Bianca ignored both completely, turning back to face Winnie. “How do you know all this again?”
Winnie hesitated. “Like I said before, I was very studious,” she said finally.
“You must have earned multiple degrees,” Bianca said.
Winnie sipped her tea. “In a manner of speaking. It really comes down to doing your homework.”
I laughed before I could stop myself. The sound surprised me. Apparently, it surprised Winnie too.
Warmth moved through my chest at the shine in her eyes.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur of fever and vomit and rain, all on an endless cycle.
At some point, Winnie made chicken soup from scratch, including organic bone broth, despite the fact that the kitchen probably should’ve been classified as a biohazard zone.
“How did you even do this?” I asked after the first taste.
“Cooking isn’t especially difficult. I enjoy cooking for those in my care.”
I ate another spoonful. “It’s delicious. Perhaps my new favorite emotional support food.”
CJ raised his head slightly. “I would also like emotional soup.”
By evening, the children succumbed to the fatigue. Billie fell asleep first, sprawled sideways on the bed, one hand clutching Winnie’s sleeve. Bianca lasted another hour, drifting off as she told us about bacterial transmission. CJ held out the longest, being his best dramatic self.
“If I survive this,” he mumbled at the ceiling, “I’m writing a memoir.”
“You’re eleven,” I reminded him.
“Tragic youth manuscripts are very popular right now.”
Winnie tucked the blanket higher around his shoulders. “Rest, little storyteller.”
That finally did it. Within minutes, the room turned quiet. I looked at the clock on my nightstand. 12:17 a.m.
God, no wonder I was so tired. I pushed myself upright, every muscle aching in protest. “Winnie.”
She looked up from the armchair where she’d been reading the plague book. “Mm?”
“Your shift ended forever ago.”
One corner of her mouth lifted slightly. “I noticed.”
“You should go home.”
“And leave you unsupervised in this condition?”
“I’m fine. We’ll be fine.”
She scowled. “You were drinking children’s fever reducer directly from the bottle six hours ago.”
“In my defense, I was suffering.”
“And you still are.”
I rubbed a hand over my face. “You don’t have to stay.”
Winnie closed the book and set it aside. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve had the opportunity for a proper slumber party.”
