Summer has finally decided to make an appearance. The weather outside is the best it has been all year. The sun is shining brightly on the world causing everyone to lose all of their clothing, or so it appears. A heat-wave has been forecasted for the rest of the week, getting up to highs of thirty degrees Celsius which is making the nights unbearable.

At the moment it seems like I am unable to sleep for numerous reasons. Either Erin is waking me up in the middle of the night, I'm stressing out about an exam or it is simply just too hot to sleep. Last night was a mixture of all three.

"Are you ready for your exam this morning?" my mum asks when I finally make my way downstairs.

"I don't even remember which exam I have," I respond through a yawn while grabbing a slice of toast to it.

"English lit Kristen," my mum replies back, probably thinking that I actually didn't know what exam I had.

"Thanks," I tell her sarcastically. "Do you think she will be alright at Mary- Anne's?" I ask my mum nodding my head in the direction of Erin who is finally asleep in her high chair.

For the majority of the night she was up crying with a temperature. The heat from outside also wasn't helping.

"I'm sure she will be fine. She's more than likely just got a bug from one of the other kids there. Also Mary-Anne is always dealing with kids that ill. I'm sure she will just be glad that Erin hasn't got a runny nose. The last thing her place needs is more snot," my mum reassures me.

I nod at her while taking a sip of my coffee which I had made while she was talking. "Am I taking her over to Mary-Anne's again so you and Cory can go straight to the exam? Speaking of which, where is Cory?" she then asks.

"Shower and yeah that would be great thanks," I say to her as I carry on drinking.

I take a seat at the table next Erin and get my revision notes out for one last read through before the exam. All the words blur in front me and I end up reading the same sentence about twenty times before Cory finally joins us.

"How is it eight in the morning and already so warm?" is the greeting he gives us before he bends down and gives Erin a kiss on her head.

"It's only going to get warmer," my mum tells him as if doesn't already know that.

"Is she any better?" he asks me, talking about Erin.

We had taken it turns to get up with her last night, resulting in neither of us being able to keep our eyes open for my than thirty seconds.

"I don't know. At least she is sleeping now," I comment, looking at her little eyelids which are fluttering while she sleeps.

"I gave her some medicine earlier when I brought her down here. Her temperature was high then," my mum interrupts. "Hopefully it should be bringing it down."

I place a hand over Erin's forehead for a few seconds. "She still feels warm to me but that might also be because of the weather," I suggest as I wipe my already sweaty hand against my trousers.

"Well Mary-Anne will keep an eye on her and you should be finished by lunchtime so you don't have to part from her for too long. You two better be going now otherwise you'll be late," my mum then says.

Reluctantly I gather all of my school stuff so that I am ready to leave. I kiss both Erin and my mum goodbye before leaving the house with Cory. Immediately the warmth from the sun hits us even more than it did inside and it gets to the point where I am sure that I am baking alive.

By the time the two of us reach the entrance to the exam hall, the corridor is already full of people. I just see the top of Adam's head but don't have the time to go and say hello because we are already getting called in. Like normal, I follow Laura into the hall and take my seat behind her.

Once everyone is seated the invigilator goes through all the rules like normal before telling us we can start. As I read through the first question, I begin planning my answer, deciding which themes and motifs would be best to use. Somehow I am able to keep myself focused on the exam, considering the little sleep I had last night. I only look up from my paper when I hear the doors open and see the headmaster walk in.

Thinking nothing of it, I return back to my work, writing more about Jane Eyre and Rochester. I look up again though when I hear footsteps walking in my direction. One of the invigilators is walking towards my desk with a stern look on her face. Quickly I turn my attention back to the essay I'm writing while trying to think if I have done anything wrong.

"Miss Mason?" the invigilator ask me when she reaches my desk, her voice barely audible.

"Yes?" I reply but also question her.

"Can you come with me? You'll need to take your belongings with you as well," she asks, her tone suddenly becoming kind which makes me worry even more.

Hesitantly I get up from my seat, leaving the exam paper where it is. I retrieve my bag from the front of the hall when I notice someone talking to Cory as well. He gets up from his seat, looking just as confused as I am.

I try and think back to something that could be considered cheating as that is the only reason I can imagine them dragging me out of an exam for. Nothing comes to mind though so I stand in the corridor, waiting for someone to tell me what is going on.

