Bonus Story: I Don’t Get Sick.
Fall 2002 - Three Years Before Kathrin’s Story Begins

Sixteen year old Kathrin Rudo woke up feeling awful, even worse than she had before she’d gone to sleep. She was burning up yet she couldn’t stop shivering even though she was beneath her light travel blanket and had put on her red and blue school letter jacket. Worse, the ache in her stomach, undoubtedly from something she’d eaten the day before, now hurt almost as much as a full blown muscle cramp. The tire noise of her school’s old tour bus pounding in her head and her cramped awkward position in one of it’s leaned back seats certainly didn’t help things. She forced herself to roll over, away from pitch black view of the night sky out the bus’ windows, to face her best friend Tamera Meyers who was sleeping in the seat next to her.
“Tamera. Tamera.” Kathrin whispered while shaking her friend’s shoulder. Even that took more effort that she wanted to give but she had to let somebody know.
“What’s wrong?” Tamera asked, after nearly jolting out of her seat while waking up.
“I’m sick.” Kathrin said, straining to bring her voice above a whisper.
“Your stomach again?”
“No…Well yes, but…” Kathrin started to answer. She stopped long enough to lay on her back with her eyes closed before slowly relating the rest of her symptoms. She adding muscle aches and a stiff neck to the list as she went.
Tamera pushed her own blanket to the floor and leaned over her ailing friend.
“Oh god, you’re burning up. Have you taken any fever medicine?” she asked after feeling Kathrin’s forehead.
Kathrin shook her head no. “I don’t have any. I don’t get sick…” she explained with a trace of irony.
“Okay… let me get my bag.” Tamera said as she reached down and wrestled her dark colored duffel from beneath the seat in front of her. She pushed her tennis racket aside and pulled out a plastic sack full of pain medication and a small lidded energy drink. Kathrin took both and after a minute of fumbling with them swished down a trio pills before handing the sack and the bottle back to her friend.
“Are you going to be okay?” Tamera asked.
Kathrin rolled back towards the windows and pulled her blanket tighter around herself before she answered. “I just want off this bus.” She said weakly, on the verge of tears.
“I’m going to get Mr. Bell, see if he wants you to do anything else.” Tamera said, referring to their assistant tennis coach, history teacher, and general school medic. She hesitated, waiting for a reply that didn’t come, then carefully stepped into the isle and made her way toward the front of the bus. She had to go slow to make sure not to step on any of her teammates who had chosen to sleep on the floor.
“Coach.” Tamera said, gently shaking the man’s arm until he woke up. Coach Warren Bell was one of their youngest teachers, he was barely thirty, and was still nearly as fit as any of the boys and girls on the bus. Besides that he was a diehard sports enthusiast and had seen more injuries and illnesses that even the school nurse. If there was anyone who would know what to do it would be him.
“What is it Tamera?” he asked drowsily, after finally waking up.
“Kathrin is getting worse.” Tamera answered worriedly. “She has a pretty bad fever and she said her stomach still hurts, and I think she’s having trouble getting back to sleep.”
“Let me talk to her.” The coach said while stretching in his seat. “I guess you had better lead the way…” he added, noticing all the teenagers in sleeping bags scattered about the isle floor.
Tamera nodded then inched her way back to the middle of the bus where she and Kathrin had elected to sit when they started their trip almost two days earlier. She had to move out of the isle into an unoccupied seat on the other side to allow Coach Bell access to her friend.
“How are you feeling Kathrin?” he asked her but she didn’t reply or even move. He leaned over her and felt her head like Tamera had done earlier before moving back into the isle.
“She must have fallen back to sleep,” he told Tamera. “I’d rather not wake her. We’ll be stopping for breakfast in about four hours. If she’s still feeling bad then come and get me and I’ll take a look at her.” He said reassuringly. “But for now would you mind sleeping across the way? I want to isolate her as much as possible in case she’s contagious.”
“Right…” Tamera replied, too tired to argue about it. She pulled her blanket and bag to the other side of the bus and laid down in the isle seat. Looking back over at her friend Tamera couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong. It was something Kathrin had said: ‘I don’t get sick.’ For anyone else a statement like that would have been hyperbole at best, but not for Kathrin. They’d known each other for more than a decade and Tamera couldn’t recall one single time her friend had been ill. They’d even talked about it once. Something about how the same accelerated processes that let Kathrin heal more quickly than normal also played a large role in combating infection and illness. Tamera chuckled to herself. Kathrin always was better at explaining the peculiarities of her condition than she could ever hope to be. With nothing more to do Tamera turned over and let the steady drone of the bus lull her back to sleep, hopeful that Kathrin’s voodoo magic genetic code would have her feeling better by the start of the tournament.
