Light was penetrating the darkness. It came slowly, like spots coming closer from a distance. The black was replaced by red. I opened my eyes slightly, seeing a person dressed in white standing beside me.
"I see you're awake," the figure said, voice grim.
I opened my eyes, blinking at the light that hurt my eyes. I opened my mouth to talk, but felt as though my throat were shut tight.
"There's no need to talk just yet. Your friends are waiting outside to see you. Would you like me to bring them in?"
I nodded slowly, my muscles stiff. The door opened and I raised my head slightly to see who there was. I saw Heero, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei come in, each of them looking at my face to see if I was awake. I smiled weakly when they stepped closer to the bed. "How long was I out for?" I croaked.
"About twenty minutes. While you were unconscious, we took some blood tests. We'll have the results within 24 hours, so we're going to keep you here until then. What have you been feeling?"
"Tired... nauseous... like I have no energy..."
The doctor reached over to me and applied pressure to my lymph nodes. I jerked back from the pain, and I saw him frown.
"Can I see your stomach?" he asked me, lifting the blankets off me. He lifted my top, and saw the bandage. "What's this for?"
I told him about what happened in Cameroon, and he frowned even more.
"How often do you change it?"
"Every day."
"Didn't you notice this rash?"
"I just assumed it was from the bandage."
"And you say you were in Africa and you fell into a lake?"
I nodded.
"Did anything bite you while you were there?"
"A leech, that's all I'm sure of, but I was almost naked..." I blushed.
The doctor nodded.
"It's not malaria is it?" I panicked.
"No, no," the doctor mumbled, shaking his head. "I'm going to tell the lab workers to hurry up with your blood test. I'll be back soon." He turned to Heero and the others. "If anything happens, press this button to call a nurse."
Wufei spoke before the doctor could leave. "How bad is he?"
I looked up, looking at the doctor, then at Wufei. The doctor returned my gaze. "What do you think I have?" I asked.
"I believe you've got sleeping sickness."
"Surely that won't kill me?" I said half-heartedly.
The doctor was silent. "It's a fatal disease, but we can cure you. I just hope it hasn't progressed too far."
I felt the blood drain from my face. I looked at the five faces surrounding me, then watched the doctor leave. I had the urge to jump out of my bed and drag him back into the room, begging him to save me. I couldn't die... we had a war to fight...
Heero looked at me, his eyes showing a trace of sympathy. I smiled up at him weakly, my eyes filling with tears. "Heero..." I whispered.
Trowa had an arm around Quatre. I wanted someone's arm around me. I wanted to cry into someone's shoulder, to sob and scream and wail. I couldn't die. I wouldn't die.
"I won't die will I?" I whispered.
Wufei reached forward and took my hand. "No."
I pulled him closer to me, forced his arms round my back, and lay my chin on his shoulder, my cheek near his. I pursed my lips together. Frankly, I was scared. I felt like I was dead already... how could they possibly save me? It felt like I was in Wufei's embrace for just a few minutes when the doctor reentered, holding a sheet of results. I lifted my head and let my grasp fall. Wufei straightened up and looked at the doctor.
"I've got the results of your blood test. You're suffering from sleeping sickness, caused by the Trypanosome parasite. You must have been bitten by the tsetse fly while in Africa, and it passed on the parasite to you. We're going to start a course of injections of suramin. It works in most cases when treatment starts early enough, but you're at a rather advanced stage. Unconsciousness is a sure sign that the disease has advanced."
I paled even further. "So you're saying I'm going to die?"
"If the treatment is successful, then you'll be fine. It's a slim chance you'll have to take. Without the treatment you'll die for sure. We've got to try it."
I nodded. "Is it contagious?"
"No, it's only spread by the tsetse fly, so no-one has anything to worry about," he said, turning to Quatre, Trowa, Heero and Wufei.
"Except me," I thought.
"I have a nurse preparing the first injection. You'll be receiving one injection every eight hours, day and night. We're going to try everything to save you."
I nodded, feeling dazed. I was feeling cold allover, and was sweating profusely, but my forehead felt hot to my touch. "I don't feel well..." I mumbled.
The doctor noticed my state and paged a nurse to bring me some water and a flannel.
I started to shake, waves of motion starting from my spine and spreading through the rest of my body like the blood running through my veins. The room was beginning to spin again and I fought to keep my eyes open. I thought I saw the door open, and a nurse dressed in blue and white entered, wiping a wet flannel over my face. Another nurse entered and held up my arm. I closed my eyes and felt a sharp jab at my elbow, and opened my eyes again slowly.
