by Karen Randau
19
I called for an ambulance and waited at the end of the driveway hoping they’d send Taylor. Relief filled me when she drove up, stopped the vehicle, and her paramedic partner Aaron pulled a gurney from the back. Taylor hauled out a black medical case.
“David says to airlift her to Phoenix to see an integrative neurologist who thinks he knows what’s wrong with Mary,” I yelled as Taylor ran past me. “She’s unconscious in the bathroom. Her head was shaking like she has Parkinson’s.”
Taylor stopped and turned toward me. “Tremors? That’s a new symptom. An integrative neurologist is a good choice.”
“She said she had a headache, and she held her left arm like it hurt,” I said.
Taylor nodded but said nothing. She followed Aaron into the house and down the hallway, stopping at the bathroom.
David rushed past me talking on his cell. He gestured toward the arcadia door leading to the backyard where the birthday girls were playing.
“I’ll watch them.” I darted toward the door and slid it open.
I stood in the doorway and glanced at the girls playing on a grassy area beyond a cement patio with a table and four chairs, listening to David talking to Taylor.
“The doctor wants to speak with you.” His voice held an air of authority. “He said to write down the mixture that cleared her thinking, then get her to the hospital where he practices.”
“Hello, this is Paramedic Taylor Finnegan. I’m a certified herbalist working on a naturopathic medical degree. I made the cocktail for your patient.”
I closed the door as Taylor named the ingredients to her concoction. Standing next to one of the four chairs on the patio, I kept my back to the children, hoping I could force a smile. As I turned, I saw Emma waiting beside me.
“Where’s my mommy?”
“She has to go to the doctor.” I sat so I would be eye level with Emma. “Don’t worry about her, okay?”
“Will she watch us from outside the window again tonight?” Tears glistened in her eyes.
I cupped my palms on her cheeks and wiped tears with my thumbs. “Your mommy will go to a hospital in Phoenix for a few days. She can come live with you afterwards.”
“Promise?”
I pulled her into a hug, then looked into her eyes as I spoke. “I can’t promise, but she will come back as soon possible. She loves you very much.”
“Okay.” Emma nodded, turned on her heel, and skipped back to her friends.
Minutes later, I heard what sounded like the roar of the ambulance’s engine as it drove away.
David joined us on the patio, sitting across from me. “Your paramedic friend said you should watch for signs of meningitis in Travis and Cliff,” he said. “Stiff neck. Vomiting. Sudden, high fever. She thinks that’s how the pathogen progresses.”
Meningitis? Why would Taylor think that? Why didn’t she say something this morning? I felt a strong tug to go home and check on my guys, but I needed to know more from David first.
“Why doesn’t anyone believe Mary’s claim she was sprayed from a drone after the explosion?”
“They say she was unconscious and couldn’t have known.”
“How did you get the doctor in Phoenix to believe her story?”
“I don’t think it’s that. He said his approach will find the source of her condition rather than just treating the outward symptoms or giving up on her because she has brain damage.”
We exchanged phone numbers. He wrote the name of the specialist caring for Mary and the hospital where he would treat her. When he lamented that the roadblock would prevent him from visiting Mary, I told him about my experience with Mule Train Trail.
“What do you drive?” I asked.
“Chevy Cruze.”
“It won’t make it down that road.”
“I also have a four-wheel-drive pickup I use for off-roading.”
“Maybe that will make it. Keep me informed on anything you hear. I’m trying to find out more than the news reports tell us about our current situation, and I’ll fit in research about Mary’s attack. Anything you can share will help me figure out what happened to her. My priority, though, is to help my husband and son.”
“I understand.” He went inside, returning with a thick folder. “This has all the details of what the military says happened and what Mary said happened. They don’t match. It includes the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of everyone I’ve spoken to in the government, the military, the VA, and the other kinds of doctors I reached out to. I hope it helps. Bring it back when you’re done.”
