Turners | Book 2 | 90 Degrees

by Thomas, Ellis

Dale and Carson were outside because they had to be but Dale made sure that Shar stayed in. He wasn’t convinced that this was the miracle drug everyone was hoping for.

  Carson was another who wasn’t convinced about the miracle cure and wore a mask and protective clothing. But Dale didn’t want to alarm anyone by wearing one himself. If it worked, he would be able to protect Shar the better but if it didn’t, at least she would be safe from adverse side effects.

  The air was suddenly filled with a pinkish hue as the plane released its first load of AT48.

  Other than some sneezing and coughing as nostrils and lungs filled with the ‘cure’, everyone seemed ok.

  An hour later the last load was dispersed and everyone went back to their daily business.

  Dr. Wiggins had quietly watched from a second story window, knowing that his wife, Henny, was somewhere in the crowd. He wasn’t convinced that the AT48 was the miracle drug everyone hoped for and he’d had long conversations with Henny about the cons but had not been able to win her over. The decision to absorb the drug relied solely with each individual. He only hoped she was the one who was right.

  He also noticed that Mayor Patel, his wife Suri and their children were absent.

  10 Walter’s First

  Two months had passed since Walters had opened themselves to AT48. The CDC’s pathologist and Arizona field officer, Dr. Kirsten Tsosie had set up residence in Walters to monitor the effects of the antidote.

  People always did a second take when they first saw Dr. Tsosie. Expecting to see someone darker complexioned because of the last name, they were a bit thrown when the beautiful blonde showed up. Only her name and brown eyes reflected her Navajo heritage. The rest of her features came from her Danish father. The genetic mix was stunning.

  Her mother wanted to hold with the tradition of the children taking the mother’s last name legally. The Navajos say that the child is a member of the mother’s clan and born for the father’s.

  Her father was fine with that but insisted that her first name be Danish.

  She had worked hard as a young woman and was quick to take advantage of a scholarship offered to American Indians with which she received a doctorate specializing in infectious diseases. As a field work expert, she accepted the assignment in Maricopa County to be the boots on the ground to monitor and document the newest antidote.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Good morning Kirsten” Dale said as she sat down at his desk. “What are the latest developments?”

  “So far, no side effects from the antidote but as far as being effective, it’s going to take being compromised by a Turner before we’ll know if it works. Also, you need to know that the virus has taken a turn for the worse. It seems that some people are turning when they die even if they haven’t been compromised by an infected person. The CDC is thinking it might possibly be transitioning to an airborne pathogen.”

  “As if dealing with wandering Turners wasn’t enough. This is going to be a nightmare if we have to start watching out for the dead too.

  I know the people in Atlanta are anxious to see the fruits of their labor but I’m not. Fortunately, the Turners that have wandered in here over the last three weeks were stopped before anyone was hurt” said Dale.

  Kirsten smiled. While her heart echoed Dale’s sentiment, her brain was desperate to know the results of this experiment. If it worked, potentially millions of lives could be saved since every country was dealing with this pandemic. ‘Oh well’ she thought, ‘events would unfold in their own time.’

  “I’m going to the hospital. Dr. Wiggins has a patient with an interesting infection. Anything you want me to pass on?”

  Dale laughed. “No. You go have fun!”

  Just then, the receptionist told Dale to pick up. Henny Wiggins was on the phone and she sounded really upset.

  “Henny, are you all right?” Dale motioned for Kirsten to wait.

  “No Dale! One of those things got into the house! Please come over quickly!”

  “On my way right now” and Dale hung up.

  Knowing Henny had been dusted, he said “Grab your bag Kirsten. You may have just got your wish!”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The two showed up in just over five minutes on the Wiggins doorstep. Henny was in the kitchen with a broom trying to hold a Turner at bay. She had a fierceness in her defense that belied her age. Even in the midst of the situation, Dale couldn’t help having a flash of admiration for her.

