A/N: Again, I am not a medical doctor, so what I will write about in this story is either gathered from the internet or made up on my own.
A/N 2: A huge, huge thank you to the many people who left me reviews: Ellie, SarahKathryn, Teyla Sheppard, Annabelle Crane, sugarsnap591, Arnold Summers, FriendsHolic, nottryingtobemean, moonshine44, maggie05.
A/N 3: I'm sorry that this chapter is so long in coming, but I'm sure you all understand that I cannot post every single day. I have school and another story that I have to work on, but I will try my hardest not to let too much time pass by in between chapters. (And a quick reminder to people, this is a fan fiction story.
Chapter Three
Once Stephen had been settled in the back of the car that had arrived on the road above, Natalie turned to the man she had screamed for to help. "Are you Dr. Richards?" she asked.
"Yes, and I'm so sorry that this happened Dr. Durant," the man said with a light British accent, looking warn and extremely pale. "I didn't know that the rush to leave the resort would create a block in the road. But nevertheless, I'm glad you're here."
"How long will it take to get to the resort?" Natalie said urgently. "Dr. Connor needs a bed and I want to check again to make sure he didn't suffer a concussion in the crash."
"It should take about fifteen minutes," Dr. Richards said. "I could go quicker, but I would run the risk of crashing the car myself."
"Let's go," Natalie said. She turned abruptly and climbed into the back of the Land Rover and saw that the doctor was looking at her. She didn't say anything, turning her attention directly to Stephen. Once of his cuts was bleeding again and she placed a square of gauze over it. The pressure she applied made him grunt slightly in pain and she looked to his eyes, hoping he'd wake up.
Eyes fluttering open and closed rapidly, Stephen could see that Natalie was above him. He saw the worried look on her face and wanted to speak, but he soon found himself enveloped by darkness again.
"If you have a concussion Stephen I'll strangle you," Natalie muttered in disappointment as he slipped into unconsciousness. She was worried that the resort would not have the necessary items to deal with a concussion. If that was the case, then she would be facing a strange disease on her own.
"I was told Dr. Durant, that the NIH had teams of people that went out on cases of outbreaks," Dr. Richards said from the front of the car.
"I don't think the NIH thought your case was quite that serious," Natalie said. "Everyone on the team that I work with is ill and couldn't make the flight."
"Typical," Dr. Richards muttered. "I should have known not to ask for help from America. Look at what help I did get. Maybe if there were American tourists ill then I would have had a whole group of people to help me."
"Dr. Connor is the best there is Dr. Richards," Natalie snapped, annoyed. "You should consider yourself lucky you got him instead of one of the other teams."
"Oh? And what has Dr. Connor done to make him the best?" Dr. Richards asked, looking at Natalie in the rearview mirror.
"Plenty," Natalie said in an even voice. "Just get us to the resort or else you won't have either of us there for help." She completely ignored the doctor then and turned her attention back to Stephen. She placed her fingertips on his cheek and murmured, "Stay with me, you know I can't do this without you."
Pulling up in front of a small, thatched building fifteen minutes later, Dr. Richards called back to Natalie, "We're here Dr. Durant. This is where you and Dr. Connor will stay while you're here."
"Help me get Dr. Connor to the bed inside," Natalie said as the doctor opened the back doors of the Land Rover. "Assuming there is a bed in there."
"The resort isn't primitive Dr. Durant," Dr. Richards said, looking to be irritated. "Take his legs and I'll take the shoulders."
"Be careful of his head!" Natalie cried when she had stepped out of the car and onto muddy ground. She watched Stephen worriedly and didn't realize they had entered the building until she helped Dr. Richards set her partner on the large bed there. Looking around, she was startled to find it was a suite, besides the bed there were other pieces of furniture; two dressers, a mirror and even a desk; and a small area to the side which looked like it was supposed to serve as a kitchen.
"This is one of our honeymoon suites," Dr. Richards was saying. "I know it seems weird, but this is the only free space we have."
"Alright, you'll need to give me some time to check Dr. Connor," Natalie said then. "And then I'll check on the victims okay?"
