Vaccination

• Abbey Morris, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2012

I’m standing in alphabetical order. It’s something teachers do to students for amusement; it’s something that gets them all anxious, especially in this situation. Vaccinations.
I wish my surname started with ‘A’, it’s just easier to get the needle over and done with. I am sick of being herded into a throng of my classmates vomiting, gagging and fainting around the place.
Why did my surname have to start with ‘M’? Well, I suppose it could be worse; from my view here, Ivan Zusak looks atrocious. He looks like he’s going to topple onto Troy any second - Oh, there he goes. I watch the teacher in supervision rush to his aid.
“Lachlan Jewett – get up there, now.” the nurse’s assistant standing at the door of our injection room would hiss.
“David Kettlington – it is your turn. Stop shivering.”
“Samuel Lovejoy, you’re up – Goodness, it’s a little
prick.”
“ You hear that, Connie Mac?” Gunnar Naderhoff whispered in my ear, chuckling with glee. “You’re next!” “You are just too stupid to insult, Gunsie Nad.” I snapped at him. “Idiot – you’re afterwards.” Gunnar looked at me, befuddled, and then turned away in embarrassment. Moron.
“Connor MacMillan – move it.” I turned in shock and gulped, feeling nauseous, and shambled to the door hearing Gunnar’s dull but hysterical laughter ringing in my ears.
I opened the door and shuffled into the room. It was dim and menacing. There were two chairs, in which a horrible and formidable woman was sitting. A table was beside her, and upon it there it waited. Teasing, glaring, laughing. The needle.
I slipped into one of the chairs, looking at the eagle-eyed woman.
“Connor MacMillan?” she mumbled in a voice drowned in boredom.
“Yes?” I put my sweaty hands under my bottom and swung my legs back and forth.
“Stop that.” She barked. “Do you have any medical conditions?”
“No,” I said, startled. Just get the needle over and done with!
“Have you had any injections within the last month?”
“No.” I chuckled, hoping it would lighten the nurse’s face to make the situation not as daunting, but she looked at me strangely. Damn.
“All right, Connor. I’m going to give you the Hepatitis B and HPV. I’ll start with the Hepatitis-”
She rolled my left-arm sleeve up to my shoulder, feeling her horrid nails creep up my skin, sending shivers down my spine.
“Okay…Here goes…3…2…1...-“
I could feel the cold liquid trickling down my bloodstream. I felt a rush of heat to my head and a sudden wave of dizziness. I fell…falling…falling…BUMP.



I woke, dizzy and disorientated. My vision was blurry, and I glanced around in confusion until I realised I was on the floor. I saw the nurse’s and her assistant’s bleary figures kneeled down beside me. I heard the nurse’s voice echoing in my head, and excited chatter outside the door.
“He’s fine, he just fainted.”
Fainted?
I was stunned, and incredibly shocked. Oh, great - what about the injection for my other arm!?