  Dale had his gun ready and quickly dispatched the attacker with a shot to its head.

  Kirsten rushed over to Henny who had mucus streaks on her arms and hands. Now that Henny was safe and off the adrenaline rush, she started shaking.

  She became almost hysterical from the encounter so Kirsten injected a sedative in her to calm her down and began to thoroughly examine the good doctor’s wife.

  After taking the topical mess off, Kirsten began to methodically clean Henny with an antibacterial solution so she could get a really good look at her skin.

  Henny’s neck and shoulders were clear but when Kirsten started deep cleaning her arms, her heart froze. The attacker must have had a long nail and although it wasn’t able to grab hold of her, it had cut her when it tried. Kirsten systematically cleaned the wound which had barely drawn blood. She quietly bandaged it. Because of the sedative in her, Henny didn’t panic when Kirsten told her she was taking her to the hospital. Not knowing if the AT48 was effective, Kirsten had given Henny a larger dose of sedative to make sure she couldn’t harm anyone.

  “I’ll call ahead and let Dr. Wiggins know we’re on the way with her. Then I’ll come back and take care of the body” Dale said as he helped Kirsten to the car with Henny.

  Dale put Henny in the back seat of his cruiser. If she turned, at least they would have the protective divider between them.

  Aside from the soft moaning, Henny was no trouble. Dr. Wiggins was waiting in the emergency entrance when they arrived. After Henny was safely strapped on a gurney, Dale called Carson to meet him at the Wiggins’ home and left the hospital.

  Together, they bagged the corpse and called Howie, the coroner, to pick it up and destroy it per the CDC protocol.

  While they waited, they cleaned up the mess the Turner had made to make it easier on the doctor when he came home.

  “I can’t believe Henny might have the virus” Carson said as they loaded the corpse into the coroner’s wagon.

  “She was always so good to everyone. Can’t count the evenings she’s had me over for dinner when Dr. Wiggins had to work late so the meal wouldn’t go to waste. What a great cook!” Just remembering the meals made Carson’s mouth water as he talked.

  “Let’s just hope for the best” said Dale also remembering the times he’d been privy to the meals Carson was reminiscing about whenever Shar was out of town.

  11 The Call

  Leandra was on the porch playing with JoJo when she heard the phone ring. She ran inside and picked it up.

  “Hello”.

  “Leandra? It’s Regan!”

  “Regan! How are you doing? Where are you?”

  “We’re in Junction. I love it here and I wish you were here too!”

  “Is it like you remembered it?” asked Leandra.

  “Yes, exactly as I remember it.”

  Hearing her friend’s voice was comforting to Leandra. Somehow just hearing her closed the distance gap. They were safe and maybe they would see each other soon.

  “How did the dusting go?” asked Regan.

  Settling herself on the couch with JoJo on her lap, Leandra began to fill her friend in on all the local happenings.

  “It seems that other than a little coughing and sneezing, there haven’t been any side effects that we’re aware of.

  “I’m so glad your family decided to leave while all of that was going on. If it turned out to be a good thing, you could always get the antidote later.” Regan commented.

  Changing the subject a bit, Leandra asked, “What a
re you guys doing for work?”

  “Hank is working remotely as long as he can and helping out wherever he can. He really loves working with the soil. As for me, they all seem to know how to take care of any veterinary needs that pop up and no need for a kennel so I’m helping out the people, Krissy and Sam, who own the bed and breakfast we’re staying in.

  Hank and I found a small cottage here that we’re going to rent as soon as the current occupant leaves. It will be available by the end of the month. The people living there now are leaving so they can be with their family.”

  “Maybe I can come and visit you when you settle in your own place” Leandra queried hopefully.

  “Absolutely! I’d love nothing more. I’ll talk to your mom when we’re ready. Now, tell me everything that’s happening in Walters.”

  Thirty minutes later, they said their goodbyes and Regan went downstairs.