* * *
Tamera was already half awake when they pulled into a large truck stop for their last meal on the road. The squeal of the breaks pushed her out of her latest dream and caused her to glance around. They had parked on a large black lot among at least a dozen other buses and tractor trailers. All around her people were already getting up and stowing their things in preparation for breakfast. Everyone but Kathrin, that is, who was still fast asleep. Tamera went over and woke her friend. After a moment’s confusion Kathrin looked up at her and gave a weak smile.
“Feeling better this morning?” Tamera asked as students began to file out into the parking lot.
Kathrin’s smile faded as she attempted to stretch out. “About the same as before. Headache is a bit better though.” She said.
“Do you want to try and eat something?”
Kathrin’s stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.
“I guess that’s a yes.” Kathrin said, laughing a little. She grabbed onto the head rest in front of her and tried to pull herself up but she only made it half way before falling back onto her side and wincing in pain.
“What?” Tamera asked worriedly.
“I got real dizzy all of a sudden. It made my head hurt.” Kathrin answered.
“Come on, we had better get you to Coach Bell.” Tamera said. With her help Kathrin was able to slowly sit upright, then stand up. Together they made their way down the nearly empty isle to the bus’ stairs. Tamera let her friend go first while she steadied her from behind. They made it down the first step just fine but then Kathrin staggered forward and missed the next step all together. Tamera grabbed onto her, trying to keep her upright, but Kathrin was heavier than she expected and they both tumbled out of the bus onto the parking lot. Tamera was able to reach out and brace her own fall with her hands but she watched in horror as Kathrin struck the pavement face first.
“Damnit! Are you okay?” Tamera asked as she scrambled to get off of her friend, but she got no answer. Kathrin wasn’t moving. Tamera rolled her over and cradled her head then cringed when she saw the sizable bloody gash above Kathrin’s right eye.
“Come on, wake up Kathrin. Wake up!” Tamera shouted as she looked desperately around the parking lot for help. Fortunately help was already on the way in the form of her on again off again boyfriend Jack Peters who was rushing towards them from across the lot.
“Oh my gosh is she okay?” Came the voice of Mrs. Thomas, one of the parent chaperones, as she exited the bus and saw what had happened.
“I saw her head hit, is she all right?” Jack asked at the same time as he skidded to a stop beside them.
“Jack, go get Mr. Bell. Tamera, keep her just like that. I’m going to get my phone and call and ambulance.” Mrs. Thomas said before darting back up into the bus.
“Hurry!” Tamera urged, speaking to both of them.
Jack nodded then took off, sprinting back toward the main building over a hundred yards away.
“Please wake up Kathrin. Come on, please wake up.” Tamera repeated over and over as tear began to run down her face.
All of a sudden Kathrin’s eyes shot open then clenched shut again as she grimaced in pain. She recovered a bit then looked up at Tamera and said, “You’re hurting my neck.” Tamera instinctively hugged her friend then gently let her head rest on the pavement. Jack returned a minute later with Coach Bell and a half dozen other students and teachers in tow.
“Jack says she hit her head?” Coach Bell asked.
“We fell from the second step.” Tamera answered. “She was feeling a little better this morning but was really dizzy so I was helping her to breakfast and we slipped.”
“Okay,” Mr. Bell said acknowledging Tamera before turning his attention to Kathrin. “Kathrin, can you sit up for me?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.” She said from her position on the ground.
“Can you at least move your hands and feet?” He asked worriedly.
Kathrin moved one foot then the other then wiggled all of her fingers causing Mr. Bell to sigh in relief.
“I’ve already got an ambulance coming.” Mrs. Thomas informed him.
“Good.” He replied. “We’re going to get you checked out all right?” Mr. Bell told Kathrin after sitting down next to her. “Good job staying with her Tamera.” He said as he began to relax a little. “You had better get some bandages for your hands though. Pat, will you help her?” He asked Mrs. Thomas.
