CHARMED
"Patient Zero"
By J. B. Tilton (a.k.a. NoAzMale) and Teri Thibeault (a.k.a. Tessalynne)
Emails:
evilgidget_
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
(Authors note: This story takes place between season 5 episodes "Baby's First Demon" and "Lucky Charmed".)
When one of the worst epidemics in human history threatens to return, the Charmed Ones cast a spell to find a cure for it. The result is Cole – vanquished weeks earlier for the second time – reentering their lives in a most unusual way.
ONE
"I'd say he's in perfect health," said Ava Nicolae, putting Piper's baby back into his crib. "You really should have called me as soon as he was born. A hundred things can go wrong during a delivery or he could have had some serious medical condition that needed treatment right away. Thankfully neither of those seems to have happened. He appears to be in perfect health."
"Yeah, well, we were sort of busy at the moment," said Piper. "What with demons trying to steal him and all. And with no magic it was doubly hard to protect him. At least I had my sisters to help. You're sure he's fine? There's nothing wrong with the baby?"
"He's perfect," replied Ava. "You know, that's about the tenth time you've called him 'the baby'. I haven't heard you refer to him by name even once."
"That's because he doesn't have one," said Phoebe. "Piper and Leo haven't picked one yet. We were all expecting a girl. When he popped out, it was something of a shock, let me tell you."
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure you'll come up with something soon. After all, you can't keep calling him 'the baby' his entire life."
"I know," sighed Piper. "It's just so hard especially since he's a boy."
"Let's go downstairs and let him rest," said Ava. "Baby's usually don't do much more than sleep the first few months, anyway."
"Oh, they do more than that," said Paige as the girls and Leo headed for the stairs. "He seems to wake up every two hours."
"The price of being a parent," said Ava. "You said demons tried to kidnap him?"
"Yeah," said Leo. "That's why we decided to call you. With everything that's been going on lately we realized that we hadn't had him checked out to make sure that nothing was wrong. I was a medic during the war and I know that sometimes something can be wrong that only a doctor can identify."
"That would be World War II, right?" Ava asked, smiling slightly.
"That's right," said Leo. "You know I'm a White Lighter so you also know I'm a lot older than I appear."
"Just checking," said Ava as they all took seats in the living room.
"So," said Phoebe, "how's the Shuvani training coming along?"
"Not bad, I guess," replied Ava. "I wish I had paid more attention to my mother when she was trying to teach me about it. But I guess I'm doing okay. But between that and my practice it doesn't really leave much time for anything else."
"How well we know that," said Paige. "Fighting demons is practically a full-time job. Sometimes I wish they'd all take a vacation so we could enjoy a little down time."
"Maybe they will," said Ava. "Unfortunately, that's not a possibility for a doctor. People get sick all the time and there's not much you can do about that. But I have a lot of help at the clinic so at least I don't have to handle the burden all by myself. And since Orin and Cree are no longer a threat I don't have to worry about demon attacks. I can concentrate on people's illnesses no matter how perplexing they may be."
"You have a problem with one of your patients?" Piper asked.
"Not a problem exactly. A woman came in the other day with what I thought was the flu. Only it's the most resilient flu I've ever seen. If I didn't know better I'd swear it was the Spanish Flu. But the tests I've run indicate it's not Spanish Flu. And she doesn't respond well to treatment. I'm not really sure what to do about it."
"Just pump her full of antibiotics," said Paige. "It's only the flu."
"Which kills upwards of 35,000 people every year," countered Ava. "'Just the flu' is actually more dangerous than most people think. If left untreated it can actually kill. We're just so used to being able to treat a lot of diseases we sometimes forget just how dangerous they can be."
"Especially something like Spanish Flu," said Leo. "I hadn't been born yet but I remember my parents talking about it."
"What was so horrible about it?" Paige asked. "I realize they didn't have the drugs we have now but it couldn't have been that bad."
"Oh it was," said Ava. "It's been estimated that it killed between 50 and 100 million people. And as many as 500 million people – more than one-quarter of the world's population – were infected by it. The Influenza epidemic of 1918 was one of the worst epidemic's in recorded history."
"Influenza?" Paige questioned. "Is that what it was? I thought you said it was Spanish Flu?"
"The flu is a form of influenza," said Ava. "And the Spanish Flu was deadlier than most. It just suddenly appeared around June of 1918. And it raged across the world for 18 months. Then, about December of 1920, it just sort of died out. They never did find exactly what caused it or a cure for it."
