by Barbara Ebel
Two men greeted Danny. “Is this the Tilson residence?” one asked.
“It sure is.”
“Come on, show us what you want set up first.” They walked to their large truck with Danny following. “Say, ain’t you that Nashville surgeon that has something to do with the deadly outbreak?”
Danny nodded his head. “Unfortunately.”
“Man,” the caterer said, “one of my wife’s friends died of that thing. We don’t go visit anybody in the hospital anymore, just in case.”
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Mary and Casey both bounded down the steps. “Truck’s here,” Casey said.
“Danny can take care of it. I have to run. I’m the bride and I have to look gorgeous.” She toed her right foot in and peeled away into the kitchen. Casey followed while she poured a cup of coffee. Mary kissed him and picked up her travel mug; the car engine started soon after she disappeared out the door.
As Casey rinsed out a mug in the sink, he heard Dakota bark. He glanced toward the doors, one of which was ajar. He poured a half cup, pulled apart an English muffin, and popped it in the toaster. The dog’s bark become more petulant and Casey decided against taking his first sip as Dakota was having a fit outside.
After rounding the center island, Casey fully opened the door. Julia was sitting up and on the verge of crying while Dakota cut a look at Casey, then back to the area between the playpen and the rock wall. The dog held a cautious stance; yet his bark and tensed muscles showed aggression. He had never seen Dakota look so upset.
“What is it, boy?” Casey’s instincts fired; he got behind Dakota, looked forward, and gasped. There on the patio between Julia’s playpen and the rock wall was a copperhead. Even worse, it was a baby copperhead with a distinctive yellow tail, more unskilled at holding onto its venomous load than its adult counterpart.
Casey made a split-second decision. He had absolutely no tool to tackle the snake and - empty handed - it would strike one of them successfully. He spun around into the house, flung the door open to the garage, and grabbed the shovel from a tool rack. He raced back as Danny came out to the side of the playpen.
“Dakota, what’s…” Danny said, but didn’t finish.
“Danny,” Casey said. “Right now! Yank the playpen towards you as fast as you can.”
Danny had no idea why but, with unquestioning faith, swiftly moved it. Julia toppled over and started crying while Dakota maintained his posture and growled.
Casey wielded the shovel forward and down, lopping off the snake’s head.
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Danny picked up Julia and cradled her in his arms, securing her head into his chest, kissing her forehead. His bounding pulse slowed as he watched Casey verify the copperhead’s death.
Dakota edged cautiously closer to the kill. “Leave it,” Casey said, his own adrenaline starting to ebb as if he’d just done bench presses. “You are such a good boy. Thank you, Dakota.” Casey wrapped his arm around the dog’s torso in appreciation and then got up.
Danny struggled to unparalyze his vocal cords after the last frightful seconds. “Casey, your quick thinking may have just saved Julia’s - or Dakota’s - life.”
“It was Dakota. I just came downstairs. I would have never known except that he was telling us.”
“I went out front…”
“Yes, Mary and I saw that. You were taking care of wedding necessities.”
“Dakota. Come here boy,” Danny said. The dog’s snout came an inch away from Danny and Julia. Danny pulled him closer and caressed his entire head, whispering in his ear. “You are so good! You are special and we all love you.”
Eyes glowing, Dakota sat and gave Danny his paw.
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The upstairs bedrooms were transformed into wedding party dressing rooms while, downstairs, hired help took care of every minute detail Mary and Casey had pored over for months. Between the inside and outside, the spacious home and grounds became a palatial enchantment. Colorful orchids lined the trellis on the wide platform for the bride and groom’s vows and for the reception band to follow; large planters with hanging flowers sat at the four corners of the rows of folding chairs for the ceremony; and lights were strung from the bottom of the trees for when it got dark.
By three-thirty, the yard had swelled with guests. Casey’s coworker, Mark, acted as the usher along with another paramedic and the string quartet on the platform played softly. The temperature hovered in the mid-sixties and the air was fresh with little or no breeze. A few clouds dotted the deep blue sky and moved without speed. Not the usual number of songbirds hit their feeders or perched on tree limbs, but some weren’t shy and graced the guests with nature’s music.
