Chuckie sat shivering on the exam table. He had just watched Kimi get her flu shot and was i extremely nervous to get his. He couldn't understand how Kimi had been so calm about getting hers.
The nurse leaned close to Chuckie, about to puncture his skin with the sharp needle. He couldn't take it anymore and let out a loud scream. He jumped from the table and before anyone could stop him he was out the door.
Chas sighed and ran after his son. He found him a few minutes later hiding behind a huge plant.
Chas attempted to coax Chuckie out from behind the plant only for him to retreat further back against the wall. Chas stood back giving Chuckie some space to calm down.
"Are you here to get flu shots?" An Asian nurse carrying a small toddler asked as Chas almost bumped into her when he was backing away from Chuckie.
"Yes, but my son here is afraid of needles." Chas explained.
"It might help if he sees you get the shot first. It worked for us." The nurse told him as she began to walk down the hall.
"Well Chuckie what do you say? If daddy gets the shot first will you get it too so you won't get sick?" Chas asked.
Chuckie thought for a minute and slowly came out from behind the plant. He nodded and took his dad's hand and together they made their way back to the exam room where they found Kimi playing with stickers sticking them all over her self and anywhere else she could find.
"Hey Chuckie if you get the shot you get a sticker." Kimi told him.
Chas sat on the exam table. Chuckie watched proudly. If his daddy could get a shot then so could he. The nurse was about to put the needle in Chas's arm when he suddenly stood up.
"I'm sorry I can't do this. come on kids. Let's go home." Chas grabbed his kids hands and ushered them out the door.
"I'm never going back to the doctor again. Shots are so scary that even my daddy couldn't get one." Chuckie explained the next day at pre school.
"No they're not. Specially flu shots." Min Jun commented overhearing Chuckie's story.
"Yeah they don't even hurt." Phil added.
"And you get a sticker." Kimi said showing off the Dummi Bear sticker she had recieved after her shot.
"Shots might hurt a little but it's not that bad and I always get a lollie pop after mine." Tommy continued the conversation.
"I still don't want one. I'd rather get sick then get a shot." Chuckie moaned covering his ears attempting to block out the conversation. He was done talking about it.
The kids were aloud to play outside since the weather was still nice enough. The weather began to get cooler as the kids played. Clouds blocked out the sun and the teacher decided to call them in for snack time. Everyone was shivering by the time they came inside. They all lined up to wash their hands. Chuckie briefly put his hands under the water only to pull them out not bothering to put soap on them since the water only made his hands colder. He quickly dried them and went to his seat to enjoy his snack.
Chuckie woke up the next morning feeling cold. He bunbled up in a sweater and headed to school. As the day wore on he started sneezing and developing a cough.
"Sounds like your getting sick." Tommy commented as Chuckie sneezed and wiped his nose on his sweater sleeve.
"I'm fine Tommy. I always sneeze a lot when the weather changes." Chuckie assured him.
The next day Chuckie woke up with a fever and was forced to stay home.
"Is Chuckie sick?" Tommy asked when only Kimi walked into the classroom.
"Yeah. He has a cold." Kimi told him.
"He better be careful it doesn't turn into the flu." Min Jun warned her."My mommy says the flu is really bad this year and lots of kids are getting sick."
"Chuckie's good at taking medacine." Kimi assured him."He'll be fine."
Little did Kimi know how wrong she would soon be. She came home to find Chuckie on the couch watching tv. She knew Chuckie would be fine. Min Jun didn't know everything about sick just because his mommy was a nurse.
"Hey Chuckie." Kimi greeted sitting on the couch next to him."Are you feeling better?"
"No." Chuckie answered."I feel worser."
By the next morning Chuckie looked worse. Kimi stared at her frightened looking brother as he hollard for their parents.
"What's wrong?" Chas asked coming into the room.
"My legs feel like noodles." Chuckie cried as he tried to move his legs with not much luck.
"You take Chuckie to the hospital. I'll take Kimi to school and meet you there." Kira told Chas as he wrapped Chuckie in a blanket and carried him to the car.
"Guys. I'm really worried about Chuckie." Kimi cried as she ran to meet her friends.
"Why?" Phil asked.
"What happened?" Lil asked.
Kimi ignored them and turned to Min Jun."What's the flu like?"
"Well you feel really yucky and can't eat and get a fever." Min Jun explained.
"Is that all?" Kimi asked."Do your legs feel like noodles?"
Min Jun thought for a minute. He had overheard his parents talking when he was supposed to be asleep."My mommy says some kids say that and then they have to stay in the hospital. Some even get a swelled brain, but I don't know what that is."
Kimi was starting to worry more which was unusual for her. She didn't want her brother to get worse.
"I can ask my mommy if she sees him to tell me how he is." Min Jun offered laying a hand on Kimi's shoulder.
"Thanks." Kimi smiled.
Later that day everyone went to Tommy's house like they usually did except for Kimi, who would be staying the night. Kira called Didi and told her Chuckie had some swelling on his brain. Didi didn't tell Kimi any of this. She just told her that Chuckie was really sick and had to stay at the hospital.
As promised Min Jun asked his mother if she had seen Chuckie while she was working.
"Did you see my friend Chuckie at your work?" He asked as they are dinner.
"Yes. He'll be in the hospital for awhile." Mi Sun answered.
"Will he get better?" Min Jun asked. He wanted to give Kimi as much news as he could.
"He might, but it's hard to say right now." Mi Sun told him.
Chuckie spemt a week in the hospital. He was resting and watching tv feeling better then he had the whole time he had been in the hospital. He looked away from the tv and over to a chair where his dad was sleeping. He resumed watching Space Trek Babies. Suddenly the door opened and two nurses came in. One carrying a tray with his breakfast on it and one carrying a small toddler. The nurse set the tray on the table and moved it over Chuckie's bed so he could eat while the other nurse put the child in the spare bed in Chuckie's room. Chuckie was curious as to why he suddenly had a roommate as he hadn't had one the whole time he had been sick.
The nurse noticed Chuckie staring as she bragn preparing some supplies.
"She'll only be here for a few hours and she'll sleep most of the time so she won't bother you." Mi Sun assured him.
Chuckie continued to watch, not saying anything. He didn't like talking to people he didn't know. He watched in horror as the nurse lifted the girl's shirt up and placed a needle in her stomach. He was expecting the girl to scream and cry. She cried, but not for very long.
"Why did that lady put that needle in you?" Chuckie asked once the nurses had left.
"That's my mommy and I have to do this a lots of times cuz I got something wrong with my kidleys." Ji yeon explained.
"I don't like needles and that looked like it hurt a lot." Chuckie commented as he began eating his breakfast. He was glad he could keep food down again.
"It does, but I don't gots a choice." Ji Yeon sighed.
Seeing that little girl get that big needle inserted into her made Chuckie realize that maybe he could be more brave when it came to needles. After all his friends did tell him that flu shots didn't hurt and he never wanted to have the flu again.
One year later
Chuckie sat on the exam table awaiting his fate. Flu season had once again arrived. The door opened and Chuckie was surpirsed to see Ji Yeon's mom was the one to give him the shot. He shivered a little as his shirt sleeve was lifted and something wet was applied to his upper arm. He closed his eyes trying to resist the urge to run. If a baby could handle a big needle and not cry for an hour then he could handle one little shot.
"All done." Mi sun said. Chuckie opened his eyes.
"I didn't even feel that." Chuckie said happily as he picked out a sticker.
The End
A/N This was inspired by real events. My family members daughter got the flu and ha swelling in her brain and couldn't walk. She's fine now and at home recovering.