  “How is your friend doing” asked Krissy, the B&B owner, when she saw Regan walk in. She was putting a pot roast in the oven for the evening meal.

  “There doesn’t seem to be any negative side effects, thank goodness. I’m looking forward to going back when this mess is over. I really miss the kennel and my friends there.”

  As if on cue, Krissy’s golden retriever, Captain Jack, loped over and started licking Regan’s hand. They both started laughing at the dog’s perfect timing.

  “Ok” said Regan to Captain Jack. “I guess I’ll just have to lavish my attention on you instead!”

  Krissy started pulling out the ingredients to make an apricot pie with the dried fruit from the previous year’s harvest so Regan washed up and joined in to help her.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Sam, Krissy’s husband, came in right when the pies were coming out of the oven. Coming up to her from behind, he wrapped his arms around her petite waist.

  “How’s my favorite baker?” he asked.

  “Just fine” Krissy giggled as she squirmed out of his grasp so she could finish taking the pies out. “How was your day?”

  “I finished up the remodel in Jason’s clinic. It’s so much more functional now and tomorrow…”he paused, waiting for Krissy to prompt him.

  “What?” Krissy asked expectantly, playfully pushing him.

  “Tomorrow I’m going to finish up that fifth bedroom!”

  This was music to Krissy’s ears. She had envisioned a lovely southern belle style room and was anxious to be able to rent it out for the additional income. Business had slowed down but she looked forward to the time when things were back to normal and she planned accordingly.

  She had just removed the last pie so she turned around to give Sam a big hug.

  “Thank you! Now go wash up. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

  Sam playfully saluted her. “Yes ma’am. Right away ma’am!”

  12 Test Case

  Dr. Wiggens had the quarantine room ready for Henny when she arrived. He met her at the emergency entrance and took her to her room. As a safety precaution, he allowed her hands to be strapped to her bed until they knew how she would respond to the AT48. He loved her so much but he couldn’t take any chances with the lives of others.

  When he got Dale’s call, he transferred all of his cases to Dr. Cruther, the junior physician in the hospital who was very capable, so he could put all of his focus on his precious wife.

  He had put his favorite nurse, Marcia Treethy, in charge of taking care of all of Henny’s needs and monitoring her around the clock. He didn’t realize that taking care of her was not a job to Marcia. The whole town thought highly of Henny. Most had eaten meals from her hand at one time or another when they had been too sick to cook for themselves and all had been a beneficiary in one way or another of her kindness.

  While Marcia was setting up the IV, Dr. Wiggins and Dr. Tsosie began a thorough examination of Henny from head to toes with special focus on the wound. Such a small incision would not normally require anything more than a small bandage but where this virus was concerned, nothing was left to chance. Marcia gathered all of the blood samples she had collected and took them to the lab with ‘stat’ labels on them.

  When all the possible precautions had been taken, Kirsten took her leave to give the good doctor and his wife time together.

  Henny was a strong woman, emotionally. With her husband being the town physician, she spent many evenings and holidays alone. She raised their children knowing that her husband would be there whenever he could.

  But right now, she needed his strength and assurances. Even with the sedative, she was aware of the growing burning sensation creeping through her body. She knew almost as much about the infection as her husband and that, unless the antidote she had inhaled worked, she had a zero chance of survival. Worse than dying though, was the thought of turning into one of those things.

  This was new territory for all of them and all they could do was wait it out.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Sometime during the night, Dr. Wiggins had dozed off. It was early morning and the night nurse was just finishing her rounds when Henny’s monitor started beeping in the nurse’s station. In Henny’s room, only a warning light flashed to avoid waking the patient.

  The night nurse rushed to Henny’s room and woke Dr. Wiggins who jumped into action.

  All of Henny’s vital signs had dropped. Dr. Wiggins had the nurse administer an adrenaline injection while he worked to get Henny’s vitals back to normal.