At quarter to four, Casey and Danny stood up front, crisply attired in tuxedos. The groom’s eyes sparkled and he smiled at guests; only occasionally did he wring his hands in anticipation.
Danny’s eyes streamed over the crowd, appreciating the many relatives, medical colleagues of Casey as well as himself, and friends of the bride and groom. He stretched his neck, waiting to catch a glimpse of Mary, Sara, and the girls as they came out the French doors.
Finally, the doors opened and the ladies gathered on the patio. A wedding planner helped embellish the folds in Mary’s dress as well as the short tail. The ushers placed the last guests wanting seats, the flurry of excitement in the back subsided, and the string quartet began a soft rendition of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus.”
Nancy began the procession down the blue, artificial walkway. Never had she looked older than her fourteen years until now. Her light brown hair still hid her ears, but Danny felt her confidence had soared to be first down the aisle. She carried a flower, which she handed to Casey’s mom sitting in the first row.
Annabel came next clasping a white pillow, the wedding rings loosely tied by a satin ribbon. The half-smile she wore showed the pleasure of her braces being gone.
Sara came next, lovely in a burgundy dress similar to the girls but a longer length. They had chosen well, Danny knew, with the gathered fabric at the waistline and the lacey sleeve to the elbow. The highlights in Sara’s hair glimmered as though dipped in fairy dust. Sara joined Danny - the way Mary and Casey had requested – as the best man and maid of honor.
The next jewel was Mary, her face aglow, her dark red hair pulled up, only to drape down in silky radiance. Her dark blue eyes twinkled as she held a full bouquet of flowers. Danny stole a glance at Casey. Casey’s eyes were fixed on Mary as his hands relaxed and he took a deep breath.
The music stopped as the minister began the couple’s ceremony, proclaiming the sanctity of marriage and the beauty of the couple, the day, and the love all around. Then he announced that, although Mary and Casey had written their own personal script which he had read, they wanted the customary English Rite of Marriage for their vows.
Casey and Mary faced each other. “You may repeat after me,” the minister said.
Casey listened but didn’t have to. He had rehearsed the words in his heart. “I, Casey Hamilton, take you, Mary Tilson, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”
Danny glanced at Sara, wishing it could have been a double wedding as his sister spoke her vows as well. The bride and groom were pronounced husband and wife. Casey didn’t hesitate and affectionately kissed his bride.
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While the wedding party had pictures taken - and guests went to appetizer and drink set-ups in the house, on the patio, and in a tent closest to the house, a crew swiftly folded up the ceremony chairs. Tables with white tablecloths and flowers had already been placed under the tents for the buffet dinner. A portable dance floor had been put down in an open space. The string quartet packed away their instruments and a DJ cranked up his equipment.
After rounds of professional pictures in the gardens, Annabel ran into the house and retrieved Julia and Dakota. Julia wore a pink dress as well as matching baby s
hoes and bonnet. Dakota looked fit for a Chesapeake calendar, his curly coat fluffy and his eyes like Julia’s – wide and expressive. They joined the family for additional pictures.
The wedding planner called the bride and groom to the floor when the photograph session ended and the DJ struck up Mary and Casey’s first dance as a married couple. Mary squeezed her new husband. “How perfect,” she told him.
At the end of their love song, Danny danced with Mary next. “How happy are you?” he asked.
She pushed him slightly away. “He’s the one. I think Casey was always the one. I bet there are women hospital employees sorry to see him get hitched.”
“You have nothing to worry about. He is sometimes the slightest flirt, but it’s never prompted by him. His morals are more important to him than any of his admirers and I’ve been around him almost my whole life. He loves you, Mary.”
