"Hello?" His voice was liquid warmth sliding into her chest.
"Frank," she said and then her voice failed.
"Nella? Is that you? Thank goodness. I've been trying to reach the prison for hours. Please tell me you wore masks- Dr. Pazzo has already released it. I don't know how, but he did. I'm at the hospital-"
"I know Frank. I'm just a few floors below you. Stan was the one that figured it out. The pens, they were just like the lock. There for show, so we wouldn't pay attention to what he was really doing. He infected himself. Did you shake his hand today? Did he cough on you?"
"No. He seemed nervous and I was still angry with him so I didn't try to get him to talk. It was my turn for opening statements anyway so I was standing for most of the session. When the soldiers came in he bolted across the room and kissed Dr. Schneider though. He must have wanted to make sure. How did you know I was here? Are they going to let you come upstairs if you wear a suit?"
"No, not yet anyway. I'm in quarantine too, at least for a week. They don't know if the cell block was contaminated."
"But you wore a mask, didn't you?"
"Yes, a whole biohazard suit. But they want to be sure. The rest of the court is here too, somewhere upstairs from me." Nella heard a hoarse yell through the receiver. "What's that? Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, it's Dr. Pazzo. He hasn't stopped screaming since they grabbed him. He's in the room next door right near me and Dr. Schneider. They must think we're the highest risk." She could hear Frank nervously tapping the phone cord.
"There's a guy here, a microbiologist. He thinks it's going to be okay. Maybe not for Dr. Schneider, but for everyone else. He doesn't think Dr. Pazzo is contagious yet."
"That's good news."
"Frank, I'll come visit you as soon as they let me. And we can talk as much as we want on the phone until then."
"Don't come up here. I don't want you to be exposed."
"I won't be, I'll wear a suit and all of the rooms are contained I think."
"Maybe- maybe you shouldn't come up here anyway." She heard another yell from Dr. Pazzo and Frank's breath shook in her ear. There was a soft thud as Frank's forehead gently struck the glass wall of his room.
"You aren't going to get it Frank. It's going to be a long couple of weeks because I'll miss you, but I'll talk to you or see you every day-"
"If I- I can't turn into that again. You can't see me that way."
"It's not going to happen. We caught it in time. You'll see, a month from now we'll be walking out of here together-"
Frank sobbed. "I have to go. There's tests. I have to go." He hung up.
Nella put the receiver back into its cradle. She curled up on the cot, her back to the bright afternoon and cried herself to sleep.
She woke to a knock on her door. It was Stan with a tray of food and a doctor in a biohazard suit.
"Sorry," Stan said, "I didn't want to wake you, but Dr. Corey needed to evaluate you."
Nella sat up. "Hi," she said to the blank mask. The eyepieces were opaque unlike hers had been, so she couldn't see the person inside. Dr. Corey pulled up the folding chair.
"Officer Kembrey has given me a rundown of events, so I will just need to ask a few question and take some blood samples." Nella was surprised to hear a woman's voice float out from the mask. She had expected a man. Stan backed out of the room and two more soldiers in plastic suits entered the room holding large guns. "I trust that won't be a problem?" Dr. Corey continued pointedly.
"Of course," said Nella, bewildered.
Dr. Corey started pulling supplies out of her suit pocket and laying them on the cot beside her. "Officer Kembrey tells me you and Mr. Courtlen first discovered Robert Pazzo's plan some time ago. Why didn't you notify authorities?"
"We only had hunches. And we were afraid if we reported it and Dr. Pazzo found out, he'd release the bacteria early and we wouldn't have a chance to find it."
"I see, and you thought you and Mr. Courtlen were qualified to find this bacteria? Mr. Courtlen has had no medical training and you-" she snapped her gloved fingers and one of the guards handed her a folder. She flipped through it. "You've had basic microbiology and some general biology courses in college and medical school?"
"It wasn't a matter of being qualified or not being qualified. Someone had to do something and we were the only ones that knew about it. We're what was available."