Tamera was confused for a second, but then she looked down at her hands and saw how badly she’s scrapped them on the asphalt.
“I’ll be right back.” She told Kathrin before following Mrs. Thomas towards the truck stop bathroom. Washing and bandaging her hands only took a few minutes but Kathrin and the others were gone by the time Tamera got back outside.
“Principle Alden went with her to the ER.” Mr. Bell said, coming up behind her. “You had better go grab something to eat, we have to leave in a few minutes.”
“I’m not hungry… I’ll just wait on the bus.” Tamera said stubbornly. She climbed aboard and took Kathrin’s seat, acutely aware of the guilt she felt for her friend’s fall. Soon the other students started slowly filing in as the teachers rounded them up. Jack caught her eye as he climbed the steps. A few seconds later he was sitting in the chair beside her. They hadn’t spoken since their last big fight more than a week ago but at that moment Tamera was glad to have his company.
“It’ll be all right. You’ll see.” He told her. “You know it will take more than a little fall to keep Kathrin down.”
Almost as if on cue Mr. Bell stood up at the front of the bus and asked for everyone to be quiet. “Now that everybody is here I’ve got some news about Kathrin. It’s not all good I’m afraid.”
Tamera closed her eyes, feeling worse than ever. If only she had gotten Mr. Bell to come to Kathrin instead of trying to get Kathrin to him. If only she’d lead the way down the steps instead of trying to steady Kathrin from behind… Her self incrimination was cut short when she felt Jack take her bandaged hand in his. He looked at her questioningly, hoping he hadn’t done the wrong thing. She gave him a small smile and nod, accepting his touch, before closing her eyes again.
“First off, some of you may have not heard but Kathrin fell down the steps of the bus this morning and hit her head while coming to breakfast. It gave us a scare for a few minutes but the ER said there was no long term damage there. She’ll need a few stitches but nothing was broken. I’d like to thank Mrs. Thomas for calling an ambulance so quickly. Also I’d like to thank Tamera again for staying with Kathrin until we could get her help.”
Tamera looked up as a couple of her classmates clapped a few times for her.
“Unfortunately, that’s the good news.” Mr. Bell continued. Even he looked worried now, Tamera noticed. “They think Kathrin had a severe case of food poisoning a few days ago and they are afraid that it progressed into a case of bacterial meningitis.” He said.
There were a few gasps throughout the bus as the twenty-eight students and faculty realized how serious that was.
“That’s the bad one, right?” Tamera asked Jack.
“That’s the bad one.” He confirmed, gripping her hand a little tighter. It stung a bit through her bandage but she was too afraid to dare let go of him.
“They are still running test on her so we won’t know anything more for a few hours. For now we’re going to continue on to the hotel and get situated there. And um… we’ll let you know when we learn anything else.” Coach Bell finished before sitting down.
The bus got moving again and was soon back on the highway, but it was a very different feeling inside compared to the day before. The energy and excitement of heading to the national tennis championship had been replaced by worry for the school’s star player, and Tamera couldn’t shake the feeling that it was largely her fault.
* * *
It was weird, over the next couple of days things almost seemed to return to normal. That evening at dinner Mr. Bell informed everyone that Kathrin had been admitted to the hospital for bacterial meningitis but beyond that they didn’t hear anything for the next two days. Pretty soon everyone ran out of things to say on the subject and went back to trying to enjoy their vacation. There was plenty to do. Most of the tennis team worked off their anxiety on the hotel’s two courts. Those students lucky enough to accompany the team, Like Jack, split their time between swimming, lounging around the hotel, or going on one of the prescheduled tours of the Tampa area.
It wasn’t nearly so easy for Tamera however. There were just too many reminders for her. She couldn’t practice with the team because the bandages on her hands, from when she let Kathrin fall, disrupted her grip on her tennis racket. She couldn’t take off the bandages because they were her only chance at healing up enough to be effective at the tournament on Saturday. She tried going on one of the tours with Jack hoping it would help clear her head but all she could seem to think about were all the things she and Kathrin had planned to do together while in the city. Tamera couldn’t even sleep in peace. She and Kathrin had signed up to room together, but now every time she rolled over she could see Kathrin’s pristine, untouched bed sitting there almost as if it was taunting her. Just when it seemed she’d finally accepted that no news was good news Mr. Bell organized everyone in the dinning area before lunch on Friday. He’d looked worried when he had first delivered the news about Kathrin on Wednesday, Tamera recalled, but today he looked positively sick.
