18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 427

Chapter 427

Stella and Jasper scrambled to their feet as Cooper whimpered and dashed into Rosie's room.

Jasper hurried inside to find his little sister burning up with a fever, her face flushed and hot to the touch.

They used the thermometer-it read nearly 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stella quickly unwrapped the bandage from Rosie's hand. The bite from the beach flea was swollen, but thankfully, not infected. Who knew beach fleas could pack such a punch?

They checked her heartbeat, oxygen levels, and pulse. Her heart was steady, oxygen at 93, but her pulse was fast and weak.

Stella coaxed her to swallow some fever reducer while Jasper fiddled with the oxygen concentrator. "Rosie, come on, wake up."

Rosie cracked open her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. "Brother, I feel awful."

Once the oxygen was set, Jasper slipped the mask over her. "It's just a fever. You'll be okay, don't be scared."

Arcadia had a few lab machines, but without the right chemicals, they couldn't run a blood test.

Stella pulled out the EKG monitor to check Rosie's heart-thankfully, no issues there. But the fever was relentless, sending shivers through her body, followed by bouts of vomiting. How could one little bite lead to this?

The fever reducer worked for less than two hours before the heat flared up again, forcing them to resort to physical methods to cool her down.

Rosie looked up at Jasper. "Brother, am I going to die?"

"No way, you're just sick. The medicine will kick in soon."

"But it hurts so much." She clutched his hand, tears suddenly spilling over. "Brother, I can't bear the thought of leaving you, Stella, and Cooper."

her close. "You're not going

snuggled against him. "I had

are just dreams. They

real." Rosie trembled. "Our

raising his voice. "Rosie, dreams are just

understand why she would dream such things after all, Jasper had taken her away nearly a decade ago, and she could barely remember their faces. In her

her rescue, giving her medicine and care.

years. You're

door, holding a glass

shot of fever reducer, Rosie finally fell into a fitful

of coffee and stared out

him from behind. "I'm so sorry. It's

one of those freak accidents of nature. Besides, if it weren't for you, we might not have made it out safely. Don't be so

would be so brutal. Without Stella, without her Arcadia, even with all his preparations, escaping with Rosie would have been a disaster, maybe even impossible

precautions are nothing against the

Stella, no matter what happens, you've got to keep on living. Don't blame yourself, and don't feel powerless. You've done more than enough. Every extra day

clung to him, tears

tears. "Where's that fearless Stella I used to

"I'm scared now."

be. I'm

Jasper didn't leave

take over. "Go get

hung a few IV bags. After half a bowl of chicken soup, Rosie's spirits lifted noticeably. She looked over at Stella, a

did you

dreamt you were pregnant, and you had a boy for my

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