Trapped
Chapter Seven
Previously:
"Nat had a Subdural Hematoma from the fall. A neurosurgeon started working on her about five hours ago. She lapsed into a coma before she was taken in from a build up of blood around the brain. That's all I heard. They're still with her."
Stephen, always the strongest of them all, made a noise in the back of his throat.
"Her c-chances?" He asked, childlike fear reflecting in his eyes.
Eva shook her head.
"The Doctor says it doesn't look good."
It had been a long night for Eva as she waited with Stephen for any sign of Natalie's condition. As Eva say near midnight on the plastic chairs that hurt her back, a cold tasteless coffee in her hand and Stephen beside her, his foot twitching slightly from anxiety and his face slightly lopsided from sleep. He had hassled every nurse and doctor leaving the operation rooms for any word or sign, but no one spoke of anything. As Eva looked at him now, his face slightly tightened, a familiar sign of his stress and worry, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of a couple Nat and Stephen would make. They both care for each other, it's blatantly obvious, and although the job could be highly dangerous, Eva noticed that Stephen was never calm and settled until Nat was safely in her lab.
Shaking her head of the thoughts that ultimately led her into darker waters, Eva watched as another doctor walked from the room, pausing the look around before making his way towards the lonesome pair. Jolting Stephen awake, Eva jumped to her feet, her hands trembling, eyes searching for a mourn some step in the doctors walk or a barely disguised dejected look in the doctors eye that could mean the worst.
But instead he just sighed.
Stephen watched with baited breath, until the doctor stopped and nodded respectfully.
"How is she?" Stephen asked immediately, his hair standing slightly at odd angles. Eva stared at the floor, suddenly interested in her shoe laces, her stomach churning with barely suppressed anxiety.
"She's stable." The doctor smiled. It was like the sun shining from behind the clouds. Stephen fell back into the chair and Eva knew she was close to following him.
"Really?" Eva asked, unable to suppress the higher voice that accompanied her immense relief.
"Yeah. We got to the Hematoma in time. We drilled into her skull to relieve the pressure and a neurosurgeon was called in to fix things up, but everything looks fine. Two weeks and I'll let her go home. She's sleeping in ICU at the moment."
Stephen looked up hopefully.
"Can we see her? Please?"
The doctor looked unsure, but seeing their faces, nodded slightly.
"Alright, five minutes. The girl needs her rest."
Following the yellow lines on the floor, Eva followed Stephen into a small room, a ward, the first patient behind light blue curtains, the second and only other patient with hers open, the occupant lying in the bed pale and tied to more machines then looked possible.
"Hey Nat." Stephen said quietly, sitting in the empty seat next to her as Eva sat on the bed. I must say, your looking better then I last saw you."
Taking up her hand, he began rubbing slow circles on the back of her palm with his thumb, almost unconsciously, and Eva smiled fondly.
The beep of the heart monitor was reassuring to them both as they sat, watching the patient for what seemed only a few seconds when the nurse arrived with orders for them to leave. Eva stopped by the door and waited, shocked slightly when Stephen leaned over and kissed Nat on the forehead, a loving expression plastered on his face. Rooted to her spot, she stared as Stephen walked out the door, not even noticing her presence.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Eva muttered to herself, leaving as the nurse drew the curtains, several pointy needles on a tray, undoubtedly for tests.
…
The NIH was still in disarray a few hours later, Kate stalked the corridors like a tiger on the prowl, finding any doctors still capable of walking in order to get them to help out. Many had begun to panic, with only nine hours of power left and no sign of any power coming back to the building, time was running out more quickly then they could utilize it.
Stumbling into her way, a doctor looked up as Kate almost growled.
"Watch it!" She snapped, staring at his frightened expression before catching herself. He looked like a kid, barely twenty.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, rubbing her temples, "Sleep deprived. Go on."
The doctor skittered away as fast as he had stumbled into her way and Kate let out a small strained smile.
Walking into her office, she signed, ignoring the head-ache build up and picking up the pen the write her report. This could be the end of NIH. Suddenly, from the various footsteps outside running, hurried steps could be heard as a woman burst into her office and held out a mobile phone.
"Phone!" She puffed, "It got sent in by the CDC!" Standing up, Kate took it and answered, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hello?" She asked, headache forgotten.
"Hello." The voice was so familiar, so missed Kate almost fainted right there.
"Stephen! Stephen in that you?"
"Yeah. How you been?"
Wishing he were there to hug him, Kate settled for a small jump in her leather heels before sitting back at her desk chair.
"Bad. We've got people collapsing all over the place."
"I heard. No ideas to what it is?"
"None. We've got people on it, so far nothing."
"Can you send me the samples?"
"Sorry, nothing in or out of the building. Powers out. All we got on is air conditioning."
Stephen paused.
"Do you know if it's bacterial or airborne?"
"Well," Kate answered, "We think it's airborne but it's got a anthrax property that…-" She froze. "Stephen can I call you back?"
"Uh. Sure?" But Kate had already moved the phone away from her ear, hanging it up quickly as she jumped, running from the room and down several flights of stairs.
She ran through the door that read "Basement Access" and down several flights of rickety stairs, stopping with a deep breath at her destination.
The air conditioning unit, covered in rust, but what was more shocking was the white powder smudged across the unit, anthrax. Turning to get back a team, Kate stopped as feet descended the stairs.
"Well." Said a deep voice, "It seems you've discovered my secret."
Kate couldn't help but scream, as a single gunshot rang through the night.
TBC.