Never Stop
Posted on May 31st, 2015 by Tyler Slade

NEVER STOP

The annoying sound would not stop so I opened my eyes and turned the alarm clock off. An 11 year old should not have to wake up at 5 am in the 24th century to do chores on a farm, but my parents wanted to remain traditional.

I made my way down stairs for breakfast and saw that my parents were not in the kitchen. “ Hmm I guess they had to run to town for some feed or seed,” I said to myself before going out to start my chores.

After making sure all of the cows were fed and the stable stalls were cleaned out I went back to the house to wash up.

“ Mom, Pop how was town?” I called out to them with no answer. I checked the garage and saw the truck so they had to be back. I made my way upstairs and knocked on their door.

“ Mom, Pop are yall in here” The door swung open and they were both lying in bed. The room smelled of sweat and a stench I had never come in contact before. I ran to the bed and attempted to wake them. They both were burning up, soaking wet, and would not wake up to my attempts.

It only to the medical transport about 15 minutes to reach our farm. Being how far we lived from the nearest hospital it was quite impressive. I did not think I could get anymore worried until it happened that the Medic requested that my parents be beamed directly to the hospital under isolation.

They refused to allow me to accompany my parents so I had to contact my neighbor to give me a lift into town. We reached the hospital and after identifying myself they started to rush me into a room where I was told I could not leave.

A team of medical personnel in full HazMat suites entered and began removing my clothes and connecting me to monitors. “ What is going on??” I asked in protest.

“ Mr. Slade your parents are very ill and it seems that what they have is very contagious we need to…..” I interrupted the doctor “ First off doctor, Mr. Slade is in that room with my mother, you can call me Tyler, and I don’t want to hear anything more except what is wrong with my parents?”

The doctor insisted that they complete a full medical examination and testing before I was allowed to see my parents, and even then it was through a window.

After two days of isolation I was released and told that I had somehow not caught anything from my parents. I was also told that I was allowed to go in and see my parents as long as I remained in the completely concealed hazmat suit. It took them a bit of time to find one that would fit an 11yr old.

After suiting up I was told that my mother had regained consciousness but my father was on a respirator.

I entered the room and saw that there were three beds, which had me confused. One was my mother one was my father and the third I didn’t know. So I looked towards the nurse and asked “ Who is in the third bed?” She looked at me and responded “ That is the Medical responder that came to your house when you called.” I looked and saw he was on a respirator as well. “ He caught it from them but I didn’t?”

The nurse touched my shoulder looked me in the eye and said “ It is very contagious and it reacts to males much quicker and much worse. Now you should take this time to say your goodbyes they don’t have much longer. “

I walked to the space in between my parents beds and grabbed both of their hands. Tears began to stream down my face. My mother turned her head to look at me and smiled. Her face was gray and her eyes were black. She told me to never stop and then she closed her eyes.

The nurse told me they did not have much time, but I had to watched from a window or their bedside as a week passed by and regardless of the medical attempts to treat them even the testing on me to find out why I was immune. Nothing worked!

As the saying goes “ On the seventh day they rested” With in 30 seconds of each other Alan and Jasmine Slade took their last breaths and their hearts stopped while I had a firm grasp of each of their hands.

I had not recounted all of the final days of my parents lives, and I did not intend on having to relive them again. I had no choice as the man before me who was not only my Chief Medical Officer but my friend was having to bare the pain that I had felt so many years before. Joran Tav a joined trill who had been across the galaxy for more than a century was now experiencing the worst thing anyone should every have to.

In my short human life I could not imagine that I could feel as he was but I only had my experience to share. I chose to remember and to show him that life can go on and that it should. I had to stay true to my mother’s dieing words. I had never and would NEVER STOP.