So I had a plan of what I was going to do, I just didn’t know when I was going to be able to do it.Chapter ElevenSadieThere was an irritating sensation on my face as a voice said loudly, “If you don’t wake up, Dee, I’ll play Baby Shark on repeat. Did you know there’s an extended version on YouTube?”
Then, a hand grabbed mine, lifted it, and my finger was pushed up my nostril. “Uh oh, you got bogeys on your finger. Better clean it off.”
I was fighting to wake up to stop what I knew was coming, but my eyelids felt like concrete was weighing them down, so I was too late.
The finger that’d just been inserted up my nose was pushed between my lips and past my teeth. “Ew, you dirty girl! Your new name’s going to be booger queen.”
My stomach turned, and it felt like every muscle clamped down at the same time, but I didn’t throw up. That was a good and bad thing because I now had snot in my mouth along with a god awful taste that I’d have been grateful to get rid of in any way possible.
Finally winning, I opened my eyes and glared at the arsehole that had tormented me since he shot out into the world. Instead of greeting my brother after not seeing him for a year, I croaked, “Wanker!”
“Ah, there she is. I’m hurt, you know. You were meant to fall at my feet with tears and joy when I surprised you with my amazing appearance, but instead, you threw up and went to sleep with your head in a random man’s crotch. What the hell’s that all about?”
Squinting to get him into focus, I tried to remember what he was talking about, but my head hurt, my mouth was so dry it felt like my tongue was sticking to my teeth, I ached all over, and it was colder than a witches tit in the room I was in.
Come to think of it, where was I?
“Stop upsetting her, Craig,” my grandma sighed as she moved to stand beside him. “Would you like a sip of water to get the booger out of your mouth?”
Just thinking about it made me feel nauseous, so I nodded at her, too afraid to even open my mouth in case I threw up again. This stomach bug sucked balls. I’d had Norovirus a couple of times and food poisoning, too, thanks to the tosser standing beside me, but this one was the worst of them all.
Leaning in, MeeMee held the end of the straw to help me catch it between my lips, and then I had cold, fresh water. Holy shit, this was like crack.
There was a slight tug of war as she pulled the straw back out of my mouth, but it gave me a chance to ask, “What kind of water is this?”
“The wet kind,” Craig snickered, making MeeMee snort.
“It’s from the machine outside, but I think it’s just normal water.”
“Why does it taste so good?”
“More than likely because you’re dehydrated,” a voice said from the doorway, and I saw Parker standing in it, looking slightly worried. “Glad to see that you’re awake, Sadie.”
That’s when it all clicked. I could blame my dehydrated brain—which felt like it’d shriveled to the size of a pea anyway—for it taking me as long as it had to put the pieces together. I was in the hospital.
Holding my hand in the air, I watched the tube attached to the thing inside it lift up. “What happened?”
“You weren’t doing so good with Gatorade and Pedialyte, so we brought you in. I’ve just had the results of your tests back, though, so I’d like a moment to discuss them with you,” he explained, then looked at my brother and MeeMee. “Alone, if that’s okay?”
“They’re fine to stay. I’ll tell them anything you found, anyway.”
Wincing slightly, he nodded. “If you’re definitely sure?”
What the hell kind of question was that? “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”
Craig crossed his arms in front of him and glared at Parker. “We’re staying.”
Sighing, he closed the door behind him and walked over to the side of the bed that didn’t have anyone standing at it. “Okay, so, well, all of the tests came back fine, so it’s nothing deadly. But it appears like you have something called Hyperemesis Gravidarium, and it’s made you so sick that you’ve become very dehydrated. There were high levels of ketones in your urine—”
“Like in the keto diet?” Craig asked, looking at me in confusion. “You don’t need to bloody lose weight. Why would you be doing that?”
Blinking at the question, I looked back at Parker. “But I’m not doing the keto thing. I need carbs to fuel me, and if you tried to take away anything sweet and cakey from me, you’d be taking your life into your own hands.”