The Vampire's Bite

A bite is all you need. Rainaria got it.

She brushed it off as a minor irritation - in the beginning - but it soon turned into a nightmare.

Dehydration starts, together with the onset of raging fever. Helpless as she was, she consulted a doctor, who shrugged off as flu. But four days later, she finally went for a blood test. Her platelet count was amazing low and she had to be admitted.

Her sms-es were pretty calm, but somehow I felt worried. I replied, saying that I would pray for her as there was no way that I could be with her that night. Feverish and weak in her limbs, fear overtook her during her first night in the hospital. She began to talk to God.

The next day, her platelet count went lower. Transfusion was the only way. Needles were poked into her hands and bruises emerged – her veins were difficult to find. To make matter worse, she was allergic to the platelets transfusion. Hives covered her whole body. She could neither lie on her body nor sit. There were pin-like sensations all over her body. She could not stop crying. The pain was too much to bear. But how to cry when her eyes and already swollen from the allergic reaction?

Day 3 witnessed the stubbornness of her platelets. They refused to increase in numbers. Another transfusion was required. But thank God her fever subsided. Feeling less groggy, her five senses slowly returned. Yet, it was not a good sign. The smell of food made her nausea. Her mouth taste like saw-dust and she was still very much dehydrated. Moreover, there was the regular blood test required and she had to endure the agony of allowing the nurses and doctors to take blood from her.

If there’s God up there, He answered her prayers soon. Her platelets lost their stubbornness, and slowly climbed their way up. Slowly but surely, Rainaria went back to being herself. Starting with liquid food, her appetite returned. She began to check out her fellow patients in the room.

Finally, she was so bored that she started counting the number of florescent lights in her room, venturing into the nurses’ station next. Severely homesick, the craving for her bed worsened. In the end, she showed her what I called “the teacher’s attitude”. And the doctor signed the papers and she was soon on her way to curb her “crave”.

Up and about now, she said she cannot stopped eating, which I think is good as she needed some beefing up – after the Vampire’s Bite.