“Pretty crazy. How about Concord?” he said, guessing it was Karen.
“Same thing. All the stores are jammed. I finally got through Hannigan’s yesterday.”
“Any flu cases?” he pressed.
“Something like a hundred cases since Saturday. I tried to get in to see some of the infectious disease people at Concord Hospital earlier this morning, but they’re not seeing drug reps,” she said.
“You probably don’t want to be anywhere near an E.R., or any hospital for that matter. It’s not worth it,” Alex cautioned.
“That’s a no shitter,” Dave said.
“What do you mean?” said Karen.
Is she kidding?
“Hey, guys, it’s Cheryl. Who’s on already?”
Two representatives covered each of the five geographic sales areas in Maine and New Hampshire. The entire sales team was on the call, except for Ted, their district manager. He heard another double beep.
“Good morning, team. Let’s make sure everyone is here,” Ted said, who then conducted a roll call. A few of his colleagues sounded excited to be on the teleconference. Alex purposely sedated his acknowledgment.
“Thank you for joining me on such short notice. I have some good news and some bad news.”
“Since I always like to end on a positive note, let’s start with the bad, though I hate to call it bad. More disappointing than anything else.”
“The disappointing news is that Biosphere will not enter into an official direct partnership with HHS.”
Alex heard grumbling on the line. He also swore he heard a muffled cheer.
“I know, I know…not exactly what I was hoping for either, but from what I understand, HHS wanted more control over Biosphere’s operations than our executives were comfortable with, so the negotiations are currently stalled. I am told that this may not be the end of a possible deal, especially given the rapidly deteriorating situation around the country. There is still hope.”
Dave interjected a comment, “Ted, I saw a blurb on CNF about Roche enhancing their deal with HHS.”
“Yes, but even without an official deal, Biosphere has taken steps to secure a prominent role. The executive leadership team agreed to relinquish 80% of Biosphere’s current sample inventory to HHS for regional utilization. I don’t have any specifics, but I assume that those samples will be added to the nation’s anti-viral stockpiles, which will be controlled by the government. I don’t know when that will happen or how, but be ready for the call. The remaining twenty percent will be retained by representatives for the most important part of this initiative,” said Ted, pausing before continuing. “I am excited to announce that effective immediately, our district will augment the Boston District’s efforts in northern Massachusetts.”
Complete silence permeated the call for several seconds.
“Ted, this is Steph. When is this going to happen?”
Stephanie Brennan lived north of Concord with her husband, Tom, and three young children. Alex figured she’d be on the fence about complying with this initiative, but would eventually cave in to Ted’s pressure. She’d be more concerned about losing her job and a comfortable income. He knew they’d barely scraped together enough money for a down payment on a house they purchased a few years ago, immediately after her husband was hired as a middle school science teacher in Concord, and he couldn’t imagine any way they could afford to stay in their house on Tom’s income alone.
“Good question, Stephanie,” Ted said.
“All of the assignments are made, and hotel arrangements are set, so we’d like to put all of you in place tomorrow.”
The phone erupted with protest, and Alex removed the Bluetooth earpiece, activating the speakerphone feature of his smartphone.
Ted was attempting to calm the group. “All right, all right. One at a time. I haven’t even given you the details. I realize this is short notice, but let’s face it, the pandemic is spreading quickly, and our corporate strategists agree that a huge opportunity exists if we execute this plan quickly.”
“What exactly is the opportunity?” Alex asked.
“Uh…well, the opportunity is to educate front line providers regarding the Jakarta flu. You’ll all receive new educational pieces to use in the field when you meet with your new coordinating manager down in Massachusetts. So, the first part of the opportunity is to assist healthcare providers with making decisions that can help contain the pandemic. And…and the samples you’ll have in your cars will let them treat patients with symptoms right in their offices, improving containment efforts.”
“This sounds like a PR scam,” Dave interrupted.
“Dave, you beat me to it,” Alex commented dryly. “I don’t see how this could possibly help the situation. The Jakarta flu is about to jump like wildfire across the country. I don’t see how injecting a few sales representatives into the situation will accomplish anything, aside from providing Biosphere with a nice press release. And getting each of us and our families sick.”
“I don’t know, Alex, if we get out there as quickly as possible with the samples and these new informational pieces, we might be the one factor that turns the tide. It’s worth a try at least,” Karen said with a cheerleader voice.
Karen Caldwell had little to lose, besides her life. Recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire, she rented an apartment with roommates in downtown Portsmouth and tirelessly committed all of her time to a career at Biosphere Pharmaceuticals.
“You can take my spot, Karen. I have a family to take care of and can’t afford to get sick for their sake,” Alex said.
“Look, nobody is taking anyone’s place. All of the assignments have been submitted to the regional office, so there won’t be any changes,” Ted said forcefully.
“I will email you all of the details. Hotels, coordinating manager contact information, all of it as soon as the teleconference is finished.”
“Ted, this is Mike. Why wouldn’t the Portland reps stay put? You know, to help contain any outbreaks in the more populated areas of Maine? Someone has to be left behind.”
“We will be keeping two reps in Maine for that purpose,” Ted answered.
