Chapter 3: Waiting for a Miracle
"The last thing we need is an outbreak of Lassa Fever at this hospital!" Mark said, walking down the hall with Peter Benton, "Damn it, why the hell did that kid have to go to Mali in the first place!"
"Did you know that was the exact same thing Luka asked Abby?" Benton asked.
"Did you know I told Abby to take some blood? She was right, it was unnecessary, but I told her to do it anyway,"
"I know, Mark, I was there, remember?" they looked in at Dave who was now restrained. Jing-Mei and Carol were trying to bring him out of his delirious state.
"At least they're quarantined," Benton said.
"That didn't stop Abby!" Green said.
"Abby will recover, we know that for a fact. The disease had just gotten into her system. Dave..."
"May not recover, I know, I know... The disease is spreading fast through his body," they were quiet for a minute, waiting for a miracle.
Carter took Abby's temperature. 101. Up two whole degrees. He sighed. Abby's temperature was supposed to be going down, not up. She was asleep, now, but she was shivering and sweating. He sighed again. Poor Abby. Poor Dave. He hoped that they both recovered fast; it would be too painful for him if they didn't. It was strange to see them both so weak, so helpless. Like young children. You could almost say they look innocent. Even Dave he laughed at that thought. Dave and innocence didn't mix in his mind. Still, it hurt to see either one of them in pain. He wished he could do more and he knew the others did too. Romano was going crazy over the whole situation. He couldn't believe that two of his doctors were down with Lassa Fever, of all things.
"Dave? Dave! No..." he heard Abby mutter. She was restrained as well, but she still tried to move her arms.
"Calm down, girl, everything will be all right," Carter whispered. I hope.
"What... What's going... on?" Dave asked, opening his eyes a bit. Jing-Mei and Carol both jumped.
"Dave! You're back!" Carol said.
"What am I... doing here? And... What are... these for?" he asked, referring to the restraints. His breaths were heavy and he needed to take breaths between words.
"Abby brought you in. You have Lassa Fever." Jing-Mei answered.
"No I... don't. I feel fi-" but he cut himself off with a groan of pain, "I... feel fine," he finished. Jing-Mei smiled.
"Lassa Fever is a hemorrhagic fever! And it's life threatening, you know that! So don't lie to us." She reminded him.
"My throat's... sore," Dave said
"That's a surprise. Did you here me? It's Lassa Fever! Your throat must be inflamed and that means your lungs are too." Jing-Mei told him.
"Need... water..." he choked. Carol got up to get a glass of water. When she came back, he asked,
"Why are you... wearing those suits? Scared I'm gonna... hurt you?"
"You could! Don't you even know what you have?" Carol was surprised.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Lassa... Fever, highly... contagious, I got it," his voice was raspy and almost not there at all. Carol poured some water into his mouth. He smiled at her and thanked her. Then, his eyes rolled and he began to mumble things. Soon, he was swearing and trying to get out of his restraints. Carol left to get Mark and Peter.
"He was awake? Why didn't you tell me?" Mark asked as they jogged to Dave's room.
"I was going to, but he wanted water and then he... he just fell back into delirium and started swearing and fighting the restraints. He's fought the restraints before but never this hard. It scared me for a minute when he first started," they got into Dave's room and Jing-Mei was giving him a sedative. He had stopped swearing, but was now panting heavily and still fighting the restraints.
"Check his temperature!"
"Already did. 105," Jing-Mei said.
"Damn it!" Mark ran over to him with more Ribavirin.
"Can't we do anything else?" Carol asked.
"Not now," Benton told her, "Not anymore. Ribavirin is supposed to be administered within the first six days of the disease... That's when it's most effective anyway. But it's all we got right now, and I'm not even sure it's doing any good. I think we need a miracle."
Revew! Pretty Please!
"The last thing we need is an outbreak of Lassa Fever at this hospital!" Mark said, walking down the hall with Peter Benton, "Damn it, why the hell did that kid have to go to Mali in the first place!"
"Did you know that was the exact same thing Luka asked Abby?" Benton asked.
"Did you know I told Abby to take some blood? She was right, it was unnecessary, but I told her to do it anyway,"
"I know, Mark, I was there, remember?" they looked in at Dave who was now restrained. Jing-Mei and Carol were trying to bring him out of his delirious state.
"At least they're quarantined," Benton said.
"That didn't stop Abby!" Green said.
"Abby will recover, we know that for a fact. The disease had just gotten into her system. Dave..."
"May not recover, I know, I know... The disease is spreading fast through his body," they were quiet for a minute, waiting for a miracle.
Carter took Abby's temperature. 101. Up two whole degrees. He sighed. Abby's temperature was supposed to be going down, not up. She was asleep, now, but she was shivering and sweating. He sighed again. Poor Abby. Poor Dave. He hoped that they both recovered fast; it would be too painful for him if they didn't. It was strange to see them both so weak, so helpless. Like young children. You could almost say they look innocent. Even Dave he laughed at that thought. Dave and innocence didn't mix in his mind. Still, it hurt to see either one of them in pain. He wished he could do more and he knew the others did too. Romano was going crazy over the whole situation. He couldn't believe that two of his doctors were down with Lassa Fever, of all things.
"Dave? Dave! No..." he heard Abby mutter. She was restrained as well, but she still tried to move her arms.
"Calm down, girl, everything will be all right," Carter whispered. I hope.
"What... What's going... on?" Dave asked, opening his eyes a bit. Jing-Mei and Carol both jumped.
"Dave! You're back!" Carol said.
"What am I... doing here? And... What are... these for?" he asked, referring to the restraints. His breaths were heavy and he needed to take breaths between words.
"Abby brought you in. You have Lassa Fever." Jing-Mei answered.
"No I... don't. I feel fi-" but he cut himself off with a groan of pain, "I... feel fine," he finished. Jing-Mei smiled.
"Lassa Fever is a hemorrhagic fever! And it's life threatening, you know that! So don't lie to us." She reminded him.
"My throat's... sore," Dave said
"That's a surprise. Did you here me? It's Lassa Fever! Your throat must be inflamed and that means your lungs are too." Jing-Mei told him.
"Need... water..." he choked. Carol got up to get a glass of water. When she came back, he asked,
"Why are you... wearing those suits? Scared I'm gonna... hurt you?"
"You could! Don't you even know what you have?" Carol was surprised.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Lassa... Fever, highly... contagious, I got it," his voice was raspy and almost not there at all. Carol poured some water into his mouth. He smiled at her and thanked her. Then, his eyes rolled and he began to mumble things. Soon, he was swearing and trying to get out of his restraints. Carol left to get Mark and Peter.
"He was awake? Why didn't you tell me?" Mark asked as they jogged to Dave's room.
"I was going to, but he wanted water and then he... he just fell back into delirium and started swearing and fighting the restraints. He's fought the restraints before but never this hard. It scared me for a minute when he first started," they got into Dave's room and Jing-Mei was giving him a sedative. He had stopped swearing, but was now panting heavily and still fighting the restraints.
"Check his temperature!"
"Already did. 105," Jing-Mei said.
"Damn it!" Mark ran over to him with more Ribavirin.
"Can't we do anything else?" Carol asked.
"Not now," Benton told her, "Not anymore. Ribavirin is supposed to be administered within the first six days of the disease... That's when it's most effective anyway. But it's all we got right now, and I'm not even sure it's doing any good. I think we need a miracle."
Revew! Pretty Please!