report. We should have the meeting pulled together around noon. We will call you.” He hung up.
“Fucking bureaucrat,” she muttered under her breath.
Then to Mark, she said, “What does the GPS say about the drive time to Edgewood?”
He said, “Not long. It is ninety-five miles, but we have to factor in traffic.” He had the red bubble on top, flashing, as he began the route. He grabbed his cell phone, spoke briefly, and then said, “Thanks.”
After the call, Mark said, “Our state police escort is going to meet us on I-95.”
George knew this was going to be a fun ride and smiled, as she tightened her seat belt.
.
23
“What is it, Frank?” Dave asked.
Dr. Edwards proceeded, saying, “Within the last half hour, we’ve had three patients brought in, all with flu-like symptoms, most unconscious or nearly so. Standard treatment has been administered, blood drawn, IV fluids, and each seems to have one thing in common. They all used the Express Subway Station this morning. I have moved them to isolation, in case they have been exposed to some type of chemical or biological agent that could put us all in an at-risk emergency situation.”
Dave asked, “Have you notified the hospital administrator about this?”
Frank responded, “Yes, and Jim Lucas is informing the FBI, the CDC, Homeland Security, and the NYPD. We are under disaster response conditions, and extra staff have been called in, including three ER physicians. The isolation unit is capable of handling thirty patients, so we are prepared, for the moment.”
Thoughts were racing as Dave considered what he had just heard. At this point, they knew nothing.
“Call me when you get lab results.”
“Will do,” said Edwards, and he hung up.
Chris asked, “What is it, Dave?” He explained, and they discussed possible scenarios.
Dave grabbed the remote off the desk and turned on the TV, sitting on the console on the opposite side of the room. He found the local news channel, which was reporting the latest on the subway shutdown. There had been no further developments, but one eyewitness at the scene saw someone being carried out of the subway station where a suspicious object was rumored to have been found. No press releases or statements were being made at this time. Mayor Donnelly had urged all New Yorkers to remain calm since nothing of significance had been discovered. Traffic was slow but not impossible, since buses and taxis were available. The Mayor requested that everyone remain at home, if possible, to ease the traffic flow in case emergency vehicles needed roadway access.
Dave said, “Check with the nurses’ stations and get an update. It could get ugly very fast.”
Chris called the nurses’ station in the ER.
“Hi, Connie, how is it out there?” asked Chris, trying to keep a lighthearted tone.
“Things are going pretty well, but we could be bombarded with more patients at any moment. It is an unpredictable situation.”
“Call me if you need some help,” responded Chris. “I’ll check on the nurses’ lounge and make certain we have food supplies and coffee.”
Connie was glad Chris and Dr. Grant were still in the hospital.
Chris gave Dave a warm kiss, touching his face gently, and said, “I better check on supplies, then freshen up a bit.”
There was a shower room with lockers next to the nurses’ lounge. Fresh scrubs were available, and the nurses had learned to keep extra clothing and personal items at the hospital, in case they had to work double shifts or had gotten soiled handling ill patients.
After starting the coffee, Chris took a shower, dressed in fresh pink scrubs, and ran a comb through her hair. After a touch of coral lipstick and some blush, she looked presentable and headed out to the nursing station. Triage was starting to get busy, and in a few minutes, several ambulances would be arriving with four patients, all with severe flu-like symptoms. Chris called Dave and gave him the information, and he rallied himself for what was ahead.
Dave called Frank, in isolation, and asked about the lab results.
“It looks bad, Dave. Never saw this before, but it’s possible that it could be some kind of virus, to act so fast. We are double-checking the results. We sent samples to the lab that the CDC maintains at the pharmaceutical research facility in north Jersey. They are working to get a firm identification. As soon as they have anything, they will call us. The FBI lab at Quantico is working on the ID as well.”
Dave said, “You stay in the isolation unit. I