Karyn got Sarah to the nurse's station just as the late bell rang. Sarah collapsed onto a cot, and Nurse Evans gave Karyn a hall pass. By the time she turned back towards Sarah, the girl had fallen asleep.
Sarah wasn't sure how long she was out, but when she woke up, Nurse Evans was siting over her cot. She regarded the nurse before getting up. Unlike some women of similar shape, Nurse Evans' large bottom and thighs sort of gave her an aura of power, as opposed to just making them look fat. She was no-nonsense, but gentle, treating every patient of hers like they were her own child. Sarah felt lucky she worked for the school.
Sarah slowly rolled from her side to her back, and sat up on the bed. Nurse Evans turned, smile on her face, and said, "so you're awake. You conked out before I got a chance to find out what was wrong."
Sara rubbed at her eye with the end of a finger, careful not to mess up her makeup, and explained, "Well, I haven't been feeling myself today," which seemed like an understatement, "I kept getting these sharp headaches, and I got nauseous and dizzy."
"Could be you're dehydrated," said Nurse Evans, "I'm going to get you a bottle of water from the teacher's lounge, and I want you to take small sips from it until it's empty. If you don't have any more spells for a while after that, I'll mark you good to go."
Sarah didn't think that was going to help anything, but she nodded anyway. For some reason, she felt a lot more timid since she'd arrived at school.
As Sarah waited for the nurse to return, she considered the older woman: she was another case like Karyn, where she could be much prettier if she'd put some effort into it. But Nurse Evans didn't have the kind of potential that Karyn did. She wouldn't look stunning, but she could look nice, as opposed to the plain nurse she was. Sarah supposed that she put all her energy into helping patients, and wouldn't be as good a nurse if she focused too much on looks, though.
When Nurse Evans returned, she handed Sarah the 20-oz bottle and told her to take a small sip. For the first time that morning, Sarah seemed calm and content. Nurse Evans was going to take care of her. But as she twisted the cap off the bottle, another headache screamed through her skull, and she spasmed in the cot.
Since she was sitting down she got her bearings more quickly this time, and it helped that Nurse Evans had immediately rushed over and held Sarah's shoulders steady. But on the other hand, that meant that the first thing Sarah saw when she opened her eyes was Nurse Evans' face. Nurse Evans' delicately made-up face. Nurse Evans' delicately made-up face, done specifically in Sarah's style.
"Are you okay, Sarah?" Nurse Evans asked.
"Let me see a mirror," was the hurried reply.
Nurse Evans didn't quite understand why the girl needed a mirror, but she complied. Sarah just stared at her reflection for a few seconds. She couldn't believe it. On her whole face, not a speck of makeup. Not even lip gloss. She looked dry and blotchy. But then, she realized, that this kind of thing could be easily fixed. She'd just have to re-apply her makeup. But as Sarah reached into her purse, Nurse Evans gently pulled her hand back.
"No, no, Sarah. You need to drink first. It's very important."
Sarah sighed and took a sip of water. At least she knew the solution for this one.
