Rescue My Heart

by Lorana Hoopes

  “It’s going to be okay.”

  His words were so confident, but she couldn’t find comfort in them. This wasn’t his mess. These weren’t his friends.

  “What if it’s someone I know?” The voice that came out of her mouth was so soft and scared that she barely recognized it as her own.

  “The doctors here are good, right?”

  Cara nodded. Though she didn’t know them well, they appeared to be knowledgeable and efficient.

  “Then we trust that they will do everything they can to help whoever it is. Whatever they can’t do, God will cover.”

  She blinked at him. Hearing him mention God was certainly unexpected as was the way he said it - as if God was a friend and not some supernatural being no one had ever seen. Curiosity burned within her, but now was not the time. Hopefully there would be time for questions later.

  “Thank you.”

  He smiled slightly and after a moment, removed his hand so they could exit the car.

  At the front desk, they asked the nurse to page Nick, and a moment later he appeared - face grim and concerned. “Come with me.”

  Those three short words filled Cara with dread as she followed Nick toward the ICU.

  “Even though you said it wasn’t transmitted person to person, we went ahead and put him in isolation just in case.” Nick flashed his badge to open a sealed door. “Here’s what’s odd though. After you spoke with us, I did some research and this disease has a crazy timeline. Symptoms can show up within a day or take years - there doesn’t even appear to be rhyme or reason to the timeline - but the average is at least a week after exposure.”

  Cara’s brow furrowed as she counted back the days. “But my break in was only a few days ago.”

  “Exactly, which brings me to my point. I don’t think our friend was infected here. Especially with how advanced his case seems. “You’ll need to suit up before we can go inside.”

  Cara and Cole followed his instructions, donning the hazmat gear before following him into the room. The gear was bulky and awkward, and though she knew it was for her protection, Cara felt like a character in a science fiction movie as she stepped through the doorway.

  A single bed occupied the room - a man, pale and quiet, lay beneath the sheet. The electronic hum of a monitor and the periodic beeping of some machine broke the eerie silence of the room.

  “He presented with a cough, a high fever, and incoherent ramblings. Thanks to your briefing we decided to run a urine and blood test. He has since become delirious fading in and out of consciousness. We’re still waiting for the blood test to come back, but I have no doubt it will show the illness is in his bloodstream.”

  As Cara stared at the man, an itch tickled her brain. He appeared familiar, but she couldn’t quite place his face. Of course that probably had to do with his color and lack of animation, but she couldn’t help but think that if she could place him, it might answer a whole lot of questions.

  Suddenly, the man’s eyes shot open. They jumped from person to person, finally landing on Cara, and his face shifted as if he recognized her. “I’m sorry.”

  Cara stepped forward. “For what?”

  “Everything.” He opened his mouth to say more, but his eyes closed before any other sound came out.

  “I think he needs rest.” Nick touched her arm. “Maybe we can try again later when the medicine kicks in?”

  Cara nodded, but she hoped there would be a later. She knew how deadly this disease could be, and if he were already feverish, it meant it had to be in his bloodstream.

  12

  Cole

  Cole watched as Cara’s eyes lingered on the unconscious man even as they stepped out of the room and a nurse helped them remove their gear. She knew something; he could tell from the slight tensing of her jaw and the folding under of her bottom lip.

  “What do you have him on?” she asked the doctor.

  “Ceftazidime,” the doctor replied, “but it’s too early to tell if it’s working. I just started him on it half an hour ago.”

  “Did he check himself in or was he brought in?”

  “Brought in. We don’t even have his name. Still searching for some identification. The woman who brought him in is out in the waiting room if you want to talk to her. I don’t think she knows him, but she seemed determined to stay until she knew he was okay.”

  The vein in Cara’s neck pulsed as she nodded. “Thanks, Nick. Keep me informed if you can. If he does test positive, we need to call the CDC.”

  He nodded. “Already have the number programmed in my cell phone.”

  The vein popped a little more as Cara’s lips mashed together. “Thanks, Nick.”

  When they were free of their gear, the nurse led them to the sanitizing area, so they could wash their hands. Questions burned in Cole’s throat, but he waited until they were cleared and out of earshot to pose them.

  “What aren’t you saying?”

  Cara inhaled deeply and scratched at her forehead. “I don’t know exactly. The timeline bothers me for one. Nick is right that this disease seems to have no set timeline, but to already be in his bloodstream? That makes me think he could have had it when he attacked me and killed Steve which also seems unlikely.”

  “Would he not have had the strength?” Cole wasn’t as familiar with this disease as Cara was, but if it was as serious as she claimed, he could see why she would be confused.

  Her hand traveled to the back of her neck and rubbed absently. “I mean I suppose it’s possible he would have the strength, but I don’t see how he could have sneaked up on me if he had a cough. Also, if he had it before he attacked Steve, then where did he get it? Steve had the samples of the live virus and the infected mice. Something just doesn’t feel right.”

  “Is it possible he infected himself stealing the virus from Steve and just progressed rapidly?”

