And That's When It Hit Me; Needles, Part One

So I got home a few days ago when my parents handed me a letter as I just got through the door, with solemn looks on their faces.

"What's this?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry dear," my mother whispered.

As I unfolded the already opened letter sent from my school, I had to hold back tears as I slowly read each word, trying to take it all in.

After a few 'hello's and 'we hope you are well's, the letter began to take a turn for the worst.

'We are writing to inform you that we have trained nurses arriving at the school to preform our free routine injections for the students.'

As I read on, the letter just got worse and worse. Measle injections. Mump injections. Polio. Tetnaus.

My heart was beating much too fast to classify as the usual rate, and my hands began to shake far too much for me to even hold the letter. I had to sit down as it all sunk in.

So, immediately, I ran to my IPad to Google the injections, only to scare myself more. People die as a result of them, they get paralyzed from the waist down, they have heart attacks, the injection ingredients damage their brains...

I hardly slept that night, imagining what might happen. Granted it will hurt, but what if she misses a vein? What if she accidently uses a dirty needle? What if she uses an infected serum? What if she needle slips and goes all the way through my arm?!

Night after night I would tick off the days in my mind, and suddenly, without warning, the day appeared out of nowhere.

I decided to wear black to school, head to toe, to symbolise the pain and anguish that I would soon be going through. After sitting on hard plastic chairs for a while, my name was finally called.

As I heard "Amy-Anne Williams through to the clinic, please," my whole body tensed up. I could not remember a single piece of advice for calming down, which I had completely memorized the night before from a website targeted at facing your fears and coping with your phobias.

I slowly sat down on the chair provided, and couldn't help but watch the faces of those around me having their injections, wincing in pain. And as they winced their eyes watered. And as their eyes watered they wimpered. And as they whimpered they tensed up. And just as they blindly began to reach out, to clutch someone for support, my nurse turned to face me.

"You ready?"

---To Be Continued---