Little Molly was sick, but not enough to warrant ER-in-the-middle-of-the-night concern. At least we didn’t think so at the time. Her cough was thick and her breathing quick, but not so fast as to be alarmed.
As the hours passed, her symptoms worsened. Had it been daytime, I would have taken her to the pediatrician, or at least called the office for advice from the nurse. But it was late, and at that point in our parenting journey, we had no experience with after-hours clinics.
When her fever hit 103, though, I called our insurance company’s emergency nursing hotline. If her fever goes above 104, take her to the ER, the nurse calmly told me.