Chapter 4 #2
“I’ve known her for a long time, but that depends on what you’re asking,” Ava answered. “I haven’t taken one of her classes in years.”
“Do you think we could talk to some of the others? Or maybe someone who’s taken the class before?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m sure. Why?” Ava asked. “What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know, exactly,” Elizabeth said. “They said they hadn’t touched the water, and Sandra had used this site a hundred times before without issue.”
“That’s correct,” Ava said.
“But the incubation times are sporadic,” Elizabeth continued. “I wonder if they were exposed to something bigger, where more of the virus was able to get into their systems faster somehow.”
“I’ll see if I can talk to the others,” Ava said. “But their symptoms are progressing quickly.”
Elizabeth nodded. “We just need a lead, something to look for,” she said.
“I agree,” Ava said. She looked at the other techs working diligently in the room. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
“I’ll talk to them, maybe a fresh set of ears will work,” Elizabeth countered.
Ava narrowed her eyes, but nodded, and Elizabeth pulled off her mask and gloves and headed for the door.
Elizabeth went to see the sisters again, Heather and Lacey. She had made sure that the two girls could share a room, and Heather had been having sporadic cramps, and they’d both tested positive for the virus, but it seemed to be slow moving.
“Hey, how are you both feeling?” Elizabeth asked as she knocked on the open door.
“She’s worse,” Lacey said quickly, but Heather tried to dismiss her.
“I’m fine,” Heather said, though Elizabeth could tell she was in pain. “When can we go home?”
“Have you been able to talk to your parents?” Elizabeth asked.
“I talked to them today,” Lacey said in a sheepi sh voice. Heather’s mouth dropped open and she stared at her younger sister.
“And?” Elizabeth said, trying to quell the oncoming rage that she was sure was about to spew from Heather.
“They’re coming in, they will probably be here in a couple of hours,” Lacey said.
“That’s good,” Elizabeth said. “We are still trying to get to the bottom of all this, do you mind if I ask you both a few more questions?”
“I’m so tired of answering questions!” Heather shouted. Lacey looked at her with concern.
“I understand that you’re stressed and not feeling well, but anything could help us figure out what we are looking at, and we really need your help.”
“No! I’m done! Figure out what’s wrong with me!” Heather shouted again.
Elizabeth put her hands out to try and calm Heather, but she had begun screaming.
Lacey seemed too terrified to speak. Elizabeth stepped outside the room long enough to signal to the nurses that she needed help and ordered some sedative for Heather.
She contin ued to yell and scream, and poor Lacey looked completely lost and confused.
“Lacey,” Elizabeth said, and the teenager turned her wide watery eyes toward Elizabeth. “Does Heather normally have outbursts like this?”
Lacey turned her eyes toward her sister who was finally relaxing onto the bed and dozing off.
“I-I don’t know. This is such a hard situation, I don’t think she knows how to respond,” Lacey answered shaking her head.
“I’m sure she’s had tough situations before—did she respond like this? With anger? Lashing out?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, not that I can think of, she’s usually so calm, so even, but I mean, we’ve never faced anything like this. We know that Jesse woman died and Sandra isn’t doing well, either.”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes; she wondered who had told them, or if they overheard it from the nurses. They seemed like smart girls, so Elizabeth wouldn’t put it past them to be able to figure it out.
“You may be right, Lacey,” Elizabeth said, “and we haven’t been completely forthcoming, we are still trying to figure out what’s happening, but I am worried that Heather’s outbursts might be a symptom, not just stress.”
Tears started welling up in Lacey’s eyes and her bottom lip started to quiver. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her body. Elizabeth walked over and put a comforting arm on her shoulder.
“Do you think you could answer some questions for me?” Elizabeth asked. “Anything at all might help.”
Lacey nodded as tears slipped from her eyes.
“I need you to walk me through everything, from the time you arrived and met up with Sandra, any detail you can think of, it doesn’t matter how small. What time were you supposed to meet the group?”
“We met at Sandra’s shop here in town,” Lacey began. “She already had our supplies packed and ready for us.”
Lacey went through each step as best she could remember, but everything seemed normal, everything seemed exactly as Sandra carried out each one of her expeditions.
