The Virus

Part title

                               Awareness

     Maynar, looked around, large brown eyes watching the nurse.   She moved about the room, busy like a bee, was an expression that came to mind.  The pain came again, he cringed, began to cry.  He heard the high pitched wail coming from his own mouth and felt embarrassed, knew he should be able to do better.  The nurse, a woman with lustrous, straight brown hair, picked him up, whispered, "Shhhhh," into his hear, bounced him gently on her shoulder, supported his tiny head with her hand cupped gently around the back of his head.  "This Zika disease, I hate it.  I hate what it does to all of you."  Her gaze swept the room, the fourteen tiny medical beds.  Perfect children lay in each bed, each had one noticeable defect, a head far smaller than the rest of the body.

Maynar heard the doctor talking, speaking to crying parents.  "Microcephaly, or the Zika Virus has impacted your son.  We never know the full impact, but the physical signs are already present.  As a profession we are still researching, learning about the virus.  I truly wish there was more I could do for you at this time, but I have here the number of a great pediatrician."

He heard a deep voice, his father, "This is all you have to offer us.  You had no solutions during my wife's pregnancy.  You have no solutions now doctor.  You can solve a cold or a sore throat but doctors sell false magic.  You do not know how to cure what really needs to be cured."

A deep breath, "Again, I'm sorry.  I have to go speak to another set of parents.  If you have more questions, please make an appointment or call the pediatrician.  I am sorry about your son's condition."

The nurse turned, Maynar looked down into the other beds, peering over the nurse's shoulder.  He saw thirteen pairs of eyes watching him.  There were a few eyes that had tears but no crying.  Now he felt more embarrassed than he had before.  He turned his attention to his father again.  The man was darkly tanned, muscular and at that moment had his head bowed.  He must have felt Maynar's gaze, he looked up and locked eyes with his son, a weak smile ghosted across his lips.  He wiped a tear, turned, stalked down the brightly lit corridor lined with pictures of cute animals and toys.

"Sorry."

    He tried to moved his head, lacked the strength.  The voice was not his father's, not the nurse's, he moved his eyes.  The girl in the bed next to his watched him intently, pacifier nearly covering her nose, blinked.  "Sorry, your dad can't handle this right now.  He will come back don't worry.  Don't worry about crying either, most of us do when the pain first starts, you'll learn how to manage it."

"How are you ¬¬¬... we doing this?"

She blinked again, "You will learn, we have some abilities others do not.  We are still learning about each other, what we can do."

Maynar learned her name was Isabelle, Paolo and John were also proficient speaking telepathically to each other.  Of the fourteen children, two did not survive the first few weeks of difficult life, a baby with the Zika Virus.  Others had arrived to the natal room while Maynar was there but only six of the fourteen in the room that day seemed to have developed abilities.  The ability to connect with each other, even across the distance separating them now that they were at home they could sense each other.

Progress

The kids grew, their bodies elongating, limbs becoming stronger, heads remaining undersized, various ailments afflicting them, pain wracking their bodies at times.  Maynar and Isabelle spoke often, came to the conclusion that due to the diminished size of their cranial cavity, increased blood pressure, combined with some experimental drug administered just to them, either during the months in the womb or after their birth had granted them they various abilities each possessed.