"I'll give you a half hour Dr. Durant," Dr. Richards said. And with that he left abruptly, walking over to the other thatched buildings that made up the resort.
Standing in the middle of the room, Natalie felt the urge to stretch out on the bed next to Stephen and sleep for the next several days. But she knew that she had her work cut out for her and could not afford to slack off. So instead of lying down, she hurried out to Dr. Richards Land Rover and unloaded all the supplies and luggage she and Stephen had brought with them.
Before she tended to her partner, Natalie took a brief minute to check her wounds in the suite's bathroom. She was pleased that her cuts weren't too serious, and the bruises she'd sustained were only minor. When that was done, she went back into the room and looked through the boxes with medical supplies until she found a syringe and vial. Sitting next to Stephen on the edge of the bed she looked at the head, check to see if there was any trauma there. She couldn't detect any, and then moved on to his cuts. When she took the gauze off the one on his left arm, she was dismayed to see that it was still bleeding. "Blood loss," she murmured, a little relieved that it wasn't a concussion that had caused him to loose consciousness. She only hoped, as she injected him, that the loss wasn't too severe; it would be hard to do a blood transfusion at the resort.
Since there was time before Dr. Richards would return to get her, Natalie went to her backpack she'd brought and found her cell phone. Luckily Stephen had given her a phone that could be used almost anywhere and the resort seemed to be getting good reception. She dialed a number and prayed that the person would pick up.
Back in the United States, Eva Rossi was carrying a bowl of soup out to the main room of her apartment. She was feeling much better after suffering from a bout of the flu two days earlier. As she sat down on her couch, she leaned against her guest there with her and started to eat.
"You couldn't get me some?" the man asked.
"You didn't ask for any," Eva replied. She sat up and looked into his eyes saying, "Do you think you could keep it down if I got you a bowl?"
"I have the flu Eva, not food poisoning," the man said teasingly. "And I can get myself some soup."
Eva nodded and scooted over on the couch to let him stand up. "Oh while you're in there, I have some saltine crackers in my pantry," she said quickly.
"I know, you were feeding them to me the other day," Dr. Miles McCabe said with a grin. He reached down and lightly touched Eva's cheek before he walked over to the kitchen.
Setting her soup on the coffee table in front of her, Eva said a mental thanks to whoever had given her and Miles the flu. Since their jobs were understandably hectic, there wasn't too much time for them to be together. They had started 'dating' only a week after they had met, meeting at a local restaurant and walking back to her apartment. Only when they had been going out for two months did they decide to become an actual couple. They kept that fact hidden from the rest of their team, so they could only meet in secret.
The phone rang shrilly then, startling Eva from her thoughts. She reached over to the receiver on the table and answered it, "Eva Rossi."
"Eva? It's Natalie," the voice on the other end said, sounding relieved.
"Natalie? Where are you? Aren't you and Stephen in Thailand?" Eve asked, surprised.
"We are," Natalie said, overjoyed that she had managed to catch Eva. "Look, there's been… an accident and Stephen and I were hurt. Not badly, but right now Stephen's unconscious from blood loss and I'm facing the possibility that I may need to work with this disease at the resort."
Her head spinning from the sudden burst of information, Eva took a minute to think before she said anything. "Why did you call me?" she finally asked.
"I need to know if you, Miles and Frank can get here somehow," Natalie replied. "There's no way I can do this without Ste… without help."
"Well, I know Miles is better," Eva said with a smile as he sat down on the couch next to her just then. "But Frank is still sick."
"Would you guys be willing to come to Thailand?" Natalie asked, her voice taking on a pleading aspect.
Eva glanced at Miles as she said, "Go to Thailand?" When he nodded, she then said quickly, "I'm set for it, and I'll give Miles a call as soon as we come up."
"Thank you Eva," Natalie said, relieved. "Try and get the soonest flight, and once you get here, call me."
"I will, I hope Stephen will be okay," Eva said. She exchanged goodbyes with Natalie and then hung up the phone.
"Why does she need us?" Miles asked immediately.
"She said that she and Stephen were in an accident," Eva answered, standing up. "He's unconscious and she might have to work on her own. She needs our help."