  “It’s possible, especially if he has some underlying condition. I’ve read of people that showed symptoms within a day and others that didn’t show symptoms for over fifty years. That’s another thing that makes this disease so dangerous.” She shook her head as if trying to grab a fleeting thought. “I suppose I need to do more research when we get back to the B&B.”

  Cole knew she would do just that. The woman was meticulous from everything he’d seen the last few days. Even her work station was never cluttered. Everything had a place and the desk was wiped down after every use. “That’s not all though is it?”

  A frustrated breath passed over her lips. “No. That man in there seems familiar and he looked at me as if he recognized me, but I can’t place whether I know him from here or somewhere else. Of course it doesn’t help that he looks so pale right now.”

  Cole placed a hand on her arm. Along with her meticulousness, Cara had a trait of beating herself up over things she didn’t get quickly or couldn’t control. It was something he understood, but he also understood how that trait could eat away at you. “It will come to you. Why don’t we go talk to the woman? Maybe she can help us figure out who he is.”

  Cara flashed a brief smile and squeezed his hand before returning back the way they’d come. Cole paused at the nursing station, intending to ask who had brought the woman in, but Cara continued to the waiting room. When he caught up to her, he realized why. Only one woman was in the room. Her head was tilted down, sending her dark locks fanning across her face and hiding her features.

  “Excuse me, Miss?”

  Cara’s voice was softer than he had ever heard it. So, she did possess a compassionate side. He’d only seen the stronger sides of her - the stubborn, take charge, no nonsense sides. Though he had found her attractive before, he found his attraction to her increasing with every new piece he discovered.

  The woman lifted her head. Wide brown eyes stared up at them. “Yes?” Her voice was softer than Cara’s and held a note of… defeat?

  “Are you the woman who brought in the man with the fever?”

  The woman nodded. “I don’t kno
w him, but he was all alone, and I don’t think anyone should be all alone. I told them I wanted to stay until I found out how he was doing. Do you know?”

  Cole not only heard the desperation in her words, but he could see it in the woman’s face. Though young, there were wrinkles by her eyes and along the corners of her mouth that hinted at the rougher hand she’d been dealt. He had no doubt from the way her hands continually twisted that she was speaking from experience, and the investigator in him wondered what her story was.

  “I know Dr. Pearson has him on some medicine that should help him. My name is Cara Hunter, and this is my friend Cole Davenport. Do you think we could ask you some questions about earlier?”

  The woman’s thin shoulders lifted and then fell. “I guess so.”

  Cara smiled as she sat down in the seat next to the woman. “Can you tell us where you found the man?”

  “He was outside the church, walking through the garden. I thought that was odd because usually the only people I see out there are the pastor or the women who run the food pantry. I approached him to ask who he was, but he was rambling some sort of nonsense about a woman named Sarah. I asked him who she was, but before he answered me, he fell to the ground. He was too heavy to lift and no one was around, so I called an ambulance.”

  “That was the right thing to do,” Cara said, touching the woman’s arm. “You probably saved his life. You said he was in the garden though. Was he doing anything? Carrying anything?”

  “Um.” The woman squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to conjure a mental memory. “Yes, he had a watering can, but I don’t remember the ground being wet.” Her eyes opened and she looked at Cara and then Cole. “Maybe he hadn’t started watering yet?”

  The cold sliver of dread coursed through Cole, and as he caught Cara’s eyes, he knew she was thinking the same thing. Had he been poisoning the garden? Or had he become delirious before he’d started?

  “Thank you. I just have one more question for now. Can you tell me which church?”

  “Yeah, the Baptist one on Main.”

  When the vein pulsed in Cara’s neck again, Cole knew that was not the information she had been hoping to hear.

  “Thank you.” Cole pulled a card from his wallet as he spoke up for the first time. “If you remember anything else, will you call us?”

  The woman looked at him, nodded, and tucked the card in her pocket before dropping her head again.

  “We have to go now,” Cara hissed as they moved away from the woman. “That church? It’s the biggest one in town, and that garden not only supplies the food pantry, but there’s a group of volunteers who tend it. If that food goes out or even if they touch the soil, we’ll have a lot more cases on our hands.”

  The dread grew within Cole as they reached the car. He could only hope they would get there in time.

  13

  Cara

  Cara gripped the steering wheel to keep her hands from shaking. If he had managed to poison the garden, how many people would get infected? And what if that hadn’t been his first stop? Could he have poisoned other places around town?

  All of those questions bothered her, but the thing that bothered her the most was his face. He was familiar, and she didn’t think it was from her bed and breakfast, but she couldn’t place him. Perhaps if she could, that would help her figure out who was behind this.

  “How big is this church?” Cole asked beside her as she turned down the last street.

  “It’s not one I attend, but I think it holds about three hundred, and it’s the biggest donator to the food pantry.” As she finished her sentence, the crosses that stood atop the large church came into view. Beside her, Cole let out a low whistle.

  “You weren’t kidding.”