“I’ll make this short and let you eat. We got news about Kathrin about an hour ago. She’s not doing good. The hospital…” he stopped to steady his voice, “…the hospital called her family asking them to fly down as quickly as possible. They aren’t expecting Kathrin to make it past the weekend…”
“Is there any way we can go see her? To say goodbye?” Tamera asked, standing up from her table near the back of the dimly lit room.
“We talked about it, but no. She’s over a hundred miles away and the bus is still in the shop. We couldn’t imagine her family would be too pleased with thirty strangers milling about during their daughter’s final hours either. I’m sorry, we just can’t do it.”
‘Final hours.’ That’s when it hit Tamera that she would never, ever see her best friend again. She sat down without saying a word and remained seated as the rest of her schoolmates left to get in line for lunch. She could see the teachers worrying about her but she didn’t care. It felt like she was trying to remember how to breath, getting something to eat simply wasn’t important. A few minutes later the first of the students came back into the room with their food and someone found the second light switch. Tamera squinted her eyes at the brightness then Jack was there beside, her placing a plate of food in front of her.
“They had me get something for you. I hope this is okay.” He said as he sat down next to her. The whole situation seemed so pathetic that she had to laugh a little even as tears began to roll down her face.
“Thank you.” She told Jack, just to make him stop looking so concerned. She grabbed a fork and began to pick through her food. It wasn’t quite what she would have chosen but at the moment it was better than nothing. Tamera ended the day in her empty room unable to sleep.
If the tail end of the week was depressing for Tamera it was downright frightening for Kathrin. She had been having problems getting to sleep since the first day of the trip, the noises that the bus made as it traveled along the highway seemed to penetrate even the music she played from her walkman, but after her fall from the second step it seemed that she couldn’t stay awake. And that scared her. She could remember most of what happened in the ER just fine. They had asked her some questions and stitched up her cut and even stuck some kind of needle into her back testing for something, but after that everything became a blur. The next thing she knew she was in a hospital room and it was dark outside. From then on it seemed like each time she woke up she was connected to more machines and IV’s and monitors. By that point she wasn’t thinking too clearly, but she could still comprehend that something was very wrong. Then one time she awoke with a tube down her throat and she began to cry as she realized that they only did that to people who were having problems breathing on their own.
Her parents appeared in the room with her what seemed to be a short time later. They looked unhappy and worried and she couldn’t really fathom why they would be there at all but it was still comforting to know that they were around. It must have helped some too. Her overwhelming need to sleep became less and less powerful as the day went on and she slowly started to think more clearly. Having her mom and dad nearby was nice, but the person she really wanted to see was her brother. Things always seemed better when he was around. That night a nurse came by to take some readings and then a few minutes later, as if by magic, Casey waked in.
* * *
Kathrin’s parents learned of her fall less than an hour after it happened and of her life threatening illness shortly after it was confirmed Wednesday evening. Tamera and the rest of those on the tennis trip learned of it a short time later. Casey Rudo, however, didn’t hear anything about his sister for almost another two days.
“Mom, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. What’s wrong with Kathrin?” the twenty-four year old asked his mother after she finished berating him Friday evening for not calling.
“Your sister is dying Casey! She contracted bacterial meningitis while on her trip. We’ve been with her all day. I just don’t understand, your father said he talked to you.” Cyndi Rudo said tiredly.
“Well I haven’t heard a thing.” Casey said unhappily. “Where are ya’ll? Tampa?”
“No, she didn’t make it that far. We’re at Monroe Regional in Ocala, northwest of Orlando.” His mother said before reading him the exact address.
“Do you think I should come down there?”
“I think you need to.” His mom replied. “She was unconscious most of the day today. She was awake a little this evening but she was barely aware of what was going on. The doctors are telling us that they don’t think she is going to make it past the weekend.”
“Okay… I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Casey promised before hanging up. He sat there in his home office for a couple of minutes completely overwhelmed. His mind jumped from topic to topic bringing up issues and complications so fast that he couldn’t keep up. Finally he gripped the arm of his chair hard enough to hurt his hand and forced it all to stop. He’d always been good in crisis situations and that’s all this was, he told himself, another crisis. He’d break it into steps and handle it piece by piece, just like he always did.