His doorbell rang. He left the arcadia door open as he rushed to the answer.
I heard a woman’s voice, followed by David saying, “Mel, I don’t know how you found out about this so soon. I appreciate your concern, but we’re handling it.”
The woman said something I couldn’t understand. David answered with, “We’ve discussed this. I won’t meet you in a private place, and I’m having a birthday party for my niece right now. We weren’t a couple and never will be. It would be inappropriate with you reporting to me.”
The woman’s unintelligible answer carried more of a pleading tone than an angry one. Her voice sounded more like someone desperate to share information than someone begging for a date.
When David returned, he plopped into his chair shaking his head. “I’m thinking she has become a stalker.”
“Who is she?”
“Mel … Melissa Cooper. She works for me. She keeps trying to get me alone. Lena said Mel got the idea we were a couple when I took her for coffee to discuss a new process I wanted to establish at the plant.”
I remembered the photo of the employee Christmas party. “I’m guessing she wasn’t happy when you dated Lena.”
David smirked. “Lena said Melissa purposely tripped her in the break room, but others who witnessed it said it was an accident. Lena spilled coffee on the floor and slid through it before falling. Melissa helped her up and whispered something in her ear.”
“Would Melissa have sabotaged the water treatment plant to get your attention?”
David blinked several times and rocked back. “No. . . of course not. . . I don’t think so. Why would you ask that?”
“Just being a good investigator.” My words caused David’s expression to morph from shocked to grim.
“Mel is harmless. When Lena told me Mel had a crush on me, I avoided her. It frustrates her that I won’t respond like she wants. But she’s a professional, ethical engineer. She’s also the conspiracy theorist I told you about. She said the CDC confiscated that dead cow they found in the reservoir.”
“But you said she’s stalking you. She tripped Lena. That’s vindictive. It shows a mental health issue more than someone who is an ethical professional.”
“She’s quiet and a little mousy. She doesn’t have the personality to do something that brash. Why would she hurt the whole town just to get back at me?”
“Maybe she didn’t understand that it would harm the whole town.”
“She’s a water treatment engineer. She would know.”
We fell silent for a moment as we explored our own thoughts.
“Why would the CDC confiscate a rancher’s dead cow found at the reservoir?” I asked.
“Yeah. That’s what I was wondering.”
A sudden urgency filled me. “I need to get home.” I picked up the folder, wished Emma a happy birthday, and sprinted up my hill. I bolted through my security gate, up the front stairs, and into the room where Travis slept. His head felt warmer than when I left earlier. His eyes fluttered open.
“Hi,” he said with a weak voice that chilled me.
“How do you feel?” I prayed he’d say he felt all better.
“Move. I think I’m going to be sick.”
I helped him to the bathroom and waited for him to finish before helping him back to bed. His skin felt too warm. He complained of a stiff neck.
I dashed to the kitchen to fill a plastic bag with ice, wra
pped it in a towel, and returned to Travis to put it on his forehead. “You will be okay,” I said to my sleeping son. “Dear Lord, help me,” I whispered. “I don’t know how to help my son. I love him. Please don’t take him from me.”
Watching Travis, I dialed Taylor.
“Rita, the chopper just took off,” Taylor said as a greeting. “Mary should be at the neurological hospital in downtown Phoenix within forty-five minutes.”
“Good. Travis has gotten worse. I’m scared. What should I do?”
20
I followed Taylor’s instructions to call 9-1-1 so the town would dispatch her to my house. She said she would ask Mary’s neurologist to accept Travis as a new patient. I prayed he would.
As I hung up, Cliff spoke from behind me, “What’s going on?”
Startled, I jumped back before taking two steps toward him. I froze when he massaged his neck. “Why are you rubbing your neck?”
“It’s stiff. I must have slept in an awkward position.”
I reached up to touch his forehead. “You’ve got a fever again.”
“I feel more nauseated than yesterday, but it isn’t anywhere near as bad as it was before.” He rubbed his abdomen.
