Social Distancing

Chapter 6: First Case

The next morning, my eyes fluttered quickly as my fingers passed through lines and lines of text books. I'd taken nearly half of the ones from Dr. McKenna's office piles and re-homed them to my desk.

It has to be in here...

I jumped in surprise as my desk telephone rang. I frowned since I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Maggie, it's Kelsey," the receptionist replied. "I have a message from phlebology downstairs, someone wants to see you. Do you know where they're located?"

"Yes," I replied. "Second floor."

"Right. I've got an access card up at the front desk area."

"Thanks."

I grabbed my ID card to get back onto this floor from my desk, picked up the other card from Kelsey on my way to the elevators, and headed downstairs. As I'd passed Amy's desk, I couldn't help and overheard her conversation with Adam, that the first positive COVID-19 case was detected by NHS. As I rode the elevator down though, a small smile came onto my face. There was only one person -

"Maggie!" He was right there, as soon as the doors opened. His skin tone was a bit pale but he grinned widely and looked extremely pleased. His left arm was bandaged at the inside of his elbow no doubt from the blood draw and his hand curled around something.

"Hi Noah," I greeted him with reserve. "Why are you so happy?"

"Here." He reached up his hand and handed me a vial of blood. "Now, go save the world."

"You didn't physically have to hand it to me." A smile tugged on my lips as I took the vial from him and turned it over in my fingers. It was still warm.

"I wanted to. It's my blood."

"It's our test tube." I placed it into the front pocket in my lab coat. "But thank you."

"You're welcome."

My shoulders ease as he smiled. I was getting used to those smiles, and the comfort they provided. Noticing we'd awkwardly looked at each other for a few moments, I snapped myself back to the vial my fingers now cradled in my lab coat pocket.

"I should run this upstairs to Amy..."

"Okay." His voice sounded understanding, but a flickering shadow appeared in his eyes. My heart skipped as my mind ticked.

Did... he do this to see me?

The idea was pleasing yet confusing to me, so my voice was uneasy when I asked, "Do you.. want to come?"

"Sure." He flashed me a smile that immediately put my nerves at ease.

As we rode the elevator in silence, I slipped my hand into the front pocket of my lab coat, felt the lingering warmth of the test tube in my fingers, and smiled.

I'd like to say that my tour was better than Tucker's, but probably not. Noah's reaction to the lab was not the same as mine. He peered inside and leaned forwards so he almost touched the glass windows. His eyes followed Tucker, who refilled some of the samples. I watched Noah intently, as a few clouds of condensation from from his breath formed on the glass.

"Those are the diseases?" He finally asked, in a quiet voice that hinted of anxiety. "You can't... catch it in there, can you?"

"Only if you drink the test tubes," I assured him with a half-smile. "Which I wouldn't recommend."

"Good," he said. I liked how the corners of his eyes relaxed and a new emotion flooded into them, relief. His face hadn't come back to it's normal coloring though and he actually looked a bit pale.

"C'mon." I patted my lab coat pocket. "I need to find Amy."

I lead Noah down the cubicle wall to Amy's desk, where she furiously typed up an email.

"Amy." I cleared my throat, then glanced quickly at Noah.

"Maggie, hi - Noah?" She looked at him as if she didn't believe he stood right there.

"Hi Amy," he smiled warmly.

"Hi... Are you all right?" His cheeks definitely now looked like they'd been drained of color, and he halfway leaned against Amy's cubicle wall.

Her eyes flipped open wide, and she jumped up from her seat. "Sit down, Noah. Maggie," Amy chided me. "Poor bloke is about to pass out. Go get him some water. And crackers, something."

I obliged, heading back to my desk. I rummaged through my backpack, only to find a bottle of water and a smashed bag of five month-old butter cookies from my flight over here.

Better than nothing.

"Here, Noah." I handed him the water bottle. He took a few sips as I broke open the plastic bag, and grabbed the largest crumb pieces and shoving them into his palm. As he choked them down, Amy looked at me in disgust.

"What?" I shifted my eyes nervously. "You said we needed more samples."

"More of the virus," she rolled her eyes. "Why did you have him donate six vials of blood?"

I stared at Noah. He hadn't shared that piece of information with me.

"Ugh, he should eat something more than that. Take him to the cafeteria, when he can walk. Bring your cell, something's up. Dr. McKenna's been on the phone all morning."

I nodded meekly and glanced at Noah. He took a few deep breaths and his eyes refused to meet mine.

I knelt down on the floor in front of him and looked at his face intently. "Can you walk?" He nodded slowly, so I added, "Let's go."

"Amy here." After I stood back up, I handed the vial of blood to her, then looked down at my lab coat. My pocket suddenly felt empty, my fingers not as warm.

"That one's mine."