“Sandra did say something about dust,” Lacey said just as she began to describe when they started setting up their tents.
“Dust?” Elizabeth repeated.
“Yeah, she said there was dust on the tents, and was annoyed about it, angry really, she started shouting about it, and then shouting at us for not having our tents up yet. She said that they should keep the warehouse cleaner, it even made her cough when she unfolded her tent.” Lacey took a deep breath.
Elizabeth bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
“What is it? Is that important?” Lacey asked.
“Maybe,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to make a phone call.”
“Please don’t let Heather die,” Lacey said as Elizabeth stood up.
“She didn’t even want to go on this stupid trip, my parents didn’t want us to go either, it was me.
I read a stupid book and I thought I would find something out in the wilderness, I thought it would be cathartic or something to get away from Denver for a while. ”
“It’s okay, Lacey,” Elizabeth said and squeezed her shoulder again. “Nature is a beautiful healer sometimes, and we can talk more about this later, but for now we are going to help you and your sister. This is not your fault, Lacey. I know it may feel like it, but you are not responsible for this.”
Lacey nodded, but Elizabeth could tell she didn’t believe her.
Her heart sank a little at the thought that Lacey and Heather would likely never attempt to get outside again after this.
She stepped out the door and pulled out her phone, but then put it back in her pocket.
She walked quickly to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
The lab was its usual buzz of quiet work and Ava lifted her dark eyes toward the door as Elizabeth entered. “Find out anything?” She asked.
Elizabeth blinked for a second, trying to get past the striking color of Ava’s eyes. “Um, maybe, did we check the tents?”
“I’m pretty sure you took some swabs from them,” Lindsey piped up from across the ro om. She started sifting through the contents of their search this morning.
“Why? What did you learn?” Ava asked.
“Lacey said something about Sandra complaining about dust on the tents, and if she had a higher exposure, like the other two, then it would make sense if it was something on the tents, it would also make sense that the rest were exposed, but it is moving so much slower,” Elizabeth said as Lindsey found what she was looking for.
“I think we may be looking in the wrong place, the pathogen isn’t at the campsite, but in Sandra’s storage,” Ava said, her eyes narrowing. “She doesn’t leave things laying around long enough to gather dust.”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes on Ava before continuing. “Heather is showing some personality differentiation, she’s upset and angry, which is expected, but Lacey says she’s never reacted with rage like that before. She also said that Sandra started yelling at everyone for not having their tents up.”
Ava looked up with furrowed brows.
“I take it that’s unusual?” Elizabeth asked and stepped around the table.
“Quite,” Ava said. “She’s rough and someti mes even brash, but she’s infinitely patient with her students. Never angry.”
“We did CT scans?” Elizabeth asked, but she was pretty certain of the answer Ava had told her already.
“There was nothing unusual on them,” Ava answered, and Elizabeth nodded.
“Did you find the tent swabs?” Elizabeth asked, turning around to Lindsey.
“Yes,” she said as she prepared the slides. Ava and Elizabeth walked around the table, watching as Lindsey deliberately pulled out the swabs and spread them against the glass. They all looked up as the door opened again.
“Doctor Jackson, Doctor Grant?” Doctor Mars called out from the door. “I need you downstairs.” She disappeared from the doorway and the three women turn toward at each other.
Without thinking, Ava placed her hand over Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth looked into her eyes with a fierce determination, and it almost felt as though Elizabeth was pouring it all into Ava.
She straightened her shoulders and pressed her lips together as Elizabeth nodded and they both walked toward the door .
“I-I’ve got this,” Lindsey stammered as the doctors walked away.
“I know you do,” Ava said over her shoulder. Elizabeth’s eyes tightened slightly as they pressed the button for the elevator.
“How do you do that?” Elizabeth asked as the doors closed in front of them.
“Do what?” Ava asked, genuinely confused.
“You’re so supportive,” Elizabeth said.
Ava knitted her brows in confusion.
“I guess it’s a culture difference,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “If I had said that exact thing to one of my techs in New York, they would have taken it as sarcasm and probably been offended, but Lindsey actually smiled, she felt encouraged by it.”
“I don’t know?” Ava said, still not quite following. “It’s something I’ve always done, they do the same for me when I’m feeling stumped.”