Chapter 3 - Patient 1
Helena looked up, "What?" she managed to say. Cris' face had turned pale and Helena's gut churned. Cris looked up at Helena and then Dinah, "It's a virus, I think," she took a deep breath in, "It has the properties of one." "What kind of virus," Dinah asked. "I don't know, it looks similar to the Nipah Virus, but it seems different, almost mutated. The foam at her mouth tells me she suffered a seizure of sorts, that's normally associated Encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, but that's the only symptom I can see," Cris replied rubbing her forehead. "But, It can't be, has she been in contact with any horses or pigs?" Cris asked. "I don't think so," Dinah replied. Cris' mind raced, something bothered her. It definitely looked like the Nipah virus but there was something more to it. "Cris?" Helena said interrupting her, "What's going to happen? She's not going." "No, you know just as well as I, Barbara's too strong to let some virus get the better of her. Okay listen, we need to monitor her closely, especially her breathing. Meanwhile I would be safe if we wore rubber gloves. Normally you can't contact it from Human to Human, but I say we just be careful for the time being," Cris replied. Both Dinah and Helena nodded and got busy. Cris looked at Barbara for a moment and then turned around and got working.
At 5am Cris took a break and walked outside, on the balcony. A million thoughts ran through her mind. How could she have been infected? I couldn't have been the mosquito that bit her the previous morning, someone infected with the Nipah virus normally show symptoms 3-14 days. If the onset was so quick, then coma wasn't too far away. She didn't hear Helena join her.
"For a history teacher you sure know a lot about viruses," Helena said, standing next to Cris. "I was a big fan of Robin Cook's book 'Outbreak', I used to research viruses in my spare time. I also used to work as a lab assistant sometimes. Barbara could never understand why I was so crazy about it, but she helped me sometimes," Cris replied turning to face Helena, "I did a portfolio on the Nipah virus and even though it was a few years back, it's still fresh in my mind." "You said it seemed different, why?" "Something about it doesn't seem right, the onset, if caused by the mosquito, was too quick. She only suffered a headache before the seizure, normally a patient is also feverish. To me it seemed to be altered, almost perfected, but. how?" Helena looked down, she felt as if Barbara was slipping away from them and there was nothing she could do. She looked up at Cris, "You know, when you first came here, I didn't trust you. Even after I learned you were Barbara's friend, I felt weary. Now it seems you're the only one who knows what's going on here, more or less and I can't help thinking that now more than ever is the time to trust you. Ha! I'm starting to sound like Barbara," Helena said and then chuckled. Cris was silent for a moment and then said, "Thank-you"
***
Helena groaned as she was shaken awake. Cris was kneeling in front of her with her hand on Helena's arm. "Helena?" Cris asked. "Yeah?" Helena asked as she opened her eyes. "I've gotta go to the school to pick a few things up, I got my comset on if you need me," Cris said standing up. She had just showered and borrowed some of Barbara's clothes. "Okay," Helena replied groggily. She looked around her a noticed it was light outside. Then she remembered Barbara and looked over to her bed. Barbara lay silent with her eyes closed; Dinah had fallen asleep next to her holding her hand. Helena got up and followed Cris to the elevator. "Is there any change?" She asked. Cris turned to her and said, "Nothing, which is a good sign, but I can't say for how long." Helena nodded and watched as the elevator doors closed. "I wouldn't worry Miss Helena, Miss Barbara has been though a lot more than this," Alfred said behind Helena. Helena turned around and smiled, "You're right." "Now, you wake Miss Dinah up and come to the kitchen, I've prepared breakfast."
***
Cris yawned as she pulled up to the parking lot. She climbed out and started walking towards the reception. Something caught her eye and she looked down into the bed of flowers. Something had reflected the sun's rays at Cris, bending down she picked it up. It was a small black dart. Frowning she carried on walking.
