On the Edge of Tomorrow by Sara Daniell

Author:Sara Daniell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: teens, realistic teen fiction, family, teen issues, trans-gender, drama, gritty, love, drug use, teen sex
Publisher: BHC Press
Published: 2017-11-22T05:00:00+00:00

MY EYES FLUTTER open, but I can’t see anything. They’re rolling around wildly in their sockets, and I can only catch glimpses of the world around me.

I can make out the worry etched into my mom’s face as she stands over me. She probably thinks I’ll seize again with vomit in my throat.

All shouting different instructions, the nurses and Nick get me into a wheelchair and we are soon speeding through the lobby to the ER. Dr. Klein is waiting for us and immediately starts asking questions.

“Okay,” the doctor says, glancing at the chart without greeting us. “Your husband called and said she had another seizure, about forty minutes ago?” His eyebrows go up, waiting for an answer.

My mom nods and holds onto my hand. “She just had another one in the car on the way here too,” she cries, giving my hand a tight squeeze.

“Why did you wait so long to bring her in?” Dr. Klein says, his tone angry.

I glance at my mom and see her look away from him awkwardly, embarrassed to admit that she can’t afford to pay for an ambulance. “I had to wait for my son to pick us up and let my daycare parents know there was an emergency,” she replies, looking uncomfortable.

“Let’s get going and do an EKG,” Dr. Klein says, dismissively. “I want to make sure her heart’s electrical activity is stable.”

Before I can even ask what that means or where I am, two nurses help me onto a bed and help me take my t-shirt off. My cheeks redden as my pale chest and stomach are revealed, my bra the only thing covering my upper body.

Taking small patches, they begin to attach little, metal disks and electrodes to my skin. As the cool metal is pressed onto the insides of my arms and multiple places on my chest, I wince, feeling like a science project.

Once the disks are all attached, they give me a flimsy gown to wear and I lay back on the pillows, exhausted. At least I don’t feel like I’m going to puke anymore.

I start to close my eyes but hear a strange scratching sound that keeps me awake. Pressing one of the buttons on the remote, I raise the bed until I can see the source of the noise.

Sitting on a table is a large machine with a metal arm drawing on a piece of paper. I think back to what the nurses were saying when they were applying the electrodes and assume that this is the machine that measures my heart’s activity. For now, the metal pencil is only making small, tight movements and I hope that’s good.

“So, Ali. What is your favorite thing that you’ve learned in history recently?” Mom asks randomly.

I furrow my eyebrows.

Where did that question come from? Why does she even care?

I realize she’s trying to make small talk and keep my mind occupied while the test is being administered, but I can tell she has something else on her mind that she doesn’t want to think about.

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