Admitting Guilt
Part - 8
The ER had finally been shut down, although patient numbers were still high. Those not infected were being moved to Mercy and North western. So far 57 patients within the hospital had contracted the virus, 14 from outside, and 5 Doctors, 2 nurses and Randi. Out of those 79 cases, 22 people had died, including the John Doe and Randi. And time was running out fast, the virus had began to affect internal organs within hours of first contracting the virus and at this present moment it looked as though it would never stop.
Mark had managed to gather as many of the Doctors and Nurses around the admit. Desk as possible, and the area wasn't exactly crowded as usual. The virus had made them short staffed, something that wasn't good in these situations. "Dr. Carter has regained consciousness in the ICU and is off the ventilator" A small sign of relief echoed throughout the small gathering. "But there is bad news" The tone of his voice immediately changed, "Dr. Malucci collapsed while taking a patient up to surgery. His condition is critical and deteriorating" He didn't know what else to say. What could you say in this situation? He had just told them that one of their colleagues was dying. At that moment, Kerry walked over and stood by his side. The chattering between the staff silenced, and they all looked towards her, waiting for her to say something. She was the chief of the ER, the person that everyone looked to for instructions. She looked around at everyone's faces. The dark rings all too noticeable around everyone's eyes, marking the exhaustion that everyone felt. Exhaustion that was both physical and emotional. Not only were they having to deal with patients unknown to them, they had to deal with their own, their friends and colleagues.
That was what hurt the most. Seeing people you care about lying unconscious, dying, and you're powerless to help. Kerry looked towards the lounge, as the click of the door closing attracted her attention. It was Luka. He glanced at her, locking eye contact for a few seconds. She turned back to the gathering of staff in front of her, and broke the news that he didn't want to hear. "Abby is also infected with the virus." At that moment it felt like his heart had been torn out. Although they weren't together any more, there was still a place inside him that held her dearly. He closed his eyes, begging that it wasn't true, but there was no way he could force himself out of this reality and into another, where none of this would ever happen. "Although she is infected, she hasn't shown any signs of the virus. She is still conscious. Hazmat are going to take her up to the quarantine ward and monitor her closely. We still don't have that much information about how this virus attacks the body, or how we can treat it or prevent it" Kerry relayed the information to her staff, and she could see the fear that it portrayed into the eyes of every one of them. There was a short pause before Mark took over. "We still don't know how this virus even gets into the body, the CDC are working on that. But as for the cases that we have seen, the outlook doesn't look good. Randi went nowhere near the John Doe this morning. And as for the virus itself. . " He paused briefly and then continued "From what we have seen, it effects the body within hours of it being contracted. Dr. Carter collapsed around 9 hours of first coming in contact with the source. No one knows how long it was with Randi, but the guess is that it was a much shorter time. As soon as HAZMAT give you the all clear, you can leave the ER, although volunteers are needed upstairs to cope with the short staffing." And with that the small crowd of staff broke up, some of them heading upstairs, having already received their results, while others patiently waited in chairs for HAZMAT to come back with theirs.
Kerry stared towards trauma one, the now ill - fated trauma one. How she would ever be able to face Abby again she didn't know. But then she didn't even know if she would ever see her again. The way that this virus was going it looked as though there wasn't a hope of saving anyone infected with it. And that meant that her decision to help Randi, and forcing it upon Abby to make it her duty to help too, could prove to be a fatal one. Somehow she had escaped the clutches of this virus, escaped what she saw as the clutches of death.
She glanced up towards the clock. It was just past midnight. She hadn't slept in the past 24 hours, but that was irrelevant now. Tiredness didn't seem to matter. The ringing of the phone broke harshly into her deep thoughts. She turned and walked behind the admit. Desk and picked up the receiver. "ER. Dr. Weaver?" She calmly answered. "This is Dr. Johnson. We've had some tests results back on the virus. As far as we can tell it isn't airborne, but to confirm that we're going to have to send samples off to the lab in New York and that's going to take a while. The most likely way of spreading this virus is through skin contact. We looked into the virus that broke out in South Africa, if this virus is the same strain and type, then it can also be passed on through blood to blood contact and through blood to skin contact." "But that doesn't explain how Randi got the virus?" Kerry questioned. There was a pause before Dr. Johnson continued. "It can also be passed on indirectly. Meaning that if an infected person touches and object, and then someone else touches it, they become infected too."
