phototoxic response. Did anyone who handled her body last night get this, too?"
"I don't think so." Mei turned her head and called up to Nick, "Did you hear anything about anyone getting a burn like Jodie has? She thinks she might have come into contact with something near or on the woman she found."
"No, but if they were picking up a body, they'd be in protective gear. The cops woulda been covered in PPE. Personal protective equipment, you know, gloves, face mask, apron, booties," Nick responded.
Mei snapped on latex gloves and pulled the sleeve on Jodie's shirt all the way up past her elbow to get a clear view of the red inflammation, which spread from her hand up through the middle of her forearm. "Well, let's see what we can do for you. That has to hurt. Have you rinsed your arm off since yesterday?"
Jodie smiled. "Why, yes, Mei. I do shower daily."
Mei laughed. "I mean, did you wash it thoroughly with soap and water? Because if you were exposed to a chemical, it could still be burning your skin."
"Oh. Yeah. I washed it off two or three times because it kept stinging. What's really weird is that it looks a lot like the rash that kid I met at the station has on his arms. You know, the kid who came into contact with the dead body in the river." Jodie looked up at Mei, trying to focus on their discussion, but found herself having other thoughts instead. She mentally chastised herself for her attraction, with everything that was going on at the moment. Still, the sensation was palpable, making her shift a bit in the jump seat. She noticed the milky green of Mei's eyes. Jodie looked away and tried to re-focus on what Mei was saying. She trained her view on the back window of the ambulance and saw Bob and Isaiah behind them in the Camaro. A dark-colored vehicle followed the Camaro in the distance.
"That's odd. I mean, the only thing you and the boy have in common is you both came into contact with a corpse, but not even the same corpse." Mei brought out a bottle of sterile solution and a small tray. She set the tray in Jodie's lap and washed her arm, carefully dabbing at the skin with a swab, the solution dripping into the tray. Jodie could smell lavender and a hint of something smoky floating in the air around Mei's head. "I'll put a compress on it and we'll give you a few to take with you. Be sure to change them at least once a day until this heals. You might want to see a doctor if this doesn't start getting better right away. Regardless, the moist compress should help to minimize the damage to your skin."
Jodie spoke loudly so that Nick could hear. "You know, I've been wanting to tell you both how much I appreciated your help yesterday. I must've seemed a little insane."
"Actually, when we first found you, we were wondering what you were up to and whose clothes you were wearing," Mei said. "They looked so big for you. We thought you mighta gone on a bender, like Wending thought. Then, when you started talking to us, things started making more sense."
Nick's voice echoed to the back of the ambulance. "Yeah, that was kinda scary, too. Is there really some serial killer out there after you? Did you find out anything since yesterday?"
Pulling her sleeve down after Mei finished taping the compress, Jodie said, "Well, no, not yet. I'm hoping the body we're picking up will tell us something. Otherwise, we're pretty much in the dark. What I wanted to tell you was ... the woman's face ... well, it ... well, it was rearranged. It looked vaguely similar to how John Nelson mutilated his victims, but I got such a brief look, I don't know. I was pretty freaked out. Today, when we pick her up, I need to see her. Something is nagging at me about this woman, though. Like her age and description in general don't fit his MO."
"Well, she'll be pretty cold, packed in dry ice and wrapped in plastic, but you should be able to see her face, at least," Nick said. "You'll have to make it quick and clean so we don't contaminate anything.
"I don't think so." Mei turned her head and called up to Nick, "Did you hear anything about anyone getting a burn like Jodie has? She thinks she might have come into contact with something near or on the woman she found."
"No, but if they were picking up a body, they'd be in protective gear. The cops woulda been covered in PPE. Personal protective equipment, you know, gloves, face mask, apron, booties," Nick responded.
Mei snapped on latex gloves and pulled the sleeve on Jodie's shirt all the way up past her elbow to get a clear view of the red inflammation, which spread from her hand up through the middle of her forearm. "Well, let's see what we can do for you. That has to hurt. Have you rinsed your arm off since yesterday?"
Jodie smiled. "Why, yes, Mei. I do shower daily."
Mei laughed. "I mean, did you wash it thoroughly with soap and water? Because if you were exposed to a chemical, it could still be burning your skin."
"Oh. Yeah. I washed it off two or three times because it kept stinging. What's really weird is that it looks a lot like the rash that kid I met at the station has on his arms. You know, the kid who came into contact with the dead body in the river." Jodie looked up at Mei, trying to focus on their discussion, but found herself having other thoughts instead. She mentally chastised herself for her attraction, with everything that was going on at the moment. Still, the sensation was palpable, making her shift a bit in the jump seat. She noticed the milky green of Mei's eyes. Jodie looked away and tried to re-focus on what Mei was saying. She trained her view on the back window of the ambulance and saw Bob and Isaiah behind them in the Camaro. A dark-colored vehicle followed the Camaro in the distance.
"That's odd. I mean, the only thing you and the boy have in common is you both came into contact with a corpse, but not even the same corpse." Mei brought out a bottle of sterile solution and a small tray. She set the tray in Jodie's lap and washed her arm, carefully dabbing at the skin with a swab, the solution dripping into the tray. Jodie could smell lavender and a hint of something smoky floating in the air around Mei's head. "I'll put a compress on it and we'll give you a few to take with you. Be sure to change them at least once a day until this heals. You might want to see a doctor if this doesn't start getting better right away. Regardless, the moist compress should help to minimize the damage to your skin."
Jodie spoke loudly so that Nick could hear. "You know, I've been wanting to tell you both how much I appreciated your help yesterday. I must've seemed a little insane."
"Actually, when we first found you, we were wondering what you were up to and whose clothes you were wearing," Mei said. "They looked so big for you. We thought you mighta gone on a bender, like Wending thought. Then, when you started talking to us, things started making more sense."
Nick's voice echoed to the back of the ambulance. "Yeah, that was kinda scary, too. Is there really some serial killer out there after you? Did you find out anything since yesterday?"
Pulling her sleeve down after Mei finished taping the compress, Jodie said, "Well, no, not yet. I'm hoping the body we're picking up will tell us something. Otherwise, we're pretty much in the dark. What I wanted to tell you was ... the woman's face ... well, it ... well, it was rearranged. It looked vaguely similar to how John Nelson mutilated his victims, but I got such a brief look, I don't know. I was pretty freaked out. Today, when we pick her up, I need to see her. Something is nagging at me about this woman, though. Like her age and description in general don't fit his MO."
"Well, she'll be pretty cold, packed in dry ice and wrapped in plastic, but you should be able to see her face, at least," Nick said. "You'll have to make it quick and clean so we don't contaminate anything.
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