Temperature 39.5°C, aching limbs all over, throat as if it had been burned with sandpaper, head that felt like it was splitting, a buzzing sound in my ears.
I decided to at least doze off for a while, wrapped in a blanket, to forget this excruciating pain for a while.
It seemed as if sleep was the only salvation.
At first, I had strange, intense nightmares—as if I were wading through sticky mud while someone was pulling me ever deeper by my arm.
But suddenly, a torrent of icy water splashed my face.
I recoiled, gasped, struggled to open my eyes, and saw a figure above me.
«Are you still asleep?» a sharp, hoarse voice almost reached my ears.
It was my mother-in-law.
Her face—stony, her lips pressed into a thin, almost white line.
Her hands—clenched into fists.
She stood above me as if she had caught me doing something shameful.
«Get up!» she almost shouted. «The guests are coming in an hour!
Everything must shine!
Clean up, set the table!
Don’t just sit here like a slacker!
I wanted to say something, but I simply didn’t have the strength.
Instead, I struggled to stand and tried to wipe the cold water from my face, a slight tremor running through my whole body.
«Mom… I’m 39.5°C…»
«I can’t even… lift my head…» my voice was weak.
But she simply waved me away.
«Oh, stop it! Everyone gets sick sometimes.
I was sick too, but I did everything!
Don’t you dare embarrass yourself in front of the guests!»
At that moment, something snapped inside me.
Her words weren’t just cruel—they were indifferent, cold, like the water that had just been poured on me.
And then I did something my mother-in-law desperately begged for forgiveness for, and I didn’t care. 😱😨
Slowly, I got out of bed.
My legs were shaking, the world was whirling before my eyes.
But I walked past her without saying a word.
The phone was on the nightstand—I picked it up and dialed 103, right in front of her.
«Hello, ambulance?»
I feel very ill… temperature almost 40°C, severe weakness, pain in my throat and head… yes, that’s the address.
My mother-in-law burst out laughing when she heard this:
«What are you doing?
We’re having guests in an hour!
«You’re having guests.
But I have an infection and a fever.
And this is my apartment.» I said this out loud for the first time, calmly and clearly, without the usual excuses.
While I was packing my bag, she ran through the kitchen, muttering something about the «crazy daughter-in-law.»
But when the ambulance arrived twenty minutes later, I was ready.
The doctor took my temperature, looked at my throat, and said:
«We’re going to the hospital.
This is serious.»
I grabbed my coat and before leaving, I looked at my mother-in-law:
«If I come back, you and your guests are not allowed here.
And you are not allowed here without my permission.
Never.»
She opened her mouth to say something, but I closed the door behind me.