It doesn't take long for Cory to join me, looking equally confused as I am.

"Do you know what is going on?" he asks me.

"Not a clue," I tell him just as the headmaster walks towards us, with Reynolds following on behind.

"You two might want to talk in here," Reynolds says while leading us into an empty classroom.

"What is going on cause I am damn sure that I haven't been cheating?" I raise my voice at them once we are in the classroom.

"Kristen please sit down," Reynolds instructs me, keeping his voice calm.

"We got a phone call not that long ago Mary-Anne Jackson about your daughter," the headmaster starts talking. "Apparently she has been rushed in to hospital following a seizure."

"Wait what?" I ask in disbelief. "She was fine this morning apart from the fact she had a slight temperature. How does that lead to a fit?"

"That's what they are hoping to find out in the hospital. Your mother is already there and so is Mary-Anne. We have a taxi waiting outside to take the two of you down to the hospital.

"Did she mention any other symptoms?" Cory asks.

"No she didn't I'm afraid," the headmaster replies with a sad look on his face.

"You two better get down there as quickly as you can," Reynolds then says.

The two teachers lead us back out of the classroom and towards the exit of the school. Even though the sun is till shining and heat radiates everywhere, all I feel is numb and cold. Suddenly the realisation of what is happening hits and my own body starts to shake. Goosebumps appear on my bare arms and each step I take is harder than the last. I knew I shouldn't have left her this morning, something different feel right but instead I came to school and sat half of an exam. I would have been more useful if I had stayed at home.

"Oh and if you were wondering both of you will receive special consideration on your exam. You'll more than likely achieve your target grade," the headmaster says after a walk that had been silent. "The school has also paid for the taxi fee so you don't have to worry about that. I hope everything is well," he adds awkwardly at the end.

I get into the taxi and rest my head against the window. Cory takes my hand and gives it a squeeze so I squeeze his back, unable to say anything as I do so. 

The taxi ride feels like it takes forever. We manage to stop at every red light there is, adding more minutes onto our terrible journey. All I can think of are the worst possibilities of what could have happened. What if she isn't going to be okay? What if this ends up being a life long illness? Would I be able to cope with that? Having a child at this age is hard enough but adding a disability on that makes it near impossible to deal with.

"Kris, we're here," Cory gently shakes my shoulder which pulls me out of my daze.

"Oh thought it was another red light," I mutter mainly to myself before getting out of the car.

The hospital looms over us, a big, daunting, grey building with an endless amount of windows.

"I've just thought, we don't know which ward she's on. Could be A&E or it could be paediatrics," Cory says as we walk through the revolving doors at the entrance.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

"Phoning your mum to see where they are," he replies, his voice sounding on edge.

I only understand small parts of the conversation that Cory has with my mum and that mainly involved 'where are you', 'yeah', 'what floor is that on'.

"She's on paediatrics. We need to go up to the sixth floor," Cory says, his voice sounding empty and not like him.

For the time in ages, I take the lift. Ever since giving birth in one I have tried to avoid them. I rest my head against Cory's chest while we move up to the sixth floor and I feel his arms wrap around me. It doesn't take long for the lift doors to ping open and for us to be greeted with the reception desk, decorated with flowers and rainbows as if this is a happy place.

"We're here to see Erin Mason-Stevens," Cory asks the lady at the desk straight away.

"What relation are you to her? She already has two visitors at the moment which is the limit you-"

"We're her parents. I am her mother and he is her father so please can you tell us where she is," I interrupt the woman who looks taken back.

"In that case, of course. She's in room twenty-three which is at the bottom of that corridor. There should be a doctor in there now with her," she informs us.

We thank the woman politely before practically jogging down the corridor towards Erin's room. I open the door to find  the room full of people already. Sat on a chair next to the small hospital bed is my mum, her eyes all red and puffy. On the others side of the bed is Mary-Anne who looks a lot paler than what she usually does. Stood at the foot of the bed are two people. The first appears to be a nurse who is reading through what must be Erin's notes and the seconds I assume is the doctor who is talking to my mum. In the middle of all of this is Erin, laid helplessly on the small bed, hooked up to wires and machines.

This is even worse than what I imagined in the car.

"Oh Kristen, Cory, you're here," my mother cries when she catches sight of us.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" I sob at the sight of my baby girl.