on,
doctor,’ said the telephonist. ‘Okay, ma’am, you’re through now.’
Dr. Petrie
said, ‘Adelaide?’
Adelaide
sounded jumpy and frantic. ‘Leonard? Oh God, Leonard, something awful has
happened! I’ve been trying to call you for the past twenty minutes, but the
hospital lines were all tied up.’
‘What is it? Is
it Prickles? Is she sick?’
‘No, it’s not that.
It was Margaret. She knocked at the door, and I opened it up, thinking it was
you. She came straight in, like she was drunk or something, and she pulled Prickles out of bed and carried her off.’
‘She what?’
‘She carried
her off, Leonard,’ said Adelaide miserably, bursting into tears. ‘I tried to
stop her, but I couldn’t. Oh God, Leonard, I’m so sorry. I tried to stop her.’
‘You say she
was drunk?’
‘She seemed
like it. She was swaying around and cursing. It was awful.’
Dr. Petrie
rested his head against the wall. ‘Okay, Adelaide, don’t worry, I’ll get right
back there. I shouldn’t think she’s taken Prickles far. Just stay there, and I’ll get back in ten minutes.’
He laid down
the phone. Dr. Selmer was standing right behind him.
‘You’re not
going home?’ asked Dr. Selmer. ‘I’m sorry, but I came to look for you, and I
couldn’t help overhearing.’
‘Anton, I have
to. My wife has taken my little girl.’
‘Leonard, I
need you here. You have to talk to Firenza. Please. I can’t get away myself.’
Dr. Petrie
shook his head. ‘Anton – I can’t. I think that Margaret has the plague. I have
to go get Prickles back, Anton. I can’t just leave her. Look-’ he checked his
watch ‘-just give me two hours, and I’ll come right back here. I promise.’
Dr. Selmer
looked desperate. ‘Leonard, it’s Firenza. You have to
convince him. If we don’t put this whole city into quarantine – well, God knows
what’s going to happen. I spoke to him just now. He still refuses. He says that
until we find out what’s causing this epidemic, there’s no medical
justification for sealing the city off.’
‘We do know
what’s causing it,’ said Dr. Petrie.
‘We do?’
‘I think so.
It’s the sewage that’s been washed up on the beaches. Every one of the people
I’ve come across with plague went swimming – either yesterday, or today.’
Dr. Selmer
dropped his hands in resignation. ‘Then we have to close the beaches,’ he said.
‘Go see Firenza, tell him what you think, and insist that he closes the
beaches.’ Dr. Petrie looked at his watch again. He had just seen a man die from
the plague; he knew how short a time it took. If Margaret was already in the
dizzy, drunken stage, she may only have a couple of hours left – three or four
at the most.
Supposing she
died when Prickles was with her? Supposing she was driving
her car?
‘Anton,’ he
said desperately. ‘Just two hours. Please. No one goes swimming at night,
anyway.’
Dr. Selmer
wiped his brow with the back of his hand. ‘Go on, then,’ he said softly. ‘I
can’t stop you.’
‘Anton, it’s my
daughter.’
Dr. Selmer
nodded, and looked at Mrs. Haskins, waiting, shocked and patient, by the water
fountain, and the white shivering people who were being wheeled in through the
hospital’s double doors.
‘Sure. It’s
your daughter, and her husband, and his son, and my uncle. Everybody belongs to
somebody, Leonard. I’m just disappointed, that’s all. No matter how people
criticized you, I didn’t think you were that kind of a doctor.’
Leonard Petrie
rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles were knotted and tense, and he could
feel the beginnings of a pounding headache.
Dr. Selmer
watched him, saying nothing, waiting for him to make up his mind.
Finally, Dr.
Petrie sighed. ‘All right, Anton. You win. Where does Firenza live?’
‘Out by the university on South West 48th Street. The
number’s here.’
Dr. Petrie took
the creased card and tucked it in his pocket. ‘I’ll be right back when I’ve
seen
doctor,’ said the telephonist. ‘Okay, ma’am, you’re through now.’