Step 1: Tell Jen.
“What is it honey?” His wife asked the moment he walked back into their dining room. Casey didn’t know if she had overheard part of his conversation or if she’d recognized the mask of intense calm he wore on his face but somehow she immediately knew something was wrong.
“Kathrin is in the hospital with meningitis. They think she might die. I have to fly to Florida tomorrow or I might miss my chance to see her one last time.”
Jennifer pushed her dinner plate away without a moment’s hesitation and asked, “What do you need me to do?”
‘Don’t be afraid to delegate,’ Casey told himself. “If you could start looking for a flight that would help a lot.” He said to his wife.
“What city?” She asked, already halfway past him, heading towards their office.
“Ocala.” he told her. “I’ll help you once I’m done calling Chief Arlen.”
Step 2: Try and get time off so this doesn’t affect our finances.
Casey retrieved his cellphone from it’s charging spot in the kitchen and pulled up the cell number of his superior officer, Deputy Police Chief Gary Arlen.
“Chief Arlen.” The older man answered in his usual gruff voice after a few rings.
“Chief, this is Detective Casey Rudo. I’ve just learned of a family emergency and I know this is short notice but I need to ask for some time off next week.” Casey said, successfully keeping his voice calm and professional.
“What’s the problem, son?”
“It’s my sister sir. She was on a school sponsored bus trip from Nashville to Tampa and got real sick. I’m flying down there tomorrow to see her.”
“You mean Kathrin?” he asked, easily recalling her name. “Is it serious?”
“Yes sir, it’s very serious. She somehow contracted bacterial meningitis. They’re not sure she is going to make it past the weekend.”
“All right, you’ve got the week off son. And let the honorary detective know the department is rooting for her, if you’re able.”
“I will sir. Thank you.” Casey said before ending the call. He couldn’t help but smile a little at the reference. Kathrin had stayed with him and Jennifer during the summer and she’d talked him into letting her tag along with him up to his office at his police station. The first few times she went up there everyone was wary of her. Having a fifteen year old girl poking around naturally made them nervous. But Kathrin quickly impressed the heck out of everyone when she proved that she understood how things worked around the station and that she could fit effortless into its everyday flow. It didn’t hurt that she occasionally showed off a little of her strength and agility. It once took three burly officer’s to playfully pin her down and handcuff her. After a few trips up there people started letting Kathrin help out with little things. She’d get a file for someone or look up a small piece of information for someone else but pretty soon she’d earned enough people’s respect that they actually hoped she would come visit. They would pull her aside when they thought her big brother wasn’t looking and ask for her opinion on their cases. On her last visit before she had to return to Nashville at the end of summer break the department got together and threw a party in her honor. In addition to a special plaque, Chief Arlen gave her a small check for the few hours of work she did for the department, how he got that approved was anyone’s guess, and a real genuine police badge with her name and ‘Honorary Detective’ on it. His sister had never looked more proud in her life Casey remembered with a sigh as he made his way back through his house and towards step three.
Step 3: Book flight to Florida.
Step 3: Check on Jennifer’s progress.
“How ya doing hun?” Casey asked as he reentered his small office.
His wife held up one finger to indicate that she was still on the phone. “Okay, thank you very much.” she told the person on the other end of the line.
“You got something?” he asked.
“Your flight leaves at nine am tomorrow and arrives at two. You’ll have to change planes and there’s some little waiting in between but it’s the best they could do.” she told him.
“How much is it going to cost?” Casey asked.
“We can afford it.” Jennifer answered, avoiding the question.
Casey knew better than to push her on it, instead he pulled her out of her chair and over to him.
“Have I told you how much I love you recently?” he asked, holding her close and wrapping his arms around her.
“Yes, but I’ll let you do it again.” She said.
“I love you. You mean the world to me Jen. You know I’d rush… twice as fast if it were you, right?”
“You’re cute when you care. Come on, I’ll help you pack.” She said before leading him off towards their bedroom.
Step 4: Pack for the trip.
Packing ended up taking significantly longer than Casey had planned, but it was also significantly more fun. By the time he and his wife were through they were both ready for the final step of the night.
Step 5: Get plenty of rest to be prepared for the next day’s challenges.