"Do you want me to wait for you to pack?" Miles said, standing in the doorway of Eva's bedroom.
"No, go ahead and get your stuff," Eva replied. "I'll pick you up and we'll go to the airport." She expected to hear him tell her goodbye, but was surprised when she felt his hand on her shoulder.
Kissing her gently on the cheek, Miles pulled away and murmured a 'see you later,' before he left the apartment.
Eva let herself get taken away by the kiss a little, placing her hand on her cheek. Miles had never done that before, and she wondered if he wanted their relationship to be a little closer. She shook that idea out of her head though, and began to concentrate on packing and getting her things ready to leave.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Natalie watched Stephen as he breathed deeply in his unconsciousness. She felt relieved that she was soon going to have Miles there to help her, but she wished that Stephen was able to instead. She had nothing against the young doctor, but she would rather work side by side with Stephen. Sighing, she took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.
"Dr. Durant?" Dr. Richards said, coming into the suite. He saw that she was holding Stephen's hand and he raised one eyebrow.
"What is it?" Natalie asked, her tone of voice harsher then she meant it to be.
"Are you ready to take a look at the sick?" Dr. Richards asked. When Natalie nodded, he held out some scrubs and a face mask. "I don't know if this thing is contagious through personal contact, but I'm sure you don't want to take any chances."
Taking everything, Natalie disappeared into the bathroom to pull on the scrubs. When she was done, she grabbed a case with medical supplies and with a final look at Stephen, left the suite with Dr. Richards.
"The Clohet Resort is relatively new," Dr. Richards explained as they headed towards the largest building there. "It was built about six years ago and has enjoyed moderate success."
"Why is it so close to the village of Clohet?" Natalie asked.
"The owners found the villagers to their liking I suppose," Dr. Richards answered with a shrug. "For workers they were cheaper, and that allowed them to make the rooms more luxurious."
"Has anything like this happened before?" Natalie said.
"No, I can safely say that because I have worked here since this place has opened," Dr. Richards said. "This disease… it strikes everyone."
"When were the first symptoms noticed?" Natalie asked as they walked onto the porch surrounding the building.
"Dr. Durant, before we go in, I have to confess that I lied to the UN and CDC," Dr. Richards said. "This isn't a type of smallpox."
"Why did you do that?" Natalie said in surprise.
"I thought that if the UN thought this was very serious they would send me help quicker," Dr. Richards said. "Not that this disease isn't serious. You see, there are no first symptoms, the people staying here started collapsing, complaining of stomach flu like symptoms and high fevers. It spread through all the way to the village; everyone who's sick is here Dr. Durant."
Natalie felt a twinge of fear as she pulled her mask on, following Dr. Richards inside. She already had her suspicions of what the disease could be, but was not entirely sure of it. When she saw that the doctor had stopped at the top of a small set of stairs, she stepped to the side of him. "Oh my god," she whispered when she looked ahead of her.
There were numerous cots and mattresses piled on the floor of what was supposed to be the resort's ball room. There were two and sometimes even three to a bed, and all the sick were moaning and turning around in delirium from their fevers. A few people, dressed in scrubs and masks like Natalie and Dr. Richards were walking among the ill. From time to time, they would administer drugs to a sicker person and then move on.
"Have you taken blood from these people?" Natalie asked.
"I'm not a full medical doctor," Dr. Richards said. "The most I've treated here was a case of food poisoning; this is entirely beyond my comprehension."
"Who are the people walking around?" Natalie said.
"Two are the people hired to assist me, and the other three are villagers who managed not to get sick," Dr. Richards said. "We gave them medicine to reduce the fevers at first, but it seemed to make them sicker, and induce dizziness and coughing."
"I'll need some blood samples," Natalie said briskly, walking down the steps. "Give me five and I'll see what I can get from there." She walked over to the first cot she came to, and was horrified to see a young girl laying next to a woman who seemed to be her mother. The little girl's eyes were open and she took a chance to speak with her. "Hello," she said calmly, setting down her case. "My name is Natalie, what's yours?"
"J-je m'appelle Claire," the girl said hoarsely. She started coughing heavily and it took her several minutes until she was able to stop.
