A few days passed and things haven't improved for Mariana, in fact, they have gotten worse.

She was laid in her bed, squirming around in a fetus position, as she had her arm around her agitated stomach. All morning she had been throwing up and her whole head was burning like a candle had been placed on top, with her sweat leaking down like melting wax. She was restricted upstairs because her diarrhea had not subsided and that meant constant trips to the toilet.

Her muscles ached like they have been stretched more than they could bear. Around her eyes were rings of fire, dripping watery red as there was barely any moisture on her lips. She felt the insides of her mouth as it had a sticky, nasty feeling from dehydration.

But now, she just wanted to replenish that with fresh water from downstairs. So with the tiniest bit of strength that she had, she pressed herself up with her arms, causing a bit of pain as she managed to sit up. She slid out of bed and slowly made her way out of her room.

When she got to the stairs, she gripped onto the rail and took her time as she descended down. Her hair shriveled up all over her face, making her look like a zombie, and she had a cold chill like ice run down her body.

She held onto her head to soothe her nausea added to the headache, her body felt like it was being weighed down by tiredness, like a cloud of misery loomed around her like a thick, impenetrable fog.

When she reached the bottom step, she landed down with a thump, which jolted up her whole body like a sudden wave. She slowly walked to the kitchen and quickly filled up a glass of water. It was extremely tempting to drink it all in one go but she had to do it slowly so she wouldn't vomit again.

She went back upstairs and sat on her bed. She tucked her legs in because her toes were tingling with coldness.

As she drank her water, she saw her phone light up and it was a message from Micah.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Hey Mariana, how are you?

Mariana: Hey, not too good, just been feeling very ill and I've been in bed all day.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Oh sorry, do you want me to come over?

Mariana: No, I don't feel like being near anyone right now, but you can video call me instead.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Alright.

Her phone suddenly flashed with Micah FaceTiming her. She answered it and propped her phone up on her knees.

"Hello, Mariana."

Micah waved at the camera, causing her to smile weakly. "Hey."

Wow, you look really poorly."
He titled his face in concern at her while he leaned on a table. He was dressed in a black shirt, with his muscles popping out around his arm.

"Yeah," she croaked.

"Let me try and make you laugh."

"Okay." She rested at the back of her pillow as she waited to see what Micah was going to do.

He took a marker and drew something on his fingers. He then pointed it up towards the camera and Mariana could see he had made different smiley faces.

"Hello there, how are you today?" He said in a high-pitched voice.
His finger wiggled around the camera screen, making it seem like it was actually talking.

"Not that great," she chuckled out of her dry throat.

"Aw I'm sorry to hear that, would you like to hear a song?"

"Sure."

"I'll be back," he said in his normal voice and disappeared off the screen.

Mariana waited patiently until Micah returned with a guitar in his hand.

"Can you play the guitar?" She asked with surprise.

"No this actually belongs to Mylah. I'm just borrowing it."
He sat down and placed it on his lap and started strumming. It was a bit off-key and irritated Mariana's ears a little but he tried his best. 

"Every time I see the night, every time I see the stars, just know you're by my side, and I'm right by yours."

"You're everything I've ever wanted, and nothing will ever change that.
Mariana, you are my angel, please never doubt that."

His words made her heart beat fast as her eyes watered up. His song was so touching and it was just what she needed to hear at this time. It made her forget about her running fever and the pain in her abdomen.

Micah continued singing and his notes started to sound a little bit better. He did this until she was very tired so they said bye so that she can sleep.

She put her phone down and set an alarm so that she could wake up in time for the doctor's appointment she had later today.

Once her head hit the pillow, she fell fast asleep.

****

When her energy was up, she started getting ready to go out. She wore blue jeans and a black top. She had on a black, leather jacket and black open shoes.

Once she got in her car, she sped to the hospital. The journey was honestly making her nervous and slightly uncomfortable with the pushing pain near her stomach.

When she got there, she was seen by her doctor Dr. Evans who led her to her office.

"So Miss Jones what can I do for you today?" Dr. Evans asked in a soothing voice.

"Well for the past few days, I've been constantly vomiting and having diarrhea. I've also been experiencing a high fever and a headache."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Have you been in contact with anyone sick recently?"

"No, at least I don't think so."

"I see, do you think it may be something that you ate causing the diarrhea?"

"Maybe..." she mumbled. It was the only plausible explanation even though she couldn't think of how it came about.

"Hmm tell you what, I'll take a sample of your stool and then I'll run some tests to see if you have caught something."

"Okay," Mariana complied because she really wanted to find out what was wrong with her.

"Here's a container for you to put your sample in." Dr. Evans handed her a small container that had a spatula inside and a plastic bag. She then explained how Mariana should collect it the next time she needs the toilet.

Mariana thanked her for her time and then went on her way. She was glad she was finally going somewhere and felt a bit better after seeing Dr. Evans.

After getting home, she took a sample and then returned it to the hospital a few hours later. She was told she would get the results back in a couple of days so she would have to wait. But she was okay with that as long as this didn't go unnoticed.