks at me strangely, "You need a nurse."
I managed to calm down the choking, "I won right?"
He laughs, "Everything is a competition to you."
"No, just for this--this is important." I start to shiver severely and cough uncontrollably. I'm soaked from the sleet.
Apparently it's so bad the commander calls in a helicopter to fly me to the hospital.
I'm so sick and freezing and not to mention exhausted and sore from coughing and running. I'm flown to the hospital and rushed to the ER. Again in the hospital, except this time I'm awake.
Apparently they thought I was having a seizure from shivering so badly.
Once I'm in the room they hook me up to a drip. I don't even need to be here. I look at the time--it's probably been an hour since I got here.
The nurses walk in with Bree. She's mad. "Rye what were you thinking?!"
I laugh, "I'm fine, I don't even know-"
"Rye I'm dead serious, you scared me!" She yells.
"This was my last day to train for the marines and I couldn't miss it.. Bree I wouldn't normally do this but I had too, if not I wouldn't be able to even be in the marines."
She starts to understand me, "Did you make it in?" She asks calmly.
I nod, "Course."
"Sorry for yelling.." She says quietly, "But you're really sick. The doctor said you have to stay here a day on high antibiotics."
"Is it an infection?"
"Yes, a respiratory infection." She replies, "And you'll be on even stronger antibiotics when you get home."
"When will I get better?" I ask.
She shrugs, "The doctors say more then a week. It's a bad infection."
"So I probably can't go back to the marines for a while?"
"Don't think about it Rye, not until your actually healed"
I nod, "Fine" even though I don't wanna spend more time in bed, at least I got through practice and succeeded.