Danny twirled his sister and she laughed. “We didn’t want to concern you this morning,” he said. “Has Casey told you what happened?” She looked at him quizzically. “A copperhead was on the patio near Julia which made Dakota pitch a fit. Casey killed it before it struck. If it weren’t for Dakota or Casey’s quickness, this would have been a sad day. An infant would have never survived the venomous poison and Dakota could have gotten bit, too.”
Mary’s dancing slowed to a few steps. Her smile faded. “How awful. I can’t believe I didn’t know.” The possible outcomes swirled through her thoughts and she wrung her hands. Moisture gathered in her eyes. “That’s ironic. Casey had a large part in almost saving Melissa. Now this … with another daughter.”
Danny stared into her eyes. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“He was dedicated to you a lot sooner than he was to me.”
The music stopped for a new selection and Danny gave his sister a kiss. “Too bad Mom and Dad aren’t here. They would have loved this day.”
The dance floor got lively as couples bumped and started varying their dance steps to a soft rock selection. Danny looked for Sara. He found her in a tent with Annabel and Julia. Sara had a banana from a display of fruit and fed Julia a slice.
“There you are,” Danny said. “May I have this dance?”
Annabel smiled more widely than Sara as her parents walked to the dance floor.
“I felt honored to have such a beautiful maid of honor at my side,” Danny said, taking her into his arms for a slow dance. He held her hand in his and hugged her close. “It’s not just how stunning you are, or your fragrance which drives me nuts. But you can dance, too.”
“Thank you for the compliments.” She looked down. “That’s also a roundabout way of telling me that you still care?”
“I care… besides being in love with you.”
Chapter 29
Danny tracked down his group from the office and steered them to the tent where the PAM doctors had gathered. After asking Sara to join him, he held her hand across the grass and introduced her to the partying groups. They intermingled with food and drinks in hand.
He approached Joelle, standing with Rhonda, Peter, and Timothy. “I hope you’re all having a good time,” Danny said. “This is Sara.”
“All of us are happy to meet the maid of honor,” Joelle said. “Danny speaks highly of you.”
“Oh?” Sara said.
“Yes, we’re all working on a meningoencephalitis cure and sometimes we need a conversational break from bugs and microscopes, rounds and patient deaths.”
“Sara,” Danny said, “Joelle and Rhonda are very close to perfecting an antibiotic. I forgot. Have you all met the canine running around here whose saliva is a lifesaver?” Sara registered a look of surprise.
“No,” Joelle said.
Danny scoured the area for Dakota. Spotting him closer to the house, Danny took a step outside the tent and yelled his name. The dog turned his attention from a group of guests enticing him with baby meatballs and trotted through the crowd to Danny.
“He’s beautiful,” Rhonda said, crouching down.
“Sara, Rhonda is the vet in the group. Can’t you tell?”
Joelle dropped down, too. She wore cream trousers and a soft pastel top with a drop-down neckline, the material gathered in smooth folds. Her silver earrings had an extra embellishment – a blue topaz dangling in the middle.
“Hi, Dakota,” she said. “You’re an important boy. I’ve been working intimately with your body juices.” She smiled and ruffled his coat, as did Rhonda.
Danny laughed. “Good thing you didn’t bring a date… he’d be jealous.”
Timothy hoisted his cane towards Sara. “Don’t mind us. We’re all a strange bunch.”
After a glass of wine, Danny and Sara ambled along the hot buffet table and added salmon, vegetables and bread to their plates, and then joined Danny’s colleagues.
“Sara, you know Bruce and his wife, but you may not have met Matthew Jacob. And Jeffrey Foord is a new doc who started with us last Monday. And you know Cheryl, my office nurse.”
Sara shook Jeffrey’s hand.
“Danny told us you’ve gone back to teaching.” Bruce said.
“I have. At our girls’ high school. I forgot how much I missed it.”
“I bet you didn’t skip a beat,” Bruce said.
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With a three-quarter moon casting a glow, the wedding party ended by midnight, much later than the newlyweds had anticipated. By that time, Danny and Sara were side-by-side without a second thought.
