Chapter 3: Stupidity
Peter took Abby by the hand abruptly and ran down the hall. He pulled her into a room. Dave was on hands and knees on the floor, coughing non-stop. His breath was heavy and Abby realized he was having difficulty breathing. He looked up at them, a pleading look on his face. He was pale.
"But... The tests-"
"Must have been wrong," Peter finished for her, "What's going on?"
"I... I don't know! Whatever it is, Carter has it too," Abby swallowed hard,
"CARTER?!" Peter was surprised, "The other test results were Carter's?" Abby nodded, slowly, "How the heck did they get sick?"
"Well, Carter caught it from a patient but I don't know how Dave-" she stopped as she remembered something, "Wait. I have to go see Carter."
"But-"
"Give me two seconds!" Abby called to Peter as she ran down the hall. She entered the room where Carter was shivering and sweating at the same time. His back was to her.
"Oh my God!" she said and ran over to him, "Carter, you have to tell me, did Dave see Kayla today?" Carter didn't reply, "Carter?" was alarmed by his silence. He turned him over so he was facing her. His eyes were closed and his breath was struggled.
"Oh God!" Abby said again, "Someone get in here NOW!" Jing-Mei Chen appeared in the door.
"Abby, what's going on?" then, she gasped.
"Carter!" she exclaimed and ran over to help Abby.
"Abby, why'd you-" Mark cut himself off and ran to help Dr. Chen.
"Can you handle him? I have to get back to see if Dave's Ok," Abby said.
"What's wrong with Dave?" Mark asked. But before Abby could answer, there was a scream from across the hall.
"Doctor! Someone, help!" Abby's eyes widened in fear.
"Kayla," she sighed and ran across the hall. She burst in. Kayla was having a seizure.
"She was just..." Paula began. Kayla began to thrash about.
"Uh..." Abby didn't know what to do. This was too much, "I need a doctor in here NOW!" she yelled. Elizabeth Corday came in.
"Abby!" she said and ran to the bed, "I need 20 CCs of Haladol!" She shouted.
"Get away! No, get away! I hate you, I hate you!" Kayla was screaming. Abby yelped in pain as Kayla dug her nails into Abby's wrist and forced her to lean in closer.
"Don't let him do this to me! Please! He's hurting me!" she shrieked. Abby was puzzled.
"Who?" she asked.
"Daddy!" Kayla answered. The Haladol began to kick in and her grip loosened.
"We should get some restraints," Elizabeth said, "In case this happens again. Abby, a word?" Elizabeth motioned for Abby to join her outside. Abby was still puzzling over what the child had said.
"Abby, this girl..."
"Oh!" Abby said, "She has, well, actually, um, I have almost no idea what she has!"
"What?" Elizabeth looked surprised, "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's all new to me! The cells seem similar to a super-combination of two diseases,"
"A super disease, Abby?" Elizabeth chuckled.
"Work with me here!" Abby replied, "The two diseases that the cells resemble seem to be that of... Well, fluid and white blood cells have accumulated the lungs and so now she has hypoxia. She seems to be in the late stages of whatever this disease is. This syndrome, I believe, is being caused by the Hantaan part of the disease..."
"Are you saying the girl has the Hantavirus?"
"Not just any Hantavirus, Dr. Corday, but Sin Nombre. The other part of the disease is relatively new to me... I mean, I've read about it, but I have never seen it in any of the patients before. I have reason to believe it's Smallpox..."
"WHAT?" Corday asked.
"It's all there! All the evidence of Smallpox! The characteristic rash, the delirium, and her fever's returning, meaning the disease is in its second stage! This is nothing to be handled lightly-"
"And yet you walk in and out of there as if this disease is as harmless to you as a fly! And you let the mother stay in there all day with the girl! Abby, how do you know that one of these doctors isn't infected with this disease because of your carelessness?" Elizabeth demanded. Abby looked down.
"I know that there are at least two doctors that are infected with the illness, Dr. Corday. And they are Dave Malucci and John Carter," Elizabeth's eyes widened.
"Get all three of the victims into isolation this minute! And have yourself and the mother tested for any signs of the disease, which, may I remind you, is highly contagious as seems to be the stupidity around here!" Elizabeth threw her hands into the air.
"I... I'm sorry. I will," Abby said.
"No, Abby, I'm sorry for yelling. It's just so frustrating with all the confusion around here. It's getting on my nerves..."
"You had a right to shout, Dr. Corday," Abby told her. When Corday left, she spoke with the mother, saying that she may have to test for the disease. The mother agreed, reluctantly, and let Abby take a sample of her blood.
Soon after, Abby went over to Carter's room and informed Jing-Mei and Mark that Carter was contagious and to get him into quarantine.
She then traveled to Dave's room where Benton and Kerry were trying to help Dave and told them the same thing.
"Dr. Benton, Dr. Weaver, the disease that Dave has is highly contagious. We need to get him into quarantine and the initial carrier as well."
"Do you know the initial carrier?" Benton asked the same question Jing-Mei had asked.
"Yeah. A girl named Kayla Jameson. Her mother is being tested. Hurry up!" she left and she passed Cleo in the hall.
"Cleo!" she said, "Could you do me a favor and make sure that Kayla Jameson makes it up to quarantine?"
"Quarantine?" Cleo asked, "Uh, sure."
"Thanks," She took the two blood samples she had collected and went up to lab.