"I see you're awake," the figure said, voice grim.
I opened my eyes, blinking at the light that hurt my eyes. I opened my mouth to talk, but felt as though my throat were shut tight.
"There's no need to talk just yet. Your friends are waiting outside to see you. Would you like me to bring them in?"
I nodded slowly, my muscles stiff. The door opened and I raised my head slightly to see who there was. I saw Heero, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei come in, each of them looking at my face to see if I was awake. I smiled weakly when they stepped closer to the bed. "How long was I out for?" I croaked.
"About twenty minutes. While you were unconscious, we took some blood tests. We'll have the results within 24 hours, so we're going to keep you here until then. What have you been feeling?"
"Tired... nauseous... like I have no energy..."
The doctor reached over to me and applied pressure to my lymph nodes. I jerked back from the pain, and I saw him frown.
"Can I see your stomach?" he asked me, lifting the blankets off me. He lifted my top, and saw the bandage. "What's this for?"
I told him about what happened in Cameroon, and he frowned even more.
"How often do you change it?"
"Every day."
"Didn't you notice this rash?"
"I just assumed it was from the bandage."
"And you say you were in Africa and you fell into a lake?"
I nodded.
"Did anything bite you while you were there?"
"A leech, that's all I'm sure of, but I was almost naked..." I blushed.
The doctor nodded.
"It's not malaria is it?" I panicked.
"No, no," the doctor mumbled, shaking his head. "I'm going to tell the lab workers to hurry up with your blood test. I'll be back soon." He turned to Heero and the others. "If anything happens, press this button to call a nurse."
Wufei spoke before the doctor could leave. "How bad is he?"
I looked up, looking at the doctor, then at Wufei. The doctor returned my gaze. "What do you think I have?" I asked.
"I believe you've got sleeping sickness."
"Surely that won't kill me?" I said half-heartedly.
The doctor was silent. "It's a fatal disease, but we can cure you. I just hope it hasn't progressed too far."
I felt the blood drain from my face. I looked at the five faces surrounding me, then watched the doctor leave. I had the urge to jump out of my bed and drag him back into the room, begging him to save me. I couldn't die... we had a war to fight...
Heero looked at me, his eyes showing a trace of sympathy. I smiled up at him weakly, my eyes filling with tears. "Heero..." I whispered.
Trowa had an arm around Quatre. I wanted someone's arm around me. I wanted to cry into someone's shoulder, to sob and scream and wail. I couldn't die. I wouldn't die.
"I won't die will I?" I whispered.
Wufei reached forward and took my hand. "No."
I pulled him closer to me, forced his arms round my back, and lay my chin on his shoulder, my cheek near his. I pursed my lips together. Frankly, I was scared. I felt like I was dead already... how could they possibly save me? It felt like I was in Wufei's embrace for just a few minutes when the doctor reentered, holding a sheet of results. I lifted my head and let my grasp fall. Wufei straightened up and looked at the doctor.
"I've got the results of your blood test. You're suffering from sleeping sickness, caused by the Trypanosome parasite. You must have been bitten by the tsetse fly while in Africa, and it passed on the parasite to you. We're going to start a course of injections of suramin. It works in most cases when treatment starts early enough, but you're at a rather advanced stage. Unconsciousness is a sure sign that the disease has advanced."
I paled even further. "So you're saying I'm going to die?"
"If the treatment is successful, then you'll be fine. It's a slim chance you'll have to take. Without the treatment you'll die for sure. We've got to try it."
I nodded. "Is it contagious?"
"No, it's only spread by the tsetse fly, so no-one has anything to worry about," he said, turning to Quatre, Trowa, Heero and Wufei.
"Except me," I thought.
"I have a nurse preparing the first injection. You'll be receiving one injection every eight hours, day and night. We're going to try everything to save you."
I nodded, feeling dazed. I was feeling cold allover, and was sweating profusely, but my forehead felt hot to my touch. "I don't feel well..." I mumbled.
The doctor noticed my state and paged a nurse to bring me some water and a flannel.
I started to shake, waves of motion starting from my spine and spreading through the rest of my body like the blood running through my veins. The room was beginning to spin again and I fought to keep my eyes open. I thought I saw the door open, and a nurse dressed in blue and white entered, wiping a wet flannel over my face. Another nurse entered and held up my arm. I closed my eyes and felt a sharp jab at my elbow, and opened my eyes again slowly.