She reached the reception and approached the receptionist. "Hey Darcy, Barbara didn't feel well this morning so she asked me to pick a few things up in her classroom, can I have her spare keys?" Cris asked. The receptionist smiled and pulled back a drawer, "I hope she gets better, oh by the way, someone came in looking for her just now. You passed him when you came in." "Yeah?" Cris remembered the man's face. He seemed very sketchy. "He said he had an appointment with her, maybe you know something about it?" the receptionist said handing a key over to Cris. "What did he say his name was?" Cris asked accepting the key. "Aaron Scott." "No I didn't know about the meeting. Anyway thanks for the key," Cris replied and then walked out. She spotted Mr. Scott and walked up to him saying, "Mr Scott! Hi, I'm Miss Stone, I understand you had an appointment with Miss Gordon this morning?" Aaron turned around and smiled, "Hello, yes I did, but the secretary told me she wasn't in." "Yes, well she called in sick, is there anything I can help you with?" Cris replied. "Well, my son and I moved over here and he's very interested in computer sciences, I just wanted to talk to Miss Gordon about her class and if it were possible that she could fit him in, what is wrong with her?" He replied. To Cris his question struck her as odd and a little intrusive. "I think she said something about the flu," Cris replied. He smiled and looked down at her hand as she fiddled with the key. He spotted the dart and then shot a look at her, he then smiled and said, "Well thank-you very much Miss Stone." He then turned around and walked away. Cris felt uneasy about him, especially the look he gave her after he saw the dart. She made a note to try and access Delphi and bring up info about him.
***
Dinah, after showering, entered the lab. She looked over at Barbara and saw her eyes were open. She turned to Helena and whispered, "Helena!" she then pointed at Barbara. Helena looked up, both moved over to Barbara. Her eyes darted between them. "Hey," Helena said softly, "How are you?" Barbara's eyes darted from Helena to Dinah then to Helena and so on. She seemed scared and confused, "Barbara?" Dinah said her head closer to Barbara. Suddenly Barbara's hand shot up and she started choking Dinah. As she tightened her grip around Dinah's neck her nails started digging into Dinah's neck, drawing blood.
Helena looked up, "What?" she managed to say. Cris' face had turned pale and Helena's gut churned. Cris looked up at Helena and then Dinah, "It's a virus, I think," she took a deep breath in, "It has the properties of one." "What kind of virus," Dinah asked. "I don't know, it looks similar to the Nipah Virus, but it seems different, almost mutated. The foam at her mouth tells me she suffered a seizure of sorts, that's normally associated Encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, but that's the only symptom I can see," Cris replied rubbing her forehead. "But, It can't be, has she been in contact with any horses or pigs?" Cris asked. "I don't think so," Dinah replied. Cris' mind raced, something bothered her. It definitely looked like the Nipah virus but there was something more to it. "Cris?" Helena said interrupting her, "What's going to happen? She's not going." "No, you know just as well as I, Barbara's too strong to let some virus get the better of her. Okay listen, we need to monitor her closely, especially her breathing. Meanwhile I would be safe if we wore rubber gloves. Normally you can't contact it from Human to Human, but I say we just be careful for the time being," Cris replied. Both Dinah and Helena nodded and got busy. Cris looked at Barbara for a moment and then turned around and got working.
At 5am Cris took a break and walked outside, on the balcony. A million thoughts ran through her mind. How could she have been infected? I couldn't have been the mosquito that bit her the previous morning, someone infected with the Nipah virus normally show symptoms 3-14 days. If the onset was so quick, then coma wasn't too far away. She didn't hear Helena join her.
