Flu Season, Part 2
Etain Antrim
As Alonzo and Julia shared their cot that evening, he was alarmed at how hot and dry her skin felt. She was uncomfortably warm to touch, but shivered as if she was feeling cold. They both had a disturbed night. Julia tossed and turned, vainly trying to get comfortable, and every time she moved, Alonzo had to compensate by also moving since the cot was narrow and had not been designed for two adults.
Morning found them both tired and not at all rested. Alonzo climbed out of bed with a groan.
"'Lonzo? What are you doing?" Julia woke confused by the change.
"Hush, try to sleep Julia. It's morning. Can I get you something?" he asked gently.
"Yeah. Reach me one of those fever-reducing derm-apps. Would you bring me a hot drink after breakfast? Maybe one of Bess' herbal infusions."
"Here's the derm-app. Do you want something to eat too?"
Julia just twisted her face into a grimace.
He laughed, "Okay, no food. I'll be right back with that drink. Here's some water in the meantime. Try to get some sleep; you didn't get much last night."
"Tell me about it, Flyboy. I can think of more pleasant ways to lose sleep." She smiled wearily up into his face.
He bent down and kissed her, "You and me both, Doc. I'll be back soon." Alonzo gave her a sexy smile and a wink before leaving.
Unfortunately, Baines had awakened with a sore throat and also seemed to be succumbing to the virus. Bess was wandering aimlessly around the camp, not looking so well herself. For the first time in months, she had gotten up too late to make breakfast. Devon and Cameron had to fill in for her, both of them unsure about where everything was and how Bess made the porridge tasty. Breakfast was late and a weak, watery gruel, but most of the group was not very hungry anyway.
Morgan had taken one look at his wife and had retreated into VR. He found a protected spot in a grove of trees, and sat in there playing his drums with a fervor that he hoped would deny reality.
At breakfast that morning, the group decided not to move on until they knew that Julia was well enough to travel. The vote had been unanimous, although several people had voiced their pressing need to move on quickly. No one wanted to be caught by winter on the exposed plain they were traveling across.
"Since we seem to be at the edge of an epidemic, I guess we should plan to camp here until a majority of us feel well enough to move on." Devon began, "What do you think?"
"I agree," Yale said.
"Pity that we haven't found a better spot than this, but I can't see us moving on with so many feeling ill. I just wish we were better supplied with water here. Still, there's that creek we passed an hour back. That's close enough, I guess," Danziger worried.
"I don't see how we can travel right now." Alonzo agreed. "Well, I need to take Julia this hot drink. I'll let her know we are staying here for a couple of days."
Over the course of the day, Bess, Baines, Denner and Magus all developed full 'flu symptoms. One by one, they stumbled into the Medtent seeking relief from their symptoms. Julia grew more and more alarmed at the thought of an epidemic when she was not feeling well enough to treat her patients as she would like. Only Alonzo's insistence kept her in her cot, but even so she tried to direct the medical care of the others from her sickbed. Under her orders, all those that were ill were gathered into the Medtent. Alonzo found himself surrounded by bloodshot watering eyes, wheezes, and sniffs from each of the cots that had been placed in the tent. He was immensely relieved when Yale volunteered to help him look after their sick crew mates. Yale's extensive memory included reams of medical information, which combined with the instructions Julia was firing at him from her cot, gave the cyborg the confidence to deal with the patients. Julia was reassured by Yale's calm and deliberate approach and by his knowledge and good sense, and allowed herself to relax.
Walman envisioned himself having to look after 14 ill people by himself, some sort of cosmic justice for getting sick in the first place. He found himself anxiously examining all those who were still well for signs of illness. He was thankful that his paranoia was not yet justified, but by the next morning only Alonzo, Yale, Uly and himself were still among the well.
Devon had awakened in the middle of the night to find herself soaked. She had developed a moderate fever and felt bad enough that she wasn't able to get back to sleep. She crept out of the tent, taking care not to wake Uly in the cot next to hers, and found Yale awake in the Medtent.
"Yale, can I talk to you?" she whispered from the door of the Medtent, careful not to wake those who were sleeping.
"Devon, of course!" Yale was surprised to see her walking around the camp at that hour. He joined her outside and it was immediately clear that she too had contracted the 'flu.
"Yale, I don't feel too well. I guess it got me too."
"It looks that way. Devon, is Uly still alright?"
"As far as I know. He was sleeping soundly when I left our tent. Why?"
"If he is well, you may just want to stay in your tent and let him care for you. It will make him feel that you trust him to be responsible, and would let you have a bit more privacy."
"That would be nice, I have to admit. The Medtent looks like a madhouse. But don't you think it would be better for me to get the same treatment as everyone else?"
"Devon, Alonzo and I are already overloaded with patients. Knowing that you were being cared for would be a load off our shoulders, and it would be good for Uly." Yale also knew that Devon would be uncomfortable being dependent in front of the others, and that she would be much more comfortable in her own tent. "I could stop by and check on you every few hours."
