Chapter 4: Abby's Jaguar
A/N: For those of you who are wondering, Lassa Fever is not a fictional disease and it can easily result in deafness, memory loss, and a whole lot more. Somtimes, the deafness and memory loss is permanent, sometimes it isn't. It is mostly found in West Africa and in Sierra Leone and Liberia, it is known that 10-16% of people admitted to the hospitals have Lassa fever. The fatality rate is 50%. Just thought you'd like to know some of the statistcs.
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"Dave? Where are you?" Abby called. She was in a dark rainforest with tangled vines. It was frightening; she wasn't sure she'd ever get out. She cut away the vines with a machete and went deeper into the jungle. She looked around. She could see hungry eyes watching her and heard a low growl.
"Dave?" she called again and kept going, ignoring the growls and watching eyes. Finally, she came to a river. There was a raft tied to the shore.
"Come on, Abby, the river's calling," Dave called from the raft.
"Where are we?" she asked. Dave looked around.
"It's your dream; you tell me!"
"That's a big river," she said, looking at it.
"Sure is," was all he said in reply, "Hurry up before it gets you!"
"What gets me?"
"The Jaguar. She's after us."
"Why?"
"I think it's my fault."
"Why?" Abby asked again.
"Well, I first noticed her when I was in Mali. And I think she followed me back. Now she's developed a taste for Lockhart steak."
"Are you sure you don't know where we are?" Abby asked.
"I told you, it's your dream," Dave said, "Where do you think we are?"
"Well, we're in a rainforest and this river looks big enough to be the Amazon..."
"Give the girl a prize!" Dave said, "Come on! It's on to your scent now."
"You want to go down the Amazon River in that?" Abby asked, looking at the scrawny rubber raft.
"It's all we got. The Jaguar doesn't like the raft. It scares it. But eventually, it'll come," Abby climbed into the raft and Dave began to untie it from the bank.
"What makes you say that?" she asked.
"Well, the locals in Mali name the Jaguar Lassa. They say she's a very clever cat gone crazy. She attacks everyone in West Africa. Eats them alive. Now, she want's us. She is smart. There isn't much that scares her and not much to protect yourself from her. But she's afraid of the raft. And a little scared of water. Here we go!" Dave said as he finally untied the rope. They were doing fine for a while but then the boat hit the rapids and the ride became bumpy. Water splashed their faces.
"Wahoo! Isn't this the life?" Dave shouted over the waves.
"I guess!" Abby screamed back, clinging to the raft as if her life depended on it. And maybe it did. Suddenly, there was a big rapid and Dave fell out.
"DAVE!" Abby screamed. He tried to keep his head above water, but with no avail. His head disappeared under the green waters of the amazon.
"DAVE!" Abby screamed again. The sound of the water died down and the deafening roar of the jaguar cut through all sound.
Abby awoke her hair damp with perspiration. Carter was surprised by her sudden consciousness and came immediately to her side.
"How's... Dave?" she gasped, shivering with chills and still sweating.
"He's alive, but his fever's much higher than yours..." Carter replied. Abby was breathing heavily. It must be getting hard for her to breathe now.
"I... Feel... Terrible..." Abby said between breaths.
"It's to be expected," Carter said. A tear rolled down Abby's cheek.
"Tell me... Dave... isn't... going through... this pain?" she gasped. Carter smiled a week, sad smile.
"I don't think so," he lied. He didn't know what Dave was feeling but he knew it wasn't comfort.
"Water..." Abby panted. She almost reminded Carter of a sick and hot little puppy, with her tongue out, catching what water she could from the humid air. Carter agreed and poured water in her mouth.
"I should go tell them you're awake. They wanted to know when you would be," Carter told her.
"Don't... Go! The Jaguar..." but that was all she could say. Carter shook his head, sadly.
"I have to. I'll be right back... I hate to see you this way," he added, and left.
"Abby..." Luka said, looking in at her with a tear in his eye. He put on his mask and went in to see her. She was gasping for air.
"Luka..." she breathed, a smile appearing on her wet face. Luka smiled back at her. He walked over to her and took her hand in his gloved one.
"The... Jaguar! It's come... It's coming! It... it wants... me and... Dave,"
"Shh... Rest," Luka told her, "Carter, where's the Ribavirin?"
"But we shouldn't-"
"I just want to know where it is," he said.
