Pandemic

A radiology clerk led them to Veronica Mathews who paced nervously in the department's waiting room. Veronica wore hospital greens. Her long black hair was frizzled at the flyaway ends, and she only had speckled remnants of her blue eyeliner inside the dark circles encasing her eyes. Even still, Haldane had no trouble picturing her on a runway in New York or Paris, because her sharp features and tall graceful body were so striking.

They sat down at a bank of chairs in the far comer of the waiting room. Haldane sat directly across from Mathews, while McLeod and Levine sat on either side of him. During the introductions Veronica stared blankly over Haldane's head, appearing as sedated as a postoperative patient. Only when he explained how he had just come from China and had seen several other cases of the Gansu Flu did Veronica snap into focus.

Her eyes pleaded with Haldane. "You saw people who recovered from this thing, right?" she said in an accent that seemed to fluctuate between New Yorker and Brit on every second syllable.

"Yes, Mrs. Mathews." He nodded. "We saw people who had hovered on the brink of death and then rebounded. They were fine by the time we talked to them."

She reached out and grabbed his arm. "And children?"

"Yes, children too. Most of the children in China survived the virus."

She squeezed his arm and her lips formed a tentative smile. "But Alyssa has been so sick…"

"But she has hung on for four days."

Mathews shrugged helplessly and shook her head. "So?"

"Four days was the magic number in China," Haldane explained. "All the patients who survived for more than four days went on to recover fully."

Mathews's fingers dug into Haldane's arm. Her eyes went wide. "Alyssa will recover?" she demanded frantically.

Haldane donned a reassuring smile. "I expect so, Mrs. Mathews."

She loosened the grip on his arm. Tears began to pour from her eyes. "Thank you, Dr. Haldane. Thank you so much…"

"Not me," Haldane said. "The staff here at the hospital."

"Of course," she sniffled, but still clung to his arm.

Haldane allowed her a moment, and then asked, "Mrs. Mathews, do you have any idea where Alyssa picked up this virus?"

The sleeplessness caught up to her again. Her eyes glazed over. She waved a hand carelessly around the empty waiting room. "There are bugs everywhere. People sneezing and coughing, it's an insane time to travel—"

"Veronica," Haldane cut her off. "We're confident that Alyssa picked it up at the hotel. Probably five to seven days ago give or take. Do you remember seeing anyone who looked particularly sick at that time?"

She shook her head wearily. "I've seen so many red and runny noses…"

"Think, Veronica, please. It's very important."

Haldane's request didn't appear to register on her blank face. "I tried to keep the girls away, but they're everywhere. In the lobby, at the restaurants, by the pool. Some places you can shield them a little, but what can you do when you're stuck on an elevator with someone who—" She stopped in midsentence. Her eyes narrowed. She began to nod.

Haldane leaned closer to her. "What is it, Veronica?"

"About a week ago, we were riding the elevator just before supper. We had just been at the swimming pool, the girls and I. They loved that pool…" She smiled her first openmouthed smile in their presence, exposing perfect white teeth. "A woman was on the elevator. Standing by the buttons. She was coughing."

Levine cut in. "What did she look like, Mrs. Mathews?"

"Not well." Veronica shook her head. "She looked as if she needed the elevator wall just to keep her upright. When the girls headed for the buttons — they love to press the buttons — she backed away from them, as if scared."

"Can you be any more specific in your description?" Levine asked, her tone slightly critical.

"She was younger than me. I'd say, early to mid-twenties, at the most. Her thick sandy brown hair was a mess, but she was pretty. Big eyes. She looked pale, but I think that was because of her illness. To me, she looked Mediterranean. Italian? Spanish? Maybe even Greek, but I don't think so… Spanish would be my bet."

"Anything else?"

Veronica thought. "She was dressed a little" — she searched for the word—"seductively, considering."

"Considering what?" Haldane asked.

"That she obviously wasn't well." Veronica said. "She wore a tight blouse and jeans, along with a fair bit of makeup. It struck me as out of place for someone fighting a rotten cold. Especially in November."

"Did she speak to you at all?"

"No," Veronica said. "When I apologized for the girls crowding her at the control panel, she smiled nervously and stumbled back away from the girls." Veronica's eyelids drooped again from fatigue. She looked at Haldane, sadly. "The poor woman just sort of wilted in front of my eyes."

"That was the only time you saw her?" Haldane asked.

Before Veronica could answer, a man emerged from the CT scanning room, wearing the gown, mask, and gloves. Once outside, he pulled off his mask and walked over toward the bank of chairs.