-Kelley-
December eighth, Emily's birthday. And guess what, she was still sick. It made me feel awful, and I felt so bad for her. Sick on her birthday. She was worse then she was four days ago, and it crushed my heart.
I was waiting for Emily to wake up, sitting in the chair beside our bed. As I was bouncing my knees up and down, Emily's phone rang. Taking it off the bedside table, I saw it was Alex. Answering the phone, I sighed out.
"Hello." I said.
"Kel, where's Emily?" She asked.
"In bed." I mumbled.
"It's her birthday, why isn't she up?"
"Emily is sick, like really sick." I said, rubbing my feet together.
"What, oh no." Alex said, her voice straining.
"Yah, I can't believe it. I came home four days ago, and found her on the floor. She said she got really dizzy and then fainted. So I put her in bed, and she just got worse over the next few days." I explained.
"Do you think she needs to see a doctor?" Alex asked.
"I don't know, maybe." I mumbled.
"What's wrong?" I heard Tobin's voice in the background.
"Emily's sick." Alex said to her. "Maybe take her to a doctor Kel, just to be safe." Alex told me.
"Yah, I think I will." I said.
"Okay, well tell Emily we say happy birthday. Talk to you later." Alex said.
"Yah, see yah." I said, as I hung up. Looking back at Emily, I saw her pull Nike closer to her. I then saw her eyes flutter open, and a weak smile fall on her face.
"Hey." She rasped out, her voice hoarse and scratchy.
"Hey." I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Alex and Tobin say happy birthday."
"Right, it's my birthday." She mumbled, as she gave out a rough cough.
"Yah it is. So how about as a spur of the moment birthday present, we go see the doctor." I said.
"I'm fine Kelley." She said, nuzzling her face into Nike's fur.
"Emily, you've been coughing and sneezing up green goo for the past four days. Also, you've started throwing up, and you have awful chills and hot flashes." I told her.
"It's not a big deal." She mumbled.
"Yah, it is. Now come on, we're going to the doctor." I said, as I forced her out of bed. She was wearing my Stanford sweatshirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants, as I then forced her into a pair of boots. Emily was to weak to walk, so I had to carry her to the car.
Setting her down in the passenger seat, I then put her seatbelt on. Running to the other side, I climbed in and started the car. The radio was on, as New Americana started playing. Emily sang along.
"Cigarettes and tiny liquor bottles,
Just what you'd expect inside her new Balenciaga.
Vile romance, turned dreams into an empire.
Self-made success now she rolls with Rockefellers."
Even when she was sick and her voice was scratchy, she was still a beautiful singer. I couldn't help but smile, and think about her singing all the time.
I pulled into the hospital parking lot, and parked the car. Climbing out, I went and got Emily. Unbuckling her seatbelt, I then picked her back up in my arms. Carrying her inside, I walked up to the receptionist desk.
"Kelley, what happened?" The receptionist, Carol, asked me.
"Emily's sick, like really sick." I said, and she sighed.
"I'll let Dr. Tess know. She'll see you guys right away." She told me, and I smiled.
"Thank you so much." I said, as I went and set Emily down on one of the couches. After around ten minutes, Dr. Tess came out.
"Kelley, hey." She said. "What's up?" She asked.
"Emily's really sick, and I was wondering if you could take a look at her?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Of course, fallow me." She said, as I picked Emily back up. She lead me to check up room, and opened the door for us. I walked in, and set Emily down in the bed. "What are her symptoms?" She asked, as she started listening to Emily's vitals.
"She has a really bad cough and she sneezes up green goo, and she's been throwing up. She also gets chills and hot flashes, and she's been achy." I explained.
"How long has she been like this?" Dr. Tess asked.
"Around four days." I said.
"She's really dehydrated, severely dehydrated actually. We need to get her some fluids, or her heart rate and blood pressure will start dropping." She said.
"Will she be okay?" I asked.
"She'll be fine, she just needs an I-V." She explained. "We can take her to the hospital wing. I'll call in some nurses." Dr. Tess said, as she went over to call the nurses.
