an "Ebola Mary" like the infamous "Typhoid Mary"? There were many questions, none of which made Marissa cheerful.
"Will you want dinner tonight?" asked a cabin attendant, breaking Marissa's train of thought.
"Sure," said Marissa dropping her tray table. She'd better eat, whether she was hungry or not. She knew that once she got to St. Louis she might not get the time.
As Marissa climbed out of the taxi that had taken her from the St. Louis airport to the Greater St. Louis Community Health Plan Hospital, she was thankful for the elaborate concrete porte cochere. It was pouring outside. Even with the overhead protection, she pulled up the lapels of her coat to avoid wind-driven rain as she ran for the revolving door. She was carrying her suitcase as well as her briefcase, since she'd not taken the time to stop in her hotel.
The hospital appeared an impressive affair even on a dark, rainy night. It was constructed in a modern style, with travertine-marble facing, and fronted by a three-stories-tall replica of the Gateway Arch. The interior was mostly blond oak and bright red carpeting. A pert receptionist directed Marissa to the administration offices, located through a pair of swinging doors.
"Dr. Blumenthal!" cried a diminutive oriental man, jumping up from his desk. She took a step backward as the man relieved her of her suitcase and enthusiastically pumped her freed hand. "I'm Dr. Harold Taboso," he said. "I'm the medical director here. And this is Dr. Peter Austin, the Missouri State Epidemiologist. We've been waiting for you."
Marissa shook hands with Dr. Austin, a tall, thin man with a ruddy complexion.
"We are thankful that you could come so quickly," said Dr. Taboso. "Can we get you something to eat or drink?"
Marissa shook her head, thanking him for his hospitality. "I ate on the plane," she explained. "Besides, I'd like to get directly to business."
"Of course, of course," said Dr. Taboso. For a moment he looked confused. Dr. Austin took advantage of his silence to take over.
"We're well aware of what happened in L.A. and we're concerned that we might be dealing with the same problem here. As you know, we admitted one suspicious case this morning, and two more have arrived while you were en route."
Marissa bit her lip. She had been hoping that this would turn out to be a false alarm, but with two more potential cases, it was difficult to sustain such optimism. She sank into the chair that Dr. Taboso proffered and said, "You'd better tell me what you have learned so far."
"Not much, I'm afraid," said Dr. Austin. "There has been little time. The first case was admitted around 4:00 A.M. Dr. Taboso deserves credit for sounding the alarm as soon as he did. The patient was immediately isolated, hopefully minimizing contacts here at the hospital.".
Marissa glanced at Dr. Taboso. He smiled nervously, accepting the compliment.
"That was fortunate," said Marissa. "Was any lab work done?"
"Of course," said Dr. Taboso.
"That could be a problem," said Marissa.
"We understand," said Dr. Austin. "But it was ordered immediately on admittance, before we had any suspicion of the diagnosis. The moment my office was alerted we called the CDC."
"Have you been able to make any association with the L.A. outbreak? Did any of the patients come from L.A.?"
"No," said Dr. Austin. "We have inquired about such a possibility, but there has been no connection that we could find."
"Well," said Marissa, reluctantly getting to her feet. "Let's see the patients. I assume that you have full protective gear available."
"Of course," said Dr. Taboso as they filed out of the room.
They crossed the hospital lobby to the elevators. Riding up in the car, Marissa asked, "Have any of the patients been to Africa recently?"
The other two doctors looked at each other. Dr. Taboso spoke: "I don't believe so."
Marissa had not expected a positive answer. That would have been too easy. She watched the floor indicator. The elevator stopped on
"Will you want dinner tonight?" asked a cabin attendant, breaking Marissa's train of thought.
"Sure," said Marissa dropping her tray table. She'd better eat, whether she was hungry or not. She knew that once she got to St. Louis she might not get the time.
As Marissa climbed out of the taxi that had taken her from the St. Louis airport to the Greater St. Louis Community Health Plan Hospital, she was thankful for the elaborate concrete porte cochere. It was pouring outside. Even with the overhead protection, she pulled up the lapels of her coat to avoid wind-driven rain as she ran for the revolving door. She was carrying her suitcase as well as her briefcase, since she'd not taken the time to stop in her hotel.
The hospital appeared an impressive affair even on a dark, rainy night. It was constructed in a modern style, with travertine-marble facing, and fronted by a three-stories-tall replica of the Gateway Arch. The interior was mostly blond oak and bright red carpeting. A pert receptionist directed Marissa to the administration offices, located through a pair of swinging doors.
"Dr. Blumenthal!" cried a diminutive oriental man, jumping up from his desk. She took a step backward as the man relieved her of her suitcase and enthusiastically pumped her freed hand. "I'm Dr. Harold Taboso," he said. "I'm the medical director here. And this is Dr. Peter Austin, the Missouri State Epidemiologist. We've been waiting for you."
Marissa shook hands with Dr. Austin, a tall, thin man with a ruddy complexion.
"We are thankful that you could come so quickly," said Dr. Taboso. "Can we get you something to eat or drink?"
Marissa shook her head, thanking him for his hospitality. "I ate on the plane," she explained. "Besides, I'd like to get directly to business."
"Of course, of course," said Dr. Taboso. For a moment he looked confused. Dr. Austin took advantage of his silence to take over.
"We're well aware of what happened in L.A. and we're concerned that we might be dealing with the same problem here. As you know, we admitted one suspicious case this morning, and two more have arrived while you were en route."
Marissa bit her lip. She had been hoping that this would turn out to be a false alarm, but with two more potential cases, it was difficult to sustain such optimism. She sank into the chair that Dr. Taboso proffered and said, "You'd better tell me what you have learned so far."
"Not much, I'm afraid," said Dr. Austin. "There has been little time. The first case was admitted around 4:00 A.M. Dr. Taboso deserves credit for sounding the alarm as soon as he did. The patient was immediately isolated, hopefully minimizing contacts here at the hospital.".
Marissa glanced at Dr. Taboso. He smiled nervously, accepting the compliment.
"That was fortunate," said Marissa. "Was any lab work done?"
"Of course," said Dr. Taboso.
"That could be a problem," said Marissa.
"We understand," said Dr. Austin. "But it was ordered immediately on admittance, before we had any suspicion of the diagnosis. The moment my office was alerted we called the CDC."
"Have you been able to make any association with the L.A. outbreak? Did any of the patients come from L.A.?"
"No," said Dr. Austin. "We have inquired about such a possibility, but there has been no connection that we could find."
"Well," said Marissa, reluctantly getting to her feet. "Let's see the patients. I assume that you have full protective gear available."
"Of course," said Dr. Taboso as they filed out of the room.
They crossed the hospital lobby to the elevators. Riding up in the car, Marissa asked, "Have any of the patients been to Africa recently?"
The other two doctors looked at each other. Dr. Taboso spoke: "I don't believe so."
Marissa had not expected a positive answer. That would have been too easy. She watched the floor indicator. The elevator stopped on
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