Dr. Corey opened an alcohol swab. The smell stung Nella's nose and made her feel chill before it even touched her. The doctor was so rough that Nella's arm was sore even before the needle. She gripped her wounded shoulder as Dr. Corey pulled on her arm.
"That's not true though. Various people knew about the bacteria at different points in time, isn't that correct? The trial judges, the prosecutor, a prison official, even a reporter. Yet none of you contacted authorities."
The needle bit into her. Nella ignored it. "I told you. We had to keep it quiet so Dr. Pazzo didn't realize we were suspicious. We did the best we could, but we had to involve other people to move forward."
Dr. Corey switched vials and drew another. Nella wished she could see the woman's expression. After four vials, the doctor handed Nella cottonball and a bandage. Nella closed her elbow around the cottonball. Dr. Corey stood up. "I understand you were bitten on your trip to Dr. Carton's lab."
"Yes, but what does that have to do with-"
"I'll need to examine it. Please remove your blouse."
Nella glanced at the guards. "Very well, but do I have to do it in front of them?"
Dr. Corey waved her hand at the guards and they left, closing the door behind them. Nella slid out of her shirt.
"I understand you have more than a professional relationship with Mr. Courtlen." Dr. Corey probed Nella's shoulder with two rough fingers. Nella tried not to wince.
"Was that a question?"
"Have you had sexual relations with him?"
"I really don't think that's any-"
Dr. Corey blew an exasperated sigh through her mask. "Dr. Pazzo could have been infected anytime between Sunday night and today. Mr. Courtlen may have been infected during Monday or Tuesday's court session. Therefore, we need to know if you and he had intercourse between then and now to assess your risk."
Nella blushed. "Yes."
"Put your shirt back on please. Do you have any personal effects here?"
"No, why?" Nella pulled her shirt on again.
"Come with me please."
Dr. Corey led her into the hallway after pocketing the lab vials. She handed Nella a thin respirator mask. "Put this on please." She thumbed her radio as Nella obliged. "Would you please add one more to the meals for the seventh floor?" Dr. Corey said into it. Nella caught Stan's eye and the look he gave her was a mix of pity and fear. The guards grabbed her arms and propelled her forward to the elevator. Nella was too startled to struggle. Dr. Corey joined them and selected the floor button. Stan was yelling, "Wait, where are you-" as the silver door slid closed. Nella felt sweat stand out on her face and on her arms where the guards were holding her. She began to hyperventilate.
"It's okay, just breathe normally, the mask is just to block disease, not oxygen. Calm down and take slow breaths," One of the guards said beside her. Dr. Corey and the other guard ignored them. Nella tried to concentrate and slow down her breathing. "That's right," said the guard, "If you breathe so rapidly you'll get dizzy. Feel better?" Nella nodded. The elevator chimed and they walked down a long hallway. All the rooms were fronted with thick glass and Nella could see people sitting or sleeping against the far walls.
"Please," she said, "Is there a room near Mr. Courtlen." The friendly guard looked down at her and then at Dr. Corey.
"I don't care," said the doctor, "put her where you think she'll be the least trouble."
"Be nice now," said the guard, "and I'll put you across from him. That room is empty."
Nella nodde
d and the other guard released her arm. The friendly guard led her gently down the hall. She could hear Dr. Pazzo yelling, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. The guard unlocked the glass door and held it open. She obediently walked inside. He closed the door and said, "You can take off the mask now if you want, you're safe in there. I know you missed dinner, I'll make sure they bring you something later."
"Thank you!" she called after him. Frank was on his cot, his back to her. His legs were too long to fit and they trailed off the end. She decided to let him sleep. She was relieved to be near him. She tried to pull her cot closer to the glass wall, but it had been bolted to the floor. Were they preparing for the day the patients went feral or was it just to prevent blocking the door? Nella lay on the floor next to the glass to be closer to Frank. She was asleep in moments.
Dr. Pazzo Snaps
After the Cure Page 57