  The church only stretched about three stories tall, but the expanse of it was mainly in the width. It spanned nearly an entire block, and the fear gripped Cara a little tighter as she pulled into the parking lot and saw the other cars. It wasn’t a Sunday or a Wednesday, so she doubted they were here for service. She supposed they could belong to the employees, but she had no idea how many people worked in the church.

  As soon as the car was in park, she killed the ignition, and shot out of the car. Cole quickly fell into step beside her.

  Though large double doors under a covered entrance were directly in front of them, Cara veered to the right where she suspected the garden might lay. Sure enough, the planted rows soon came into view.

  As she scanned the area, she called out for Cole to keep his eyes open for the watering can, but not to touch it if he found it. Before they had made it very far into the rows, a voice spoke up behind them.

  “Can I help you?”

  Cara turned to see a woman approaching them. Her short gray hair stood in contrast to her bright blue jumpsuit. Though she appeared older than Cara, her thin build suggested she kept in shape, and she was definitely fashion conscious.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m Cara Hunter. I own the bed and breakfast near the beach-”

  The woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’ve heard such great things about that place. It’s so nice to meet you.” She extended her hand, complete with a colorful shell bracelet, but Cara didn’t shake it.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but we need to know if anyone has been in the garden recently.”

  The woman dropped her hand, a hesitant smile on her face as if she was unsure what to make of Cara’s rudeness. “Well, yes. We just finished pulling the vegetables, and we’re washing them in the kitchen. Did you need something?”

  Cara’s heart tightened. “Did anyone find a watering can?”

  “I think Daisy did. She brought it in the church. Did you leave it?”

  Cara exchanged a look with Cole, who had come to stand beside her. “No, but we might know who did. We need to speak with everyone who has been in the garden today or touched any of the food that came out of it.”

  The woman’s hesitant demeanor dissolved into one of trepidation. “Are we in trouble?”

  “Not trouble ma’am,” Cole said, stepping forward with his hands up, “but possibly danger.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth as a shocked gasp passed her lips. “Come with me. I’ll introduce you to everyone. I’m Martha, by the way.”

  “Martha, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I wish we were here under better circumstances.”

  Cara marveled at how pleasant and calm Cole sounded. She prided herself on her cool head in the face of danger, but she knew her voice and her manner generally reflected that coolness. She’d been called an ice queen more than once during her time in the military. Perhaps, she could pick Cole’s brain after this was all over and find out how he was able to come across calm and kind.

  The church kitchen was larger than her own kitchen back home and the sight of the ten women washing the vegetables and laughing together filled her with sadness. She hoped none of them would get ill, especially since it appeared the median age among them was over sixty. Cara knew the immune system often grew weaker with age.

  “Martha? Is everything okay?” One woman stepped away from the counter as the trio entered. She reminded Cara of the grandmotherly stereotype. There was a slight blue tint to her curly hair and her shirt and slacks could have come directly from Betty White’s Golden Girls wardrobe.

  “I’m not sure.” Martha turned to Cole and Cara as if indicating they should take over the conversation.

  “Hi ladies.” Cole flashed a charming smile at the women. “My name is Cole Davenport, and this is Cara. We’re here with some unfortunate news. It appears that someone got a hold of a virus. That person is in the hospital, but we have reason to believe he may have infected the soil of the garden you were working in.”

  The women’s eyes widened, and several of them gasped. “What does that mean?” Betty White asked.

  “I’m going to let Cara discuss that as she’s more familiar with this virus.” He looked to Cara and motioned with his head for her to step up.

 
Cara cleared her throat as she looked out at the fearful women. “This virus is Melioidosis. It’s not a virus we often see in the states, and it’s not generally transmitted person to person.”

  “Thank Heavens,” another woman said as she fanned her face.

  Cara bit the inside of her lip, hesitant to rain on the woman’s parade. “Unfortunately, this virus is transmitted through soil and water.”

  The woman’s smile slid from her face. “So, what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying you all need to come with us to the hospital to get tested. If you touched the soil, you may be at risk of contamination.”

  Another woman lifted a weathered hand in the air. She appeared to be the oldest from her white hair and soft skin. “What if you didn’t touch the soil directly, but you touched something that was in the soil?”

  “Like the vegetables?” Cara asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, but before they were washed.”

  “What are you talking about Edith? No one has touched the vegetables except us.”

  Edith fidgeted nervously. “Well, actually, little Robbie came by, and I gave him some broccoli and potatoes for his family.”

  There was a collective sigh joined with a chorus of “Oh, Edith” from the women. Evidently this was something the woman did often.

  “I’m sorry, but who is little Robbie?” Cara asked. Her cool demeanor had returned and she forced a smile to her face in an attempt to lighten it.

  “He’s a little boy who lives in the neighborhood,” Martha said. “He has a very big family and they use the pantry a lot. Usually his mother comes by, but sometimes she sends Robbie and Edith sends him home with extra food or, in this case, early food.”

  “But you gave it to him before you washed it?” Cara asked.

  Edith nodded. “Is he in danger too?”

  “I’m afraid he could be. Does anyone know where he lives?”

  The women looked at each other and shook their heads before Edith spoke up again. “I know what direction he went, but we’ve never actually been to his house.”