Hello! I'm back! I know I haven't been writing for like 6 months now, but I'm trying to get restarted. Soo, here goes!
Carly's eyes fluttered open.
She stared right up at a plain white ceiling.
With plain white lights.
She studied the room she was in.
Plain gray cabinets and sink.
Plain green chairs.
She was in a bed.
In a hospital.
Carly tried to recollect the events of the past day.
At least, she came here yesterday, right?
Her mind was so foggy.
She remembered not being able to breathe.
She remembered the sirens, Sam and Spencer telling her to hang on.
But why? She couldn't figure out why.
She observed the IV in her right arm and the heart monitor beside her.
She stared out the open door. Every once and awhile, a nurse would go by. She tried to get their attention, but she felt too weak to call out and could only emit a few whines and moans.
Finally, a nurse poked her head inside.
"So you're awake!" she exclaimed.
Carly nodded weakly.
The nurse left but soon returned with a doctor.
Carly tried to speak. "Why…why a-am I here?"
The doctor turned to the nurse. "She can speak okay," he said. The turned to Carly. "Carly, I am Dr. Peterson. Can you understand me all right? How are you feeling?"
Okay, did this guy think she was stupid or something? "I feel… I feel ti-tired. Where's Spencer? Why… Why am I here?"
"She can remember her brother, that's great. She's suffered no brain damage."
The nurse nodded.
"Carly, Spencer left for some lunch. Are you hungry too?" asked Dr. Peterson.
"No, I'm okay. But why am I here?"She could speak clearer now.
"Carly, you had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. You stopped breathing for about 12 minutes. You've been in a coma for two days. We'll have an allergist come see you today in about an hour. Get some rest now." And with that, Dr. Peterson left.
Carly didn't sleep.
She stayed awake until the allergist came in.
"Carly Shay?"
"That's me." She tried to smile.
"I'm Dr. Reiss. I'm here to discuss some options for your anaphylaxis. Do have any idea how deadly anaphylaxis is in your case?"
Carly shook her head.
"It's extremely deadly. In fact, the doctors don't expect you to survive a second attack."
Carly gasped. "How likely am I to have another attack?"
"It depends. Do your family and friends enjoy peanuts?"
"My best friend loves peanuts. In fact, she loves just about anything edible."
"Well, Carly, you have about two options. You can live out your life trying to avoid peanuts, or trace amounts of peanuts. But frankly, I don't think that will work. You can come in contact with peanuts unknowingly and have an attack."
Carly shuddered."What's the other option?"
"Your other option is much more expensive but I think it may pay off. Carly, how would you feel with a service dog?"
"A … service dog?"
"More precisely, an allergy alert dog. A dog can detect scents of peanuts much better than any human could. It's much safer, in my opinion. The dog would have to go everywhere with you, including school, the mall, and especially restaurants. I've talked with your guardian about this, too. He agrees, but he says it's up to you."
"Would it be kind of like a pet, too?" asked Carly.
"A service animal usually is treated as a pet at home. Put when out in public the dog is a working animal and you don't worry about him, you go about your daily life. You don't hug it or pet it while it's working. It's a service animal. In correct terms, no. It's not a pet."
"I'll think about it."
OK. I just feel I should let you know I made sure anaphylaxis can cause comas. Because I wasn't sure.
Please review! I'd really appreciate it! (: Thank you!