Eva didn't see much of Elias at all over the next few days. Occasionally she caught sight of him running outside his house to throw up. Eva became afraid that she would get sick too, especially with the reappearance of flies with spring arriving.
Life without Elias around was rather dull. The weather turned from cold and snowy, to cold and wet. Elias's mum was next to get sick and even Elias's new baby brother. Eva tried playing hop scotch on her own, but she really missed Elias. He made everything more fun.
Eva's fears were realised when her father Kirk, came down with the sickness too. He seemed much worse than the Buckhorn family. Her poor father went foraging for his $20 a day, and all the while was throwing up nearly every hour. As time went on, he began to wet himself too. Yet still he forced himself out foraging each day.
One night, Eva woke up feeling terrible. Her stomach was churning, her mouth was full of saliva and she knew she was sick too. Word was spreading around the village that this sickness was serious. There was medicine that could be bought to help fight the symptoms, but Eva knew her family did not have any money to spare. The name people were calling the sickness was Dysentery.
Seraphine, Eva's mum, became so unwell, Eva really thought her mum would die. One night on her dash outside to throw up, Eva came across her mum unconscious, lying in her own urine. Eva was terrified, her poor mum was so gentle and loving, it was terrible to see her suffering so badly. Her father had lifted Seraphine up and carried her to bed, while Eva washed her mum down and tended to the baby.
Sadly, it wasn't long until even poor Sunday got sick. Eva loved her little sister but she was so exhausted with her illness, and Sunday cried so much with hers, it was impossible for the family to get any sleep. Everyone was worried about each other. Eva didn't even know if Elias was okay, she was throwing up hourly at her worst.
One night, Eva was stood in the rain outside, after having yet again thrown up. She was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. Eva felt shaky and thought perhaps she should just lie down and go to sleep. Then Elias appeared before her. He was horrified at the sight of her.
"Eva! Oh my goodness, you look awful. Are you okay? Why are you out in the rain?!" Elias panicked.
"Elias...Oh, I feel so bad Elias. I'm so sick and I'm so tired. I just want to lie down and go to sleep," Eva managed to say, just before everything turned dark. She heard Elias shout her name, before all her senses left her.
Eva woke up tucked in her bed. She realised she was actually starting to feel a little better. She still needed the toilet though so made her way to the main living area. To her surprise, Elias was there. He jumped up when he saw her.
"Eva! You woke up! I was so worried about you, I thought you were going to...die," Elias said, his shoulders slumping.
"Elias, how long have you been here?" Eva asked.
"I have been sat by your bed for two nights, Eva, I couldn't go..." Elias began to say.
Before Elias could finish his sentence, Eva threw her arms around him.
"Thank you Elias, you really are my best friend," Eva said softly.
Oddly, Eva's words didn't make Elias feel as happy as they should have. He didn't know why. Eva was his best friend too, but for some reason, her words stung him, just a little. He must still be a bit off after the sickness.
All in all, the sickness had lasted seven whole days, but gradually everyone was on the mend and amazingly, nobody had died. Eva and Elias were soon back to their usual selves and hop scotch was no longer boring. Eva watched Elias as he played and enjoyed the warmth she felt in her soul when he was around. No one could have a better friend, she thought to herself.
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