Love Hurts

A is for Anthrax - Part 2

Ellie sat on the side of a hospital bed with her legs dangling down, her hands palm down rested on the bed on either side of her. She had already been evaluated and as she predicted She was just fine. She had her decontamination shower and now was dressed in a pair of scrubs with socks on her feet. She looked around the quarentine chamber. It was a large white pristine room, much different than any other hospital rooms, even the VIP ones. For the time being, the only hospital bed in the room was hers until they brought Jay in. There were two sets of medical equipment. Two monitors, two oxygen setups although she knew only one set would probably be in use. There were 2 Dr stools in the corner of the room near the door. There was a bathroom tucked in the far corner of the room. And a sink on the other side of it. There was a cabinet against the wall near the middle of the room with appropriate medical supplies. She had already checked it out: gloves, masks, gauze, towels, soap, sanitizer, a stethoscope, a blood pressure kit, thermometers, intubation kit, Saline bags, and other medical supplies. Usually Drs and nurses would be in and out checking on the patient in full hazmat gear in a quarentine room, but this situation would be different. Ellie would be in the room with Jay. And she volunteered to be quarantined with Jay for the simple reason to be here to take care of him. She guessed Will probably had the room stocked with extras so she could take better care of him. There was a large glass partition window where they could have visitors without having direct access to them and glass sliding doors that allowed access to the room unlike a typical hospital room.

There were 2 signs on the doors of the quarentine hospital room that read :

Quarentine: Authorized Personnel Only

and

Caution: Outbreak Alert

As she was waiting for them to bring Jay into the room, Will appeared at the window and turned on the intercom.

Ellie: Is he coming?

Will: Soon. He's in the decontamination shower.

Ellie nodded at her close friend.

Ellie: How is he?

Will: As stable as he can be.

Ellie: Will I think it's Anthrax. I remember when it was going around after 9/11 in New York. Jamie and I were Seniors in high school. But I remember 9/11 and it's aftermath like it was yesterday.

Will nodded.

Will: Yeah that's what Voight and the team are leaning towards to but we have to wait until the CDC confirms it. If we treat him for Anthrax and its something else we could be hurting him more than helping him.

Ellie nodded in agreement. But shot him a look. Will held his hands up in defeat.

Will: Hey i know. I know. But El, we're not in the middle of the desert in the Sudan, without state of the art labs. We're in Chicago in one of the best hospitals in the city. We have protocols. We can't go on instinct, not in this position, not with the CDC involved.

Ellie nodded in agreement once more.

Will: So you were with him when he got it huh?

Ellie pursed her lips together shot him a look and nodded.

Ellie: Not like that.