Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - Time of the Fourth Horseman

by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

  “I don’t think...” Harry began.

  “I can,” Natalie interrupted. “You’d never make it, Harry. Not along that. Get my bag for me, will you?”

  He would have protested but the girl put in, “Yeah, she’s right. You’re too big.”

  As Harry raised startled eyebrows, Natalie giggled and said, “There, you see? That settles that.”

  He looked down at her in exasperation. He said, “Okay. I’ll get the bag. But be careful.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  When he came back from the bedroom she had buttoned on her white hospital oversmock that she had been wearing the first time he saw her. The slacks she wore were old, but the knee patches did not bother her. She smiled when she saw him. “While I’m gone you’re going to have to do something to make Deutch think we’re both in here. Unless this is very serious, I’ll be back within the hour. If the child is really sick, I’ll find a way to get her over to Lisa Skye. She lives over that big day-care center and should be able to get this child to the hospital.”

  “Yes,” he said to her, and it meant a reaffirmation to both of them.

  “Now, wait until I get out the window.” She climbed onto the ledge. “I’ll have to secure my foothold before you give me the bag.” She lowered herself gingerly.

  Suddenly he was filled with concern for her. “You don’t have to go,” he told her abruptly.

  Her washed-out green eyes softened. “Someone has to,” she said. And then she was inching along the ledge toward the girl who crouched, waiting for her.

  Harry sat at the table for some time afterward, while his lunch grew warm and his coffee got cold. They had been sought out, he realized, and if one child could come to them, so would others. He had not thought of that before, that there would be people who would want them, need them enough to come to them.

  He spread out his hands, a silent whistle escaping between his teeth. There was a way, he thought, if the people on the outside were willing to help. If that child could reach them, she could reach the others, without their guards knowing. There was still a chance. He rose from the table, and after reluctantly washing the remains of his lunch down the sink, he went for a pad of paper. Now he had work to do.

  “How’d it go?” Harry said anxiously as he helped Natalie climb in the window. “You were gone a long time. I was worried.”

  “Tell you in a minute,” she said as she put her feet on the floor and took a deep, relieved breath. “Let me sit a minute.”

  He pulled out a chair for her, suddenly enjoying this old-fashioned courtesy. “Coffee?” he asked when she was seated. “I made some fresh a little while ago.”

  “Please.” She waited while he handed her a mug, then she said, “Let me tell you about the kids. First off, they don’t appear to be seriously ill. I’d say the main trouble is malnutrition. Not very serious yet, but enough to make them very vulnerable to infections. That has me worried. I took some cultures,” she gestured to her pockets. “Not that I can find out much without a lab. I’ve got an old microscope with me, but without the proper facilities I’m kind of stuck.”

  “We’ll work out something,” Harry assured her.

  “I hope so. Well, there are other kids in that building who’ve been deserted. Alison told me about them.”

  “Alison?”

  “The kid who came to the window. Her name is Alison Procter. She’s a very resourceful girl, Harry. I wish there were a way we could use her.”

  “There is a way,” Harry said, smiling. He poured himself another cup of coffee and beckoned. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  Frowning, Natalie rose and followed him into the living room. “What’s that?” she asked when she saw the stacks of paper spread about the floor.

  “It’s my plan. Look,” he said, pulling her toward the old couch. “See? This is a map of the area.”

  “Yes.”

  “The red marks are hospitals. The blue marks are where the various doctors like us live. The Van Dreyter house is here. That kid Alison?” Natalie nodded. “She can’t be the only one looking for a doctor. There’s a chance we can use her and some of her friends to reach the others. If we can do that, then it doesn’t matter if there are guards on the doors.”

  Natalie narrowed her eyes. “It might work.”

  “Might? Hell, it’s bound to work. Look, City Patrol can’t keep us locked up like this much longer. The disease outbreaks are going to start getting to them pretty soon. When that happens, we’ve got to be organized. We’ve got to be ready to set ourselves up in the Van Dreyter house at the first opportunity. And in the meantime, Alison can start bringing people to us. She must know who’s sick, who needs a doctor.”