She sighed and nodded her head. "Okay, I'll talk to Uly. You're right, it would be good for him." She smiled and hugged Yale, "Thanks." Devon walked back to her tent to wake up Uly and talk it over with him.
As she entered the tent, Uly was sitting up in his cot rubbing his eyes. "Mom? Where were you?" he asked.
"Outside talking with Yale." Devon sat on the edge of her cot. "Uly, I have a question for you. I want you to think this over carefully before you answer, okay Champ?"
"Sure Mom"
"Uly, I have the 'flu too. Yale suggested that you and I could stay here in our tent if you felt like you could help me, get me drinks and stuff like that. What do you think?"
Uly crawled out of his bed and into Devon's lap. "I'd like that Mom. Do you need anything right now?" He hugged her around the waist.
Devon returned his hug. "Yeah, Champ. Could you reach me the clean sheets? I want to replace these ones, they're all wet."
***
As the roll of sick crew members increased, Alonzo, Yale, Walman were forced to set up a second "sick room." They rearranged the tents so that family members could be in the same tent. Julia, Baines, Denner, Magus and Cameron were in the original Medtent where Alonzo was able to care for them with Julia's advice. Yale worked alone in the second tent where True, Bess, Morgan, Mazatl, and an abashed Danziger were lying on cots. Walman "floated", relieving the other two for brief naps, food and rests. Zero had been ordered to guard the camp. The construction robot was not designed for surveillance, but they were too short handed to spare a person for the duty.
John Danziger lay feverishly shivering on his cot. "I can't believe I'm feeling so bad" he thought to himself. He looked over at his daughter. True was on the cot next to him. She hardly ever even had a cold and had been robust since babyhood. It was a shock to both Danzigers to find themselves among the sick. John also felt guilty for not being able to help the others. He had denied being ill until it was pointed out by Yale that he was not helping anyone by insisting that he was well. He would just make himself more sick in the long run. John had reluctantly conceded the point. He was surprised how pleasant it was to lie down and admit to not being well. That pleasure had faded as the 'flu advanced, and now there was no way he felt up to standing, let alone looking after anyone else.
By the next morning, Yale, Alonzo and Walman were beginning to wish they would get the 'flu themselves. Fetching and carrying for 10 irritable people was tiring them out, as was being on almost constant alert. Walman had not yet completely recovered from his bout of sickness, but he was still among the able bodied in comparison to everyone else.
Julia looked up at Alonzo as he brought an extra blanket to Magus in the cot next to her. She beckoned him over and waved her hand to show that she wanted him to sit. Alonzo sat on the edge of her cot and took her hand. "Alonzo, I need you to set up a pot of hot drinks for all of us with sore throats. Bess and I found a spice last summer that would make a good infusion. It's astringent and would feel really soothing. Go ask Bess where the lemon-nut is. She'll know."
Alonzo looked sternly down at her. "Julia, please just rest. Fine. I'll go ask her. But I wish you'd let yourself relax. Do you trust me to put the drink together?"
Julia looked at him through narrowed eyes. Alonzo had early managed to get himself off KP permanently by disastrously ruining any food he cooked. One dinner shortly after the crash, he had actually managed to burn pasta, a feat she had before that thought impossible. The fact that all the best cooks were ill disposed meant that even Alonzo had been roped into cooking. For breakfast that morning, he had presented the camp, both sick and well, with the lumpiest porridge they had ever had. Worse, he had managed to scorch the bottom of it then had stirred it well so that the entire pot of food tasted burnt. "Actually, why don't you let Yale give it a try." There was a weak chorus of laughs from the other cots in the tent.
Alonzo looked embarrassed but grinned and agreed, "Good idea. Who knows what I could do with a pot of boiling water. I hear Bess wants soup for dinner. I wonder if we can get Walman to try his hand at that?"
"I'll beg and twist his arm, if need be," Magus vowed. "Send him in here Alonzo, but don't tell him why. I don't want him to think up an excuse before he gets here."
"Magus, you're scary when you start plotting, but, hey, if it saves me from having to eat my own cooking, you're on. I'll look for him first, then talk to Yale about this lemon-nut drink."
He walked over to the second tent, noticing how empty the camp seemed. At this time of night there would normally be 15 people all doing chores to prepare for the evening, fixing dinner, collecting firewood, lighting a fire, and securing equipment for the evening. Tonight the camp was deserted, with empty tents flapping in the slight breeze. Only the three tents with patients in them sounded lived in. A soft murmur of coughs and voices floated up from them.
As Alonzo entered the second tent, he heard Morgan's querulous voice, "Yale, I need a hot drink. My throat is really sore. And could I have another blanket? This tent is freezing." Morgan was already huddled under a small hill of blankets.
"Morgan, honey, you know Yale said that we are already using all the blankets. Do you want to borrow one of mine?" Bess reached across the aisle to hold Morgan's hand.
