Earth-Sim_Escapades in Planetary Management by Jade Kerrion

Author:Jade Kerrion [Kerrion, Jade]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781948642200
Publisher: Jade Kerrion
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jem hated hospital rooms. She hated the memories of quietly beeping machines valiantly keeping her father alive against the odds. Her teeth clenched against the nausea churning in her stomach. She leaned against the wall, trying to take up as little space as humanly possible.

The hospital room was large and smelled of cleaning alcohol. The sheets on the bed were pristine, except for Kav’s muddy shoeprint imprinted on a corner. She had tugged off Kav’s dirty shoes and placed them in a corner of the room. Kav sat on the bed; he wriggled his fingers and toes and fidgeted as if an insect had crawled into his shirt, but otherwise he had submitted to the doctor’s examination with a cheerful smile.

The doctor smiled down at Kav. “I think you’ll be staying with us for awhile.”

“Really? Do I have to stay here?” Kav turned his most pitiful expression on his brother.

Kir was unmoved. “Yes, and I’ll be here with you most of the time.”

“You promise?” Kav asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“And if he can’t, I’ll be here,” Jem promised.

The doctor shut down his astral workstation. “A word with you, Mr. Davos, and you too, Ms. Moran.”

“We’ll be just outside the door, Kav,” Kir said as he followed the doctor from the room. He held the door open for Jem to pass through and then shut it behind them. He looked up at the doctor. “Well?”

“Bacterial pneumonic infection. It’s a good thing you caught it when you did. Kav may look perfectly healthy, but his lungs were in bad shape. The physical symptoms look like a common cold, but by the time they emerge, it’s usually too late; the infection escalates very quickly from that point. I’ve put him on a treatment plan that should take care of the symptoms and the cause. It will take us at least seven to ten days to be sure he’s fully recovered, and we’d like to keep him here the whole time.”

“All right.” Kir nodded. “Is there anything we need to watch out for? We’ve been around him.”

“Your blood tests came back clean, for now. I’ve sent the alert to your personal devices. It’ll test your blood periodically and alert us at the first signs of bacterial infection before it affects your lungs.”

“Okay. Thanks, doctor,” Kir said. He raked his trembling fingers through his tangled hair and breathed out heavily.

“How did you find out that he had pneumonic infection when he had no symptoms?” the doctor asked.

Jem’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “He sneezed and killed off about thirty percent of our planet’s population in the world simulation program.”

The doctor’s eyes widened. “Ah, the world simulation program. That would make sense. The effects of the bacteria would have escalated exponentially in a simulated world. It’s a good thing you caught on so quickly to the possibility that something was wrong.”

“I didn’t,” Kir said, looking over at Jem. “She did.”

“Kav is lucky you were around, then. All right. I have to finish up with other patients. I’ll

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