18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel 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."

Jasper held her close. "You're not going to die. I won't let you."

Rosie snuggled against him. "I had a dream that I died."

"Dreams are just dreams. They don't mean anything."

"No, it felt so real." Rosie trembled. "Our uncle and cousins... they were there."

Jasper stiffened, raising his voice. "Rosie, dreams are just mixed-up thoughts."

But Rosie felt it wasn't just a dream; the pain was too vivid. She couldn't 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 dream, all she saw were snarling visages.

Jasper held his sister, patting her back, trying to soothe her. "You're just feverish, making your mind play tricks. Stella and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Rosie remembered when she was sick in apartment 18, how Stella had come to her rescue, giving her medicine and care. "Brother, if I die, promise to look after Stella, and take care of Cooper for me."

Jasper wouldn't hear of it. "No way. Stella has been looking after you for years. You're going to grow up, and one day, when Stella needs it, you'll take care of her."

Stella stood silently at the door, holding a glass of warm water, hesitating to enter.

After a shot of fever reducer, Rosie finally fell into a fitful sleep.

Jasper stayed awake all day. Exhausted, he brewed a cup of coffee and stared out the observation window at the marine life gliding through the ocean, lost in thought.

Stella came over, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault Rosie got sick."