  “She did mention some other kids in other buildings,” Natalie conceded.

  “Then we aren’t trapped, after all. So long as we keep the communications open with the others, we’ll be ready just as soon as we have to. Don’t you see, Nat? We don’t have to stand by and watch. We can do something.”

  “What about labs? We’re going to need lab space, Harry.”

  “There are a couple of independent labs in the city. We can use them.”

  “Are they any good? Are they up-to-date?” She tapped the specimen packs in her pocket again. “These should be processed right away.”

  “I know. We’ll think of a way.”

  She put down the coffee. “I called the hospital to see if Mark would do a special run on them. No luck.” She did not want to discuss the cruel words they had exchanged, or the threats Mark had made if she persisted in what he had called her folly.

  “It doesn’t matter. I called Dr. Dagstern this afternoon and he’s promised his facilities to us if we need them.”

  “Dagstern? I don’t know him,” Natalie said, trying to recall those few physicians still in private practice.

  “He’s a chiropractor.” When he saw the skepticism in her face, he hurried on. “Look, the man has a small lab and a lot of space. You know he’s got to be careful, because he could be sued for treating pathological conditions without medical consultation. We can take those samples there tonight, if you don’t mind climbing back out the window.”

  She smiled. “If this keeps up, I’ll get good at it.” She drank the last of the coffee. “Well, if I’m going back out tonight, I’m going to want a rest first. Call me in a couple of hours, will you?”

  “All right,” he said. Then, as she started from the room, he added, “if you can find any large jars or bottles and can bring them back, will you do it?”

  “Why?”

  “I’m going to start boiling water and storing it. Once the city’s sanitation goes, the tap water won’t be safe.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. Okay. If I find any containers we can use, I’ll bring them back.”

  “I’ll call you at seven,” Harry told her as she left the room. Then he went back to his maps and his charts. The idea had to work, he told himself. It had to work or they were truly lost.

  The sign was weathered but very neat, planted firmly in the middle of the lawn in front of a commonplace prefab house. DR. ERNEST J. DAGSTERN, it read, CHIROPRACTOR. Natalie studied the sign before going up the walk and ringing the bell.

  In a moment the door was opened by a short, muscular man in his early thirties. “Good evening,” he said. “I’m afraid you’re after my usual hours, but if it’s an emergency...”

  “Dr. Dagstern?” Natalie interrupted.

  “Yes?” His tone changed. “You’re Dr. Lebbreau? The one Dr. Smith said would call?”

  “Yes. I’m Natalie Lebbreau. I understand you have a lab...”

  He stood aside and motioned her into the foyer, which was taken over by a receptionist’s desk. “Come in, Doctor. Yes, I have a small lab here. I’ll take you to it. If there is anything I can do to help you...?”

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” she began, then changed her mind. “You might give me some coffee or tea.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t hav
e anything but herbal teas, but you’re welcome to that. Here.” He opened a door. “Go on in and set yourself up. The equipment is old-fashioned, but I promise you I can do almost all the basics here. If you can’t find anything, just ask for it.”

  Natalie thanked him, then took the specimen packs from her pocket. The room was small, neat and immaculate, and she looked for her slides so that she could begin work.

  She was interrupted just once, when Ernest Dagstern brought her a cup of tea with the words, “I thought you could use this blend, Dr. Lebbreau. It’s supposed to help concentration.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured as she put the first of the slides under the microscope.

  “So at least there are no major infections to speak of,” Natalie told Harry late that night as they sat once more in his living room. “But that’s trivial, really.”

  “What’s the matter, then?” Harry asked. In the time they had been sharing his apartment, he had learned to read her face, and he knew that she was deeply troubled. “Tell me, Natalie.”

  “I talked to Alison,” she said, letting a sigh escape her. “I tried to convince her, Harry, I truly did. But she is afraid to. She says the other kids won’t understand.”