Peter took Abby by the hand abruptly and ran down the hall. He pulled her into a room. Dave was on hands and knees on the floor, coughing non-stop. His breath was heavy and Abby realized he was having difficulty breathing. He looked up at them, a pleading look on his face. He was pale.
"But... The tests-"
"Must have been wrong," Peter finished for her, "What's going on?"
"I... I don't know! Whatever it is, Carter has it too," Abby swallowed hard,
"CARTER?!" Peter was surprised, "The other test results were Carter's?" Abby nodded, slowly, "How the heck did they get sick?"
"Well, Carter caught it from a patient but I don't know how Dave-" she stopped as she remembered something, "Wait. I have to go see Carter."
"But-"
"Give me two seconds!" Abby called to Peter as she ran down the hall. She entered the room where Carter was shivering and sweating at the same time. His back was to her.
"Oh my God!" she said and ran over to him, "Carter, you have to tell me, did Dave see Kayla today?" Carter didn't reply, "Carter?" was alarmed by his silence. He turned him over so he was facing her. His eyes were closed and his breath was struggled.
"Oh God!" Abby said again, "Someone get in here NOW!" Jing-Mei Chen appeared in the door.
"Abby, what's going on?" then, she gasped.
"Carter!" she exclaimed and ran over to help Abby.
"Abby, why'd you-" Mark cut himself off and ran to help Dr. Chen.
"Can you handle him? I have to get back to see if Dave's Ok," Abby said.
"What's wrong with Dave?" Mark asked. But before Abby could answer, there was a scream from across the hall.
"Doctor! Someone, help!" Abby's eyes widened in fear.
"Kayla," she sighed and ran across the hall. She burst in. Kayla was having a seizure.
"She was just..." Paula began. Kayla began to thrash about.
"Uh..." Abby didn't know what to do. This was too much, "I need a doctor in here NOW!" she yelled. Elizabeth Corday came in.
"Abby!" she said and ran to the bed, "I need 20 CCs of Haladol!" She shouted.
"Get away! No, get away! I hate you, I hate you!" Kayla was screaming. Abby yelped in pain as Kayla dug her nails into Abby's wrist and forced her to lean in closer.
"Don't let him do this to me! Please! He's hurting me!" she shrieked. Abby was puzzled.
"Who?" she asked.
"Daddy!" Kayla answered. The Haladol began to kick in and her grip loosened.
"We should get some restraints," Elizabeth said, "In case this happens again. Abby, a word?" Elizabeth motioned for Abby to join her outside. Abby was still puzzling over what the child had said.
"Abby, this girl..."
"Oh!" Abby said, "She has, well, actually, um, I have almost no idea what she has!"
"What?" Elizabeth looked surprised, "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's all new to me! The cells seem similar to a super-combination of two diseases,"
"A super disease, Abby?" Elizabeth chuckled.
"Work with me here!" Abby replied, "The two diseases that the cells resemble seem to be that of... Well, fluid and white blood cells have accumulated the lungs and so now she has hypoxia. She seems to be in the late stages of whatever this disease is. This syndrome, I believe, is being caused by the Hantaan part of the disease..."
"Are you saying the girl has the Hantavirus?"
"Not just any Hantavirus, Dr. Corday, but Sin Nombre. The other part of the disease is relatively new to me... I mean, I've read about it, but I have never seen it in any of the patients before. I have reason to believe it's Smallpox..."
"WHAT?" Corday asked.
"It's all there! All the evidence of Smallpox! The characteristic rash, the delirium, and her fever's returning, meaning the disease is in its second stage! This is nothing to be handled lightly-"
"And yet you walk in and out of there as if this disease is as harmless to you as a fly! And you let the mother stay in there all day with the girl! Abby, how do you know that one of these doctors isn't infected with this disease because of your carelessness?" Elizabeth demanded. Abby looked down.
"I know that there are at least two doctors that are infected with the illness, Dr. Corday. And they are Dave Malucci and John Carter," Elizabeth's eyes widened.
"Get all three of the victims into isolation this minute! And have yourself and the mother tested for any signs of the disease, which, may I remind you, is highly contagious as seems to be the stupidity around here!" Elizabeth threw her hands into the air.
"I... I'm sorry. I will," Abby said.
"No, Abby, I'm sorry for yelling. It's just so frustrating with all the confusion around here. It's getting on my nerves..."
"You had a right to shout, Dr. Corday," Abby told her. When Corday left, she spoke with the mother, saying that she may have to test for the disease. The mother agreed, reluctantly, and let Abby take a sample of her blood.
Soon after, Abby went over to Carter's room and informed Jing-Mei and Mark that Carter was contagious and to get him into quarantine.
She then traveled to Dave's room where Benton and Kerry were trying to help Dave and told them the same thing.
"Dr. Benton, Dr. Weaver, the disease that Dave has is highly contagious. We need to get him into quarantine and the initial carrier as well."
"Do you know the initial carrier?" Benton asked the same question Jing-Mei had asked.
"Yeah. A girl named Kayla Jameson. Her mother is being tested. Hurry up!" she left and she passed Cleo in the hall.
"Cleo!" she said, "Could you do me a favor and make sure that Kayla Jameson makes it up to quarantine?"
"Quarantine?" Cleo asked, "Uh, sure."
"Thanks," She took the two blood samples she had collected and went up to lab.