"That's for me to know and you to guess," Carter said, "She doesn't need it right now," Luka closed his eyes and opened them again.
"I just... I just want to do something more!" he told Carter in frustration.
"I know how you feel. But we can't let our feelings get in the way of our better judgement. She's getting lots of fluids and she is as comfortable as we can make her. That's the best we can do right now."
"Why is it working so fast? It shouldn't be working this fast!"
"I don't know. Maybe the cells are advanced, but... I don't know. It just is, I guess... But you're right. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It's almost as if this virus has it in for Abby Lockhart."
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Luka turned and shouted at Carter.
"Whoa, calm down! It was a thought! Relax!" Luka nodded.
"I'm sorry, Carter. It's just... Abby and Dave are both down and..."
"I understand. You're touchy. I get it..." they both looked at Abby who was still speaking about a jaguar and was almost unaware that they were only half-listening.
"The poor girl..."
"Abby... Get away! Abby..." Mark watched as Dave kept screaming Abby's name. Carter came in.
"How long has he been like this?"
"I don't know... A while... He keeps calling her name. It's almost as if he knows she's sick too," he replied.
"Stay away... Lassa... back... No..." they looked on sadly. It was late at night now, but no one wanted to leave. No one could leave, not with them like that.
"Isn't it funny how life works?" Carter asked.
"Yeah..." Mark agreed.
"Sometimes, I watch them and wish I was the sick one instead..." Mark swallowed hard and turned to Carter.
"Carter... His fever. It won't go down and the fever cells keep multiplying faster than his body can fight them off... It's moving to his head..."
"No..." Carter shook his head, not taking his eyes off of Dave.
"You've heard what Lassa Fever can do... Even people who've recovered from it. Some suffer deafness, memory loss... anything, really. And sometimes, it can turn into Encephalitis... Comas..."
"No..." Carter said again. Mark continued.
"If there's no change for the better, he looks like he's on that road..."
Carter went back to Abby and Luka.
"How is he?" Luka whispered.
"... Not good... Mark thinks... Encephalitis..." he didn't need to say any more. Luka shook his head and looked over at Abby who was staring right back at them.
"The Jaguar's finally got him, hasn't it?" Abby asked normally without gasping for air. And with that, her eyes closed and she fell into another restless nightmare.
A/N: For those of you who are wondering, Lassa Fever is not a fictional disease and it can easily result in deafness, memory loss, and a whole lot more. Somtimes, the deafness and memory loss is permanent, sometimes it isn't. It is mostly found in West Africa and in Sierra Leone and Liberia, it is known that 10-16% of people admitted to the hospitals have Lassa fever. The fatality rate is 50%. Just thought you'd like to know some of the statistcs.
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"Dave? Where are you?" Abby called. She was in a dark rainforest with tangled vines. It was frightening; she wasn't sure she'd ever get out. She cut away the vines with a machete and went deeper into the jungle. She looked around. She could see hungry eyes watching her and heard a low growl.
"Dave?" she called again and kept going, ignoring the growls and watching eyes. Finally, she came to a river. There was a raft tied to the shore.
"Come on, Abby, the river's calling," Dave called from the raft.
"Where are we?" she asked. Dave looked around.
"It's your dream; you tell me!"
"That's a big river," she said, looking at it.
"Sure is," was all he said in reply, "Hurry up before it gets you!"
"What gets me?"
"The Jaguar. She's after us."
"Why?"
"I think it's my fault."
"Why?" Abby asked again.
"Well, I first noticed her when I was in Mali. And I think she followed me back. Now she's developed a taste for Lockhart steak."
"Are you sure you don't know where we are?" Abby asked.
"I told you, it's your dream," Dave said, "Where do you think we are?"
"Well, we're in a rainforest and this river looks big enough to be the Amazon..."
"Give the girl a prize!" Dave said, "Come on! It's on to your scent now."
"You want to go down the Amazon River in that?" Abby asked, looking at the scrawny rubber raft.
"It's all we got. The Jaguar doesn't like the raft. It scares it. But eventually, it'll come," Abby climbed into the raft and Dave began to untie it from the bank.
"What makes you say that?" she asked.
"Well, the locals in Mali name the Jaguar Lassa. They say she's a very clever cat gone crazy. She attacks everyone in West Africa. Eats them alive. Now, she want's us. She is smart. There isn't much that scares her and not much to protect yourself from her. But she's afraid of the raft. And a little scared of water. Here we go!" Dave said as he finally untied the rope. They were doing fine for a while but then the boat hit the rapids and the ride became bumpy. Water splashed their faces.