  “Understand what? What other kids?” Harry took one of her hands between his and was shocked to discover how cold she was.

  “I don’t know. She refused to tell me. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. The underground is a good idea, but it isn’t going to have a chance to work.”

  “But it has to,” Harry said, desperation coming over him once more. “If we can’t get it organized and going, we might as well lie down and die right now. Are you sure you told that kid ... Alison ... what we’re facing? Did you make her see what we have to do?”

  Natalie withdrew her hand. “Yes, Harry. I tried everything I could think of, and there was no budging her. We’ll have to think of something else. But not now. I’m too tired.”

  But Harry wasn’t ready to give up. “We could ask Dagstern. He must have some professional contacts we can use. He could enlist his patients...”

  “Sure,” she said with tired sarcasm.

  “All right, then,” he said, his voice suddenly loud. “What do we do? Just wait around and die?”

  “Harry, I’m tired. I have to get some sleep.” She got unsteadily to her feet. “Maybe all we can do is die. I don’t know.” She wandered to the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Harry didn’t answer.

  “All right, all right, I’m coming!” Harry called as he felt himself jarred awake by the pounding on the door. He pulled a robe on and stumbled for the door, part of his mind puzzling vaguely at this summons. Who could want him?

  He met Natalie in the hall. Her eyes were frightened. “Is it the police? Are they going to arrest us?”

  “I don’t know.” He waved her away and went to the door. He hesitated for a moment before pulling the door open. “Yes? What is it?”

  Their morning City Patrol guard stood there, his hand raised for further pounding. “Doc?”

  “Good morning, Deutch. What’s the meaning of this disturbance?” Harry felt his confidence give way, but knew enough not to betray himself. “It’s very early.”

  “I know, Doc. But I had to see you. It’s important. You’ve gotta help me.”

  “Why?” Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Natalie come nearer.

  “It’s Jeanie, Doc. She’s sick. They say they can’t take her at Westbank, and Inner City is out of room. You’ve gotta come and look at her. It’s probably just the new flu, like the doctors said, but I can’t help it, I’m scared. I’ve never seen her this sick before.”

  Harry felt the old manner come back almost automatically. “Don’t get upset, Deutch. I’m sure we can do something for her.” He turned toward Natalie. “You heard?”

  “Yes.” She came to the door then, saying to Deutch, “You mentioned you’ve already called Westbank and Inner City. Can you give a little more information about that?”

  “Well, there’s a waiting list to get in. But,” he added in a confidential rush, “I know some people have gone there who haven’t come back. I don’t know what’s happened to them. My cousin, he went in with a sore throat and a little cough; we haven’t heard anything from him since then. I know Jeanie’s sick, but they won’t take her now, and to tell you the truth, I’d be scared to take her even if there was room.”

  “I see,” Harry said slowly. “Where is your wife?”

  “At home. Over on Stockton Parkway. It isn’t far.” Suddenly he hesitated. “I know you did something bad, or they wouldn’t want to have you guarded like this. But it wasn’t anything real bad, was it? I mean, you didn’t kill anyone, did you? ...”

  “Not the way you mean,” Harry assured him. Then he turned to Natalie. “I think I’m going. We may still have a chance, Nat.”

  Natalie fingered the neck of her flannel gown. “But we can’t do it alone, Harry. We still need help.”

  Harry nodded. “I know how.” Again he moved his attention to Deutch. “If I’m going to help your wife, there are a few things you’re going to have to do for me.”

  “What are they?” Deutch asked, suspicious.

  “When we were put under house arrest, there were several other doctors who were also confined to their homes. I’m going to give you their names and addresses. I’ll need to contact them in case your wife needs more care than we can give in your home. If you can arrange for us to have a conference, perhaps after we examine your wife, we can better determine what should be done for her.”

  Deutch frowned, and there was fright in his eyes. “I don’t know, Doc. I’m not supposed to do this, you know. If I let you see the others, then it could be my job.”

