Highly Contagious
Chapter One: Incorrect Assumptions
Summery: A new virus is not the only thing circling around the ER that is annoying people...
Disclaimer: You better know that I (sadly) own no characters. I know that secretly, we all wished that we did, but unfortunately, we do not. However, I do own Kayla Jameson. Thank you for your cooperation in learning to accept this new idea.
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"I have no idea what this could be! It has all the symptoms of Hantavirus and, well..."
"And what?" Mark asked, waiting for a reply from Abby.
"Heh, well, this may sound strange, but also smallpox!"
"Smallpox?" Mark said, incredulously, "Abby, there's no such thing any more! It was eradicated by Edward Jenner I don't remember how many years ago! How could it come back now? And why is it mixed with the symptoms of Hantavirus?"
"I didn't say it *was* Smallpox *or* Hantavirus! I said it had the symptoms of both diseases and I have no idea if it is contagious or not!" Abby responded.
"It might be, so you might want to put the patient in isolation..." Abby opened her mouth to object, but he walked off.
"You don't even know who the patient is, Mark!" she sighed, shook her head and left.
"Dr. Benton, have you seen Malucci?" Kerry asked him, flipping through some files.
"Uh... yeah, Abby's seeing him..."
"Seeing him?" Kerry queried, suspiciously looking up from her files.
"Yeah. Said he wasn't feeling too good..." Peter said, casually.
"I wonder what's going on..."
"Abby, Kerry's looking for you!" Peter said when he passed her in the hall.
"Just a minute, I have to go talk to Dave!" she said.
"Uh, she wants you to see that patient... complaining of fever and nausea..."
"Kayla?" Abby asked, stopping to look at him in alarm, "Why? What happened?" she demanded, nervously. Peter looked at her, suspiciously.
"Yeah, Kayla... Nothing's happened, she just wanted to know if you've seen her lately..."
"Yeah, yeah, saw her a few minutes ago, did anyone else?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Peter replied.
"I mean, did anyone else see her?" Abby said, impatiently.
"No... She's your patient. Well, I mean, you and Carter's..."
"Carter!" she said suddenly, dropping some papers.
"What are those?" Peter asked, helping her pick them up. When he did, he notice the words 'Hantavirus' and 'Smallpox' along with 'lethal, 'contagious' and, to his horror, 'Malucci.'
"Results," she answered, "Dave and Kayla's results. One very contagious disease, and a flue case. I have to find Carter. Where is he?"
"With Kayla... Abby, who has this... disease?" but Abby was already jogging off. She called back the name of the patient, but Benton didn't hear.
"Damn," he said, "I have to talk to Kerry."
"So you see, Mrs. Jameson, when Abby gets back with the results to your daughter's tests, we will be able to learn more," Carter spoke to the mother of the patient. She nodded.
"It's not that serious is it? I mean, she claims it's only the flue or something, but I think it's more..."
"And your suspicions may be correct, but for Kayla's sake, I hope they aren't."
"As do I, Dr. Carter, as do I," she smiled, weakly. Abby ran into the room.
"Carter? The results are in."
"What?" Kerry stared at Peter, "Are you saying that Dave's contagious?"
"And in serious trouble!" Peter added.
"Oh, he's always in trouble whether it be health wise, or with me!" Kerry said.
"You know, that would be funny any other time but now!" Peter said, "Dave needs our support!"
"Sure, Ok, go in and talk to him!" Kerry said. Peter nodded and went to the room Dave was supposed to be in.
When he got there, he saw Dave sitting down in a chair, is back to him, looking out the window.
"Dave?" he called, tentatively. Dave's head turned. He looked fine.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Did Abby talk to you? About what's wrong with you?" Peter asked. Dave sighed.
"Yeah. I was hoping for a few days off, maybe, but I know Weaver would never let that happen when all I got is something like this!" Peter stared at him, shocked.
"I'm sure Dr. Weaver can be, at times, harsh, but she knows what's good for you and she would *never* make you work in your condition!"
"What?" it was Dave's turn to look shocked, "It's no big deal, really! And she knows it. I mean, everyone gets it and it's not like it's deadly or anything..."
"Do you know what you have?" Peter asked, disbelieving, "I'm not sure but it has something to do with Hantavirus and that is pretty serious!"
"Hantavirus?" Dave asked, aghast, "All I have is the flue! She said nothing about Hantavirus!"
"Wait... Did you know you had the flue?"
"Well, yeah! But I got a little overheated and sorta passed out and Abby insisted on running tests. I think she was way overreacting."
"So... Who does have the Hantavirus disease?" Peter asked, and then it hit him.
"Kayla?" Carter's eyes were wide with shock and fear. This reaction was slightly different than Abby suspected.
"Yes," she confirmed, simply.
"K-Kay-Kayla J-Jameson?" Carter stammered.
"Why do you sound so scarred?" Abby asked. Carter closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and collected himself.
"Abby," he said, calmly, "I need you to run a few tests."
"On Kayla?"
"No," he said seriously, "On me."
"Why?"
