Influenza
Breakouts of an illness weren’t new to the doctors of the Ark. In space, they had their fair experience dealing with illnesses that tore through a population. Everything from the mundane (Strep, bronchitis, and the flu) to the strange and uncomfortable (hand, foot, and mouth disease, pink eye, and the occasional STD, much to Abby’s horror). But on the Ark, they had state of the art technology and all the modern medicine a doctor might need to fix most things, so the illness would pass with few serious cases.
No one had thought about the implications of diseases when they made the decision to come to the ground. There were other medical issues that would come if they stayed on the Ark (hypoxia, starvation, dehydration, and, everyone’s favorite, death), so the unknown diseases of the ground became an afterthought.
Luckily, when it came, it came during peacetime.
Micheal Cornson, a healthy sixteen-year-old boy, came in one afternoon, after working the lunch shift with a cough, a sore throat, and tightness in his chest. Abby, who had her hands full as chancellor along with head doctor, passed him off to Jackson. He was plenty knowledgeable to deal with a cough, she mused. Jackson gave him some throat soothers and told him to come back if symptoms worsened.
That night, Abby was awoken by a pounding on her door. She opened it, only to be dragged to medical by a messenger from Jackson. Ingrid Cornson, Micheal’s mother had shown up a few hours earlier. Micheal’s cough had only gotten worse. It was a desperate hack now, as Micheal struggled for air with each breath. But that wasn’t why Jackson had called for her.
Overnight, their population of sick people had skyrocketed from Micheal to twelve others, who were showing moderate versions of Micheal’s symptoms. It made sense. Micheal had always been the one to have the severe symptoms of whatever illness was passing through on the Ark. And he had been on lunch duty the day before. So Abby and Jackson steeled themselves for what was to come.
By noon the next day, medical had twenty five sick patients and Abby had declared a quarantine of anyone who had been in close contact with sick patients for an extended period of time. Which meant she and Jackson were unable to leave medical as they treated a steady stream of patients. Both doctors were exhausted and the pace they had to work wasn’t sustainable. It would be no good to the camp if neither of them could work. In this situation, a triage system wouldn’t work. There were simply too many people in and the symptoms were worrying even in milder cases.
At some point, Abby wasn’t quite sure when she made a decision. She sent a protesting Jackson off to the cot in the corner to rest and started a modified triage system to lessen the burden on their already overwhelmed staff. The two nurses that had stayed in medical, knowing they wouldn’t be released anytime soon, would sort patients. Those with milder symptoms would be given a mask and sent back to their quarters to quarantine there. Those with severe symptoms would be sent to see a doctor, then treated as their symptoms required.
The system seemed to work. The virus, as they had determined, was spreading through nearly everyone in the camp, but the system that had been put in place seemed to be working. Abby, Jackson, and the nurses had come down with a mild case, but all had recovered quickly and were back on their feet in no time. Most patients had bounced back in a day or two. It was the critical care patients, the ones that required all day observation and help breathing, that scared Abby and Jackson. They knew there was an inevitability of losing a patient with a virus like this.
That didn’t make it any less devastating when Catherine Poils stopped breathing late one night. A half hour of chest compressions, defibrillation, and rescue breaths later, she was declared dead. Abby kept composure until she was alone. Losing her strength, she curled up on a bed and let out all the feelings she had been holding in. Jackson must have heard her. He joined her on the bed, wrapping her in a hug and letting her sob into his chest.
“You know it's not your fault Abby”
“It doesn’t any of this easier”
“I know, I feel the same,” Jackson brushed through her hair, tears slipping from his eyes. “It's okay to cry."
“I know this sounds strange, but I miss Marcus,” Abby admitted.
Jackson chuckled. “Is that Abby Griffin admitting she misses Marcus Kane I hear?” Abby giggled into his chest. “If you’d said that when we were on the Ark, I probably would have checked you for a concussion. Or drugs”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes,” Jackson responded. “Seriously, Abby. I’m really glad that you found someone who makes you happy. And our Kane isn't the same one from the Ark”
“What I would give to get a hug from him or a motivational speech,” Abby mused. “What I would give to have him just around”
“Then why not have him around?” Jackson proposed. Abby sat up.
“Jackson, Marcus is acting chancellor while I’m stuck in here. We can’t have him being exposed and getting sick. Our camp needs a leader”
“I wasn’t suggesting that he come in here. I was suggesting that you find some time to chat with him over the radio or through the partition,” Jackson said. “Something that keeps him safe and keeps you sane”
“Jackson, I can't…”
“You need to take care of yourself, Abby. You push that on everyone else, but you never take time for yourself,” Jackson rubbed a hand down her back. “As your doctor, I’m prescribing you at least 15 minutes with Kane and at least 4 hours of sleep every day”
“Jackson, I…”
“Don’t fight me on this, Abby”
Shouting from the other room pulled them out of their little bubble of happiness. The flaps that covered the doorway ruffled and a nurse huffed in.
