Hearing voices in the other room, Jack stepped back through the door. It was Dr. Wainwright clutching a mask to his face. He was accompanied by two women and a man, all of whom were wearing masks. The women were attired in the long, white professorial coats Jack associated with medical-school professors.
After handing Jack a mask, Dr. Wainwright made the introductions. The taller woman was Dr. Mary Zimmerman, the hospital’s infection-control officer and head of the like-named committee.
Jack sensed she was a serious woman who felt defensive under the circumstances. As she was introduced, she informed him that she was a board-certified internist with subspecialty training in infectious disease.
Not knowing how to respond to this revelation, Jack complimented her.
“I did not have an opportunity to examine Mr. Nodelman,” she added.
“I’m certain you would have made the diagnosis instantly had you done so,” Jack said, consciously trying to keep sarcasm out of his voice.
“No doubt,” she said.
The second woman was Kathy McBane, and Jack was happy to turn his attention to her, especially since Ms. McBane had a warmer demeanor than her committee chairwoman. He learned she was an RN supervisor and a member of the Infection Control Committee. It was usual for such a committee to have representatives from most if not all the hospital departments.
The man was George Eversharp. He was dressed in a heavy cotton twill blue uniform. As Jack suspected, he was the supervisor of the department of engineering and was also a member of the Infection Control Committee.
“We certainly are indebted to Dr. Stapleton for his rapid diagnosis,” Dr. Wainwright said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“Just a lucky guess,” Jack said.
“We’ve already begun to react,” Dr. Zimmerman said in a deadpan voice. “I’ve ordered a list to be drawn up of possible contacts to start chemoprophylaxis.”
“I think that is wise,” Jack said.
“And as we speak, the clinical computer is searching our current patient database for symptom complexes suggestive of plague,” she continued.
“Commendable,” Jack said.
“Meanwhile we have to discover the origin of the current case,” she said.
“You and I are thinking along the same lines,” Jack said.
“I’d advise you to wear your mask,” she added.
“Okay,” Jack said agreeably. He held it up to his face.
Dr. Zimmerman turned to Mr. Eversharp. “Please continue with what you were saying about the air flow.”
Jack listened as the engineer explained that the ventilation system in the hospital was designed so that there was a flow from the hall into each room and then its bathroom. The air was then filtered. He also explained that there were a few rooms where the air flow could be reversed for patients with compromised immune systems.
“Is this one of those rooms?” Dr. Zimmerman asked.
“It is not,” Mr. Eversharp said.
“So there is no freak way plague bacteria could have gotten into the ventilation system and infected just this room?” Dr. Zimmerman asked.
“No,” Mr. Eversharp said. “The air induction in the hall goes into all these rooms equally.”
“And the chances of bacteria floating out of this room into the hall would be low,” Dr.
Zimmerman said.
“Impossible,” Mr. Eversharp said. “The only way it could leave would be on some sort of vector.”
“Excuse me,” a voice called. Everyone turned to see a nurse standing in the doorway. She, too, had a mask pressed against her face. “Mr. Kelley would like you all to come to the nurses’ station.”
Dutifully everyone started from the room. As Kathy McBane stepped in front of him, Jack got her attention. “Who’s Mr. Kelley?” he asked.
“He’s the hospital president,” Ms. McBane said.
Jack nodded. As he walked he nostalgically reminisced that the head of the hospital used to be called an administrator and was frequently a person who’d had medical training. That was back when patient care was paramount. Now that business was king and the goal was profit, the name had changed to president.
Jack was looking forward to meeting Mr. Kelley. The hospital president was the on-site representative of AmeriCare, and giving him a headache was the equivalent of giving AmeriCare a headache.
The atmosphere at the nurses’ station was tense. Word of the plague had spread like wildfire.