18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 545

After the shot, the monitor maintained a steady reading. Stella helped Daniel out of Arcadia.

The hospital chief had already left, but Bran had arrived.

"Sis, how's the boss doing?" Bran asked.

Stella didn't answer. Instead, she turned to the uneasy Vanessa beside her. "I have some medicine at my place; it'll be easier to take care of him there."

Vanessa wanted to argue that moving a patient around wasn't good, but considering Daniel's condition, she nodded in agreement.

"Good, stay with him more," Vanessa said.

Even after finding him, father and daughter had so little time together. They always thought there would be more time, no need to rush, but accidents always seem to come sooner than expected.

Jasper carried an unconscious Daniel back to the neighboring house, with Bran lending a hand.

Stella followed them out, seeing Vanessa sitting there, dazed, all her energy seemingly drained. She couldn't help but turn back to reassure her, "He won't die."

The words seemed meant for Vanessa, but perhaps more for herself. Vanessa nodded, but her face was already streaming with tears.

Once everyone had left, Vanessa allowed herself to cry out loud, "Oh, Daniel."

Stella cleared a room, brought over a cot from storage, and with the help of the others, got Daniel settled in. She took out some medicine and had Jasper help administer it.

Rosie brought out some dumpling soup to fill their stomachs, her expression worried. "Can Uncle Daniel's illness be cured?"

Her brother and sister-in-law were not around, and these past days she had been helping out next door. Nobody expected Uncle Daniel to fall ill while they were away. She had brought out all the home remedies she could, but nothing seemed to work.

Stella was somewhat out of sorts. "Rosie, how did he suddenly fall ill?"

Rosie had only heard the story. "Uncle Daniel was inspecting the base. The weather was fine, but out of nowhere, a storm hit, and he got soaked. He came home that night with a fever that wouldn't break."

The fever reducers didn’t work.

Stella had a headache. "His illness has turned into pneumonia."

Rosie shared what she had heard over the past few days. "A lot of people who got caught in the rain are sick—vomiting, fever, aching all over, diarrhea. But there's no medicine in the hospital. They can only try to physically reduce the fever, with massage or acupressure."

But few cases were as severe as Uncle Daniel's. Stella frowned deeply. It wasn't surprising to have acid rain carrying bacteria from the sky.

Daniel's body was worn down, an easy target for bacterial infection. Viral infections were troublesome, especially if it was a new strain. Stella's head pounded with worry, hoping it wasn’t too late.

She had no appetite, but now wasn't the time to falter. Taking the dumpling soup Rosie had made, Stella forced herself to eat.

Bran tried to offer comfort while eating. "Sis, the boss is a lucky man, heaven's got his back. And with your medical skills, even the grim reaper would take a detour."

Jasper, feeling his consoling role being usurped, just stayed silent. Bran went on, "He's the leader of the base, a man with a family to care for, an iron pillar of a man. He'll pull through."

With all the good words taken by Bran, what could Jasper add?

Vanessa's tight heart relaxed a bit. "I made some porridge, wanted to feed your father, and maybe give him a sponge bath."

"I've already given him a nutritional supplement, which is good for recovery. As for the bathing, Jasper can do it later."

It wasn’t that she didn't want Vanessa to care for him, but Daniel's body was marked with needle pricks and traces of monitoring devices. Vanessa, being a head nurse, would easily notice if she took care of him closely.

Stella didn't want any complications. "You've worked hard these past days, Aunt Vanessa. I'll take over now. You come by when you have time to keep him company, but take care of yourself too."

Vanessa put the porridge down and went to check on Daniel. Her experience as a head nurse almost made her half a doctor. She was well aware of the dangers of pneumonia; the hospital had issued critical condition notices, and she had thought this was the end. But now the condition hadn't worsened, and the fever had subsided.

Stella stood outside the door, listening to Vanessa talk to Daniel, her emotions mixed. She returned to her room, letting the two have some quiet time together.

Vanessa stayed for half an hour before getting up to return next door. Pneumonia's condition could easily worsen again, so Stella couldn't be careless. She set up a cot beside Daniel's bed and took turns with Jasper to keep watch through the night.

Sure enough, Daniel suddenly spiked a high fever late into the night. When the pills didn’t work, Stella hurriedly administered a fever-reducing injection. The fever had finally subsided, but the blood oxygen levels plummeted alarmingly, prompting an urgent supply of oxygen.

After a tumultuous night, by dawn, things had finally stabilized. Vanessa from next door hadn't rested all night and came by early to check in.

Rosie had prepared breakfast, and Stella invited her to sit down with them. "Auntie Sue, if you have to go to work, please do. I'll take care of everything here. Don't worry."

But Vanessa was hardly in the mood for work. However, the hospital was overwhelmed with patients, and there was a dire shortage of medical staff. They barely had a moment to breathe, running on a never-ending loop. Besides, with her around, Stella would find it awkward to care for her dad, and it was important to give the father and daughter some private time in their peaceful haven.

After weighing her options, Vanessa decided to go to work. Keeping busy would at least keep her from being overly anxious. "Stella, if someone from the military comes to visit, just tell them your dad's illness isn't severe, and he'll be up and about in a few days."