“Dr. Giffin, Dr. Jackson, we need your help”
Abby looked to Jackson. “Back to work we go”
They were pulled back into the real world. A world of sick patients and tired doctors and scared populations. A world where consequences were real and could mean death. A world that Abby wished she was not a part of. But she was and she had to face reality.
Catherine Poils’s death seemed to be the turning point in their battle against the illness. They lost more patients, after which Jackson and Abby would step off to a quiet spot and mourn, but patients were no longer coming in at the same rate. The afternoon after they had their conversation, Abby called Marcus on the radio. He responded immediately.
“Abby, what's wrong?” Kane’s voice was full of fear. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” She stumbled over her words. “No, I’m not fine. But I’m fine. I’ll be fine, eventually”
“What happened?”
“We lost our first patient,” Abby admitted. “Jackson and I didn’t take it too well”
“I heard. Catherine Poils. Her husband is…” Kane cleared his throat. “He's taking some time off from the guard. David Miller has been checking on him”
“Good. I miss you. It's tough. Jackson and I have seen the same few people all the time for…” She wracked her brain for the date. “...I haven't been paying attention to how long”
Kane chuckled on the other end. It was a happy sound, comforting to hear even if it was over the radio. “I can only imagine. I’ve got the opposite problem on my end. I’m seeing so many people that I can’t remember everything I need to do”
“The drawback of being chancellor. Everyone always wants your attention.”
“Tell me about it. It took me an hour to finish a simple conversation with Sinclair. People kept coming up to me with their… stuff… and expecting me to listen. I mean, why should I care if Mrs. Clarence thinks that Amanda Yost is a bad influence on her son”
“Tommy?” Abby asked. “That boy is a menace. If anything, he’s the bad influence”
“I know,” Kane said. “I shouldn’t even complain about this to you, with everything you’re going through with…”
“No, it's okay. I kind of like it. It's nice to have a distraction for once. Not much other than doom and gloom here. Gossip is kind of appealing”
“Chancellor Griffin, are you encouraging gossip?”
Abby smiled so big, it seeped into her voice. “If it lightens the mood, I absolutely am”
Kane laughed in response. “Well, I will keep you updated. What else would the chancellor like to know?”
“How's our survey team?”
“I sent them out this morning to map sector three. Just thought there was no point in keeping here. They’re less likely to get sick out there than in here with all the sick people. Bellamy has kept in contact very consistently. Every hour, on the hour”
“Good to hear”
They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence, even if over a radio.
“I wish there was some way I could check on you,” Kane muttered.
“You can call me on the radio anytime. I may not respond, but someone will and they’ll pass your message on”
“I wish I could see you,” he clarified. “Where are you now?”
“The office space in Medical,” answered Abby. “Why?”
She got no response.
“Marcus?”
Still no reply.
“Marcus?!?”
A loud banging on the window above her head surprised her suddenly. She jumped out of her seat, peering through the window.
Marcus was on the other side of the glass.
“WHAT are you doing?” Abby said, tapping on the glass. “It’s not safe”
“I’m not inside and, unless I really don’t understand biology, diseases can’t penetrate glass”
She laughed. “No they can’t. But they can be carried out by breezes and I'm certain that medical is not airtight”
“Well, I’m okay with the risk if it means cheering you up,” he stuck out his tongue, making a funny face.
“Oh my god. You are really a child. A child is running our camp,” Abby pressed a hand up against the glass of the window. Marcus mirrored her motion on the outside. “Thank you”
“For what?”
“For this. For trying to cheer me up”
“It worked?” he asked.
“It worked,” she confirmed. “Now I just need to find a way to cheer Jackson up.”
“I can make a funny face,” Kane offered.
“Not sure that will work with Jackson,” Abby said.
“I could give it a shot? Or maybe juggling? I could juggle for him”
From the main medical area, Abby heard Jackson shout her name.
“Speaking of Jackson, I have to get back to work,” Abby said, removing her hand from the glass. “Do this again sometime?”
“Absolutely”
Then she left him to deal with the emergency of the day.
They made it a habit over the next week, as the illness puttered out slowly. People were still getting sick, but everyday it got less and less. She found more time everyday to spend with Kane. He kept her updated on the gossip and she kept him updated on the state of her patients, celebrating victories and mourning losses. Things changed eight days after their first chat.
Jackson came tearing into the room. “Abby, Kane’s on the radio and it's urgent."
She hopped up, running to the radio. She switched it on and opened the channel. “Marcus”
“Abby, switch to the private channel now,” he sounded scared.