Dr. Petrie
said, ‘Adelaide?’
Adelaide
sounded jumpy and frantic. ‘Leonard? Oh God, Leonard, something awful has
happened! I’ve been trying to call you for the past twenty minutes, but the
hospital lines were all tied up.’
‘What is it? Is
it Prickles? Is she sick?’
‘No, it’s not that.
It was Margaret. She knocked at the door, and I opened it up, thinking it was
you. She came straight in, like she was drunk or something, and she pulled Prickles out of bed and carried her off.’
‘She what?’
‘She carried
her off, Leonard,’ said Adelaide miserably, bursting into tears. ‘I tried to
stop her, but I couldn’t. Oh God, Leonard, I’m so sorry. I tried to stop her.’
‘You say she
was drunk?’
‘She seemed
like it. She was swaying around and cursing. It was awful.’
Dr. Petrie
rested his head against the wall. ‘Okay, Adelaide, don’t worry, I’ll get right
back there. I shouldn’t think she’s taken Prickles far. Just stay there, and I’ll get back in ten minutes.’
He laid down
the phone. Dr. Selmer was standing right behind him.
‘You’re not
going home?’ asked Dr. Selmer. ‘I’m sorry, but I came to look for you, and I
couldn’t help overhearing.’
‘Anton, I have
to. My wife has taken my little girl.’
‘Leonard, I
need you here. You have to talk to Firenza. Please. I can’t get away myself.’
Dr. Petrie
shook his head. ‘Anton – I can’t. I think that Margaret has the plague. I have
to go get Prickles back, Anton. I can’t just leave her. Look-’ he checked his
watch ‘-just give me two hours, and I’ll come right back here. I promise.’
Dr. Selmer
looked desperate. ‘Leonard, it’s Firenza. You have to
convince him. If we don’t put this whole city into quarantine – well, God knows
what’s going to happen. I spoke to him just now. He still refuses. He says that
until we find out what’s causing this epidemic, there’s no medical
justification for sealing the city off.’
‘We do know
what’s causing it,’ said Dr. Petrie.
‘We do?’
‘I think so.
It’s the sewage that’s been washed up on the beaches. Every one of the people
I’ve come across with plague went swimming – either yesterday, or today.’
Dr. Selmer
dropped his hands in resignation. ‘Then we have to close the beaches,’ he said.
‘Go see Firenza, tell him what you think, and insist that he closes the
beaches.’ Dr. Petrie looked at his watch again. He had just seen a man die from
the plague; he knew how short a time it took. If Margaret was already in the
dizzy, drunken stage, she may only have a couple of hours left – three or four
at the most.
Supposing she
died when Prickles was with her? Supposing she was driving
her car?
‘Anton,’ he
said desperately. ‘Just two hours. Please. No one goes swimming at night,
anyway.’
Dr. Selmer
wiped his brow with the back of his hand. ‘Go on, then,’ he said softly. ‘I
can’t stop you.’
‘Anton, it’s my
daughter.’
Dr. Selmer
nodded, and looked at Mrs. Haskins, waiting, shocked and patient, by the water
fountain, and the white shivering people who were being wheeled in through the
hospital’s double doors.
‘Sure. It’s
your daughter, and her husband, and his son, and my uncle. Everybody belongs to
somebody, Leonard. I’m just disappointed, that’s all. No matter how people
criticized you, I didn’t think you were that kind of a doctor.’
Leonard Petrie
rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles were knotted and tense, and he could
feel the beginnings of a pounding headache.
Dr. Selmer
watched him, saying nothing, waiting for him to make up his mind.
Finally, Dr.
Petrie sighed. ‘All right, Anton. You win. Where does Firenza live?’
‘Out by the university on South West 48th Street. The
number’s here.’
Dr. Petrie took
the creased card and tucked it in his pocket. ‘I’ll be right back when I’ve
seen
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