bring you food. If you show us that we can trust you, we’ll take off those restraints. I’m sure this is very confusing. I wish I could explain, and I will, but first I think we need to concentrate on getting you well.” The man just stared at her. Ruth offered him an awkward doctor smile and then bolted from the room. Juliana was waiting for her just outside.
“Is he okay?” she asked.
“He’s fighting off the pneumonia. It’ll take some time, but he should recover very well. No only that, but I think his body is also conquering the Plague.” The mask crinkled around her cheeks as she grinned.
“Is that possible? Will they all start to recover now?”
“I don’t know, it’s still too early to tell if the bacteria has run its course or if it’s been defeated by something in his immune system. But it means there’s hope for the rest of them and for Charlie. What do you know about him? Did his family bring him? I’d like to talk to them.”
Juliana shook her head. “Someone found him on the road, too sick to be a threat. He didn’t have a wallet or anything, just rags of black clothes. And a bell was tied to his neck.”
Ruth frowned. “A bell? Like a cow bell?”
“No— a hand bell. Like a teacher used to use a long time ago. The only other place I’ve seen them is in church. It was heavy. I thought that might be why he was having trouble breathing. That’s all that he came here with.”
Ruth shrugged and then disinfected her hands again and rummaged around in her kit. There’d be time to find it out from the man himself. She pulled out a few more face masks. “Look, he’s stable for now. I’ll be back by this evening, but I need to go home and tell Bill. This changes everything—”
“Ruth,” said Juliana, her smile fading.
“Look, it’ll be fine. Just wear the mask and make sure to wash your hands before—”
“Ruth, I have to tell you something.”
“I won’t be gone long. You don’t even have to go in, just slide his bowl to him from the doorway. I’m telling you, he’s almost sane.”
“Ruth!” Juliana raised her voice a little and Ruth stopped and looked at her. “When I went to your house, I looked for your husband everywhere. I called and called, but nobody came to the door.” Ruth felt an oily wave of nausea begin in her gut. Juliana put a hand on Ruth’s shoulder as she continued. “I knew you needed those IV supplies, so I went into your house. I kept calling for your husband, but there was no answer.”
“Did you hear anything? Did you hear Charlie?”
“The house was quiet. I found your lab in the basement and grabbed what I could find from your list. I’m sorry, Ruth.”
“Maybe they are out. Maybe Bill needed something. He’s been really reluctant to leave Charlie in the house alone when we make supply runs. Maybe he found a way to take him.”
Juliana shook her head. “I promised you I’d give him your message before I left. I thought if I couldn’t find him, I’d leave him a written note at the very least. It seemed so important to you. I couldn’t find any paper in your living room or kitchen. I should have gone back down to the lab. I’m sorry Ruth, I don’t know why I didn’t look in the lab instead.”
Ruth’s heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that Juliana’s voice was almost lost in the rush of her own blood. She didn’t want to hear the rest, but Juliana’s hand on her shoulder felt like an anchor keeping her frozen in place. “I went upstairs to find some paper and saw a whole notebook lying in front of the bedroom door. They were in there.”
“They?” asked Ruth.
Juliana nodded and she began to cry. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, and tried to hug Ruth. But medicine had been a way of life for so long, that Ruth stopped her out of habit.
“I could be contagious,” she said, her face a blank. Juliana just wiped her eyes and hugged herself, still crying. Ruth was confused. She thought she should be crying
“Is he okay?” she asked.
“He’s fighting off the pneumonia. It’ll take some time, but he should recover very well. No only that, but I think his body is also conquering the Plague.” The mask crinkled around her cheeks as she grinned.
“Is that possible? Will they all start to recover now?”
“I don’t know, it’s still too early to tell if the bacteria has run its course or if it’s been defeated by something in his immune system. But it means there’s hope for the rest of them and for Charlie. What do you know about him? Did his family bring him? I’d like to talk to them.”
Juliana shook her head. “Someone found him on the road, too sick to be a threat. He didn’t have a wallet or anything, just rags of black clothes. And a bell was tied to his neck.”
Ruth frowned. “A bell? Like a cow bell?”
“No— a hand bell. Like a teacher used to use a long time ago. The only other place I’ve seen them is in church. It was heavy. I thought that might be why he was having trouble breathing. That’s all that he came here with.”
Ruth shrugged and then disinfected her hands again and rummaged around in her kit. There’d be time to find it out from the man himself. She pulled out a few more face masks. “Look, he’s stable for now. I’ll be back by this evening, but I need to go home and tell Bill. This changes everything—”
“Ruth,” said Juliana, her smile fading.
“Look, it’ll be fine. Just wear the mask and make sure to wash your hands before—”
“Ruth, I have to tell you something.”
“I won’t be gone long. You don’t even have to go in, just slide his bowl to him from the doorway. I’m telling you, he’s almost sane.”
“Ruth!” Juliana raised her voice a little and Ruth stopped and looked at her. “When I went to your house, I looked for your husband everywhere. I called and called, but nobody came to the door.” Ruth felt an oily wave of nausea begin in her gut. Juliana put a hand on Ruth’s shoulder as she continued. “I knew you needed those IV supplies, so I went into your house. I kept calling for your husband, but there was no answer.”
“Did you hear anything? Did you hear Charlie?”
“The house was quiet. I found your lab in the basement and grabbed what I could find from your list. I’m sorry, Ruth.”
“Maybe they are out. Maybe Bill needed something. He’s been really reluctant to leave Charlie in the house alone when we make supply runs. Maybe he found a way to take him.”
Juliana shook her head. “I promised you I’d give him your message before I left. I thought if I couldn’t find him, I’d leave him a written note at the very least. It seemed so important to you. I couldn’t find any paper in your living room or kitchen. I should have gone back down to the lab. I’m sorry Ruth, I don’t know why I didn’t look in the lab instead.”
Ruth’s heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that Juliana’s voice was almost lost in the rush of her own blood. She didn’t want to hear the rest, but Juliana’s hand on her shoulder felt like an anchor keeping her frozen in place. “I went upstairs to find some paper and saw a whole notebook lying in front of the bedroom door. They were in there.”
“They?” asked Ruth.
Juliana nodded and she began to cry. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, and tried to hug Ruth. But medicine had been a way of life for so long, that Ruth stopped her out of habit.
“I could be contagious,” she said, her face a blank. Juliana just wiped her eyes and hugged herself, still crying. Ruth was confused. She thought she should be crying
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