Dead Love - By Wells, Linda Page 0,15

Dave and Chris. It was around 9:30 a.m., and they were still wrapped in each other’s arms on the office sofa. Dave got to the phone first, in case his wife was calling. He would have a good excuse for working past his shift and he wanted to protect Chris if possible, though, at this point, almost everyone knew they were lovers. It was Dr. Frank Edwards, one of the daylight shift ER physicians.

“Sorry, Dave, did I wake you?” asked Edwards.

“That’s okay, Frank. What’s going on?” asked Dave, on alert quickly.

Dr. Edwards spoke with directness, “There has been a terrorist threat to the subway, and the Mayor shut down the entire system. An investigation is underway, and all hospitals and medical facilities have been notified, in case patients arrive with unusual symptoms. We are being asked to note if there is any commonality of their symptoms. Also, we are to ask them if they had used the subway station in question, and so forth. A suspicious object was found at an Express Subway Station, and it is currently being transported by air to the FBI lab at Quantico. The CDC has been notified, as well.”

Dave hesitated and then spoke, “I will stay on duty as backup and will alert the hospital administrator in case we need extra staff.”

Frank appreciated the offer and said “Thanks, Dave. I hope we don’t have to deal with anything out of the ordinary. I guess in this city, that is considered routine,” he said with a laugh.

Grant agreed, “You can say that again,” thinking of some of the bizarre incidents he had observed since he moved to New York.

He redirected his thoughts. “Call me if anything comes up. I am going to order some breakfast and will be here in the office.”

After Dave explained to Chris what Dr. Edwards had said, she asked, “Shall I stay?”

She had gotten dressed while he was on the phone and felt unusually nervous about the call. There had been alerts before, but this felt different. She sensed that Dave thought so as well.

He said, “Let me call the staff lunchroom and order some breakfast, and we can wait for a short while and may know something soon. I hate to leave, face a long commute, and have to come back again.”

He followed her questioning look with, “Yes, call the on-duty charge nurse, and let her know you are here.”

Chris knew Connie and felt comfortable talking with her, especially in her current compromising situation.

Connie answered from the desk, “Hi, Chris, I didn’t know you were here. Guess you had a long night, but you and your staff did a good job tying up the loose ends on all the patients. Those that had been waiting for admission are now in their assigned rooms. The cardiac patient is in ICU. Dr. Stone will see him this morning. Most have been sent home, stitched, or whatever. We have had several more arrive in the meantime, nothing unusual so far.”

“It’s all yours, but call me either in Dave’s office or on my cell phone. We are going to have breakfast then maybe we will know something after that. Did you have trouble getting to work?” asked Chris.

“Hell, yes. It was a nightmare, but thankfully I caught a bus, which was packed, but I got here okay. Traffic is a mess, but fortunately most people got to work before the shutdown. Living in the city is a daily pain in the ass, even without a crisis, right?” said Connie, with her wry sense of humor.

“So true,” Chris said in agreement. “Keep us informed. I’ll let you know when I am leaving.”

Dave and Chris were finishing their toast, cereal, and orange juice when Dave’s phone rang.

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16

George had directed her agents, already on the scene, to isolate the station in question, with no one but authorized personnel allowed in or out. George and Mark were in phone contact with those inside the station manager’s office and those on the platform. All FBI agents in the area in question were wearing special breathing masks with hoods for protection against any dangerous airborne contaminants, including chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear. Additionally, they were fully armed. George had spoken to Regional Homeland Security Director, Tom Bennett, several times, assuring him that she would call the moment they knew anything further.

A sweep of the area had been completed, and the canister and bag in which it had been discarded had been placed in a secure biohazard container and was en