CONTAGION

PART 2 - A harsh discovery

"Hi, I'm Dr. Weaver from the ER. I'm here to see Dr. Monahan." Kerry stood at the reception desk on the 3^rd floor. She watched as the nurse picked up the phone and began dialling away. Her tone was hushed and hurried, an urgency that was not usually seen from nurses. Kerry wondered, what was so important? Usually she was ignored until she opened her mouth, bringing down her superiority on the nurses, which soon made them pay attention. But this was different. At the hearing of Kerry's name, the nurse dropped whatever she was doing and immediately started calling who ever it was who had beckoned Kerry there.

The nurse replaced the receiver into its cradle, just as a tall, young doctor rounded the corner. Kerry guessed that this must be Dr. Monahan.

"Dr. Weaver, if you would follow me" Monahan took off just as quickly has he had arrived. There were no introductions, no greetings, just the informal tone. She was led into the blood works lab, a place she rarely visited. If she ever needed any bloods done then she just had the results sent down, no meetings or conversations, even, between her and the technician.

"Dr. Weaver this is Dr. Johnson from Public health." The two shook hands, "Lets cut the chase and get straight to the point. This morning a John Doe was brought in from an MVA right?"

"Yeah, he didn't make it, he went into cardiac arrest in trauma, we couldn't get him back" Kerry relayed the information.

"What, in your view, was the cause of that cardiac arrest?"

"He suffered major trauma to the chest, along with other numerous injuries. His blood pressure rose abnormally high, resulting in extra strain on the heart. What has that got to do with his blood works?"

"We found abnormal cells within his plasma, which may be responsible for the cardiac arrest."

"You say abnormal cells? Does that mean you're not entirely sure what cells they are?" Kerry looked toward Dr. Monahan, but before he had a chance to reply, Johnson cut in.

"The cell pattern shows evidence of a contagious virus"

"Contagious?"

"We're not completely sure how it spreads, but touch is a very plausible suggestion"

"What exactly is this virus?"

"That we're not sure of either. I've sent a sample to the Centre of Disease Control in New York, but that's going to take a few days"

"A few days? We don't have a few days Dr. Johnson. This is a hospital, do you know how many could have been infected already?"

"I understand that Dr. Weaver, but he only thing we can do at the moment is to find out who the John Doe was, and what symptoms he displayed. You get anymore cases then I suggest you treat the symptoms"

"What about everyone who came in contact with him? You said that its probable that it's passed on through touch, that means the Doctors who worked on him could be infected, even I could be infected. What do you suppose I do about that?"

"You should quarantine them, treat their symptoms if any present and send their blood works up here"

Kerry opened her mouth to reply, but she was silenced by the humming song of her bleeper. She gazed down on the screen: EMERGANCY ER. She could never escape the ER.

"I'm needed in the ER"

"Dr. Weaver, I suggest that you don't go near anyone"

"I'm the chief of the ER, how do you suppose I do that? You haven't got any thing concrete about this virus, and until you do, I'm willing to take my chances" She headed for the door.

"Just remember that your taking everyone else's chances too"

She stopped, her hand on the handle and took a deep breath. His words echoed around in her mind. She hadn't thought about it that way. But if she was going to stop work, then she would be risking more lives. She was the most experienced Doctor in the ER, the chief, the person everyone looks up to, her orders the ones that everyone obeyed, and now she was told that she was a risk to all of them, Doctors and Patients alike. She twisted the handle and headed down to the ER, unbeknown to what lie ahead. The concrete evidence that she so ignorantly asked for was a little closer to home.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . .

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Well guys that's part 2, and I know ur gonna kill me coz I didn't put n e thing in there about Carter, but don't fear part 3 comin soon, promise!!! Keep those reviews rollin on in...

Rainbow345uk