Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 The next few hours went by in a nightmarish blur. Gertie's fever had spiked to 105 degrees. The ship's doctor, Dr. Rudinger, was trying everything to cool her off, but nothing was working. And the worst part was that Hugo wasn't allowed into the cabin. He and Dad had to wait in the hallway while the doctor and Mom took care of Gertie.

Day turned to night, and Hugo lost all sense of time. He prayed and tried to calm himself with his favorite memories — seeing the Yankees beat the Red Sox, walking through the bright green hills of the Thika Valley after a strong rain, sharing a mango with the one-eared baboon. But those happy pictures would flicker and fade. And all Hugo could think about was his little sister, lying pale and still in her bed. And then he couldn't think at all. His mind filled up with a terrible clawing fear, as if a big black bird were trapped inside his skull. It was very early in the morning when Dr. Rudinger finally stepped out of their cabin. "She's stable now," he told them. "We finally got her fever down." Hugo almost fainted with relief. Dad grabbed the doctor's hands. "Thank you, Doctor."

"We'll have an ambulance waiting at the airfield when we land." Dad looked at his watch. "Thank goodness," Dad said. "We land at six A.M. That's only three hours from now." The doctor shook his head. "No, sir. There have been strong headwinds across the Atlantic. And now there are storms all along the East Coast. We're running at least eight hours behind schedule." Eight hours? Hugo's knees went weak, and Dad looked like he might get sick. The doctor put a hand on Dad's shoulder. "Your little girl is very tough, Mr. Ballard." He promised to check back within the hour. Hugo and Dad went into their cabin. Gertie was sleeping, and Mom was sitting by her bed. Mom looked like she'd just returned from a back-breaking journey. Mom got up and hugged Hugo.

"Can I sit with her?" Hugo asked. "Of course." "I'll take your mother to stretch her legs," Dad said. "We'll be back in a few minutes." Hugo sat in the chair and laid a careful hand on his sister's forehead. She still felt hot, but not like she was burning up. He knew he should let her sleep. But he needed to hear her voice. "Gertie," Hugo whispered. "It's me." Gertie's eyes fluttered open. "Oogo," she rasped. Their eyes locked together. Some invisible evil was attacking his sister, and Hugo could do nothing to help her. I'm sorry, Hugo wanted to say, sorry that I can't protect you. He'd never felt more helpless. He leaned closer to Gertie, taking her hand. "Gertie," he said. "Is there anything you want?"

If she'd wanted the moon, Hugo would have climbed out the window and ripped it out of the sky for her. But his sister didn't want the moon. She looked at Hugo. "Panya," she whimpered. Gertie wanted her dog.