  Natalie moved closer to the door. “Look, Deutch, you’re worried, of course, and it’s only right that you should be,” she said, making a motion to Harry to be silent. “But you know what it’s like when you go to a hospital—there are all the labs and machines to do a lot of things we may have to do without assistance. That’s one of the reasons we need to see our colleagues, so that we can really take care of your wife. It’s important that we be sure we do everything for her.”

  “Yeah...” Deutch said uncertainly.

  Once more Harry took over. “Dr. Lebbreau’s right, Deutch. We ought to have the others in. Sure, this might be simple flu, but if it’s not, we don’t want to make any mistakes, or overlook any possibilities.” Vaguely Harry felt this was unethical, scaring Deutch this way, but it was his only chance. He decided that for the moment he would ignore his conscience. This had to be done, and it was just possible that he would need that conference with the others, in case Deutch’s Jeanie really was ill.

  “I’ve got to think about it,” Deutch said miserably. “It’s a big risk.”

  “Yes,” Harry agreed. “And we’ll be taking a risk, too, leaving quarters. They could really lock us up if we get caught.”

  Natalie plucked at the back of Harry’s robe. “Come on, Harry. We need some coffee,” she said, and reached to close the door. Almost as an afterthought, she looked up at Deutch. “Come back in half an hour, Deutch. If you still need us.” Then, taking the edge of the door, she closed it firmly.

  Harry watched her as the silence became oppressive. “Well?” he asked at last.

  “It might work. I don’t know.” She leaned against the door, forcing Deutch from her thoughts.

  “If it does?”

  “Then you can take care of his wife and I’ll go to the others. I won’t be as noticeable as you are. There are more woman on the streets during the day than men. And no one will be looking for us, anyway. They won’t expect us to be out.” She clenched her hands together, her washed-out eyes suddenly very intent. “It’s the only chance, Harry. It’s our last chance. It has to work.”

  Harry nodded, reserving his judgment. Now the risks seemed very large. “Let’s have breakfast. No use just waiting around for Deutch to make up his mind.”
He put out his hand to her. “We’ll make it,” he said to her.

  Natalie thought that perhaps Deutch would be too scared, that he would change his mind at the last minute and go to the authorities. “Do you really think so?” She avoided his hand as she went toward the kitchen, her face wan in the clear morning light.

  “Okay,” Deutch said when he knocked on the door over an hour later. “I talked to Jeanie. She’s not getting any better. The Visiting Nurse was over and gave her some medicine, but it isn’t helping. I’ve gotta do something. You’ve gotta help her.”

  Harry wished he knew what the Visiting Nurse had given her, but he would have to wait to find out. He did not want to alarm Deutch further. He knew that once he stepped out the door, he would be committed. He tugged at his inconspicuous tan pullovers, then reached for the simple zipper valise which contained most of his tools and his working smock. “I’m ready,” he said, putting a reassuring hand on Deutch’s arm.

  “What about her?” Deutch said, scowling.

  “Dr. Lebbreau is going to leave a little later. She has some minor chores to do here first.” He did not mention that those chores were to make sure the apartment wasn’t spied on or broken into while they were gone.

  Deutch looked acutely embarrassed. “God, I hope we don’t get caught. I mean, they could lock us all up if we...”

  “We’re not going to get caught,” Harry said more forcefully. “No one is going to keep an eye on us as long as they think you’re here.” And as long as Natalie took care of her safeguards.

  “Yeah,” Deutch said, but without much conviction. “If Jeanie weren’t so sick...” He let the words trail off. “Dexter takes over at four. You’ll have to be back by then. He’ll check up on you.”

  “We’ll be back by then,” Harry assured him, growing anxious now that Deutch might change his mind at the last minute.

  “Well, you’ll have to.” Deutch still lingered by the door, a few last reservations holding him back.

  “Come on, Deutch,” Harry said, making the words gentle. “Jeanie isn’t getting better while we stand here talking.” He strode past the guard into the hall. “Let’s go.”