Chapter 4 - The Past
"Oh sh. Barbara!" Helena exclaimed as she tried to pry Barbara's hand away from Dinah's neck, "Barbara! Let go!" "You're. hurting. me," Dinah managed to say. Hearing this Barbara let go. Her eyes looked so wild, so confused as they darted around the room. Helena pulled Dinah backwards and stared at Barbara. Not knowing what to do, hurt her so much. She wanted to comfort Barbara and tell her everything was going to be okay, but she was scared of being attacked. What made her attack Dinah? Dinah stood gulping in air. She wiped some blood off her neck and looked at it. Her eyes widened as she looked up at Helena. Just then Cris burst in the room. "What's going on?" she said as she rushed to them. "I. Barbara attacked Dinah, she just woke up and when we moved closer she started choking her," Helena replied. Cris looked over at Barbara and then at Dinah. She saw the blood on Dinah hand and took a sharp breath in. She moved over to Barbara, immediately Barbara's hand shot up. Cris jerked her head back. "Helena, quick, help me tie her down," she said as she reached for the leather straps on the bed. Both Helena and Cris fought to hold her down and tie the straps around her arms and legs. As the finished Cris dashed to the drug cabinet, she took out a tranquilizer and a syringe. "Okay, now I need you to keep her still for me," Cris said as she drew the liquid out, into the syringe. She squirted some out to get rid of the air and the approached Barbara. She nods at Helena and then moves in as Helena keeps her still. After a few seconds Barbara stopped thrashing about and closed her eyes.
Helena and Cris stared at her then Helena turned to Cris, "What just happened?" she asked. Cris threw the syringe into a dustbin and then walked over to Dinah, "Some patients suffer mental confusion, most of the time they're just merely confused, but there have been cases where the infected attack those close to him or her," Cris replied as she looked at Dinah's neck. The bleeding was only slight, but Cris still feared that Dinah could possibly be infected. She asked Helena for a cotton ball and disinfectant. "Okay, are there any other surprises in store?" Helena asked handing Cris the stuff. "No, nothing surprising," Cris replied her face was grim. "But there's something else, isn't there?" Cris looked up at Helena and sighed, "The next step is normally a coma." Helena stared at her for a moment, "How much time do we have?" Cris placed a plaster on Dinah's neck and the looked back at Helena, sighing, "I don't know." All three fell quiet for a moment. Then Cris cleared her throat, "Dinah, I need a blood sample from you."
Dinah looked at her confused, "Why?" "I just need to make sure, I think I should take samples from all of us," she replied. "But you said that infection is only possible if were in contact with horses or pigs," Helena said frowning. "I know, I just want to know we are safe." Helena and Dinah nodded and followed Cris to the lab table. Once finished she placed the three chips into a small slot into a computer. "It'll take a while for the computer to anaylise this, Dinah, you look after Barbara," she then looked at Helena, "Could I speak to you at the computer station? I need help with Delphi." Helena nodded and followed Cris out.
Dinah sat down and looked over at Barbara. She felt more scared than ever. Barbara looked so pale, so. lost. She leaned her head against the wall and kept her eyes on Barbara. Her mind wandered to her first day at New Gotham, Barbara asked her if she was ready a dozen times. She acted almost like she was Dinah's mother. Barbara was more or less her mother. She had given Dinah hope for the future, a better hope than the Redmonds. She had almost been there for her when her real mom, Carolyn, died. A tear started to form on her right eye. "Don't you leave us Barbara, don't you leave me."
***
Cris rolled a chair up to the computer station and sat down sighing. "There is something wrong with Dinah, isn't there?" Helena asked standing in front of Cris folding her arms. Cris ran her hand through her hair. She stayed staring at the floor when she answered Helena, "I don't know, it. when I saw the blood, i." "You don't seem to know a lot of things!" Helena cut in harshly, "Everytime we ask you something it's always, I don't know, I thought you knew this virus!" "Look!" Cris stood up abruptly, "I know this virus, I know it very well. What's swimming in her blood is that little son of a bitch, but what I don't know is how Barbara could have gotten it. And because of that, I don't know if Dinah has it. The little fucker has also mutated. So DON'T tell me I don't know it!" she shouted, all the frustration started boiling out. "You know more than you letting on, don't you?" Helena said frowning, "There's something you're not telling me." Cris glared at her, "Don't go there." "You know what? I'll go where I want to! Barbara is laying there and the only person who can help her is you, but something is bothering you and I need to know what it is, cause I'd be damned if I let you touch her if you're not all honest with us!" Cris breathed deep in and out, trying to calm herself. She shook her head as she sat down. Then, bending forward she rested her forehead in her hand. "When I was 10, my parents took my brother and myself to Australia. My mother's friend owned a farm there. I was so excited; I could hardly hold myself together. Mom told me about all the horses, cattle, pigs and sheep. I loved horses, must have read every single book that dealt with horses." She paused and leaned backwards. "One day the supervisor took us out horses riding. We rode all over the farm, I loved it so much I wasn't even tired. I just wanted to keep riding. Late afternoon we arrived back at the farm. I climbed of my horse and patted it on the nose. It sneezed on me and everyone laughed, even me. Day after the next my parents rushed me off to the hospital. I had a huge headache and a fever that could match Niagara Falls. The doctor took a blood sample and then gave my parents the bad news. I was infected with the Nipah virus." She fell silent. Helena looked down at the floor; she didn't know what to say. Cris stood up, excused herself and walked outside onto the balcony, tears started streaming down her face.