  When the good doctor had finally stabilized her, he watched as she moaned about burning inside. He administered morphine through her IV and within a few minutes she stopped and opened her eyes. Where the sclera was normally white they were bright red now and her irises were much lighter.

  “Henny, sweetheart” Dr. Wiggins softly said. “How do you feel?” he asked feeling absolutely helpless.

  “I was burning” and she closed her eyes and dozed off.

  Kirsten arrived within minutes. Dr. Wiggins brought her up to date on Henny’s condition. Her vital signs where still low and he mentioned that when she was able to talk, she would only say how badly she was burning inside.

  “I gave her a morphine, hoping that would ease her discomfort” said Charles.

  After examining Henny for herself, Kirsten headed down to the lab in hopes of getting some early results.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “Do you have anything on Henny Wiggins yet?” she asked the technician.

  “Just finishing up now,” the tech answered. “I should have the first results in about 15 minutes.”

  Not wanting to stand over his shoulder, Kirsten thanked him and said she would be in the staff lounge. The tech said he would notify her when the results were in.

  Exactly 15 minutes later, he showed up in the lounge with the results in his hand.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  It was late morning by the time Charles got the call from Kirsten.

  “Can you meet me in the lab?”

  “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Charles found Kirsten bent over a microscope.

  She only looked up when she heard Charles’ voice.

  “Take a look at Henny’s sample.” She got up so the doctor could have a good look.

  Dr. Wiggin’s heart dropped. Pathology was not his field of expertise but he knew enough to realize that Henny’s blood was changing despite the antidote she had absorbed.

  “I’ve been pouring over the test results all morning. It seems the antidote only partially inhibited the spread of the disease. The virus is spreading through her but the antidote is preventing it from completely taking over. She is trapped in a limbo state. All we can do is to make her as comfortable as possible.” Kirsten wished she had been analyzing the samples of someone unknown to him.

  Charles’ love for Henny made him feel physically ill at the thought of her being in such a torturous state. Even worse, the entire town was at risk now. The cure they had all anticipated had turned out to be a curse.

/>   “Maybe the antidote will still kick in” said Charles knowing in his heart that it was just a pipe dream but he grasped at any ray of hope.

  “Maybe” said Kirsten, more through sympathy than conviction. Had the antidote worked like it should have, Henny would not be progressing down the road she was on.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Back in Henny’s room, Suri had dropped in to see how her friend was doing. When the flu had raged through Walters and ravaged the Patel home, Henny had brought meals to feed them all twice a day for an entire week until Suri had gotten on her feet enough to take over the care of her family.

  In a small town like Walters, everyone knew that Henny had been attacked. What everyone didn’t know was whether the antidote was working.

  As Suri gazed down on her sleeping friend, she assumed she was doing better because she was peaceful. Suri had no way of knowing that the peace was drug induced. Deciding to wait until Henny woke up, Suri settled into the chair near her bed and pulled a favorite magazine out of her bag.

  13 News Breaks

  The town hall was packed. Everyone was there to hear the news about Henny’s health but more than that, they were desperate to know if the cure had worked.

  Dale stepped up and pounded the gavel for attention.

  When everyone had settled down, he began.

  “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. You’re all aware that Henny Wiggins was attacked two days ago and that she was a part of the group that decided to accept the experimental antidote, AT48.”

  Dale had thought a lot about how to break such devastating news and decided the direct approach was the best, especially since he was at a loss to come up with a sensitive way to let the people know they were basically doomed if they had absorbed the antidote.

  “I won’t beat around the bush. The antidote has turned out to be a failure!”

  The silence in the room was deafening.

  “Henny was slightly cut by the Turner but it was enough to draw blood. She was immediately brought to Memorial West and has been closely monitored by Dr. Wiggins and Dr. Tsosie from the CDC.

  She has been in extreme pain as the virus is taking hold. She has described it as an intense burning sensation that started in the infected area and has worked its way through her entire body. Dr. Wiggins has kept her heavily sedated to manage the pain.