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 had a better outcome that Mr. Johnson had.

Stretching my arms over my head, I tried to finish waking up. 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.

I knew that we kept a thermometer around somewhere. Rummaging in the bathroom cabinet finally produced the elusive object. Walking silently, I placed the thermometer, along with more water and Ibuprofen next to Evie. 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 jeans and 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 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. Guess Evie was 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. "How are you feeling?" I stepped closer to her bedside.

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. The hand waving around pointed towards her nightstand.

Realizing that she was pointing at the thermometer, I picked it up. My eyes practically bugged out of my skull. 105F. 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."

The arm that had fallen limp to the bed waved weakly at me again. "No doctor. I can't afford my deductible. I'll be ok, I just need to sleep."

"Evie, a fever this high is dangerous."

"Please let me sleep, Bri," she groaned. "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. She had the right to make her own decisions. Reaching down, I pulled the comforter back over her huddled body. "Ok. I'll text him."

By mid morning, 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 on 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 gonna go check on her."

I watched as he bounded up the stairs. Going back into the living room, I 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.

"Family Medical Group, this is Lisa. How can I help you?"

"Hi, Lisa. I need to make an appointment for Evie Edwards. She's a patient of Dr. Gordon. She needs to be seen today."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry. Our schedule is full for today." Lisa the receptionist didn't even hesitate to deliver that news.

"I know it's short notice, but she really needs to be seen."

Sudden, loud talking in the background made Lisa difficult to hear. "I'm sorry, we are already overbooked. This flu is brutal. If Ms. Edwards is really ill, my best suggestion for you is to take her to the ER."

Getting desperate, I tried again. "But, I don't think you," I was cut off by a shrill scream coming through the phone.

The line went dead again. Who on earth was screaming in the doctor's office?

"She hung up on me," I told Austin incredulously.

The two of us just sat there staring at each other. What were we supposed to do now? If Evie would have been mad over an unplanned trip to her doctor, she was going to go into orbit if we suggested a visit to the ER.

"I don't think we have a choice," I told Austin. "We're going to have to take her to the ER."

I had dialed the 9 and a 1, when a loud thump from upstairs rattled the whole house. Both of us were out of our seats and bolting up the stairs without any thought.

The first to reach the top of the stairs, I encountered Evie as she struggled to walk down the hallway. Swaying on her feet, she trailed one hand along the wall to steady herself as she tried to make it back to her bedroom from the bathroom.

"Evie, are you ok?" I took another step closer to her. Hearing my voice, she turned drunkenly around to face me.

What I saw had me pulling to a stop in the middle of the hallway.

Glazed over eyes swung around wildly, not seeming able to focus on any one place. "I threw up." Her voice was a nearly unrecognizable rasp and held a detached quality, as if she wasn't really comprehending our conversation.

A thin trail of blood was leaking from the corner of her left eye. More blood covered her lips and was smeared across one cheek.

.