"For a history teacher you sure know a lot about viruses," Helena said, standing next to Cris. "I was a big fan of Robin Cook's book 'Outbreak', I used to research viruses in my spare time. I also used to work as a lab assistant sometimes. Barbara could never understand why I was so crazy about it, but she helped me sometimes," Cris replied turning to face Helena, "I did a portfolio on the Nipah virus and even though it was a few years back, it's still fresh in my mind." "You said it seemed different, why?" "Something about it doesn't seem right, the onset, if caused by the mosquito, was too quick. She only suffered a headache before the seizure, normally a patient is also feverish. To me it seemed to be altered, almost perfected, but. how?" Helena looked down, she felt as if Barbara was slipping away from them and there was nothing she could do. She looked up at Cris, "You know, when you first came here, I didn't trust you. Even after I learned you were Barbara's friend, I felt weary. Now it seems you're the only one who knows what's going on here, more or less and I can't help thinking that now more than ever is the time to trust you. Ha! I'm starting to sound like Barbara," Helena said and then chuckled. Cris was silent for a moment and then said, "Thank-you"
***
Helena groaned as she was shaken awake. Cris was kneeling in front of her with her hand on Helena's arm. "Helena?" Cris asked. "Yeah?" Helena asked as she opened her eyes. "I've gotta go to the school to pick a few things up, I got my comset on if you need me," Cris said standing up. She had just showered and borrowed some of Barbara's clothes. "Okay," Helena replied groggily. She looked around her a noticed it was light outside. Then she remembered Barbara and looked over to her bed. Barbara lay silent with her eyes closed; Dinah had fallen asleep next to her holding her hand. Helena got up and followed Cris to the elevator. "Is there any change?" She asked. Cris turned to her and said, "Nothing, which is a good sign, but I can't say for how long." Helena nodded and watched as the elevator doors closed. "I wouldn't worry Miss Helena, Miss Barbara has been though a lot more than this," Alfred said behind Helena. Helena turned around and smiled, "You're right." "Now, you wake Miss Dinah up and come to the kitchen, I've prepared breakfast."
***
Cris yawned as she pulled up to the parking lot. She climbed out and started walking towards the reception. Something caught her eye and she looked down into the bed of flowers. Something had reflected the sun's rays at Cris, bending down she picked it up. It was a small black dart. Frowning she carried on walking.
She reached the reception and approached the receptionist. "Hey Darcy, Barbara didn't feel well this morning so she asked me to pick a few things up in her classroom, can I have her spare keys?" Cris asked. The receptionist smiled and pulled back a drawer, "I hope she gets better, oh by the way, someone came in looking for her just now. You passed him when you came in." "Yeah?" Cris remembered the man's face. He seemed very sketchy. "He said he had an appointment with her, maybe you know something about it?" the receptionist said handing a key over to Cris. "What did he say his name was?" Cris asked accepting the key. "Aaron Scott." "No I didn't know about the meeting. Anyway thanks for the key," Cris replied and then walked out. She spotted Mr. Scott and walked up to him saying, "Mr Scott! Hi, I'm Miss Stone, I understand you had an appointment with Miss Gordon this morning?" Aaron turned around and smiled, "Hello, yes I did, but the secretary told me she wasn't in." "Yes, well she called in sick, is there anything I can help you with?" Cris replied. "Well, my son and I moved over here and he's very interested in computer sciences, I just wanted to talk to Miss Gordon about her class and if it were possible that she could fit him in, what is wrong with her?" He replied. To Cris his question struck her as odd and a little intrusive. "I think she said something about the flu," Cris replied. He smiled and looked down at her hand as she fiddled with the key. He spotted the dart and then shot a look at her, he then smiled and said, "Well thank-you very much Miss Stone." He then turned around and walked away. Cris felt uneasy about him, especially the look he gave her after he saw the dart. She made a note to try and access Delphi and bring up info about him.
***
Dinah, after showering, entered the lab. She looked over at Barbara and saw her eyes were open. She turned to Helena and whispered, "Helena!" she then pointed at Barbara. Helena looked up, both moved over to Barbara. Her eyes darted between them. "Hey," Helena said softly, "How are you?" Barbara's eyes darted from Helena to Dinah then to Helena and so on. She seemed scared and confused, "Barbara?" Dinah said her head closer to Barbara. Suddenly Barbara's hand shot up and she started choking Dinah. As she tightened her grip around Dinah's neck her nails started digging into Dinah's neck, drawing blood.