Rookie | Ethan Ramsey

Chapter 18~ Case Closed

Case Closed

"I believe in you Blue, and no matter what the outcome will be in there, I will always be proud of My Rookie."
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Hours later, Blue was in the library with Landry, pouring over medical textbooks.

"Blue? Where are you?" she heard Sienna call out to her. "Over here." ahe beckoned in response. "We brought you coffee and donuts." Kyra chimed. "But I have a confession, I already ate the pink sprinkled--"

Her group of friends rounded the corner and saw Landry sitting beside Blue, making their smiles instantly fade. "Um...hi." Landry said awkwardly. "You've got some nerve, man." Bryce said, uncharacteristically angry.

"What the hell's he doing here? We thought you were working on your defense!" Jackie exclaimed. "It's okay, he's helping me, but I still hate his guts." Blue replied. "He's helping you with your hearing?" Sienna asked confused. "Isn't it abit too late for that?" Jackie added angrily.

"No, with Dr. Banerji. We've figured out what's wrong with him." Blue explained. "We? You're the one who did." Landry acknowledged. "As much as I'd like to not give you any credit for that, I couldn't have put it into a working theory without you." Blue said, gesturing at his copy of Ethan's diagnostic textbook. The very same one she had gotten signed by Ethan for him.

"You're gonna need to expand on that. You figured out what's wrong with Dr. Banerji?" Elijah asked. "We know that he's dying of septic shock right? His organs are failing. An immune system overreaction to an infection." Blue started to explain. "But nobody's been able to find the souce of the imfection..." Landry chipped in.

"But what if we've been unable to find the infection...because it's not attacking him?" Blue theorized. "We think Dr. Banerji has a bacterial infection...and a bacteriophage." Landry finished for her. "Can someone translate all this Doctor, into English for me?" Kyra asked, incredibly confused.

"A baceteriophage is a virus that specifically infects and replicates in bacterial cells." Blue explained. "So, you're saying that the infection and the phage are attacking...each other? Why hasn't one won yet?" Bryce asked curiously. "Theoretically, if both had strong defenses and large enough populations...they could keep the fight even. Both sides growing." Blue answered expertly.

"If we're right, this is a full-on war...with Banerji's entire body acting as the battleground." Landry added. "The phage could've even gotten pass the blood-brain barrier." Jackie started getting into the same page. "Which explains his headaches...It's encephalitis." Elijah deduced. "And a bacterial infection could have caused his chest pains and his bloody cough." Sienna gave her own inputs as well.

"But none of these symptoms are as strong as you'd expect. They're secondary to the virus and the phage's war against each other. " Blue said. "Whoa." Kyra breathed out astonished but worried for Naveen at the same time. "So you're saying that Dr. Banerji is dying of what, collateral damage?" Bryce asked. "Exactly. The sepsis is just his immune system's reaction to what's going on." Landry replied.

"We need to run some tests on Dr. Banerji and find out what strain of bacteria he has. That way, we can wipe it out before his own immune system kills him trying to expel both of them." Blue said. "How are you going to get the equipement to test him? You're still suspended!" Sienna pointed out.

"And Chief Emery's been watching Zaid and Ines like a hawk after the Mrs. Martinez thing. They won't help us." Elijah added. "I can get it. I'll get the equipment. No one will think I'm helping you, not now." Landry said, making Blue shocked.

"Sure, and you'll tell the Chief while you're at it." Jackie said angrily. "Dr. Banerji's life depends on this. I will not do anything to endanger him." Landey said, getting pissed at Jackie's attitude. "Okay, get the gear, and meet me at the apartment. We'll drive to Dr. Banerji's place from there. We gotta act fast. We may not have much time left to save him..." Blue said, choosing to put some faith in him. After all, he had been her friend once.