Chapter 4

That night, Poppy suddenly started talking deliriously. Her entire body burned hot, feeling like a branding iron pressed against my arms. Her tiny face was flushed red, and her lips fluttered weakly.

"Kenz, I'm so cold…"

Dad jolted awake. He rushed over and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. His face instantly drained of color.

"This is bad! Her fever is too high."

He picked Poppy up, adjusted her weight in his arms, then turned and started toward the temporary shelters.

I grabbed the corner of his jacket. "Dad, where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Scotty," he answered, not even turning around. "Poppy won't make it until tomorrow like this. She needs a doctor right now."

I wanted to follow him, but my legs buckled beneath me, and I nearly fell. By the time I steadied myself and looked up again, Dad was already more than 50 feet away, with Poppy on his back.

His voice drifted back through the cold night wind, trembling with tears.

"I'll go beg him. Don't move, Kenzie. Just wait right here!"

I gritted my teeth and followed, trailing at a distance behind them. The sharp gravel on the ground dug painfully into the soles of my feet. I was so focused on catching up that I hadn't even realized that I had lost my shoes along the way, but I couldn't be bothered to go grab them either.

A few emergency lights were still glowing across the school field. Dad stumbled and staggered past several tents, rushing toward the section illuminated by the warm yellow lights.

Before he could even get close, however, two soldiers on duty stepped forward and stopped him.

"Sir, this is a priority shelter area. You can't enter without permission."

Dad's knees buckled, and he almost dropped to the ground.

"I'm looking for my son-in-law, Captain Rubin," he said, his voice hoarse and desperate. "My daughter's fever is too high. Please, just call him for me."

The two soldiers exchanged a glance before one of them turned around to report inside.

I hid in the shadows behind a stack of supplies, fists clenched as I waited.

Five minutes later, Scotty came out. He was wearing his training uniform, and his hair was slightly messy. He looked a little irritated, and the dark circles under his eyes suggested that he'd just been woken up.

When he saw Dad, his brows tightened.

"Collin? Do you know what time it is? What's the matter?"

Dad, breathing heavily, hoisted Poppy a bit higher up on his back.

"Scotty, Poppy's fever won't come down. She's already started talking deliriously because of the fever, and she's scorching hot to the touch. She needs to see a doctor right away. I'm begging you. Just one doctor. It'll only take a minute."

He scooted closer to Scotty as he spoke, his eyes filled with desperation.

But Scotty just took half a step back. His gaze swept over Poppy's flushed face, with no emotions registering in his eyes.

"Collin, I'm sure you know how strained our medical resources are right now. The few doctors we have have been working around the clock without rest, and there are still critically injured patients waiting in line ahead of her," he said flatly.

"Take Poppy back for now. Put a cold compress on her forehead. I'll have a medic go over and check on her tomorrow morning."

Dad froze. His lips trembled as he spoke up again.

"I've already tried a compress, but it didn't work! She was barely conscious just now. She's really in bad shape, Scotty. Please, I'm begging you."

His knees buckled again, about to drop to the floor. Hiding in the dark, my fingernails dug so deeply into my palms that blood began to drip down the gaps between my fingers.

Just as Dad's knees were about to hit the ground, a soft voice drifted out from inside the tent.

"Scotty, I have a bad headache. Is there a draft blowing in? Can you check if the flap is closed properly?"

It was Maelyn.

Scotty immediately turned around and called back, "Coming!"

Then he turned back to Dad.

"Collin, Maelyn isn't feeling well, so keep your voice down. As for Poppy, we'll talk more about it tomorrow. Take her back first. Don't disturb everyone else's rest."

Dad dropped to his knees on the gravel. Poppy was burning hot against his back, her breathing rapid.

"Scotty…" he croaked.

Scotty turned and lifted the tent flap, his movements swift. "Go back."

Before the flap fell shut, I heard Maelyn's voice, syrupy sweet and coy.

"My head feels so heavy… Feel it. Do I have a fever?"

I slowly walked out from behind the supply pile and went over to Dad's side. Hearing the footsteps, he lifted his head, his clouded eyes filled with tears.

"Kenzie…"

I crouched down and hoisted Poppy onto my own back.

"Let's go," I said.

"Kenzie, he…"

"We'll just pretend he's dead."

Dad stared at me blankly, but he didn't say anything else.

There was a dirt road right next to the temporary shelters where cars would occasionally pass by. After walking for about half a mile, two beams of headlights appeared in the distance.

I dashed into the middle of the road.

The truck slammed on its brakes and came to a halt. A man poked his head out of the window.

"Lady, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night!"

"Sir, my sister has a high fever, and she's barely holding on. Please, can you give us a ride to the hospital in town?"

The man glanced at Poppy, who had completely lost consciousness from the fever. Without another word, he jumped out and lifted the blanket covering the back of his truck.

"Quick, get in. I happen to be heading into town to drop off supplies!"

…

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor took one look at Poppy's condition and immediately rushed her into the emergency room.

I slumped onto a bench in the hallway, feeling as though every ounce of strength had been drained from my body. Dad sat beside me, his head hanging low, his shoulders trembling with silent sobs.

As dawn approached, the doctor finally came out to tell us that Poppy was out of danger. However, he said that if we had arrived even half an hour later, the high fever would have triggered seizures and eventually brain damage. The consequences would have been unimaginable.

I let out a laugh—a laugh that sent tears streaming down my face.

When I finally turned my phone back on, over a dozen messages flooded in, every single one of them from Scotty.

"Where did you guys go?"

"Don't be childish, Kenzie. I'll have a doctor check on Poppy tomorrow."

"Answer me. It's not safe for you to run around out there."

"Not replying? Fine. Think carefully about what you're doing."

The last message was sent at 5:00 am, and his tone finally carried a sense of urgency.

"I had people search the entire relief camp and couldn't find you anywhere! Why on earth are you running around with a child, Kenzie Rimes?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling exhausted. Then I tapped out a few words onto the screen.

"Scotty Rubin, I want a divorce."