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Within two days, Mary and Casey took off to Alaska for their honeymoon. Danny hired more help for Julia and the pressure in the office had eased due to Dr. Foord’s employment. He still hadn’t heard from Rachel. He wondered why, although he knew any supervised visitation would be awkward for her as well as for him.
The communication between Joelle’s lab, Ralph and the CDC, and Danny, Peter and Timothy continued. Sometimes Danny joined them on rounds for the newer cases of PAM. Although he asked if they even needed his input any more, they all insisted he was integral to the project. One day in the doctor’s lounge, Joelle put her hands on her hips and gave him her opinion.
“Timothy is the medical neurologist but you are our physical neurologist, so to speak. If we need someone to do surgery or brain biopsies - or come with us to the FDA and explain this disease and how it eats the brain - then you must continue to be part of this team. Besides, you’ve been with this from the onset.”
Danny couldn’t argue with her. He continued to visit the lab twice a week and see for himself the progress the two women were making. Apparently, they were still one step ahead of the CDC. Finally, three weeks later, as the country’s cases soared to 870 deaths, 1,251 cases, and outbreaks reported in Canada, Mexico, and Australia, Danny was about to receive a call from Joelle.
The late afternoon hour made Danny feel pressured to finish seeing the last of his patients, but he stood with Jeffrey in the viewing room, helping his younger colleague. “This is so subtle,” Danny said, pointing out a midbrain area on an MRI. “It’s not only what stands out at you, but consider what you’re not seeing.”
Propping his elbow on his other hand, Jeffrey nodded.
“You’re off to a capable beginning,” Danny reassured him “The nice thing about having colleagues and not being in a solo practice is that you can bounce things off other docs. It’s why we make a good group.”
Jeffrey pointed back to the MRI. “I see your point. No one’s presented it to me that way before. Thanks, Danny.”
Danny’s pager beeped as the earringed doctor squeaked out of the room in his tennis shoes. He picked up the phone and called Joelle back.
“How’s it going today?” Danny queried.
Joelle let out a long sigh like a balloon getting rid of stale air. “Finally, we’ve got it.”
“Really?” Danny asked.
“Really. Rhonda is here, along with two aides I’ve had the last couple of weeks. We can’t go any further unles
s we want to re-address every aspect of this drug over the next twelve months.”
“What chances do you give it in vivo?”
“We have to say a prayer that the FDA gives us clearance to try it without the usual hurdles. And then it’s anyone’s guess but we have no other choice.”
Danny looked at the x-ray view box, the white illumination like a sunrise in the dark. “Perfect timing,” he said. “Maybe you’ve discovered the north star in a stormy night.”
“I hope so. Get packed. You’re coming with us to Silver Springs, Maryland.”
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At the FDA’s headquarters, the chief administrators awaited the arrival of the medical doctors from Nashville and Atlanta with hope and skepticism. The pending meeting was being labeled an “emergency conference,” a meeting of the minds between the only existing topnotch experts directly involved with the biggest epidemic in modern times. The FDA had been told by the CDC that – so far -the epidemic had been miraculously spared a larger spread due to the meticulous isolation precautions being taken all around the country. Otherwise, the CDC had warned, there would have been many more rampant cases of PAM on other continents.
The pack of doctors and one nurse left the Hilton Hotel’s breakfast buffet at the same time and grabbed cabs to the FDA’s base of operations. When the nine of them arrived, a swarm of reporters converged. The Saturday morning coverage would supply enough news fodder for the entire weekend and it looked like none of the media had stayed in bed.
It was chillier in Maryland compared to home, but Danny unbuttoned his sports coat as they single-filed between the crowds.
“It would be best to give you information after the meeting,” he remarked to the nearest reporters. The sky threatened rain so they hurried along to escape any sudden shower along with more questions.
Familiar with the complex, Ralph veered them up the steps and to the right. Joelle and Rhonda both wore heels but kept pace. Timothy brought up the rear. The group waited for him after they entered as he stopped for a breather and also gave the reporters a minute of his time.