Holding On

Patient Zero

I stood straighter and start to slowly walk to the hospital doors. When I finally reach the doors and walk inside. Rose the counter woman looked at me with sympathy. 'God. I wish news didn't travel so fast around here.' I thought nodding in her direction. I walked hurriedly to Patient Zero's room. I looked at the door it read '000' even the name was mocking me. I walked in and saw my assent nurse Carol standing in front of the bed frowning as if she's trying to keep me from seeing my patient. I nod at her and she stepped to the side. I looked at the young woman in the bed. She had to be in her late 20's or early 30's. She had long beach blond hair and green eyes. She was beyond beautiful. She looked up at me with her soft eyes and said "Hello. Dr. Sam. I heard you are the best around so I had to come." She cracked a smile. "Hello." I started as I looked at her sheet and found her name and finished "Mary. I'm glad you came to me and I assure you I'll do everything I can to help you." She must have heard the concern in my voice because she pulled her eyes back down to her lap. I walked over to her side and lifted her chin with my hand and
looked deep into her eyes as I said "I promise to do everything in my power to help you." She smiled for just one second then looked at the door. I sighed and walked out the door. Carol followed me outside. I closed the door and I looked into Carols dark brown eyes and sighed. She said, "Sam. You are going to have to be strong. You are going to have to make the decision." I wish she was wrong. I drop my head. I felt her eyes bear into the back of my head as she said, "You are going to have to Sam. You know what happened in Europe with patient zero." I shrugged and picked my head up and looked her dead in the eyes and said, "I know what I have to do but it doesn't mean it's for the best." She sighed and walked back into the room. I think about the news report of patient zero. The report said that a young man had came into the hospital complaining that he couldn't breathe. He was dark red like his vains were bleeding all at once. His eyes were bloodshot and wondering in every direction. They did tests on him and they couldn't find anything wrong with him. He stayed in the hospital for a few days before they started seeing other patients skin going dark red as their eyes. As the disease progressed the man started twitching uncontrollably. But he wasn't seizing. After a few days of seizing his eyes popped out of his head and blood spilled from his mouth. A few days after his death others in the hospital had died the same way and they found out that it was spreading and deadly. The US government decided to bomb the hospital without anyone knowing and killed them all. They thought they stopped the virus all together, but apparently they didn't. I walk to the front counter where Rose is at. She bowed her head to me. I nod at her and say, "Do you got the report on her." She nods and hands me her paper. I looked at it and the systems were the exact same as the first case in Europe. I can't let this get out. I can't have this hospital bombed. I call for Carol to get the gurney and put Mary on it and follow me. We rush her into our only closed containment room and air sealed everything. "Carol put on your suit." I yelled across the room. There's only one suit due to all of our budget cuts. So I go without. Carol looks at me for a moment and then she obeys my command. She knows that I'll go without no matter what, if it's to protect another. She knows there's no point in arguing. Once she gets the suit on she rushes over to my side. Mary is looking at Carol when she talks,"Doc. What's wrong with me?" I looked at the door not wanting to tell her, but I know I have to so I let it out, "You have a disease. There was a case long ago and the government thought they rid the world of it but.." She looked at me as she said "but I got it." I nod. "What systems have you been having." I ask hoping she has different systems. She looked at the ground hard as if she's trying to remember something that happened years ago, then she said, "I don't know. I woke up yesterday and I felt really bad and felt like I was dying but wasn't. I felt like I just woke up from a years sleep." She paused. "I just don't know what happened I just woke up and looked like this." She finished. I looked at Carol deep in thought. Something like this can't just form overnight. It takes weeks to process and show up in a persons skin cells. She was dark red. How could this have happen over night? The fastest reported was a week at the least to show systems. She says she hasn't showed or felt any systems until yesterday. Umm. This is stumping me. I signal for Carol to follow me outside. Outside the door Carol removed her mask and breathed in the fresh air as she asked "what's wrong?" "There's something different about this case." I start when Carol says "Of course there's something different this disease is spouse to be gone." I shake my head and say "I know that but this type of disease doesn't form overnight. It takes at least a week." She looks at the floor as if that hasn't occurred to her as she say "Your right and if I remember correctly the man that was first had this disease wasn't as dark red as she is." I look through the door window at Mary and notice that she is a darker shade of red. "She is." I say. I walk out of the containment section of my hospital and walk over to Rose. I look at her focusing on her paperwork on her desk. "Rose. I need you to cancel any of my appointments and assign them to the other doctors." She nods and goes back to focusing on her paperwork. I walk to my office and the phone rings. I answer it. "Hello. Dr. Sam. I need to talk to you. It's very important." It was Kal. "Ok I'll be there in ten minutes." I say with a sigh. I run to my car and start to drive to Kal's house. She's a normal patient and I promised to come to her aid whenever she needed it. As I pull into her drive way I can feel sadness seep into my skin and I notice that the house was particularly gloomy today. I got out of my car and walked on in the house with my medical bag in hand. I walked into the living room and found Kal kneeling down by the couch. It's not until I got closer when I saw there was a person on the couch. I gasped at the sight. I looked at Kal and her face was tear struck and her blue eyes were wet. I looked at the man on the couch and noticed that he was dark red. I immanently knew it was the same disease Mary has. I walked over to Kal and her friend on the couch. I looked at the man and asked "What seems to be the problem sir. What happened." He looked at me as if I was stupid but explained anyway "I'm not really sure I woke up today and couldn't breathe and I saw that I am dark red I feel like my body is being twisted on the inside I haven't ever felt like this before." I nodded taking note of everything he said. "That's weird." I heard myself say. The patient gave me a weird look but shook it off. I walked away grabbing Kals hand and bringing her to the kitchen. "Kal. Your friend has a disease. It's called Zero. Like Patient Zero." I look of realization crossed her face then a worried look took it's place. "We have to put him in confinement with this other girl who has the same disease." She shook her head so fast I thought it might come off. I grab her shoulders and say "Kal I promise I'll do everything I can to help your friend but I can't help him unless he is in confinement with the other girl and I promise to see if I can get you in to visit." She looked at her friend then back at me she nodded and helped me carry him to my car. I drove him to the hospital and got Carol to set him up in confinement. I walked to Rose and she handed me the mans files as if it was her instincts. I grabbed them and walked to my office. What is happening. Two cases of the Zero disease. And they both happened over night. How is it possible. This is going to be the hardest case I've ever had.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Hey guys. Thanks for reading. I'm trying to update as soon as possible. Please vote and comment and if you like my story you will like thegargoyle story behind the wall. Please keep reading mine and be sure to check thegargoyle our as well. Love you guys. 😃😍😘