"Wahoo! Isn't this the life?" Dave shouted over the waves.
"I guess!" Abby screamed back, clinging to the raft as if her life depended on it. And maybe it did. Suddenly, there was a big rapid and Dave fell out.
"DAVE!" Abby screamed. He tried to keep his head above water, but with no avail. His head disappeared under the green waters of the amazon.
"DAVE!" Abby screamed again. The sound of the water died down and the deafening roar of the jaguar cut through all sound.
Abby awoke her hair damp with perspiration. Carter was surprised by her sudden consciousness and came immediately to her side.
"How's... Dave?" she gasped, shivering with chills and still sweating.
"He's alive, but his fever's much higher than yours..." Carter replied. Abby was breathing heavily. It must be getting hard for her to breathe now.
"I... Feel... Terrible..." Abby said between breaths.
"It's to be expected," Carter said. A tear rolled down Abby's cheek.
"Tell me... Dave... isn't... going through... this pain?" she gasped. Carter smiled a week, sad smile.
"I don't think so," he lied. He didn't know what Dave was feeling but he knew it wasn't comfort.
"Water..." Abby panted. She almost reminded Carter of a sick and hot little puppy, with her tongue out, catching what water she could from the humid air. Carter agreed and poured water in her mouth.
"I should go tell them you're awake. They wanted to know when you would be," Carter told her.
"Don't... Go! The Jaguar..." but that was all she could say. Carter shook his head, sadly.
"I have to. I'll be right back... I hate to see you this way," he added, and left.
"Abby..." Luka said, looking in at her with a tear in his eye. He put on his mask and went in to see her. She was gasping for air.
"Luka..." she breathed, a smile appearing on her wet face. Luka smiled back at her. He walked over to her and took her hand in his gloved one.
"The... Jaguar! It's come... It's coming! It... it wants... me and... Dave,"
"Shh... Rest," Luka told her, "Carter, where's the Ribavirin?"
"But we shouldn't-"
"I just want to know where it is," he said.
"That's for me to know and you to guess," Carter said, "She doesn't need it right now," Luka closed his eyes and opened them again.
"I just... I just want to do something more!" he told Carter in frustration.
"I know how you feel. But we can't let our feelings get in the way of our better judgement. She's getting lots of fluids and she is as comfortable as we can make her. That's the best we can do right now."
"Why is it working so fast? It shouldn't be working this fast!"
"I don't know. Maybe the cells are advanced, but... I don't know. It just is, I guess... But you're right. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It's almost as if this virus has it in for Abby Lockhart."
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Luka turned and shouted at Carter.
"Whoa, calm down! It was a thought! Relax!" Luka nodded.
"I'm sorry, Carter. It's just... Abby and Dave are both down and..."
"I understand. You're touchy. I get it..." they both looked at Abby who was still speaking about a jaguar and was almost unaware that they were only half-listening.
"The poor girl..."
"Abby... Get away! Abby..." Mark watched as Dave kept screaming Abby's name. Carter came in.
"How long has he been like this?"
"I don't know... A while... He keeps calling her name. It's almost as if he knows she's sick too," he replied.
"Stay away... Lassa... back... No..." they looked on sadly. It was late at night now, but no one wanted to leave. No one could leave, not with them like that.
"Isn't it funny how life works?" Carter asked.
"Yeah..." Mark agreed.
"Sometimes, I watch them and wish I was the sick one instead..." Mark swallowed hard and turned to Carter.
"Carter... His fever. It won't go down and the fever cells keep multiplying faster than his body can fight them off... It's moving to his head..."
"No..." Carter shook his head, not taking his eyes off of Dave.
"You've heard what Lassa Fever can do... Even people who've recovered from it. Some suffer deafness, memory loss... anything, really. And sometimes, it can turn into Encephalitis... Comas..."
"No..." Carter said again. Mark continued.
"If there's no change for the better, he looks like he's on that road..."
Carter went back to Abby and Luka.
"How is he?" Luka whispered.
"... Not good... Mark thinks... Encephalitis..." he didn't need to say any more. Luka shook his head and looked over at Abby who was staring right back at them.
"The Jaguar's finally got him, hasn't it?" Abby asked normally without gasping for air. And with that, her eyes closed and she fell into another restless nightmare.