Kerry closed her eyes. The nightmare was getting worse. If it was airborne it would be a lot easier to contain. The area could be cordoned off and everyone evacuated, but this put a whole new spin on the situation. If an infected person touched a door handle, it would mean than many more people would become infected through that simple action. The virus would be carried outside and passed on through other objects, such as the handrail on the stairwell leading to the El. Hundreds of people travelled by the El to work every day. That one person who touched the rail would be unknowingly killing hundreds of others. And those hundreds of others would be killing thousands more, by what they would consider to be normal. "You'd better hurry and get someone down here, we still have an infected nurse in trauma one. She needs to be up on the quarantine ward" "We're working as fast as we can, someone will be down soon. In the mean time I suggest that no one goes near miss Lockhart, or even ventures into that room" "And what if her condition deteriorates? Do we just leave her?" Dr. Johnson didn't know how to reply to that one. Instead he just repeated his words, reinforcing his previous statement. "Someone will be there soon. Just remember that if anyone goes into that room, their risking not only their lives but others as well" Kerry replaced the receiver in its cradle. She paused for a brief moment, and then headed towards Mark, to update him on the situation.
"HAZMAT are going to be here soon" They peered towards trauma one. Kerry informed Mark of the latest developments. Her tone of voice was one that conveyed sadness, but which still kept its calm and authoritative manner. "I need to talk to Luka. Can you check on Abby?" Kerry asked. "Yeah sure" Mark replied as Kerry headed of into the lounge. She stood at the door, her hand on the handle. She paused and took a deep breath before opening the door slowly. Luka was stood at the window, glaring out into the ambulance bay, his back to Kerry. She gently closed the door behind her. "Luka? . ." There was no reply, instead there was just silence. "Luka, I'm sorry" She didn't know what else to say. She was the cause of his heartache and she knew it. "Sorry for what Kerry?" He turned to face her. His response had taken her by surprise, she had expected him to be upset with her, but instead his voice was calm, and although it portrayed sadness which there was no way of hiding, it was not filled with a sadness that was directed at her. Kerry took her time in replying, staring at the ground. Although the guilt played on her mind constantly, she found it hard to admit. She lifted her gaze, and met Luka's eyes, searching inside her for the right words. "It's my fault that Abby is in the condition that she is. If I hadn't . . ." She paused for a brief moment, before seeking the courage to finally admit what she so desperately didn't want to be true. "If I hadn't pressurised Abby into helping me work on Randi, then she would be in the clear" Luka didn't break eye contact as he calmly replied, trying to reassure Kerry that she didn't do anything wrong. "You don't know that Kerry, she could have been infected even before she helped Randi" "I do" Kerry broke eye contact, returning her gaze back to the floor, and then continued, "Her first blood test came back negative, Luka, she was in the clear before we worked on Randi" She had finally admitted her guilt. Silence now engulfed the room, and the atmosphere was climbing to new heights of tension, anxiety and heartache, that was all about to come crashing down. The door to the lounge flung open, with Mark making a desperate entrance. Both Luka's and Kerry's gaze shifted immediately to their colleague, the expression on his face mixed with one of concern, sadness and the one that stood out most: Fear
Sorry everyone for the long wait!! : ) I had a loada exams to do and now im movin house on Friday! Well I hope that was well worth the wait and hope u guys out there still wanted me to continue!! Please review, all comments wanted!!! Part 9 will be here soon, I promise!! Hope u enjoyed it!
XXX Rainbow345uk XXX
P.S: You still want me to continue???