"Well, it's understandable why they never found what caused it," said Leo. "The Elders have theorized that it was actually some form of rhinitis caterralasis. It's usually just called rhinitis."
"That sounds similar to rhinitis acuta catarrhalis," said Ava.
"That sounds serious," said Piper.
"Actually," said Ava, "it's the Latin name for the common cold."
"Well, rhinitis is similar to the common cold," said Leo. "Ordinarily, it's not very serious."
"Maybe my patient has some modified strain of it," said Ava.
"You'd better hope she doesn't," said Leo. "You won't find a cure for it. Or even a treatment. rhinitis is a demonic disease."
"Wait a minute," said Ava. "I thought humans couldn't get demonic diseases and vice versa?"
"Generally, that's true," said Leo. "Even the Elders were at a loss to explain how a demonic disease comparable to the common cold could infect humans, let alone infect and kill as many as it did. To demons, it's simply a minor annoyance. But to humans it can be deadly, as you are well aware. If your patient has that her chances aren't very good."
"This could be serious," said Ava becoming gravely serious. "So far I have only the one case. But if it is this rhinitis – or a modified form of it – it's possible we could be facing another epidemic like the one that happened in 1918."
"I wouldn't worry too much," said Leo. "It's been 80 years since a case of it was detected. It just suddenly disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. It probably burned itself out."
"Leo, it doesn't work that way," said Ava. "Diseases don't just disappear unless there's some kind of treatment or cure for it."
"Well, there was a witch back then who was also a medical doctor," said Leo. "She had reported that she thought she was close to finding a cure. Unfortunately both she and her White Lighter were killed by demons before she could finish her work. As far as I know she's the only one who ever came close to finding a cure."
"She must have," replied Ava. "It's the only thing that explains why the Spanish Flu suddenly died out. Leo, if my patient has some modified form of this rhinitis, we could be looking at a disaster in the making."
"You really think it's that serious?" Piper questioned.
"The Spanish Flu is one of the most communicable diseases ever identified," said Ava. "A third of the world's population was infected with it. And one-fifth of those died from it. If my patient has this there's no telling how many people have been exposed to it. And they'll expose everyone they come into contact with.
"The first known case of Spanish Flu in the United States was observed at Haskell County, Kansas. On 4 March 1918, an army cook named Albert Gitchell reported sick at Fort Riley, Kansas. Within days, over 500 men at the camp had reported sick. By March 11, it had reached New York City.
"The Spanish Flu pandemic has been described as the greatest medical holocaust in history and may have killed more people than the Black Death did in Europe between 1348 and 1350. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30 – 60 percent of Europe's population."
"I never realized it was that serious," said Phoebe. "I remember learning about it in school but the way the teacher described it, it just sounded like a really bad case of the flu."
"That's an understatement," said Ava. "If my patient has some form of this rhinitis, it could potentially be devastating. I just wish there was some way to know for sure if she has it or not."
"There is," said Leo. "One of the reasons it was able to spread to such a vast area was because it's a demonic disease. White Lighters can't heal demons nor can they heal any diseases that demons might have. Because rhinitis is a demonic disease, our healing powers don't work on it."
"Are you suggesting that you try and heal Ava's patient?" Piper asked.
"I don't think I have a choice," said Leo. "If I can heal her, she'll just be another mortal who has gotten over the flu. But if I can't, it will mean the disease is demonic in nature. And that's something I need to let the Elders know about. The entire world could be at risk."
"Come on," said Ava, picking up her bag. "Let's get to my clinic. I have the patient isolated so she can't infect anyone else. I hope you can heal her. If you can't, I don't know what we're going to do. I have no experience dealing with a demonic disease. I wouldn't even know where to begin to treat her for it."
"No one does," said Leo. "Demonic diseases normally don't infect humans so it's not usually a problem." He kissed Piper on the cheek. "I'm going to orb Ava there. It will be faster than her driving. We shouldn't be gone long. I'll know in a few minutes whether I can heal her or not."
"Just be careful," said Piper. "I don't want you coming down with this rhinitis."
"I can't," said Leo. Then he looked at Ava. "But that doesn't hold true for everyone."
Without another word Leo orbed the two of them out of the manor. The sisters sat in the living room wondering what the next few minutes were going to bring.