Once they came with a gurney, they lifted her onto it. We all the wheeled her to the hospital wing, where some other nurses took her into a room.
"She's dehydrated, and she might have a infection in her lungs." Dr. Tess explained to another ER doctor.
"Alright, we'll get her in fluids right away and then I'll get her a chest scan." He said.
"I'll see you soon Kelley." She said, giving me a small wave.
"Thank you." I said, and the headed into Emily's hospital room. She's going to be okay, she'll be fine. Dr. Tess said so, she'll be okay.
Walking into Emily's hospital room, I saw her sprawled out on the hospital bed. She had an I-V in her arm, with two separate tubes coming out of it. Two different fluid bags hung above her head, dripping down into her tubes. Her sweatshirt was on a chair, and small meters were on her bare chest. Some were tucked under her sports bra, as the wiring laid by her side. She then had a small nose cannula in her nose, helping her breath.
"Oh god." I mumbled, as I went and sat down. Picking up her sweatshirt, it now had her scent on it instead of mine. It was her favorite sweatshirt. I now looked at her tattoos.
She had swirling patterns, and other tattoos intertwined. Starting at one of her fingertips, a vine broke out. Some leaves broke off of it, and then other tattoos broke off from the vine. They were numbers or symbols, and sometimes they were fingerprints.
Emily stirred in the bed, so I laid the sweatshirt beside her. She nuzzled her head into it, and coughed out. Her breathing was ragged, and I sighed out. I didn't realize how sick she was, or how bad it was. Pulling out my phone, I called my mom. She answered within the first few rings.
"Hey Kelley." My moms voice said.
"Hey mom." I replied.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked.
"Um, Emily's really sick." I said, trying not to cry. "And where in the hospital right now, and her doctors say she'll be okay, but I'm just so scared." I cried into the phone, covering my mouth.
"Kelley, I'm so sorry. And it's her birthday." My mom gasped. "Oh sweetheart." She paused. "But she'll be okay, that's all that matters. She will be okay, right?" My mom asked.
"Yah, yah her doctors say so. She's just really dehydrated, and they think she might have an infection in her lungs. So." I trailed off.
"Do you want me to come up?" She asked. "It's not a long drive or even flight, I can come."
"No mom, it's okay. I'm just glad I could talk to you." I said.
"I'm always here for you sweetie, always." She said.
"Thanks mom, I love you."
"Love you too. Bye Kel."
"Bye mom." Hanging up the phone, I then dialed another number.
"Hello."
"Christie." I said.
"Kel, what's up?" My captain asked.
"Are you in New Jersey?" I asked.
"Yah, I'm at home. Why, what's wrong?" She asked.
"Emily's in the hospital, and I really just need a friend here." I said.
"Kelley of course I'll come. What hospital are you at?" She questioned.
"Memorial."
"I'm on my way, don't worry Kelley. She'll be okay." Christie said, and I nodded.
"Thanks Christie." I said.
"No problem kid." She said, and then hung up. I sighed, and tucked my phone in my pocket. I clenched and unclench end my fists, taking deep breaths.
She looked so weak, and so frail. Her tan skin seemed pale, and her muscles seemed to disappear. Her hair hung limp around her shoulders, and her eyelids were dark.
I sat there for ten minutes, before a knock came at the door. Looking back, I saw Christie open the door. Rylie walked in, and gave me a small wave.
"Hey." Christie said, as she slowly closed the door behind her.
I stood up from the chair I was sitting in, and wrapped my arms around her neck. She pulled me into a hug, as I nuzzled my head into her shoulder. I didn't cry, I just hugged her.
"How is she, how are you?" She asked, pulling back to look at me.
"Um, she's okay. I'm okay, they said what she has isn't contagious." I told her.
"That's not what I meant, Kelley." Christie said, as she held my shoulders. I just shook my head.
"I'm okay, I'll be better once she finally wakes up and gets better." I said.
"How'd this happen?" She asked, as we went and sat down.
