*
Dr Fielding loomed over me and shone a torch into my eyes.
‘Back already, Ms Pearson?’
‘Mhmm,’ I murmured, shifting under his gaze. Mum and Dad were ashen, sat either side of me, holding my hands. ‘Am I going to be OK?’
The doctor frowned; his stethoscope suckered to my chest. ‘It seems we need to shift my recommendation from advisory tomandatory,’ he said, firmly. ‘Your body is trying to tell you something and you really need to listen.’ My heart sank. Either that or it was being dragged down by saturated fats. I itched for the bacon and egg butty that was probably being pulled apart and enjoyed by foxes on my doorstep. Was this the kind of thing he meant?
‘You need to take some time to rest, or these episodes will keep happening. And I’ll be writing to your GP to say the same.’
‘Is this a diet and alcohol thing?’ I asked, just to be one hundred per cent clear.
‘Of course it is, Sara!’ Mum butted in. ‘You need to eat all your greens and drink lots of water. Live the life of a… of a goat!’
Dr. Fielding nearly smiled. ‘As I said before, your cholesterol is flagging as high, so it won’t hurt to look at clean eating, but it’s more holistic than that.’
‘You need to start looking after yourself, love,’ Dad added, gently. ‘This self-destruct mission has got to stop.’
‘Rest is key,’ Dr Fielding said. ‘Meditation. Fresh air. Water. These attacks are an outward symptom of inner chaos, so you need to concentrate on your wellness for a while. The effects of stress are reversible, but it will take a concerted effort on your part.’
I gulped and nodded. Dad was right – I had kind of let myself go. Six months in my teenage bedroom filling up on home-cooked meals and takeaways hadn’t helped. I’d been using all my energy to keep it together for work, and everything else had gone out the window. In the early days, I’d just about managed to put my make-up on and brush my hair. It had all felt so pointless.
‘Half a goat is more than fine,’ Dr Fielding said, signing my discharge form with a squiggle. ‘Your GP will take it from here, but the taking care of yourself part is down to you.’