“Get ready. Taylor will be here in a few minutes to take Travis. He will go by a medical helicopter to Phoenix. I hope. Taylor thinks he may have meningitis. Mary’s brother found an integrative neurologist who will take both Mary and Travis as new patients. You’re not as bad as he is, but you’re showing symptoms.”
“I’m okay. Don’t overreact to a stiff neck and a stomachache. I’m not going back to that hospital. If I die, I want to do it here with you.”
I dialed Taylor. “I’m not overreacting, and you will not die. Go get ready. I’m taking you to Phoenix one way or another.”
He stood his ground as Taylor answered her phone.
“We’re almost there,” she said.
“Cliff has a stiff neck and feels nauseated.”
“If he isn’t critical, I’m not sure he can be medevacked,” she said. “I can call that doctor to see if he’ll take Cliff also, but the road to Phoenix is still blocked. You might have to go down Mule Train Trail again.”
She disconnected, and I shivered at the idea of making that trip another time.
I approached Cliff, turned him toward our bedroom, and nudged him forward with my hands on his back. “I need to fill you in on a few things.”
As I helped him shower and dress, I described the events at Mary’s house and the conspiracy theorist who thought the government sprayed the local crops to test some kind of pathogen. I also told him about Mary’s miraculous recovery of her mental faculties, then the disappointment of having her get worse physically.
Before we could finish dressing Cliff, Taylor called to ask me to open the security gate. I used my phone app to let the ambulance onto the property.
“Can you finish without my help?” I asked Cliff.
“Go.”
“Get in the Jeep when you’re done. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Taylor and Aaron passed me on their way to take Travis to the ambulance.
I trailed them. “Did you talk to the neurologist?”
“Yes, he’ll take both Cliff and Travis. The problem is that the authorities in Rim Vista want to treat Cliff at our hospital rather than let you through the roadblock to get him to the Sisters of Benevolence Hospital in Phoenix. You must get Cliff to Phoenix yourself. The neurologist has spoken to the CDC, and they want me to ride with Travis in the chopper and bring the herbs I’ve given the people who agreed to it. They’re finally acknowledging that those are the people doing the best.”
Taylor turned to Aaron. “Get Travis in the van and take him to the helipad. Rita and I will meet you there with my supplies.”
Travis woke up when they transferred him to a gurney. I explained the situation and told him I’d see him at the hospital in Phoenix.
“Call my wife,” he said as Aaron and Taylor wheeled him away. “I need Katy to be with me.”
I ran back to check on Cliff. He laid on his side in bed, his face propped on his folded hands. He opened his eyes as I approached.
“Are you sure that guy isn’t just going to experiment on us?” he asked. “I’d wager he’s already talked to the CDC. You’re agreeing to let us be guinea pigs.”
“Nothing else is working. I know Mary’s situation is different, but her illnesses progressed from food poisoning to meningitis to whatever is wrong with her now. You’ve had food poisoning and are now showing signs of meningitis. Do you want to end up like her?”
He sat up. “Good point. Get our computers. Did you update your encryption tools on all our electronics? If the government is conducting an experiment like that conspiracy theorist suspects, you don’t want to be caught investigating anything that’s connected.”
“I didn’t update the encryption on my cell. I’ll do that now.” I fretted while I had to mess with the phone and mentally kicked myself for not thinking to do it earlier. “Get in the Jeep. I’ll be there in a minute.”
My whole body shook. Was I about to lose my son and husband to either meningitis or some sick government experiment? Was I doing the right thing by taking him to a specialist I didn’t even know? I prayed for peace and guidance, then felt a strong urge to call my mother.
I dialed her number.
“Lovely Rita, I’m so glad to hear from you,” she said.
“Mom.” That’s all I could get out.
“What’s wrong, darlin’?”
I described everything that had happened. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do. Just follow your instincts. I’ll help by praying.”