The ER had finally been shut down, although patient numbers were still high. Those not infected were being moved to Mercy and North western. So far 57 patients within the hospital had contracted the virus, 14 from outside, and 5 Doctors, 2 nurses and Randi. Out of those 79 cases, 22 people had died, including the John Doe and Randi. And time was running out fast, the virus had began to affect internal organs within hours of first contracting the virus and at this present moment it looked as though it would never stop.
Mark had managed to gather as many of the Doctors and Nurses around the admit. Desk as possible, and the area wasn't exactly crowded as usual. The virus had made them short staffed, something that wasn't good in these situations. "Dr. Carter has regained consciousness in the ICU and is off the ventilator" A small sign of relief echoed throughout the small gathering. "But there is bad news" The tone of his voice immediately changed, "Dr. Malucci collapsed while taking a patient up to surgery. His condition is critical and deteriorating" He didn't know what else to say. What could you say in this situation? He had just told them that one of their colleagues was dying. At that moment, Kerry walked over and stood by his side. The chattering between the staff silenced, and they all looked towards her, waiting for her to say something. She was the chief of the ER, the person that everyone looked to for instructions. She looked around at everyone's faces. The dark rings all too noticeable around everyone's eyes, marking the exhaustion that everyone felt. Exhaustion that was both physical and emotional. Not only were they having to deal with patients unknown to them, they had to deal with their own, their friends and colleagues.
That was what hurt the most. Seeing people you care about lying unconscious, dying, and you're powerless to help. Kerry looked towards the lounge, as the click of the door closing attracted her attention. It was Luka. He glanced at her, locking eye contact for a few seconds. She turned back to the gathering of staff in front of her, and broke the news that he didn't want to hear. "Abby is also infected with the virus." At that moment it felt like his heart had been torn out. Although they weren't together any more, there was still a place inside him that held her dearly. He closed his eyes, begging that it wasn't true, but there was no way he could force himself out of this reality and into another, where none of this would ever happen. "Although she is infected, she hasn't shown any signs of the virus. She is still conscious. Hazmat are going to take her up to the quarantine ward and monitor her closely. We still don't have that much information about how this virus attacks the body, or how we can treat it or prevent it" Kerry relayed the information to her staff, and she could see the fear that it portrayed into the eyes of every one of them. There was a short pause before Mark took over. "We still don't know how this virus even gets into the body, the CDC are working on that. But as for the cases that we have seen, the outlook doesn't look good. Randi went nowhere near the John Doe this morning. And as for the virus itself. . " He paused briefly and then continued "From what we have seen, it effects the body within hours of it being contracted. Dr. Carter collapsed around 9 hours of first coming in contact with the source. No one knows how long it was with Randi, but the guess is that it was a much shorter time. As soon as HAZMAT give you the all clear, you can leave the ER, although volunteers are needed upstairs to cope with the short staffing." And with that the small crowd of staff broke up, some of them heading upstairs, having already received their results, while others patiently waited in chairs for HAZMAT to come back with theirs.
Kerry stared towards trauma one, the now ill - fated trauma one. How she would ever be able to face Abby again she didn't know. But then she didn't even know if she would ever see her again. The way that this virus was going it looked as though there wasn't a hope of saving anyone infected with it. And that meant that her decision to help Randi, and forcing it upon Abby to make it her duty to help too, could prove to be a fatal one. Somehow she had escaped the clutches of this virus, escaped what she saw as the clutches of death.
She glanced up towards the clock. It was just past midnight. She hadn't slept in the past 24 hours, but that was irrelevant now. Tiredness didn't seem to matter. The ringing of the phone broke harshly into her deep thoughts. She turned and walked behind the admit. Desk and picked up the receiver. "ER. Dr. Weaver?" She calmly answered. "This is Dr. Johnson. We've had some tests results back on the virus. As far as we can tell it isn't airborne, but to confirm that we're going to have to send samples off to the lab in New York and that's going to take a while. The most likely way of spreading this virus is through skin contact. We looked into the virus that broke out in South Africa, if this virus is the same strain and type, then it can also be passed on through blood to blood contact and through blood to skin contact." "But that doesn't explain how Randi got the virus?" Kerry questioned. There was a pause before Dr. Johnson continued. "It can also be passed on indirectly. Meaning that if an infected person touches and object, and then someone else touches it, they become infected too."