"Uh, that's okay sweetie. I guess I'll be alright."
Yale's eyes met Alonzo's over the cots. Danziger's voice boomed across the tent just then, "For God's sake Martin. Would you just keep quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep here."
Yale motioned to Alonzo to meet him outside to talk. Alonzo thought how lucky he was to have mostly calm patients in his tent. Somehow, most of the characters in the group had ended up under Yale's care. Julia was the most obstreperous of his patients, and she was nothing compared to Morgan or Danziger in full cry.
"Yale, Julia wants you to make a hot drink for the patients out of water and some spice she said Bess knows about, something called lemon-nut. I offered to make it, but the whole tent voted me down."
Yale smiled at that, but didn't argue. "Alright, I'll go talk to Bess about this lemon-nut. Who's going to make dinner?"
"Magus is beguiling Walman into it. Gee, there seems to be some conspiracy to keep me out of the kitchen." He gave Yale a big smile.
Walman passed them at that moment. "Magus says I have to make soup for dinner. I'm going to ask Bess what to do." He entered the tent.
Yale and Alonzo grinned at each other and parted.
As Alonzo re-entered the Medtent, Julia began to question him. "Alonzo, how are the others? Is Yale keeping a log on their vital signs? How is he treating the fever? Is he taking tissue samples to confirm that we all have the same disease? Is anyone else ill?" she fretted. "I'm feeling better. I should go check on them." She started to sit up.
Alonzo pushed her gently back onto her bed. "Hey Doc, enough of that! I'm not letting you out of bed. You are sick. The others are doing fine; Yale is very knowledgeable. Besides, you keep hounding the poor man for all the pertinent details. Just let yourself rest. You know that's what you need."
Julia nodded in agreement and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Maybe what they say is true, that doctors make the worst patients."
Alonzo laughed, "Hey, you haven't seen the other tent. Imagine a really grumpy Danziger and Morgan in full-Martin-mode in the same tent. I'm telling you, it's peaceful over here."
Later that night, Yale and Alonzo met again for a brief rest and dinner. They sat at the campfire in companionable and tired silence. Finally Alonzo stirred himself. He put down his empty soup bowl and said, "Hey, Yale?"
"Yes, Alonzo"
"Why haven't you or I gotten sick? Do you have any theory about that?"
"I have a hypothesis for why we are not succumbing to the 'flu. You and I are significantly older than the others, you due to your many years in Cold Sleep. I think that long ago on the stations we already weathered a 'flu similar enough to this one to render us immune, probably before the others were born. Uly may be protected by his Terrian DNA."
"So you think we've already had this 'flu. I guess that's as good a guess as any other. I'll tell you, I'm ready to have a good night's sleep and some decent cooking for a while. I am exhausted."
"Me too. But everyone is recovering. By tomorrow, I predict that most of them will be getting up."
Yale's statement was prophetic. That night was unusually quiet, as almost everyone slept soundly.
Danziger forced himself out of his cot the next morning. Bess had made coffee, he was pleased to see. The big mechanic felt even less awake than on a typical morning, but he enjoyed being up and moving around. The morning was fresh, the day boded to be warm and golden, and True was making noises about getting up. All seemed right with the world.
Alonzo woke to find himself slumped in a chair next to Julia's cot. His neck ached from the unusual sleeping position, and someone seemed to have poured concrete into all of his joints as he slept. None of that mattered, though, because Julia was smiling at him from her bed. She looked much better. Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint as she said, "Finally decide to wake up, huh fly-boy?"
"Julia! Hey, it's good to see you looking so much better! When did you wake up?" He leaned over and placed his palm on her forehead; she was cool.
"Just a couple of minutes ago. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you sleep in such a painful position."
"That's okay. I should get up and check on my other patients." He gave her a quick kiss, then stood and stretched.
The other four were all ready to get out of their cots and try out their legs. Everyone was eager to recover their privacy and move back into their own tents. By mid-morning, Alonzo and Julia had the Medtent to themselves again. A quick conference after breakfast had decided that they would stay at this camp for at least one or two more days to let folks recover. A poll the next morning would determine who felt up for travel. People were very eager to move on. There was nothing like being sick to make new vistas appealing. Alonzo, Yale and Walman took to their beds despite the bright morning sun, happy to turn the camp over to the others. It felt like months since they had caught more than a cat-nap.
As they prepared to leave camp two days later, the group clustered around Devon as she asked for their attention. Some were anxiously squinting to the west to see the mountains they were heading toward. They had lost another 5 days to an unexpected delay. Winter was moving in, and those mountains ahead beckoned them. "Everyone, I know that we have a lot to catch up, but I know we will find a protected shelter for the winter soon. We traveled a month later than this last year." Devon smiled at the crew and continued, "Alright, let's move out."
The caravan of three vehicles and a straggle of walkers moved forward.
-The End-
Chapter End Notes:
Please send any comments to me.
Etain Antrim
Etain Antrim