Chapter 7
Abbey just stared at the doctor. His words rapidly brought her out of the denial she had taken comfort in. If it had killed so many others, then of course Jed was susceptible as well.
Through her shock, another concern reared its head.
"Dr. Wilson, may I see you privately?"
"Yes ma'am. Come to my office and we'll talk."
He led Abbey to his office, located not too far from the President's isolation room.
She motioned her agent to stay outside and closed the door behind them.
"Please have a seat, Mrs. Bartlet. How can I help you?"
"I'll come right to the point. Can this be spread through body fluids? I mean HIV is a virus and can be spread through body fluids. So can this virus be spread the same way?"
"Mrs. Bartlet, do you have a specific concern?" Dr. Wilson continued to gaze at an obviously nervous First Lady.
Abbey hesitated to share her very personal question, but she knew she had to have an answer right away.
Looking directly into Dr. Wilson's eyes, Abbey took a deep breath and continued. "Yes. My husband and I had intercourse after his return from China. Obviously, he was already infected and I need to know if I could have been infected as well."
"Oh, I see."
Dr. Wilson paused as he sought to give her an answer.
It seemed like forever to Abbey but he answered in only a matter of seconds.
"We don't know that yet. Every indication so far is that it's a respiratory based transmission, not body fluids. Have you had any direct contact with infected birds?"
"No."
"Then I doubt you're infected. But we're still learning more about transmission methods every day. I'm sorry I can't give you a definitive answer."
Abbey let the information sink in. "When will I know if I'm infected as well?"
"We think the incubation period is about three to four days so if you've been infected then your symptoms should start showing by tomorrow or the next day."
"Is there anything you can give me to maybe prevent it?"
"I planned to start you on the same anti-viral medications as your husband just as a precaution. And I can draw some blood and run the analyses to see if you are infected. Right now, that's about all I can offer. As I told you earlier, most of the treatment is strictly supportive."
Abbey nodded her head. She would just have to wait to see what happened.
"Thank you for your honesty."
"I'm sorry that's all I can offer right now." And he truly was.