* * *
Casey woke to his alarm clock’s buzzer early the next morning. He took a short shower, shaved, then pulled on his travel clothes. Like always he wore a long sleeved polo, a comfortable pair of large pocketed jeans, and his Dallas Police Department ball cap. The latter always seemed to help things go more smoothly. He pocketed and put on all his essential travel gear from his watch to his wallet then started on breakfast.
“Smells good.” His wife commented as she walked into the kitchen a few minutes before sunrise. She was dressed similarly to her husband but looked quite a bit more sleepy. She just wasn’t used to being up so early, especially not on a weekend.
“Are you doing all right?” Casey asked from the back corner of the kitchen.
“I will be once I get some coffee in me.” Jennifer yawned.
“Coming right up. Take a seat.” Casey said as he moved sausage and eggs from the stove to her plate. He brought it over to her a minute later along with her favorite brand of coffee in her favorite mug.
Casey stood on the other side of the counter and watched his wife take her first drink. He loved the way she held the cup in both hands and inhaled the aroma before she put it too her lips. The way her shoulders perked up and her head and back turned ever so slightly as she reviled in the flavor of the warm liquid running down her throat. The small satisfied smile that remained on her mouth as she pulled the cup away. He had a busy and almost certainly problematic day ahead of him but he wouldn’t have missed those few seconds for the world. Jennifer looked up afterwards, still holding her cup, and blushed a little when she noticed him staring at her. He gave her a small lazy smile then went back to fix up his own plate.
“Have you heard the weather report?” Jennifer asked after he’d sat down with her and they’d both taken a few bites.
“I did. It’s already drizzling out there and it’s supposed to storm in central Florida as well.” Casey answered.
“I hope it doesn’t cause you too many problems.” She said.
“Me too.” Casey agreed.
They finished breakfast and were on the road just a few minutes later. It wasn’t a long trip to the airport but the rain picked up soon after they left and made everything that much more difficult.
“I’ll call if anything changes.” Casey told his wife as he said goodbye. He watched from the sidewalk as her red SUV disappeared back into the storm then checked his suitcase and got in line. Check in wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d been told, despite the increase in security caused by the terrorists attacks the year before. He made it to his gate with time to spare, but then he had to wait. Soon an airline employee announced that his departure had been delayed by the worsening weather. That created a domino effect that in turn delayed his connecting flight in Alabama which in turn ended up having to circle in a holding pattern above its destination because it didn’t manage to beat the bad Florida weather. All told Casey touched down almost four hours late, at six at night instead of two in the afternoon.
“I’m sorry I’m so late.” A drenched Casey Rudo told his mother when he met her in Kathrin’s waiting room half an hour later. “How’s she doing?”
“A little better.” His mother replied. The past few days had clearly taken their toll on her. She looked run down, tired, not her usual elegantly imposing self. But there was also a spark of hope in her eyes. “She was awake a lot more today and we were able to talk to her and have her respond. She can’t talk back though, because of the breathing tube.”
“Where’s dad?” Casey asked, still aware that he needed to clear up the question of why nobody called him until Friday.
“He’s downstairs getting some dinner. You could go check on him but visiting hours for Kathrin’s section end in about thirty minutes” Cyndi said. “I thought you would want to see her first.”
“What room?” Casey asked his mother.
“212.” She answered. “Here, leave your stuff, we’ll take care of it for you.”
Casey handed his mom his bag and suitcase then went over to the nearby nurses station and had them show him to his sister’s room. He took a couple of deep calming breaths then pushed his way inside, only to freeze in his tracks as he first laid eyes on his sister. All her life Kathrin had been so unstoppable. Nothing from school to sports to injuries had ever really slowed her down. The only thing that had even come close was the complicated painful leg surgery she had required six years earlier after falling into the creek behind their house when she was ten. Even then she was a complete handful during her rapid recovery. But to see her now, looking so small and helpless in her large hospital bed, surrounded by so many machines and hooked up to an array of wires and tubes… It was almost more than Casey could bear. He’d spent all day rushing to get to where he was but he very nearly turned around and walked back out the door. Then he saw her notice him. He could see her face light up from across the room and he knew he had to stay, for her sake if nothing else.
“Hey Kath.” He said gently as he walked over to the side of her bed. She couldn’t respond verbally because of the breathing tube down her throat and the small mask that covered her mouth and nose but Casey could see the excitement in his sister’s eyes and the very edges of a smile on her face.
