1WBGA1

“My foot and leg are black!  Did you hear me?!  Black!”  The voice drowns in screams.  Angelina collapses. Her world is spinning.  She has become Patient 1WBGA1.  First, West Bound, Georgia, First in State.

An ambulance splits the night from sleep to disruption.  Matt spends twenty minutes explaining.  A fever, nausea, leg turning black, Collapsing fiancee, and mixing it to beg for help now!  It is one thing to be ill.  But this was different, everyone will know as they see it.

“PT has 103.7 fever, elevated BP,  respiration shallow and labored.  Matt? What meds does she take?  Hello?!  It’s Matt right?!  What the hell does she take?  She’s septic!  High fever here.  I need to know.  Dot, boy friend is useless.  She’s got bad infection.  It’s been awhile.  She going with us! Her Pulse is faint, BP is dropping.  Pack her up and get her to Memorial”.  Sterling speaks half into shoulder microphone and half to Matt.  His hands seem more blender than arms.  His frantic motions while examining could never be understood from the outside.

“Do you have any idea when she got sick? Matt, hang with me!  We can get her back, but it’s easier if we know what happened and when.  Can you grab her meds?  If you hurry you can ride, or meet her at Memorial.  We have to fly.”

 The gurney rises up.  Angelina bound in place.  The scene outside is dark.  A few hazard a look.  The city moves on without a care.  The red and blue light dance along the cars and windows.  The police stay off to the side watching.  Nothing here for them.  Someone is having a decent night.

The Emergency Room is overflowing.   The ant hill crawls with patients.   Gun shots and stabbings get the attention.   The warm  night brings in patients without doctors to see.  Arriving into the chaos, is the man with the answers for Angelina.  He just doesn’t know it.

Dr Light comes out to the ER waiting area.   Matt ways to be picked out of the crowd.   The doctor isn’t happy when he finds him.

“You let her go before getting her help.   We ready are up against it on this.   Tell me all you know.   I have blood work started.   But I can treat her a little faster if you can tell me anything.” Dr Light weighs the useful input.   He sees nothing but people worried about protecting against charges not diseases.

“I told them everything. She has been sick to her stomach for a week.  The fever comes and goes.  She had she bumps on her leg and then it hurt really bad.   Burning feeling and next it’s black.  She just collapsed.   She’s always healthy”  Matt goes through it again.   His voice quick to finish his words.

“Bumps?  Do you have mosquito problem? Pets?”

“No pets.   We don’t use the yard much.  There’s no shade.   I can’t remember getting bit by anything.”

“I’ll check for bites.   We’re worried about the sceptic in the leg.  We can start with something for the pain.   She’s still out of it. In a couple hours maybe we can find out what we are dealing with.”

Matt sinks into the chair.   He is marooned on the waiting area.   The unknown is scarer when you can’t see what’s happening.

“Pets, we were always gonna get a dog.   Maybe, that’s what I’ll do. Get her a dog.” Matt’s mind is filling in the blanks.   Patching the holes that time ripped into their lives. 

Midnight comes and goes.  The grueling clock strikes relief at 1:15. 

“Her tests are back.   I’m afraid she has a bacterial infection.   It’s a tough one.  Yersinia pestis, it’s a bacterial infection.   You know it as the plague.   I’m afraid we need to treat you now.” Dr Light walks him back to a small room.

“The treatment is Ciproflaxin.  You will take a pill regiment, five days.  No options! Any symptoms you come back for IV.  You cough twice. You sweat.  You come back here.  Angelina will be here for at least a couple days.  Come back tomorrow.”

1ICGA1 has left the building, pills in hand.  In life Matt has become a case number.
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