by Powell, Lora
Copyright © 2019 by Lora Powell
All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in, or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known, hereinafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Typewriter Pub, an imprint of Blvnp Incorporated
A Nevada Corporation
1887 Whitney Mesa DR #2002
Henderson, NV 89014
www.typewriterpub.com/[email protected]
ISBN: 978-1-64434-075-2
DISCLAIMER
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. While references might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
the first 30 days
LORA POWELL
Table of Contents
ONE
DAY 1
TWO
DAY 2
THREE
DAY 2
FOUR
DAY 3
FIVE
DAY 4
SIX
DAY 4
SEVEN
DAY 4
EIGHT
DAY 5
NINE
DAY 5
TEN
DAY 7
ELEVEN
DAY 7
TWELVE
DAY 7
THIRTEEN
DAY 7
FOURTEEN
DAY 7-8
FIFTEEN
DAY 8
SIXTEEN
DAY 8
SEVENTEEN
DAY 8
EIGHTEEN
DAY 9
NINETEEN
DAY 9
TWENTY
DAY 9
TWENTY-ONE
DAY 9-10
TWENTY-TWO
DAY 10
TWENTY-THREE
DAY 10
TWENTY-FOUR
DAY 11
TWENTY-FIVE
DAY 12
TWENTY-SIX
DAY 12
TWENTY-SEVEN
DAY 14
TWENTY-EIGHT
DAY 14
TWENTY-NINE
DAY 14
THIRTY
DAY 15
THIRTY-ONE
DAY 17
THIRTY-TWO
DAY 17
THIRTY-THREE
DAY 18
THIRTY-FOUR
DAY 18
THIRTY-FIVE
DAY 20
THIRTY-SIX
DAY 20
THIRTY-SEVEN
DAY 20
THIRTY-EIGHT
DAY 21
THIRTY-NINE
DAY 21
FORTY
DAY 21
FORTY-ONE
DAY 22
FORTY-TWO
DAY 22
FORTY-THREE
DAY 22
FORTY-FOUR
DAY 22
FORTY-FIVE
DAY 22
FORTY-SIX
DAY 22
FORTY-SEVEN
DAY 23
FORTY-EIGHT
DAY 23
FORTY-NINE
DAY 23
FIFTY
DAY 24
FIFTY-ONE
DAY 24
FIFTY-TWO
DAY 24
FIFTY-THREE
DAY 24
FIFTY-FOUR
DAY 25
FIFTY-FIVE
DAY 25
FIFTY-SIX
DAY 28
FIFTY-SEVEN
DAY 28
FIFTY-EIGHT
DAY 28
FIFTY-NINE
DAY 28
SIXTY
DAY 28
SIXTY-ONE
DAY 29
SIXTY-TWO
DAY 29
SIXTY-THREE
DAY 29
SIXTY-FOUR
DAY 29
SIXTY-FIVE
DAY 30
For Kaylyn.
Remember to always dream big.
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ONE
DAY 1
The trail of green slime worked its way down her face, moving steadily closer to her mouth. Like when you passed an accident on the highway and you knew you didn’t really want to see any dead bodies, but you still found yourself looking anyhow, I couldn’t pull my gaze from the horror unfolding in front of me.
The oblivious mother was at the other end of the cart, throwing groceries onto the belt as fast as her arms could move. Strapped into the seat, the blonde-haired toddler clutched a stuffed pink elephant that was missing an eye and watched me with equal fascination as I showed her. Big blue eyes lit up with curiosity when I shifted my overloaded shopping basket to my other hand.
The thick snot inched closer to her upper lip. I eyed it, not sure if I should say something to the mom. Moms didn’t like unsolicited advice, right? Especially from twenty-year-olds who had never changed a diaper in their life.
My inner conflict was solved when the girl’s tongue swept out and the green streak disappeared.
Holding back the urge to gag, I looked anywhere but at the kid.
The store was packed.
Why did I always manage to come do my shopping at the busiest times?
You would think I would learn not to shop on a Friday night. The lines were long, resulting in the painful wait behind the snot nosed kid I was currently experiencing.
A large red sign hanging over the pharmacy advertised flu shots. Glancing back at the girl, I wondered if I should fork over the cash and get one. I never had before, but I really couldn’t afford to miss any work, and the news stations were calling this year’s flu an epidemic.
The line wrapping around the pharmacy counter was what finally convinced me to skip the vaccine for now. I’d already suffered inside this grocery store long enough for one day and that line looked like there had to be dozens of people in it.
Finally, enough room appeared on the belt for me to put my groceries up. Flexing my shoulder, I tried to rid myself of the soreness that my heavy basket had caused. Thankfully, the mother was now blocking my view of her sick daughter.