“How are you doing?” he asked her.
Her face dimmed and her eyes wandered a bit as she tried to figure out how to convey even a fraction of how she felt with the limited communication options at her disposal. After a few seconds she raised her arm what little she could without endangering the attached IVs and sensors and shook her hand as if to say, ‘so-so.’
“This isn’t going to work, is it?” he asked, sitting down in the chair next to her.
She shook her head no.
“I’d get you a pen and some paper but it doesn’t look like you’d be able to use them very well.” He said.
He saw her sigh as if to say, ‘yeah, I know.’ Then Casey had an idea. He pulled out his cell phone and held it up for her to see.
“Do you think you could type on this one handed?” He asked. She was already nodding her head yes and stretching out her hand before he finished his sentence. She accepted the phone from him and took a moment to position it in her hand then started typing away rapidly with her thumb. She tilted her wrist when she finished so Casey could read the resulting message.
‘Hello! Im so glad to see you!!! I feel like crap which i guess is pretty good all things considered.’
“Have they told you what happened?” Casey asked. She cleared her message and typed a new one.
‘Not really. But i hear things :) food poisoning. Meningitis. Etc.’
“I’ll bet.” Casey said, laughing a little, unloading a bit of his built up tension. It was strange talking to her when her voice was replaced by text on a small screen but every word was undeniably his sister’s. “Just don’t spy on the other patients.” He joked.
‘Lol!’ Kathrin typed, but then her face took on a worried look all of a sudden. Casey waited for her to type but she just looked up at the ceiling for a minute and stroked the keys with her thumb a few times lost in thought.
“What?” He asked, almost more worried for her in that moment than he had been at any point in the last couple of days. It was very rare for her to take so long to gather her thoughts.
‘Sorry. Im just scared.’ She quickly entered.
“About what?” Casey asked his sister. She sighed once more then started typing again. It took her a lot longer this time, and she began to look frustrated as she made and corrected mistakes as she went, but she finally finished and tilted the phone for her brother to read.
‘Just like nobody has really told me what happened nobody has really told me how bad things are. I couldnt stay awake.’ She had to scroll down so he could read more of her message. ‘When i did wake up i was attached to more and more machines but not sure why.’ Casey’s heart was sinking but he nodded for her to scroll down again. ‘Then mom and dad came but i was so out of it that i couldnt even reply with hand gestures. Now youre here all the way from dallas! Im not stupid. None of those are good signs. But no one has told me ’ She had to scroll down one more time. ‘if im dying.’ Casey read.
Now it was his turn to look away, at the floor though instead of the ceiling. ‘You sister is dying!’ he recalled his mother telling him just the day before. But she had also said that Kathrin was doing better just a few minutes ago. Casey mentally kicked himself for not asking what the doctors had said but looked back down as his sister tilted the phone his way again. She’d replaced the long message with a much shorter one.
‘Just tell me casey. Am i dying???’ it read. She looked over to him with true fear in her eyes.
“No.” He answered, knowing he didn’t know the real answer. “When they first called me you were unconscious for much of the day. By the time I got here you’re able to hold a conversation. I’d say you’re starting to recover.”
‘But you dont know?’ she asked, annoyingly perceptive as ever.
Casey signed and leaned his head back against the chair. “I’ve been traveling since seven this morning Kath. It’s been storming the whole way, both my flights were late, and I just got here twenty minutes ago. So no, I’m sorry, I haven’t talked to anyone that knows yet.” He said, letting her see, just for a moment, how worn out and frustrated he really was.
‘Im sorry.’
Casey smiled at her and said, “It’s okay. You’re…” he was cut off by a knocking on the door.
“Visiting hours are ending.” A nurse said, sticking her head in.
“Thank you.” Casey said to her. “Uh, when are the next visiting hours?” he asked.
“Nine to ten.” The nurse told him before heading to the next room.
“I’m going to get something to eat. I’ll be back at nine and I’ll bring you the real answer if I can find someone to ask, okay?” Casey said.
‘Ok. And thanks for being here for me.’
“I always will be. You know I love you Kath.” He said. He reached down to retrieve his phone but his sister quickly typed another message.
‘Can i keep it for a while? It would be nice to be able to answer someone if they ask me a question. Even if it does hurt my thumb.’
“Sure.” He said, closing her hand around the phone and patting it. “I’ll see you soon.”