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Authors: Sarra Cannon
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spilled onto the floor around her. A
purple digital thermometer clacked onto the floor and she breathed a
sigh of relief.
She ran it under the
faucet for a second, then wiped it off on her t-shirt and rushed back
into the bedroom where her mom was now curled up into a shivering
ball. She looked tiny on the big bed.
Parrish sat down next
to her mother and lifted her head just enough to prop a second pillow
underneath. She stuck the thermometer against her closed lips. “Put
this under your tongue.”
Her mom’s eyes
fluttered open, then closed as her head rolled back onto the pillow.
Parrish pressed the
button on the thermometer and placed it inside her mom’s mouth,
holding it there. With her free hand, she pulled the bandages from
her mouth and tossed them on the bed. She unwrapped one with the help
of her teeth, then stuck it over the small gash on the heel of her
foot. The wound pulsed like a ticking clock.
It felt like an hour
waiting for the stupid beep on that thermometer.
Parrish’s toes
tapped against the air and she pressed her lips tight. She couldn’t
remember the last time she’d been in her parents’ bed.
Years ago. Probably before Zoe was born. She used to crawl into bed
after waking up in the middle of the night, sandwiching herself
between her parents.
That was lifetime ago.
Suddenly, Parrish felt
like a child again. A little girl clinging to her mother for
reassurance.
The thermometer beeped.
Parrish sat up with lightning speed, pulling the digital thermometer
back.
105.2
She stared at it for a
few seconds too long, shaking it as if the number would somehow
magically change. Her vision blurred. She closed her eyes and opened
them again, not wanting to believe the number.
Her heart tightened in
her chest and she dropped her hand to her side, staring ahead.
No, this couldn’t
be real. 105? She’d never even heard of anyone having a
temperature that high before. Maybe the thermometer was broken?
But she knew it wasn’t.
She needed to call her
dad. He would know what to do. She searched the room for her mom’s
cell, but couldn’t find it.
“I’ll be
right back,” she said, but her mom was delirious. Curled up and
shivering. Parrish stood there staring at her for a moment, not
believing the sight of her. Was she going to be okay?
She blinked back tears
and pushed herself into action. She ran to her bedroom and dug her
own cell out of her bag. It took her several tries to even open the
app for her phone. Her hands were shaking too badly and her brain
wasn’t working right.
Finally, her dad’s
picture came up on the screen and she touched the little green phone
icon. She brought the phone to her cheek, then walked quickly back to
her parents’ room. After a moment of nothing but dead air, she
looked at the phone, shaking her head. What was wrong with this
stupid thing?
She stopped the call,
then touched the green phone again and waited. The phone wouldn’t
dial. Was it broken? She tried again. This time, she got a weird set
of beeping tones and an automated message.
“Our system is
currently experiencing a high volume of calls. Please hang up and try
your call again later.”
Parrish collapsed on to
the bed at her mother’s side. It was nearly three in the
morning. How were they experiencing a high call volume.
Her stomach twisted.
She put her hand on her mother’s arm, trying to hold herself
together, but the panic was seeping in.
She’d never had
to call 911 before, but her mom’s temperature was scary high.
Parrish dialed the three digits with trembling fingers, then ran back
to her room and grabbed her laptop. She opened the top and brought up
an internet browser. She brought up a Google search for ‘what
to do for high fever’.
The results came up
fast, but still there’d been no answer at 911.
Parrish pulled the
phone away from her cheek again and stared at it. Maybe something
really was wrong with it. She dialed again and hit the speaker
button, then threw a
purple digital thermometer clacked onto the floor and she breathed a
sigh of relief.
She ran it under the
faucet for a second, then wiped it off on her t-shirt and rushed back
into the bedroom where her mom was now curled up into a shivering
ball. She looked tiny on the big bed.
Parrish sat down next
to her mother and lifted her head just enough to prop a second pillow
underneath. She stuck the thermometer against her closed lips. “Put
this under your tongue.”
Her mom’s eyes
fluttered open, then closed as her head rolled back onto the pillow.
Parrish pressed the
button on the thermometer and placed it inside her mom’s mouth,
holding it there. With her free hand, she pulled the bandages from
her mouth and tossed them on the bed. She unwrapped one with the help
of her teeth, then stuck it over the small gash on the heel of her
foot. The wound pulsed like a ticking clock.
It felt like an hour
waiting for the stupid beep on that thermometer.
Parrish’s toes
tapped against the air and she pressed her lips tight. She couldn’t
remember the last time she’d been in her parents’ bed.
Years ago. Probably before Zoe was born. She used to crawl into bed
after waking up in the middle of the night, sandwiching herself
between her parents.
That was lifetime ago.
Suddenly, Parrish felt
like a child again. A little girl clinging to her mother for
reassurance.
The thermometer beeped.
Parrish sat up with lightning speed, pulling the digital thermometer
back.
105.2
She stared at it for a
few seconds too long, shaking it as if the number would somehow
magically change. Her vision blurred. She closed her eyes and opened
them again, not wanting to believe the number.
Her heart tightened in
her chest and she dropped her hand to her side, staring ahead.
No, this couldn’t
be real. 105? She’d never even heard of anyone having a
temperature that high before. Maybe the thermometer was broken?
But she knew it wasn’t.
She needed to call her
dad. He would know what to do. She searched the room for her mom’s
cell, but couldn’t find it.
“I’ll be
right back,” she said, but her mom was delirious. Curled up and
shivering. Parrish stood there staring at her for a moment, not
believing the sight of her. Was she going to be okay?
She blinked back tears
and pushed herself into action. She ran to her bedroom and dug her
own cell out of her bag. It took her several tries to even open the
app for her phone. Her hands were shaking too badly and her brain
wasn’t working right.
Finally, her dad’s
picture came up on the screen and she touched the little green phone
icon. She brought the phone to her cheek, then walked quickly back to
her parents’ room. After a moment of nothing but dead air, she
looked at the phone, shaking her head. What was wrong with this
stupid thing?
She stopped the call,
then touched the green phone again and waited. The phone wouldn’t
dial. Was it broken? She tried again. This time, she got a weird set
of beeping tones and an automated message.
“Our system is
currently experiencing a high volume of calls. Please hang up and try
your call again later.”
Parrish collapsed on to
the bed at her mother’s side. It was nearly three in the
morning. How were they experiencing a high call volume.
Her stomach twisted.
She put her hand on her mother’s arm, trying to hold herself
together, but the panic was seeping in.
She’d never had
to call 911 before, but her mom’s temperature was scary high.
Parrish dialed the three digits with trembling fingers, then ran back
to her room and grabbed her laptop. She opened the top and brought up
an internet browser. She brought up a Google search for ‘what
to do for high fever’.
The results came up
fast, but still there’d been no answer at 911.
Parrish pulled the
phone away from her cheek again and stared at it. Maybe something
really was wrong with it. She dialed again and hit the speaker
button, then threw a
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