“Except my guards. I’ll have to go check on them in a couple of hours.” He tapped his forehead. “Got an internal alarm clock in here—I can wake up on command anytime I need to.”
“Handy.”
She fell asleep in his arms, comforted by his presence. He woke her briefly when he got up to go make his rounds, as he’d said he would, but then didn’t come back inside.
Chapter Seven
She drowsed fitfully for the rest of the night, plagued by bad dreams which she couldn’t remember in detail but left her unsettled. When the sun peeked over the horizon, streaming through the bus windows, she got up and went to check on Jenny.
“Lords of space, you’re burning up,” she said, putting her hand on the toddler’s forehead and snatching it away. The child’s face was flushed and she gave a pitiful moan.
“My tummy is upset,” she whimpered.
Devora held her close and said, “We need to go outside to go potty, all right? And then I’ll give you a sponge bath to cool you down a bit.”
Jenny shook her head in a weak protest but didn’t resist so Devora carried her from the bus and helped her do her morning business in the designated area. As she was carrying the girl to the bus, Les came to check on her.
“Everything all right?” he asked, taking in the way Jenny was curled up listlessly to Devora’s chest.
“She’s sick,” Devora said, “Running a high fever.”
A woman nearby gave a gasp. “The kid is sick,” she yelled. “She’s infected.”
“She’s not infected,” Devora snapped, immediately angry. “She’s never been bitten or scratched. She’s got a stomach bug, that’s all.”
The other passengers gathered, keeping a distance from Devora and Jenny. Angry mutters swept through the crowd.
“She’s not infected with Western Flu,” Devora insisted, scared by the way the others were reacting. “It’s just an upset tummy. I gave her a thorough bath in the sink at the first rest stop two days ago and she didn’t have any scratches or bites.” She was grateful for Les’s strong presence by her side.
“What do we need to do for her?” he asked.
“I’m going to give her another sponge bath, try to lower her fever. I need to keep her hydrated. It would be best if we had a kids’ fluban or anti-nausea medinject for her—you can get them over the counter in any pharmacy. Well, you could before the outbreak. But there aren’t any in the bus’s first aid kit.”
“Can she travel safely?”
“Sure, rest is what she needs but she can nap on the bus.”
“We’re not taking her with us,” yelled a man on the edge of the group. “She’ll turn and infect all of us.”
“For the tenth time, Jenny isn’t infected,” Devora shouted, patience fraying.
“Around noon we’ll be hitting the next small town,” Les said. “We can take the time to scavenge there, see if we find any meds, either at the pharmacy or in homes with kids’ stuff outside.”
Two women confronted him. “She’s not getting back on the bus,” said one.
“Listen, I feel for the poor thing,” said the other, “But we can’t take any chances.”
Hugging Jenny close, Devora comprehended with a sinking heart the other refugees were too scared to give the toddler a chance. “We—we can stay here,” she said to Les, afraid someone might do violence to the child out of fear. “Maybe you can come back for us after you get the rest to Glastine. Or I can walk.”
“We’re not leaving her or you here,” Les interrupted harshly. Raising his voice, he said, “The kid poses no risk to any of you. She and Devora go with us and that’s final. You don’t like it, you can get on Ethan’s bus or stay here yourselves.”
Ethan moved through the crowd to stand shoulder to shoulder with Les, giving support silently. Devora saw both men had their weapons ready if necessary. Les pointed his finger at the two woman who’d come forward. “You and you. Do you consider yourselves fair and unbiased people?”
The ladies glanced at each other and nodded at Les.
“Get on the bus with Devora and watch her give Jenny the sponge bath. See for yourselves the poor kid has no scratches or bites and come back and give the rest of the group your report,” Les said.
“It could be airborne,” a man yelled.