“What are our assigned areas?” said Jack Hathaway, who was based out of Bangor, Maine.
“Well, I was going to send that in the email, but I don’t see any reason not to give you the basics. Let me start by saying that the regional manager wanted to minimize the geographical distance that the reps were displaced, to keep you as close to your families as possible. So…Jack and Brian, you’ll relocate to Portland and cover all of Maine. The good news for you is that you’ll still be working under me. The rest of you will have new temporary managers,” said Ted.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mike asked.
“Take it easy, Mike. If you think—”
“Take it easy? You’re basing the northern Maine reps in Portland and moving the Portland reps down to Massachusetts? How does that make any sense?” he nearly yelled.
“What I was about to say, is that if you think about it, you’ll actually be closer to your family than the northern Maine guys. The regional manager wanted to make this as fair as possible for everyone,” he said with conviction.
“So, where will the rest of us be fairly and justly relocated by Biosphere?” Dave asked.
Ted read the rest of the assignments, each one invoking a minor protest, except from Karen in Portsmouth and Melissa in Concord. Alex remained silent, and Dave added a few more sarcastic comments. Mike injected a few well-timed obscenities, keeping Alex’s attention riveted to the call. Ted ended the conference call abruptly, reminding the group to check their email for the details. He never suggested that they take the rest of the day off to prepare for an immediate and indefinite relocation. Alex knew that Ted truly didn’t care about any of the reps or their families.
His smartphone rang.
Mike.
“Hey there, dissident,” Alex said.
“Why were you so qu
iet?” he said.
“You know, I felt like laying into Ted, but it suddenly hit me. Who cares? I have no intention of driving down to Lawrence tonight to check into a hotel. I gave all of my samples away last Friday. I’m pretty much done with Biosphere. There is no way I will leave my family alone during this crisis. Besides, what will happen to them if I get sick and die? No way. This job is not worth the personal sacrifice. It’s family first for me. What about you? You’re not heading down to Mass, are you?”
“I don’t know. If I don’t show up, all hell will break loose. I’m just not sure what to do,” Mike said.
Alex spun in his chair and looked over at the Thorntons’ house. He saw Charlie Thornton back out of his driveway.
“Well, what was your plan for leaving town if you needed to? I mean, how were you going to explain it to Ted?” Alex asked.
“You know, I thought we’d all just be doing the same thing we’ve always been doing. Calling on offices and driving around. I figured that if this thing got really bad, I could just call Ted and tell him I have the flu. I never anticipated being reassigned down to Boston this quickly. This twist jacked up the whole plan. I might head down to Lawrence for a few days and just pretend that I’m working, then call in sick and drive back. I won’t ever have to set foot in a doctor’s office,” Mike said.
“I don’t know, Mike. They know we’re angry about this. Especially you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you showed up and they stuck you with a district manager for a few days. You’d be calling on offices from sunrise to sunset…maybe longer.”
“Fantastic,” Mike complained.
“I think you should tell Ted that your wife is sick and that you need to stay in the area to take care of your kids. Maybe he’ll—”
“Hey, sorry to cut you off, but that’s him buzzing through,” Mike said, exasperated.
“Just stay calm, and tell him that your wife has severe diarrhea with vomiting, and that you probably won’t be able to leave town until it clears up in a day or two. That should buy you some time to work on another excuse,” Alex suggested.
“All right, I gotta go…”
“Diarrhea and vomiting…get descriptive, he’ll leave you alone,” Alex said, chuckling.
“Got it,” Mike said and disconnected the call.
Alex decided that now might be a good time to electronically log the sample transfer, so that he and Ted were on the same page. He flipped open the screen to the electronic tablet sitting on the right corner of the office desk and turned the screen so he could see it from his seat.
The desktop activated and he opened the “Wireless Pro” icon, selected “Wireless Device,” and moved the cursor to highlight “Wireless On.” He paused for several moments, staring at the screen. He looked outside at the clear sky, keeping his thumb on the “left click” internal mouse button.
“Adios Biosphere,” he said finally, and pressed his thumb down.
Alex checked the screen. The wireless icon in the lower right corner of the screen pulsed green. He guessed Ted would call by lunchtime—probably sooner. When he reached the kitchen, Kate was sitting at the kitchen island, sipping coffee and reading the paper.
Without looking up from the paper, Kate asked, “So, did it live up to your expectations? What is Biosphere’s plan to save the world and line their pockets?”
“And far exceeded them. I have to drive down to Lawrence, Mass., tonight, so I can report to my new temporary manager,” he said emotionlessly.
Kate immediately turned to him. “Really?” She looked like she might believe him.
“That’s what the company wants,” he said matter-of-factly.
“But you’re not…?” she said, oddly doubtful.
“No, I’m not going anywhere. My place is here with you and the kids,” he assured his wife.
“I didn’t think so,” she said, relieved, “but for a second there, you sounded serious.”
“Not a chance. Hey, are you sure you should be reading that paper?” he asked.
Kate cast a puzzled glance that read “why wouldn’t I read the paper?” She suddenly realized why he’d asked the question.