She switched to the channel with shaky hands. “Marcus, I’m here”
“Dr. Griffin..” Monty’s voice cut through the channel. “We're coming back early. Bellamy and Raven are sick”
She could hear Raven coughing in the background and wheezing coming from Bellamy.
Miller’s voice came over the radio next. “What do we do?”
She kept her voice calm and steady. “I need symptoms. Who’s sicker?”
“Bellamy, I think”
“What are his symptoms?”
“He’s wheezing and struggling for breath and he barely has the energy to move. He hasn’t kept any food down for an extended period of time” Miller’s voice was shaking. “We’ve been trying to get him to drink water, but it's a struggle”
“Just keep an eye on his breathing. If it stops… you know how to do chest compressions, right?”
“Yeah, I think so."
“Nathan, just stay calm. If it comes to it, I can walk you through the process. But let's hope it doesn’t come to that,” Abby said. “How’s Raven?”
“She's got a bad cough and she’s having some troubles breathing, but it's not nearly as bad as Bellamy,” Miller’s voice trembled violently. “No one else is sick though. We all improvised some masks, just in case.”
“Good thinking,” Abby said calmly. She had to reassure them that everything would be okay. “How far from camp are you?”
Monty spoke, with the help of Miller. “About 20 minutes, but I'm doing everything I can to shorten that time”
“Please drive safely,” Abby jumped at Kane’s voice. “I’d rather not have to send a team to pull all of you out of a ditch”
“Copy that, sir,” Monty said. Through the open channel Abby made out a sound in the background. The line went dead for a moment.
“Rover, what just happened?” Kane asked formally.
“Monty, Nathan, what's going on?” Abby asked, considerably less kept together.
“Bellmay just stopped breathing. Nate’s doing chest compressions now,” Monty responded.
“I don’t know if I’m doing them right,” Miller shouted.
“Pass the radio to Nate,” Abby ordered. “Okay, Nathan, can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear”
“Tilt his head back. That'll open his airways a bit.”
“Okay, what's next?”
“Go about a hand's width below his collar bone. There, stack your hands on top of each other.”
“Done.”
“Now, every time I say a number, press down on his chest. You only need to press his chest down about two inches.”
“And breathing? Giving him air?”
“Don’t worry about that. There's not enough time,” Abby said. “Ready? One, two, three, four, five..”
She kept tempo for longer than she could keep track of. At some point, Jackson came in to take over for her so that she could prepare for their two new patients. She hopped back onto the radio to make a plan with Marcus.
“We need to expose as few people as possible...”
“I’ll make sure the guard clear a direct path from the gates to medical”
“And the team will have to quarantine...”
“I’m okay with that and they will be too”
“I don’t know if I can do this…”
Abby’s confession sent silence over the radio. On the other end Kane stuttered, uncertain of his words.
“Abby, you can do this. You’ve done it before. You saved so many other people. You can save them too”
“I’m so tired,” Abby muttered softly.
“How about, when this is all over, you and I take a day off and go down to the lake? Have a picnic and spend the day swimming?”
“I would like that,” Abby whispered.
“Good, then it's a date,” Marcus said.
Jackson rushed in. “They’re almost here.”
Abby turned away from the radio. “I’ll take care of Bellamy. You take care of Raven and move the others into observation”
“Abby, are you sure you want to take Bellamy…?”
“Yes, Jackson, I’m sure!” Abby exploded. She took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I’m tired and I miss Clarke and Marcus”
“Okay, I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly,” Jackson said. “But if you need any help…”
“I will call for you”
A nurse shouted from the entrance. “They're here”
The flaps that served as doors opened and Monty, Jasper, and Octavia stumbled in. Octavia was supported between the boys as she hobbled on a single leg.
“What happened?”
“I took a fall down a steep hill. But it can wait,” Octavia said, gritting her teeth.
Jackson took charge. “Montgomery! Get them situated and take vitals”
“On it.”
Miller came in right behind the others, half-carrying a gasping Raven. “A little help”
“Over here,” Jackson directed him to a bed. “Go into the back with the others. A nurse will take care of you. I’ve got Raven”
Miller nodded, patting him on the arm. On the other side of the room, Abby waited impatiently at the door. A figure pushed through the flaps carrying Bellamy. Her heart sank in shock.
“Marcus?”
“Where do I put him?”
“You shouldn’t be here Marcus.”
“A conversation for later, Abby. What do I need to do?”
“You need to leave!”
“It's too late for that Abby. I’ve been exposed. Now, what do I need to do?”