Natalie was grateful for the fact that she knew some French; she might be able to learn something from the girl. In French, she asked Claire, 'Do you remember what happened before you got sick?'
'My mother and I had gone swimming and I was too hot to do anything,' Claire said weakly. 'My mother brought me back to the doctor and I fainted they said.'
"Claire was the first here to get sick," Dr. Richards said to Natalie.
"Get a blood sample from her," Natalie replied. "She might be the key." She patted Claire's arm comfortingly and then stood up. "Was there anything out of the ordinary before Claire got sick?"
"No, the night before was our annual dinner," Dr. Richards said, thinking for a minute. "Actually, now that you mention it, there is the matter of the head chef here. He disappeared after the dinner and hasn't been seen since."
Making a note of that in her mind, Natalie decided that once Eva and Miles got to the resort, they would need to look for the chef. "I want you to try and give them small doses of dinoprost, that should lower their fevers a little."
"Is that it?" Dr. Richards asked, surprised. "You can't-"
"I can't do any more until I know more about this illness," Natalie replied. "You need to get me the blood samples as soon as you can and then I'll be able to try and treat them."
"I'll send them to you as soon as I can," Dr. Richards said as Natalie left the building.
Pulling off her mask, Natalie was completely stumped. She recognized symptoms of malaria in the little girl and her mother, but the cough and dizziness was strange. She wished again that Stephen was well and could take a look himself; he would have a better idea of where they should look for the cause. Walking up to the room Dr. Richards had brought her to earlier, she noticed that the lights inside were on. A little confused, since she hadn't turned them on before leaving, she ran up to the porch and then opened the door. "Stephen!" she cried in surprise.
"I was wondering where you went," Stephen said, sitting in and armchair and tying his shoes. "Where are we? The resort?"
"Yeah, why are you out of bed?" Natalie asked, going to him. "You're hurt you know."
"Not so badly that I can't do my job," Stephen said, he stood up and then noticed the weariness in Natalie's eyes. "Did you see the sick?"
"Yeah, and… Stephen it's not smallpox, Dr. Richards lied about that," Natalie said. "It looks like malaria, but not like any malaria I've seen."
Nodding his head, Stephen was about to walk towards the door of the suite when something held him back. "Natalie I'm fine, I need to take a look at the sick," he said, looking back at his partner.
"There's nothing we can do now," Natalie said. "I want you to sleep okay? You can get to work in the morning; I just want to make sure that you've rested enough."
"I can't sleep while there are people close to dying Nat," Stephen said.
"Please, don't argue with me Steve," Natalie said, sounding tired. "Just for tonight, that's all I'm asking."
"Okay," Stephen said, reluctantly agreeing. "Oh, you got a call on your phone, Eva and Miles should be here tomorrow afternoon."
"I had to call them," Natalie said in explanation. "I was worried you weren't going to be well."
"As long as they're not sick, because you know as well as me they won't be able to help if they are," Stephen said, walking to the bed and sitting on the edge.
"They're better," Natalie said. She felt a little dizzy, but ignored it and walked over to the kitchen area. She was pleased to see there was some food in the small fridge and grabbed a bottle of water along with an apple. "Stephen, there are a lot of people sick."
"I figured," Stephen said. "Why else would there be cars littered on the road if there hadn't been a mass evacuation." He scratched at the edge of the gauze on his face and then said, "Get some sleep Nat, you and I will have to do a lot tomorrow."
Natalie nodded and then walked over to the armchair that Stephen had been sitting in earlier. She toed off her shoes and was going to close her eyes when she felt her self being lifted up. "What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.
"You need to sleep in a bed," Stephen said. "You look exhausted enough." He settled her on the other half of the mattress and then went around to where he'd been sleeping earlier. He was starting to feel tired again, and was glad that Natalie had forced him to rest for the night; he wouldn't be able to work well if he collapsed all of a sudden. Lying down, he barely was able to take off his shoes before his eyes were starting to droop closed already.
"I hope you feel better tomorrow," Natalie was muttering, almost asleep herself. "I can't live without you."
"Neither can I," Stephen said, not noticing the way she had worded that. He whispered good night and was soon fast asleep.