"Because I think I have it, too,"
Chapter One: Incorrect Assumptions
Summery: A new virus is not the only thing circling around the ER that is annoying people...
Disclaimer: You better know that I (sadly) own no characters. I know that secretly, we all wished that we did, but unfortunately, we do not. However, I do own Kayla Jameson. Thank you for your cooperation in learning to accept this new idea.
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"I have no idea what this could be! It has all the symptoms of Hantavirus and, well..."
"And what?" Mark asked, waiting for a reply from Abby.
"Heh, well, this may sound strange, but also smallpox!"
"Smallpox?" Mark said, incredulously, "Abby, there's no such thing any more! It was eradicated by Edward Jenner I don't remember how many years ago! How could it come back now? And why is it mixed with the symptoms of Hantavirus?"
"I didn't say it *was* Smallpox *or* Hantavirus! I said it had the symptoms of both diseases and I have no idea if it is contagious or not!" Abby responded.
"It might be, so you might want to put the patient in isolation..." Abby opened her mouth to object, but he walked off.
"You don't even know who the patient is, Mark!" she sighed, shook her head and left.
"Dr. Benton, have you seen Malucci?" Kerry asked him, flipping through some files.
"Uh... yeah, Abby's seeing him..."
"Seeing him?" Kerry queried, suspiciously looking up from her files.
"Yeah. Said he wasn't feeling too good..." Peter said, casually.
"I wonder what's going on..."
"Abby, Kerry's looking for you!" Peter said when he passed her in the hall.
"Just a minute, I have to go talk to Dave!" she said.
"Uh, she wants you to see that patient... complaining of fever and nausea..."
"Kayla?" Abby asked, stopping to look at him in alarm, "Why? What happened?" she demanded, nervously. Peter looked at her, suspiciously.
"Yeah, Kayla... Nothing's happened, she just wanted to know if you've seen her lately..."
"Yeah, yeah, saw her a few minutes ago, did anyone else?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Peter replied.
"I mean, did anyone else see her?" Abby said, impatiently.
"No... She's your patient. Well, I mean, you and Carter's..."
"Carter!" she said suddenly, dropping some papers.
"What are those?" Peter asked, helping her pick them up. When he did, he notice the words 'Hantavirus' and 'Smallpox' along with 'lethal, 'contagious' and, to his horror, 'Malucci.'
"Results," she answered, "Dave and Kayla's results. One very contagious disease, and a flue case. I have to find Carter. Where is he?"
"With Kayla... Abby, who has this... disease?" but Abby was already jogging off. She called back the name of the patient, but Benton didn't hear.
"Damn," he said, "I have to talk to Kerry."
"So you see, Mrs. Jameson, when Abby gets back with the results to your daughter's tests, we will be able to learn more," Carter spoke to the mother of the patient. She nodded.
"It's not that serious is it? I mean, she claims it's only the flue or something, but I think it's more..."
"And your suspicions may be correct, but for Kayla's sake, I hope they aren't."
"As do I, Dr. Carter, as do I," she smiled, weakly. Abby ran into the room.
"Carter? The results are in."
"What?" Kerry stared at Peter, "Are you saying that Dave's contagious?"
"And in serious trouble!" Peter added.
"Oh, he's always in trouble whether it be health wise, or with me!" Kerry said.
"You know, that would be funny any other time but now!" Peter said, "Dave needs our support!"
"Sure, Ok, go in and talk to him!" Kerry said. Peter nodded and went to the room Dave was supposed to be in.
When he got there, he saw Dave sitting down in a chair, is back to him, looking out the window.
"Dave?" he called, tentatively. Dave's head turned. He looked fine.
"Yeah?" he said.
"Did Abby talk to you? About what's wrong with you?" Peter asked. Dave sighed.
"Yeah. I was hoping for a few days off, maybe, but I know Weaver would never let that happen when all I got is something like this!" Peter stared at him, shocked.
"I'm sure Dr. Weaver can be, at times, harsh, but she knows what's good for you and she would *never* make you work in your condition!"
"What?" it was Dave's turn to look shocked, "It's no big deal, really! And she knows it. I mean, everyone gets it and it's not like it's deadly or anything..."
"Do you know what you have?" Peter asked, disbelieving, "I'm not sure but it has something to do with Hantavirus and that is pretty serious!"
"Hantavirus?" Dave asked, aghast, "All I have is the flue! She said nothing about Hantavirus!"
"Wait... Did you know you had the flue?"
"Well, yeah! But I got a little overheated and sorta passed out and Abby insisted on running tests. I think she was way overreacting."
"So... Who does have the Hantavirus disease?" Peter asked, and then it hit him.
"Kayla?" Carter's eyes were wide with shock and fear. This reaction was slightly different than Abby suspected.
"Yes," she confirmed, simply.
"K-Kay-Kayla J-Jameson?" Carter stammered.
"Why do you sound so scarred?" Abby asked. Carter closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and collected himself.
"Abby," he said, calmly, "I need you to run a few tests."
"On Kayla?"
"No," he said seriously, "On me."
"Why?"
"Because I think I have it, too,"