After a few more minutes spent reading about the new president’s policies—policies that had the country melting down—on the tabloids strategically placed at eye level, it was my turn.
“Thank you for shopping with us today. Did you find everything okay?” the bored cashier mumbled as she began scanning my things. She didn’t even look up.
“Sure, I…” I trailed off. The woman didn’t actually care and wasn’t really listening. Not that I blamed her.
How many times a day was she forced to repeat that idiotic greeting?
I swiped my card and picked up my bags, stepping into the steady flow of shoppers leaving the store. Out in the packed parking lot, I found my ten-year-old Honda and jumped inside. All I really wanted to do was get home, put my food away, and curl up on the couch in my comfy pajamas. Netflix was calling me.
The house I shared with
my roommate was only a few minutes away from the store and in no time, I was parking my car. The short driveway barely had enough room for both of our cars so I parked carefully because I didn’t want to bump her car again.
Once done, I lugged the bags up the sidewalk and through the unlocked front door.
“Evie!” I put one armload down long enough to twist the lock behind me. “You left the door unlocked again!”
My roommate was pretty good, as far as roommates went but she frequently forgot to lock the door behind herself, which was a pet peeve of mine.
“Sorry!” Evie’s head of red curls appeared at the top of the steps. “I was thinking about what to wear tonight. I must have forgotten.” She ducked back out of sight.
Sighing, I carried my bags to the kitchen and dumped them on the small table. Evie was never going to change, and I’d figured that out at some point during the nearly two years we had lived under the same roof. Restocking my shelf in the fridge with my purchases, I tossed the balled up plastic bags in the trash and headed upstairs. An oversized pair of ugly flannel pjs, a bag of chips, and binge watching my favorite pair of brothers were my only plans for the night.
Evie darted out of our shared bathroom, still putting an earring in her ear and I jumped back to avoid a collision.
“Sorry!” She smiled brightly at me. “What do you think?”
Wearing a slinky black dress that barely covered her backside and sky-high heels that I would be guaranteed to break an ankle in, Evie was dressed for a good time.
“Going out with Austin?” For once, she was dating a guy that I actually liked. Evie’s usual type was jerk.
“Yeah. He’s taking me out for our second month anniversary.” She flashed her dark lined eyes at me and grinned.
“You look great, Evie. Have fun.” As I was talking, I noticed a Band-Aid in her upper arm. “What’s that?”
Noticing the direction I was looking at, Evie gasped. “Oh! Thank goodness you noticed. I forgot.” Reaching up, she pulled the Band-Aid off. “I went and got a flu shot today over my lunch break.”
“I almost got one today too, but the line was too long.”
“Yeah. I was almost late clocking back in. It took so long. At least, now I shouldn’t get sick.”
Three loud knocks on the door downstairs cut our conversation short. Waving goodbye, she rapidly bounced down the steps and I heard the door open. My room was the last door in the hall, and I walked there as I heard her happily greeting her boyfriend.
The next couple of hours were spent drooling over Dean and stuffing my face with junk food. I was sprawled out on our lumpy couch, almost asleep, when I heard the sound of the front door opening. Pulled from my food coma, I sat up far enough to see who was coming in over the back of the couch. Only three people had a key: Evie, me, and our landlord. But it never failed to make me nervous when someone came in the door. You could never be too careful.
Austin appeared, an arm around Evie’s waist as if he was supporting her as they came into the room.
“Here you go.” He helped her into the recliner.
Awake now, I sat up all the way. “What’s wrong guys?”
“Evie’s not feeling so great.”
“I’m fine. I’m just feeling a little dizzy.” She swayed a bit as she attempted to smile at me.
Evie didn’t actually look fine. Her normally pale skin looked even more washed out, except for her flushed cheeks.
“You don’t look fine, Evie. Maybe we should take your temperature.”
She waved my suggestion away. “No. Don’t worry. I just need to sleep this off. Must be that danged flu shot. That’ll be the last time I get one of those.” She looked up to where her boyfriend was still hovering next to her chair. “Help me upstairs?”
The two of them slowly made their way up to Evie’s room. I was awake now, but no longer in a Netflix kind of mood. It wasn’t like my friend to get sick.
I picked up the mess I’d made in the living room and ran into Austin as he came back down the stairs. He left after soliciting a promise from me to keep an eye on Evie for the night. Not that he needed to ask; I planned to check in on her anyhow. But it was nice to finally see Evie with someone who was concerned about her.
Up in my room, I put away the basket of laundry that had been sitting by my closet for three days. Then deciding to check on Evie before climbing into bed, I crept to her door and opened it as silently as I could. I didn’t want to wake her up if she was asleep.
Covered with a pile of warm blankets, Evie shifted restlessly but appeared to be sleeping. After sneaking a glass of water and some Ibuprofen onto her night stand, I quietly closed her door and went back to my own room.