I rolled my eyes. Sure, I prayed when I needed encouragement or a second to think things through, but wasn’t prayer a tad passive for our present situation? I humored her.
“I was hoping for something a little more . . . you know, active, but I appreciate all the help I can get. Anyway, I just wanted to update you. I might be in Phoenix a couple of days.”
As we disconnected, I told myself to calm down. No one thinks clearly when they allow anxiety to take over. I gathered our electronics and stuffed them and the information David gave me into a backpack. After packing an overnight bag for both Cliff and me, I took one of my anxiety pills, rushed down the stairs to the garage, and crammed my backpack and overnight bag into the Jeep’s back cargo area before jumping in behind the steering wheel.
Cliff sat in the front passenger seat, and Taylor occupied the back with her medical supplies.
“Why is the Jeep caked with mud?” Cliff asked. “And what happened to the spare tire?”
“I’ll explain on the way.” I handed him my phone. “Would you please call Katy and tell her Travis will be at Sisters of Benevolence Hospital in a few minutes? He wants her to be with him. I must focus on driving to get down Mule Train Trail. It’s a monster of a road.”
I thought of the trip from a couple of days ago and shuddered at the memory of someone watching me struggle with the flat tire in the rain.
More than that, the memory of Mary collapsing and David telling me the progression of her disease frightened me. Was that the path Cliff and Travis were on?
21
We sped through town in silence, unencumbered by red lights or any other cars on the street.
“All we need is a tumbleweed to blow across the highway, and this place would look like a ghost town,” Cliff said, then coughed into the crook of his elbow.
Taylor felt his forehead, then fiddled with her medicines. “Cliff, take this.” She shoved a teaspoon of liquid toward him.
Cliff rolled his head toward her. “What is it?”
“It’s for that fever.”
Cliff accepted the medicine, then laid his head on the headrest and closed his eyes.
“I wonder when the last time was the government mandated a quarantine,” I said.
Taylor slipped her phone from her jeans. “I’
ll look it up.”
“It says here that a man with tuberculosis was quarantined in 2007,” she said as I turned onto Main Street. “They quarantined patients with Ebola in 2014. A town in Texas was quarantined after a family of five came down with Ebola.” She flipped to another article. “Oh, wait. That Texas story was fake news fabricated by someone who wanted to make a name for himself.”
I stopped at the helipad, and Taylor jumped out. “See you in a couple of hours at the neurology center of Sisters of Benevolence Hospital. Ask for Dr. Vincent Jackson.”
She ran toward the chopper, and I drove past the roadblock at the south end of town toward Mule Train Trail. At the end of the pavement, I paused. “We’re about to lose cell service. Are there any calls we need to make?”
“I called Katy and told her to meet us at the hospital,” Cliff said. “She said you and Taylor could stay at her house when you’re not at the hospital with Travis and me.”
“I’m not sure I want to go all the way to Chandler, but we can deal with that later.” I punched Sisters of Benevolence Hospital into the Jeep’s navigation system. “Okay. Here we go.”
I let up on the brake and inched the Jeep toward the first drop-off.
Cliff held onto the dashboard, exclaiming several times that the road wasn’t in this bad of shape the last time he drove it, and apologizing that I had to make the trip by myself without any off-roading experience.
“Don’t forget it was raining.” I stopped to show him where the mysterious cigarette smoker put the shredded tire on the back and took some of my food and water, then pointed to the hill I fell down. “That’s how I got the black eye.”
He rubbed my leg. The weakness in his touch scared me. I wanted to get him to the hospital faster, but I didn’t think I should try to drive any faster.
I breathed a sigh of relief as we entered the trailhead at the bottom. My calm evaporated at the sight of a new roadblock keeping me from entering the highway.
Rolling down my window, I approached an officer. “Why’s the road blocked?”
“Rim Vista is under quarantine.” He bent low to look at Cliff through my window. “You need to turn around and get him to the Rim Vista Hospital.”