Once she finally settled in beside me, she took Bun-Bun back and then cuddled right up against me. As soon as I felt her hand on my stomach, something deep inside my chest eased in a way I hadn’t realized needed easing. But it was as if I’d been holding my breath since she’d fallen asleep during dinner, and now I could finally release it.

She made a slight whining noise and started tugging on her ear again. That was when I noticed how bright her eyes were and that her cheeks had a faint flush to them. Concerned, because that was how Ciana looked when she was running a fever, I touched my fingers to Nova’s forehead.

“Your hands are cold,” she grumbled, tugging on her ear.

“No,” I said, shaking my head as I carefully turned her head to better see the ear she was messing with, trying to explain why she thought I was cold to her. “Your skin is just hot. That makes anything not as warm as you feel cold.”

Her ear was red, but I couldn’t tell if it was because something was wrong with it or from how much she was pulling on it. But a little bit of fluid was draining out of it, and it felt a little hotter than her forehead did.

“Nova, does your ear hurt?” I asked as I gently rubbed the outer shell.

“Yeah,” she whispered, holding Bun-Bun a little tighter. “It hurts a lot.”

“Does…” My voice broke, and I quickly cleared it so she wouldn’t know that I was worried. “Does anything else hurt?”

“My throat,” she admitted. “It hurts, and it itches a little.”

I started to move, knowing I needed to tell my mom. Nova was sick and needed to go to the doctor. The thought of her hurting made my eyes sting, but I blinked the tears away, knowing I needed to be brave for her.

“Don’t go!” she cried, her fingers twisting in my T-shirt. “I don’t feel good, and I don’t want to be alone.”

“I won’t leave you alone,” I promised her, carefully unlocking her fingers from my shirt. Sliding out of bed, I reached back for her. Her tiny arms and legs wrapped around me, and she laid her head on my shoulder as I carried her out of my room and down the hall to my parents’ room.

I knocked twice before I heard Mom’s groggy voice calling out. Holding Nova tight with one arm, I was able to twist the knob before kicking the door open a little. Papa switched on the light when he saw I had something in my arms, and he and Mom jerked upright in bed as soon as they realized it was Nova.

“What’s wrong?” Mom asked as she got out of bed. She touched Nova’s back, and Nova tightened her tiny limbs around me.

“I think she has a fever. She says her ear and throat hurt. Her ear is really red, and there was something that looked like water coming out of it. She’s been pulling on it.” I tried to remember everything I needed to tell her so she could help Nova, but I was so worried I didn’t know if I forgot anything.