TWO
DAY 2
An ambulance siren sounding much closer than usual was what finally pulled me awake. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I rolled out of bed and went to my window. I had to blink a few times to straighten out my blurred vision, but finally, the ambulance disappearing down the end of our street came into focus.
It was an odd sight.
While I didn’t exactly live in a gated community, the neighborhood was quiet. I think the only other time I could remember emergency services on this street was the time Mr. Johnson had a heart attack after shoveling his sidewalk. I really hoped whoever was taking the ride to the hospital this time fared better than Mr. Johnson had.
I stretched my arms over my head, fully awake.
Sleep deprived was never a good look on me, and I had gotten up a couple of times in the night to check on Evie. She had slept through the night though somewhat restlessly. On my last check, I had noticed the fever meds and water I’d left by her bed were gone. I was happy to see that. I didn’t risk actually touching her to know for sure, but the flushed color of her cheeks suggested that Evie was running a fever.
Remembering her state, I searched for the thermometer. I knew that we kept it around somewhere, and rummaging in the bathroom cabinet finally produced the elusive object. Walking silently, I went to Evie’s bedroom and placed the thermometer along with more water and Ibuprofen next to her. Then I shut myself in our bathroom down the hall for my morning shower.
When I turned off the hair dryer, a mild thump from Evie’s room told me that she was awake. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, I opened the door, eager to talk to her and see how she was feeling. The news had been saying that this year’s flu was a particularly nasty strain. I was hoping that wasn’t what was wrong with my roommate.
Mentally kicking myself for not getting that flu shot the night before, I lightly knocked on her closed door. A groan answered me.
I guess Evie is still sick.
Frowning, I pushed her door open.
“Evie?”
Inside her room was dark. She must have pulled the curtains while I was in the shower.
I could make out her huddled form on the bed and stepped closer to her bedside. “How are you feeling?”
The form on the bed suddenly rolled over.
Flinging one arm over her eyes and the other waving in the air, she groaned again. “Check for yourself.”
Her voice came out raspy and strained and with her waving hand, she pointed toward her nightstand.
Realizing that she was pointing at the thermometer, I picked it up. My eyes practically bugged out of my skull.
105°F.
Was that even possible?
“Evie, I don’t think this thermometer is working.”
“Oh, it’s working. You should feel how I feel.”
Reaching down, I touched the back of my hand to Evie’s arm. Jerking back in surprise, I just stared at my friend for a few seconds. She was burning up. I’d never felt heat like that coming from a person’s skin before.
“Hon, we need to take you to a doctor.”
She weakly waved me off. “No doctor. I can’t afford my deductible. I’ll be okay. I just need to sleep.”
“Evie, a fever this high is dangerous.”
&n
bsp; “Please let me sleep, Bri.” She groaned. “Can you text Austin for me?”
I watched her for a minute, torn about what to do. Evie was really sick, but she was a grown woman too. She had the right to make her own decisions.
Reaching down, I pulled the comforter back over her huddled body. “Okay. I’ll text him.”
***
By midmorning, I was really worried about Evie. She hadn’t moved from the position I left her in. I texted Austin, and within 20 minutes, he was knocking at our front door.
“Hey, she’s asleep upstairs.” I closed the door behind him.
Austin’s worried brown eyes met mine before he turned to look up the steps. “Has she been awake at all?”
“Not since earlier this morning. Her fever was really high, but she didn’t want to go to the hospital.”
I crossed my arms in front of myself. I had been second guessing my decision to follow Evie’s wishes all morning.
“Yeah. She’s stubborn when she wants to be. I’m going to go check on her.”
I watched as he bounded up the stairs. Then I went back into the living room and decided to turn on the news. The news anchor was going over the same story that they had been running for a couple of days, urging everyone to get their flu shot. When she started reciting statistics on the number of children who had died already this year, I muted the TV. I’d already heard it yesterday and didn’t really want to hear about dead kids again.
Austin’s footsteps coming down the stairs alerted me to his return. “She’s asleep.” He sat in the chair. “She looks really bad, Bri.”
“Yeah. I know. I don’t know what to do. She said no doctor, but I’ve never seen anyone that sick.”
Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees. “I think she needs to go to the hospital. She’s going to be mad, but I really think it’s what needs to happen.”
Austin was right, and I knew it. I’d been thinking the same thing myself. Luckily, Evie and I went to the same doctor. Nodding, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed. She was just going to have to get over being mad because I was making her an appointment.
I sat, impatiently tapping a foot as I listened to the phone ring and ring. Suddenly, the line went dead. Frowning, I redialed. The phone rang for an uncommonly long time again before a stressed sounding woman finally answered.