“Set him down here. And do whatever I tell you,” Abby ordered. He did as she asked, following each order down to the letter. The medical world had always confused him and grossed him out a bit. He shut off his rational brain and just followed Abby’s orders, knowing that following orders was something he could do no matter the situation. Even putting squeamish instincts aside, he couldn’t help but flinch as Abby shoved a breathing tube down Bellamy’s throat and Bellamy’s body bucked violently. Abby dismissed him a short while later and sent him to her improvised office.
Abby had too many thoughts to keep Marcus around, so the moment she no longer needed his help she ordered him to wait in her office. She took her time finishing up with Bellamy, checking and double checking everything that she did. Bellamy stabilized quickly and, after checking on all the rest of her patients, she made her way into her office.
Kane was waiting there for her, seemingly unbothered by his situation.
“What were you thinking?” She shouted, hands shaking.
“Abby… I…”
“You better have a good reason for being in her while healthy. This camp cannot afford you to be sick and I can’t take on anymore patients. Especially while I have two new ones in critical care and four in quarantine!” Abby punched his chest. He barely reacted. “You better give me a good reason”
“Someone had to get him inside and I couldn’t let anyone else be exposed to this…”
“So you exposed yourself? Because leaving our camp without a leader is so much better than having a sick guard or two!”
“Abby, it’s okay”
“No! It's not! You shouldn’t be here!” Abby’s voice broke and she let out a soft sob. “You might get sick”
“I already did”
The room was silent as Abby processed the news. “You were sick?” Marcus nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it was mild and I didn’t need you worrying unnecessarily,” Marcus cupped her face. “The council got together when this all started and laid out a plan in case any of us were sick or quarantined. Sinclair will cover for me...us… while I’m in here. We’ll use the radio to keep contact and every decision and update will be brought to us”
“You planned for this?” Abby asked.
“Of course I did,” He chuckled softly, inviting her into a hug. She accepted, nuzzling into his neck. “You didn’t think I was a reckless idiot, did you?”
“Maybe,” Abby muttered, breaking into a soft smile.
Jackson’s head poked through the door. “Abby…”
Abby pulled away from Marcus quickly, creating a space between them. “Yes?”
“I’m going to try to get some sleep, if that’s okay with you,” Jackson smiled awkwardly, well aware he had interrupted an intimate moment. “Just wanted to let you know”
“Get some sleep, Eric,” Abby’s whole demeanor turned maternal. “Thank you for everything”
Jackson nodded, leaving the room. Abby turned back to Marcus.
“I should go check on my patients,” Abby said.
“Yeah. I should talk to Sinclair,” Marcus replied.
“See you in a bit,” Abby smiled, then ducked out of the room.
They got lucky. The rest of the team fell sick with mild versions of the illness and Abby barely worried about them. She pestered them to sleep and made sure they were taking care of themselves. She was worried more about Bellamy and Raven, who made steady recoveries. Raven recovered quickly and was itching to leave the moments she felt better. Though Abby refused her request, she did put Raven to work around the medical center.
Bellamy, on the other hand, made a slower recovery. It made sense, since he came in sicker and had responded to the treatments very slowly. Abby had insisted on staying with him as much as possible, but Kane had pulled her off duty to make her sleep. She woke up to find the two chatting quietly, Bellamy looking considerably better. She had interrupted their conversation to take his vitals, then left them.
A month after it all started, it ended.
Every member of their camp had gotten sick, Abby figured. Patients stopped coming in and, with the departure of Bellamy Blake, medical was completely clear of patients. She sent her whole team home with the orders of “go sleep and don’t come back until you have to”. Jackson promised to relieve her in a few hours and left, evidently eager for an uninterrupted night of sleep.
Abby receded to her office, exhausted. She hadn’t let herself fall apart up until that point, holding herself together for her patients. Alone, she broke down.
Her crying was interrupted by a sound in the main room.
“I’ll be there in just a moment,” she called.
“No need,” Marcus called back, peeking his head into her office. “Permission to enter?”
She nodded, patting the bed besides her. He entered with a basket in hand and a blanket slung over his shoulder.
“Picnic?” He asked, a goofy grin on his face.
“I’m on duty,” she responded meekly.
“Not anymore,” he pulled her arm. “One of the other nurses has assured me that she can take care of anything that comes up. And Lincoln is here too”
“Really?”
“Yes, Mrs. Chancellor”
That evening, as the sun set, they sat overlooking the lake. Their food had been long eaten and they sat in a comfortable silence.
“Thank you for this”
“Of course, Abby. You needed it,” Marcus said. “Besides, I promised”
“Well, I’d like to propose a toast,” Abby said, raising her water bottle.
“I’m pretty sure toasting with water is bad luck”
“Shut up!” Abby scolded. “I’d like to propose a toast to all those who couldn’t be here, wherever they may rest”
“And to the future. May it hold better things.” They both took a sip silently. Gazing out over the water, Marcus raised his bottle again. “To our camp”
“To our camp”