"Oh sh. Barbara!" Helena exclaimed as she tried to pry Barbara's hand away from Dinah's neck, "Barbara! Let go!" "You're. hurting. me," Dinah managed to say. Hearing this Barbara let go. Her eyes looked so wild, so confused as they darted around the room. Helena pulled Dinah backwards and stared at Barbara. Not knowing what to do, hurt her so much. She wanted to comfort Barbara and tell her everything was going to be okay, but she was scared of being attacked. What made her attack Dinah? Dinah stood gulping in air. She wiped some blood off her neck and looked at it. Her eyes widened as she looked up at Helena. Just then Cris burst in the room. "What's going on?" she said as she rushed to them. "I. Barbara attacked Dinah, she just woke up and when we moved closer she started choking her," Helena replied. Cris looked over at Barbara and then at Dinah. She saw the blood on Dinah hand and took a sharp breath in. She moved over to Barbara, immediately Barbara's hand shot up. Cris jerked her head back. "Helena, quick, help me tie her down," she said as she reached for the leather straps on the bed. Both Helena and Cris fought to hold her down and tie the straps around her arms and legs. As the finished Cris dashed to the drug cabinet, she took out a tranquilizer and a syringe. "Okay, now I need you to keep her still for me," Cris said as she drew the liquid out, into the syringe. She squirted some out to get rid of the air and the approached Barbara. She nods at Helena and then moves in as Helena keeps her still. After a few seconds Barbara stopped thrashing about and closed her eyes.
Helena and Cris stared at her then Helena turned to Cris, "What just happened?" she asked. Cris threw the syringe into a dustbin and then walked over to Dinah, "Some patients suffer mental confusion, most of the time they're just merely confused, but there have been cases where the infected attack those close to him or her," Cris replied as she looked at Dinah's neck. The bleeding was only slight, but Cris still feared that Dinah could possibly be infected. She asked Helena for a cotton ball and disinfectant. "Okay, are there any other surprises in store?" Helena asked handing Cris the stuff. "No, nothing surprising," Cris replied her face was grim. "But there's something else, isn't there?" Cris looked up at Helena and sighed, "The next step is normally a coma." Helena stared at her for a moment, "How much time do we have?" Cris placed a plaster on Dinah's neck and the looked back at Helena, sighing, "I don't know." All three fell quiet for a moment. Then Cris cleared her throat, "Dinah, I need a blood sample from you."
Dinah looked at her confused, "Why?" "I just need to make sure, I think I should take samples from all of us," she replied. "But you said that infection is only possible if were in contact with horses or pigs," Helena said frowning. "I know, I just want to know we are safe." Helena and Dinah nodded and followed Cris to the lab table. Once finished she placed the three chips into a small slot into a computer. "It'll take a while for the computer to anaylise this, Dinah, you look after Barbara," she then looked at Helena, "Could I speak to you at the computer station? I need help with Delphi." Helena nodded and followed Cris out.
Dinah sat down and looked over at Barbara. She felt more scared than ever. Barbara looked so pale, so. lost. She leaned her head against the wall and kept her eyes on Barbara. Her mind wandered to her first day at New Gotham, Barbara asked her if she was ready a dozen times. She acted almost like she was Dinah's mother. Barbara was more or less her mother. She had given Dinah hope for the future, a better hope than the Redmonds. She had almost been there for her when her real mom, Carolyn, died. A tear started to form on her right eye. "Don't you leave us Barbara, don't you leave me."
***
Cris rolled a chair up to the computer station and sat down sighing. "There is something wrong with Dinah, isn't there?" Helena asked standing in front of Cris folding her arms. Cris ran her hand through her hair. She stayed staring at the floor when she answered Helena, "I don't know, it. when I saw the blood, i." "You don't seem to know a lot of things!" Helena cut in harshly, "Everytime we ask you something it's always, I don't know, I thought you knew this virus!" "Look!" Cris stood up abruptly, "I know this virus, I know it very well. What's swimming in her blood is that little son of a bitch, but what I don't know is how Barbara could have gotten it. And because of that, I don't know if Dinah has it. The little fucker has also mutated. So DON'T tell me I don't know it!" she shouted, all the frustration started boiling out. "You know more than you letting on, don't you?" Helena said frowning, "There's something you're not telling me." Cris glared at her, "Don't go there." "You know what? I'll go where I want to! Barbara is laying there and the only person who can help her is you, but something is bothering you and I need to know what it is, cause I'd be damned if I let you touch her if you're not all honest with us!" Cris breathed deep in and out, trying to calm herself. She shook her head as she sat down. Then, bending forward she rested her forehead in her hand. "When I was 10, my parents took my brother and myself to Australia. My mother's friend owned a farm there. I was so excited; I could hardly hold myself together. Mom told me about all the horses, cattle, pigs and sheep. I loved horses, must have read every single book that dealt with horses." She paused and leaned backwards. "One day the supervisor took us out horses riding. We rode all over the farm, I loved it so much I wasn't even tired. I just wanted to keep riding. Late afternoon we arrived back at the farm. I climbed of my horse and patted it on the nose. It sneezed on me and everyone laughed, even me. Day after the next my parents rushed me off to the hospital. I had a huge headache and a fever that could match Niagara Falls. The doctor took a blood sample and then gave my parents the bad news. I was infected with the Nipah virus." She fell silent. Helena looked down at the floor; she didn't know what to say. Cris stood up, excused herself and walked outside onto the balcony, tears started streaming down her face.