S H O RT S TO R I E S F R O M T H E G LO B A L C LA S S R O O M |
2014
JUST A TYPICAL COLD
D R E W KO E R N E R , Y E A R 6
BRITISH SC HOOL OF C HICAGO
‘RING!’ My alarm clock obnoxiously forced me out of bed. The annoying noise wasn’t the only thing that woke me
up; my head was throbbing and I felt as cold as ice. It looked like it was going to be another absent mark at school
... for the sixth time this month! My mom had already taken me to the doctor and he said it was just a typical cold.
I thought he was lying. Constant pounding headaches, uncontrollable fevers and churning stomach aches? Really?
His name is Dr. Einstein. He sounds smart; however, he’s kind of creepy. There is always an ominous-looking surgical
mask covering his mouth; I know doctors are supposed to wear them, but not all the time! It may sound rude but he
looks like a whale to me. His skin is blubbery yet strong and his voice is deep and raspy. He scares me.
I’d had some bad days lately, but this one seemed worse: my entire body was sore, my skin felt puffy and whenever
I moved, my bones ached. I struggled out of bed to go tell my parents that something really felt wrong. I sluggishly
made my way to the kitchen where they were having coffee and, before I could utter a word, my mother screamed
‘You look so pale!’ My dad came towards me and pressed his hand against my forehead ... ‘You’re burning up!’ wailed
dad, whipping away his hand. I suddenly began to feel very woozy, then: BANG! I was out.
My eyes slowly fluttered open and, to my surprise, I was no longer in our kitchen. I was in a room with plain white
walls and medical equipment. Wait a minute! Medical equipment?! I was in the hospital!
‘Katie?’ I could hear my mom’s voice very faintly. Her face was as pale as a ghost’s and her voice as sweet as chocolate.
‘Katie, are you alright?’
I slowly nodded my head.
‘You passed out and we brought you to the hospital. The doctors ran some tests and they’re coming in to talk to us.’
Without knocking, a tall, handsome man strode in, looking quite worried. I think he announced his name but I’m
not sure; it was like everything both happened in a split second and moved in slow motion at the same time. ‘I have
news,’ he said in a clear, deep voice. I was getting more and more worried by the second. I had a sense that what was
coming would be big. ‘Katie … has cancer.’ He looked down, knowing mom and dad’s reactions would be too much.
I guess I was in shock because I didn’t cry or scream or say anything. I was vaguely aware of some sobs coming from
the direction of my parents, but I felt like I was very far away. Nothing seemed real. There was no way I could have
cancer. Yeah. Just a typical cold.
The next day I started receiving cards, stuffed animals, and chocolate boxes from my friends. The day after that,
I woke and heard a lot of commotion outside my hospital room window. Despite all of the tubes and wires that
restrained me, I managed to hobble over to the window and peer out. I was astonished at what I saw: a parade of
people crowded around a banner that read GET WELL SOON KATIE!!!
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