A Different Virus: Heartfire

Chapter 3

We came to a room where several people in white lab coats were mingling with the newcomers. Like the shower room, the walls had stalls with opaque shower curtains hanging in front, ready to be pulled closed for privacy. Instead of a showerhead, each small room had a small stand with a stethoscope, jar of popsicle sticks, blood pressure pump, band-aids, and some other odds and ends.

An elderly gentleman in uniform greeted us at the door, "Hello, we just need to complete a quick medical checkup to ensure everyone is in good health. Ladies, please go to the right. Gentlemen, please go to the left. A doctor or a nurse will take you into a cubicle for a quick checkup. They will be asking you to remove your shirt and pants to check for any injuries. They will also check your heart, blood pressure, and some other vitals."

Kailey and I looked at each other before we went over to a couple of available nurses. One of them ushered me into a partition while closing the curtain behind us. The blonde-haired lady glanced at my name tag as she smiled at me, full of enthusiasm, acting like there weren't zombies just down the road.

"Hello, Diane! My name is Nancy. Nice to see that you made it here. Now I just need to check if you are safe and sound. Please remove your shirt and shorts. You can leave your undergarments on."

I removed my shirt and shorts slowly, still unsure about this overly enthusiastic nurse. She picked up a stethoscope.

"Great!" she said. "Just hold still while I listen to your heart and lungs."

The stethoscope was cold as she placed it in about a dozen different locations on my chest, side, and back while listening. She stepped back and did a quick walk around me, looking for any injuries before proclaiming cheerfully, "Excellent. Your heart and lungs sound clear, so you can get dressed. I will just grab your blood pressure, and you can be on your way!"

I wasn't sure what kind of coffee this lady had gotten into, but the amount of energy this perky nurse had was startling. She used a blood pressure cuff and wrote down my blood pressure. According to her, it was a little high, probably due to the stress we had been under this last week. They would be doing a checkup on everyone again in four days to ensure that it wasn't anything permanent.

She pushed the curtain open and led me over to the waiting area while chattering about all the potential friends I could meet here and how we should visit for coffee occasionally. I nodded while making a mental note to warn Kailey about avoiding the coffee in this place.

Kailey came out and gave me a thumbs-up which I returned. I looked around while we waited for Evan to come out. There were a lot of guards in this room. An awful lot of them. I noticed that two large guards were standing on either side of a heavily reinforced door that had an "Authorized Personnel Only" sign on it.

A curtain parted as a nurse and lady walked out. The nurse was talking somewhat quietly, but since the room was more or less silent, we could faintly hear her. "Looks like you may have a cracked rib, dear. Jordan? Can you please take her to the specialists?"

One of the guards came forward. "Please follow me." He led her through the Authorized Personnel Only door.

Kailey and I looked at one another, then away. I glanced back at my nurse; she had a sad look on her face. I transferred my gaze to the closed curtain where Evan was getting checked. I was pretty positive that the cracked rib was a polite cover up to keep the lady from freaking out – and I was equally sure that I would never see that lady in these buildings again.

Evan finally came out and walked over as Kailey started her usual rambling. "About time!" she exclaimed as we walked towards the exit. "Were you getting your hair done or something? You can never complain that I take too long after this..."