"I guess she's not use to the cold and the snow, her body just couldn't handle it. I found her on our kitchen floor, passed out. She told me that she felt light headed, and wanted something to eat. I guess after she went to make herself some food, she fainted." I told her.
"Well then she'll be okay. It's probably just a cold." Christie told me.
"Yah, I hope so." I mumbled. "I hope so."
---
It took four hours for her to wake up, but she finally did. I told Christie she should go, take Rylie home. It was getting late, and I didn't want to bother them. Christie argued with me, but I got her to go. When Emily finally woke up, I was by her side.
"Em, hey Em." I said, taking her hand.
"Where are we?" She asked, shielding her eyes.
"The hospital." I told her, and she groaned out.
"I feel like I was hit by a truck, and then after I finally got up I was hit by a freakin' semi." She mumbled, as I gave her a weak smile.
"How are you feeling now?" I asked.
"Better." She told me. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was deep but raspy. I looked at her, and felt like I should cry. But I didn't cry. I knew she was strong, and I knew she was a fighter. The girl survived a car crash and took two pairs of cleats to the head, a common cold wasn't going to stop her. A knock came at the door, as Emily's doctor walked in.
"Emily, I'm glad to see that you're awake." He said. "How are you feeling?" He then asked.
"Well I don't feel like I'm going to throw up, so that must be good." She said, and I smiled. "But my chest hurts." She said.
"You have an infection in both your lungs. Nothing severe, but it'll be hard for you to breath. So I need you to take two of these pills every four hours, and try to limit the physical activity. We're going to keep you on the I-V for awhile longer, since you were so dehydrated." The doctor said..
"When can we leave?" I asked him.
"In a few days hopefully." He said, glancing at me and then at Emily. "I'll check in on you later. Feel better Emily." He said, and then headed out of her room. Emily patted the bed beside her, so I laid down. Resting my head on her shoulder, I nuzzled my nose into her neck.
"You're a handful Emily Rush." I mumbled into her neck.
"But you don't mind that." She said, and I smiled.
"Yah, I don't. But can we stay away from hospitals? Seriously, your World Cup injury, the stairs, and this. Do you know how many times you've scared me? How many times I thought that you weren't gonna to get better?" I asked, tears brimming my eyes.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I am, and I don't want to come back here. So I promise you this. I won't get hurt so we have to come back here, and then you won't have to worry." She said, and I smiled.
"I'll always worry about you, but it's a deal." I said, raising my head up to look at her. I gave her a quick kiss, and then rested my head on her chest. "Can I ask you to do something, if you feel up to it?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Of course." She said, resting her head atop mine.
"Will you sing to me?" I asked, and she nodded.
"What do you want me to sing?" She asked.
"Anything." I whispered. She thought for awhile, and then she began to sing.
"There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun."
I could feel her voice vibrated in her neck, tickling my cheek. I smiled, resting my lips against her skin. Her voice was raspy like it always was, but it had some grit to it. It sent chills down my spine, making me pull her closer to me.
"And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know I'm one."
I closed my eyes, taking in her deep voice. When she sang, I instantly grew happier. Her voice made me smile, and it made ignited a spark in me. It just gave me another reason to want to hear her talk, or to sing. It was just a small factor to why I loved her. But I loved her for many reason, but there were to many for me to go over.
"My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new blue jeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans
Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk.
Oh mother, tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun
Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain
Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God, I know I'm one."
She hummed the tune of the song, as I felt myself drifting to sleep. I pecked my lips against her skin, smiling into her neck. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I felt her brace rest against my side.
"Happy birthday." I mumbled, as she continued to hum.
"Thanks Kiki. She said, and continued to hum.
Even though we were in the hospital and Emily was sick, everything felt right. We were both together, and happy. Things could be a little different, but I'm not sure if I would want them to be. Yah, Emily was sick, but we were working through it. She was strong, and she was fearless. We were doing this together, and we were struggling. But that's what made us us, that's what made us a team, a family.
She was the love of my life, and I would go to hell and back for her. I know she would do the same for me. So yah, this was okay. Because I was with her, and that's all that mattered.