Kerry closed her eyes. The nightmare was getting worse. If it was airborne it would be a lot easier to contain. The area could be cordoned off and everyone evacuated, but this put a whole new spin on the situation. If an infected person touched a door handle, it would mean than many more people would become infected through that simple action. The virus would be carried outside and passed on through other objects, such as the handrail on the stairwell leading to the El. Hundreds of people travelled by the El to work every day. That one person who touched the rail would be unknowingly killing hundreds of others. And those hundreds of others would be killing thousands more, by what they would consider to be normal. "You'd better hurry and get someone down here, we still have an infected nurse in trauma one. She needs to be up on the quarantine ward" "We're working as fast as we can, someone will be down soon. In the mean time I suggest that no one goes near miss Lockhart, or even ventures into that room" "And what if her condition deteriorates? Do we just leave her?" Dr. Johnson didn't know how to reply to that one. Instead he just repeated his words, reinforcing his previous statement. "Someone will be there soon. Just remember that if anyone goes into that room, their risking not only their lives but others as well" Kerry replaced the receiver in its cradle. She paused for a brief moment, and then headed towards Mark, to update him on the situation.
"HAZMAT are going to be here soon" They peered towards trauma one. Kerry informed Mark of the latest developments. Her tone of voice was one that conveyed sadness, but which still kept its calm and authoritative manner. "I need to talk to Luka. Can you check on Abby?" Kerry asked. "Yeah sure" Mark replied as Kerry headed of into the lounge. She stood at the door, her hand on the handle. She paused and took a deep breath before opening the door slowly. Luka was stood at the window, glaring out into the ambulance bay, his back to Kerry. She gently closed the door behind her. "Luka? . ." There was no reply, instead there was just silence. "Luka, I'm sorry" She didn't know what else to say. She was the cause of his heartache and she knew it. "Sorry for what Kerry?" He turned to face her. His response had taken her by surprise, she had expected him to be upset with her, but instead his voice was calm, and although it portrayed sadness which there was no way of hiding, it was not filled with a sadness that was directed at her. Kerry took her time in replying, staring at the ground. Although the guilt played on her mind constantly, she found it hard to admit. She lifted her gaze, and met Luka's eyes, searching inside her for the right words. "It's my fault that Abby is in the condition that she is. If I hadn't . . ." She paused for a brief moment, before seeking the courage to finally admit what she so desperately didn't want to be true. "If I hadn't pressurised Abby into helping me work on Randi, then she would be in the clear" Luka didn't break eye contact as he calmly replied, trying to reassure Kerry that she didn't do anything wrong. "You don't know that Kerry, she could have been infected even before she helped Randi" "I do" Kerry broke eye contact, returning her gaze back to the floor, and then continued, "Her first blood test came back negative, Luka, she was in the clear before we worked on Randi" She had finally admitted her guilt. Silence now engulfed the room, and the atmosphere was climbing to new heights of tension, anxiety and heartache, that was all about to come crashing down. The door to the lounge flung open, with Mark making a desperate entrance. Both Luka's and Kerry's gaze shifted immediately to their colleague, the expression on his face mixed with one of concern, sadness and the one that stood out most: Fear
Sorry everyone for the long wait!! : ) I had a loada exams to do and now im movin house on Friday! Well I hope that was well worth the wait and hope u guys out there still wanted me to continue!! Please review, all comments wanted!!! Part 9 will be here soon, I promise!! Hope u enjoyed it!
XXX Rainbow345uk XXX
P.S: You still want me to continue???
