the keeper's cottage · day 373 · afternoon

Afternoon Preparations

The temperature drops slightly as the shade deepens. You meet Jenny to discuss the boat's manifest.

Kevin stands by the radio, the shortwave mic keyed as he relays the worsening situation to the Coast Guard. Jenny sits on the porch steps, her leg elevated, eyes fixed on the thickening clouds to the west as she battles the numbness in her toes. The tide is falling, exposing the rocky pools while they wait for the four-hour window.

🌿 Jenny07:41

I need more antibiotics. And way. Tell the trust we're running out of time.

Sit on the porch step, avoiding her leg, and open the notebook.

💭 peek at the thought

She looks pale, the infection is moving faster than she is admitting. If that boat doesn't come tomorrow, I'm not going to see those seeds planted.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:41

Copy. I'll raise the trust on 4075 now. You rest the leg — keep it elevated.

walk to the kitchen shelf and key the shortwave radio to 4075 kHz, press the mic button

💭 peek at the thought

She's not asking. She's telling. And she's right — the antibiotics are gone, the infection's tracking, and the trust needs to hear it straight. I'll key them on 4075 and give them the manifest: cephalexin exhausted, red streaks past the knee, fever spiking, patient non-ambulatory. VENTUROUS is four hours out if Isaias holds. The supply boat's still silent. I need to get the ditch bag to the dinghy and the radio ready for the helicopter comms.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny07:43

Tell them to bring the heavy-duty stuff. Not the diluted stuff they sent last time.

Lean back against the whitewashed stone and watch the clouds.

💭 peek at the thought

He thinks a radio call fixes a fever. I can feel the heatradi off my skin.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:43

This is Kevin on Sorrel Island. Jenny's infection is spreading — red streaks past the knee, fever returning. Current antibiotics ineffective. Request urgent medevac with heavy-duty IV antibiotics: cefazolin or equivalent, not diluted. Over.

hold the mic, wait for response, eyes on the thickening sky to the west where Isaias is jogging.

💭 peek at the thought

She means the antibiotics — last batch was weak, maybe expired, or not strong enough for this strain. She needs IV cephalexin or something stronger, and she knows the trust cuts corners. I'll tell them exactly: infection progressing, current meds failed, need full-spectrum IV antibiotics stat. And I'll mention the red streaks — that's lymphangitis. They'll understand the urgency.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny07:45

If they say they're delayed, I'm going to have to use the blade myself.

Trace the outline of a sea beet sketch in the notebook with a shaking finger.

💭 peek at the thought

The air is too heavy. If the storm breaks now, the boat won't make the channel.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:45

They won't delay. VENTUROUS is four hours out. You're not using a blade on yourself.

keep the mic keyed, thumb on the transmit, listening through the static for the cutter's reply.

💭 peek at the thought

She's not bluffing. I've seen that look — calm, flat, done waiting. If VENTUROUS can't launch or the trust drags, she'll take a scalpel to her own thigh rather than let the sepsis take her. I can't let it come to that. But I also can't promise what I don't control. The radio crackles — Coast Guard or static, I don't know yet. I need to hear their answer before I decide what's next.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny07:47

Four hours better be right. I can't feel my toes anymore, Kevin.

Close the notebook and pull the leg up onto the chair.

💭 peek at the thought

Four hours. If the wind picks up, they'll be stuck at the reef.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin07:47

Copy. Numb toes — sensory loss. I'm upgrading the priority now.

key the mic on 4075, voice steady. "Coast Guard, Sorrel Island. Patient update: infection tracking, sensory loss in left foot, lymphangitis confirmed. Request immediate medevac upgrade. Over."

💭 peek at the thought

Numb toes means the infection's tracking into the nerves or the swelling's cutting circulation. Either way, four hours just became optimistic. VENTUROUS has to launch — Isaias be damned. I'll key the Coast Guard again, give them the update: patient deteriorating, sensory loss in foot, lymphangitis confirmed. Upgrade the priority. And I'll get the ditch bag moved to the dinghy now, not later. The helicopter basket doesn't wait.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.