For a few minutes Jack thought that his painstaking efforts had been for naught, but then he got another idea. Since he’d typed the lists into the computer in the same order they’d been originally, he asked the computer to make the comparison prior to the first product used in the ICU.
As soon as Jack pushed his execute button the computer flashed its answer. The word “humidifier” appeared on the screen. Jack stared. Apparently the infectious cases had all used humidifiers from central supply; the control hadn’t. But was it a significant difference? From Jack’s childhood, he remembered his mother had put a humidifier in his room when he’d had the croup. He remembered the device as a small, boiling cauldron that sputtered and steamed at his bedside. So Jack could not imagine a humidifier having anything to do with spreading bacteria. At 212° Fahrenheit, it would boil bacteria. But then Jack remembered the newer type of humidifier: the ultrasonic, cold humidifier. That, he realized, could be a totally different story.
Jack snatched up his phone and called the General. He asked to be put through to central supply. Mrs. Zarelli was off, so he asked to speak to the evening supervisor. Her name was Darlene Springborn. Jack explained who he was and then asked if central supply at the General handled the humidifiers.
“Certainly do,” Darlene said. “Especially during the winter months.”
“What kind does the hospital use?” Jack asked. “The steam type or the cold type?”
“The cold type almost exclusively,” Darlene said.
“When a humidifier comes back from a patient room what happens to it?” Jack asked.
“We take care of it,” Darlene said.
“Do you clean it?” Jack asked.
Certainly, Darlene said. “Plus we run them for a while to be sure they still function normally. Then we empty them and scrub them out. Why?”
“Are they always cleaned in the same location?” Jack asked.
“They are,” Darlene said. “We keep them in a small storeroom that has its own sink. Has there been a problem with the humidifiers?”
“I’m not sure,” Jack said. “But if so, I’ll let you or Mrs. Zarelli know.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Darlene said.
Jack disconnected but kept the phone in the crook of his shoulder while he got out Gloria Hernandez’s phone number. He punched in the digits and waited. A man answered who could speak only Spanish. After Jack struggled with a few broken phrases, the man told Jack to wait.
A younger voice came on the line. Jack assumed it was Juan. He asked the boy if he could speak to his mother.
“She’s very sick,” Juan said. “She’s coughing a lot and having trouble breathing.”
“Did she call the hospital like I urged?” Jack asked.
“No, she didn’t,” Juan said. “She said she didn’t want to bother anybody.”
“I’m going to call an ambulance to come and get her,” Jack said with out hesitation. “You tell her to hold on, okay?”
“Okay,” Juan said.
“Meanwhile, could you ask her one question,” Jack said. “Could you ask her if she cleaned any humidifiers last night? You know what humidifiers are, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I know,” Juan said. “Just a minute.”
Jack waited nervously, tapping his fingers on top of Kevin Carpenter’s chart. To add to his guilt, he thought he should have followed up on his suggestion for Gloria to call Zimmerman. Juan came back on the line.
“She says thank you about the ambulance,” Juan said. “She was afraid to call herself because AmeriCare doesn’t pay unless a doctor says okay.”
“What about the humidifiers?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, she said she cleaned two or three. She couldn’t remember exactly.”
After Jack hung up from talking to the Hernandez boy he called 911 and dispatched an ambulance to the Hernandez residence. He told the dispatcher to inform the EMTs that it was an infectious case and that they should at least wear masks. He also told her that the patient should go to the Manhattan General and no place else.
With growing excitement, Jack placed a call to Kathy McBane. As late as it was, he didn’t expect to get her, but he was pleasantly surprised. She was still in her office. When Jack commented on the fact that she was still there after six, she said she’d probably be there for some time.