38. Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Layne
A couple of mornings after the hike I woke up with lead tied to my arms and legs. At least that’s what it felt like. I dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom. Every step felt as if I were hauling my limbs through molasses. My head spun and my heart rate went through the roof. The edges of my vision grayed. I was about to pass out. Before that could happen, I sank to the tiled floor. What the heck was going on?
After lying there for five minutes, I forced myself upright. Lifting my hands to wash my face was torture. What is going on, Lord? Only with great difficulty I made it back to the bed. The pain flared as soon as my body relaxed. My muscles burned, even my bones hurt. It was a deep, agonizing pain that felt a lot like torture.
I closed my eyes, but the sun pierced my corneas through my lids. Groaning, I reached out to the remote control of the shutters. It cost me several attempts to press the button, which usually was an effortless task. The whirring sound of the lowering shutters was deafening. If I could have, I would’ve covered my ears. But I couldn’t lift my arms anymore. I was too exhausted.
Minutes ticked by as I lay there, unmoving. When was the last time I’d felt this crappy? I must have caught the flu or something, which boosted the symptoms to an agonizing level.
At some point I made my way down into the kitchen. Or more so crawled. It took me a whole five minutes to conquer the stairs I usually needed ten seconds for. How was I supposed to climb them back up?
I didn’t. Two bites of food, and I was completely spent and ended up in the living room on the couch, even more exhausted and in more pain. This was the moment where I should’ve taken painkillers, but they were in my bathroom. No way could I drag myself up there right now. Lord, help me. Please make it stop.
But no matter how hard I prayed, I found no relief.