“I never even gave it a thought. One kid wrapping all of the papers could infect half the block, or the entire subdivision,” she said and held the section of paper she was reading up by the corner, between her thumb and first finger, like it was rotten. She got up and headed over to the trash.
“I don’t think it matters now, but that’s the kind of thing we need to watch. Nothing should come into the house, even the mail. Most of what we get in the mail is garbage anyway,” he said.
“What about the bills?” she asked.
“Well, we could…” he paused, stuck in thought. “I don’t know. I guess as long as we wash our hands and just keep it in one place it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“The flu can only survive a few days on the paper anyway, right? We can sort through it weekly, with gloves even. Look for any bills, and toss all of the junk mail. We’ll need the paper for kindling at some point.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed. “Anything good on CNF?”
“Nothing new, except for the new Flu Watch Center. All of the news channels have a version of it. Twenty-four hour flu updates. Situation Rooms, Pandemic Watch Centers, and The Pandemic Truth Zone,” she said.
“Up to the minute pandemic information for the whole family,” he said in an overly serious voice.
“Any sign of the kids?” she asked.
“I peeked in to check on them. Ryan is buried in his covers, no sign of life. Emily’s covers were pulled back, so she could roll down at any time. Did you call your office?”
“Yep. I told them I had diarrhea and a fever, and that I’d work on my files from home. Your diarrhea angle really works,” she laughed.
“Yeah, something about the possibility of dirtying in your pants or blowing out the office bathroom really cuts down on the questions. Nobody wants to be around someone with diarrhea, and they certainly don’t want to catch the diarrhea bug. That’s why you have to throw the fever in there. The fever adds the element of contagiousness to the equation. No questions asked,” he said proudly.
“I’ll have to take over the home office and work the rest of the morning. Maybe we can take a ride to the beach with the kids after lunch,” she suggested.
“If they wake up by lunch.”
Alex heard his smartphone ringing and realized that he’d left it in the office. He got up from his stool at the kitchen island and started toward the staircase.
“That might be Mike. He threw a fit during the teleconference. Really out of character for him. He’s usually a cool customer, even during the worst of Ted’s ideas.”
“Have fun,” she said.
“As always,” he replied.
Chapter 12
Sunlight poured into the great room from several oversized windows facing the backyard and the northeastern side of the house. Alex lounged on the couch, watching the HHS press conference. Assistant Deputy Director Paul Harding was already fielding questions from the press.
Walking into the room Kate asked, “Did I miss anything?”
“Yeah, HHS just announced their partnership with Roche to help combat the pandemic. I’ll bet their stock is going through the roof.”
“What is HHS doing with the samples?”
“Apparently they’re augmenting the Strategic National Stockpile. But you know the government, the samples could sit in warehouses for months, not being used while people die. As much as I hated violating a company directive, I really believe the samples I gave to Dr. Wright will save lives.”
“I didn’t hear anything about Biosphere,” Kate remarked.
Before Alex could comment, his smartphone rang. He checked the caller ID and froze, staring at the display. Ted.
“Are you gonna answer that, or—” She stopped when she saw the look of anguish on his face. “Ted?” she asked.
He nodded his head, wincing.
“Can you take the call in the study? I’d like to watch the rest of this,” she said in an overly unsympathetic tone, trying to force a little black humor into the situation.
“Great. Some wife I have,” he said, barely smiling. He got up from the couch and let the call go to voicemail. “I’ll check his message, then call him back. It would be nice to gage his tone before speaking with him,” he said and left the great room.
Kate called him back, “Honey?”
Alex poked his head around the corner.
“Good luck. I know this won’t be an easy call. Just stay calm, and let the cards fall where they fall. Let him do most of the talking. You already know your position. You really don’t need to explain anything to him. You did the right thing. If he gets out of hand, tell him to call you back when he’s feeling better.”
“Thanks, hon. That sounds like a better approach than the one I was formulating,” he said.
While Alex crossed the mudroom, his phone beeped twice, indicating that a message waited on his voicemail. He closed the door to the study and checked his voicemail. Ted’s message was short. “Alex, please call me immediately.” He auto-dialed Ted’s number; Ted picked up on the second ring.
“Ted Stanton,” he answered.
“Hey, Ted, it’s Alex. I got your message,” he said.
“Yes, I had a question that I figured you could resolve. After the teleconference, I logged into the manager’s database to take a quick look at inventories to gauge how much each of you should pack up for the trip down to Massachusetts. Anyway, I was cycling the records, and I saw that your inventory was empty. Something must be wrong with the system again. I just wanted to touch base with you to confirm that this was a mistake, before I call headquarters and start to raise hell with administration. I don’t want the system to create the false impression that we rolled down to Mass. without…you know, the maximum ammo load out.”
He contemplated his options. Lying to Ted would get him off the hook, at least until tomorrow morning, when Ted found out that he didn’t show up in Lawrence. It was also likely that he’d receive an alert message from the samples management division today, exposing the lie. Alex was convinced that all sample transactions would be flagged due to the moratorium placed on giving TerraFlu samples to physicians. Mostly, he didn’t relish the idea of lying, under any circumstance.
THE ALEX FLETCHER BOXSET: Books 1-5 Page 6