Quarantine

7

Isabel waited impatiently with the crowd outside the emergency room. Every time it looked as if she might be able to worm her way inside, another group of people would come running up with a desperately ill friend or relative, and she would have to step aside and let them in. She didn't mind, of course. But she was growing more and more worried by the minute. What was going on here? All these sick people… they seemed to have nothing in common except that they were sick.

So far she'd seen one elderly woman who had an ugly rash all over her arms. A little boy with uncontrollable hiccups. A middle-aged guy whose entire body was shaking violently in a seizure. The latest one carried by had been a girl around her own age who had been vomiting and was completely dehydrated.

What's wrong with Liz? Isabel wondered. Max had called almost an hour ago to tell her he was bringing Liz to the ER. Of course Isabel had rushed right over, but she hadn't been expecting some sort of epidemic.

There was a brief lull in the incoming patients. The area in front of the door was empty. Isabel pushed past the two security guys standing in front of her and sped through the door. One of them called after her, but she kept going as if she hadn't heard him.

Inside, the waiting area was pandemonium. She scanned the room, searching for Max or Liz. Not a sign of them. But, much to her astonishment, she spotted Valenti sitting on a bench next to Maria. Maria's mother was with her, breathing from an oxygen mask.

What on Earth is going on here? Isabel made her way over to them. "Hey," she said. "What's happening? Are you okay, Ms. DeLuca?"

Maria's mom shrugged and gestured to the mask with her hand.

"She's having a severe asthma attack," Maria explained. "Which is bizarre, because she hasn't had asthma since she was seven."

"What caused it?" Isabel asked, taking a seat next to Amy.

"Nothing she can think of," Maria said. "That's why we're worried."

Isabel glanced up at Valenti. She knew he and Maria's mom dated sometimes. Was he here for Amy? Or someone else?

Valenti met her eye and nodded grimly. "Kyle's here too," he told her.

Isabel gasped. She and Kyle had been hanging out a lot lately, and she'd grown attached to him. "What's wrong with him?"

"They don't know," Valenti said, his voice tight with

worry. "He passed out at home, and he's been in and out of consciousness ever since. They want me to wait out here until they run some tests."

Isabel frowned. "Does this seem strange to you guys?" she asked. "Ms. DeLuca getting sick, and Kyle, and Liz?"

"Liz?" Maria repeated. "What's wrong with Liz?"

"Don't you know?" Isabel asked. "Max brought her in here about an hour ago."

"Liz was with Max?" Maria looked surprised.

Valenti shook his head. "We haven't seen either of them."

"Hush," Maria said, nodding toward two nurses who were hurrying across the waiting room. Isabel listened to the nurses' conversation as they passed.

"… everything from acne to symptoms of ALS," one of them was saying. "I've never seen anything like it."

Then the nurses were gone. Isabel glanced up at Valenti and spoke in a low voice. "It seems like everyone's getting sick at the same time. Do you think it's like that green skin thing… something in the water?" Isabel asked, referring to an incident a few months ago. She knew Valenti would understand what she was really asking… did he think this was an alien-threat of some sort?

Valenti's brow was furrowed in thought. "I don't see how it could be," he replied. "Looking around, I see people with all kinds of different symptoms. Amy's having an asthma attack, but that's not what happened to Kyle. And check out that guy."

Isabel followed his gaze to a young man sitting in a corner between two people who were obviously his parents. The guy was talking loudly to himself, every so often swatting the

air in front of him. His mother was in tears, and his father stared silently at the ground.

"Schizophrenia, if I'm not mistaken," Valenti went on. "Meanwhile, the woman over there was complaining that her eyesight suddenly started to go."

"And you don't think one thing could be causing all these different symptoms?" Isabel asked.

"I can't think of anything… anything… that could cause such disparate symptoms," he said with a significant look.

Isabel sighed in relief. Whenever something strange happened, she automatically felt responsible, as if the aliens must have caused it. And usually she was right. But maybe this time was different.

"Help me!" a woman's voice cut through the noise of the ER. "My son's having a heart attack!"

Isabel turned to look along with everyone else.

Several nurses were rushing a stretcher through the doors of the ER. And on the stretcher lay Jesse, his skin pale and his eyes wide and frightened. Isabel was on her feet before she even realized it.

They were pushing the gurney through the room at top speed, Jesse's terrified mother keeping pace with it.

Isabel stepped forward as they passed her, willing Jesse to look at her. Almost as if he could feel the weight of her concern, he turned his head ever so slightly and met her eyes.

"Jesse," Isabel whispered.

And then he was gone, disappearing through a set of double doors into a hospital hallway. Everything inside Isabel cried out for her to follow him, to comfort him and make sure he was okay… and if he wasn't, to find Max and make him heal Jesse.

But he's not even my boyfriend, Isabel thought sadly. Jesse had broken up with her. She had no right to be at his bedside.

"Isabel? You okay?" Maria's voice broke into her thoughts.

Isabel pasted a smile on her face and turned around. "Sure," she said, sitting back down. "I'm fine."

"Let me get this straight," Maris said. "You put the serum in a water bottle. You watched Liz Parker take exactly two little sips of it. And then you sent her home… with the water bottle."

"I didn't know she would share it with anyone else," Alan Sosa said defensively. "It's unsanitary."

"Have you ever met a sanitary teenager?" Maris snapped.

"This isn't my fault," Alan insisted. "You're the one who had me develop the serum. You're the one who told me to give it to Liz Parker. I'm not going to take the blame for this."

"No, Meta-chem will be blamed for it, you idiot!" Maris slammed her hand down on her desk. "Alan, do you even realize what you've done?" she cried. "There is an entire city full of people out there who have ingested nonhuman, possibly nonterrestrial, DNA. They're calling it a virus! Apparently this stuff can reproduce and spread!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Alan cried. "We never tested it before. Besides, it's not really reproducing. It's not a true virus. The Healer's DNA just seems to attach itself to human DNA. And it doesn't spread like a bacteria."

"I don't care if it lays eggs," Maris cried. "It's hopping from one person to the next, and they're all getting sick. How can they be sick from the Healer's DNA?"

"I told you we don't know how he heals," Alan said. "His DNA attaches itself to the patient's DNA strands. But maybe he does something else while he's healing them."

Maris dropped her head into her hands. This was a disaster.

"There's clearly some link to his healing properties," Alan said. "Because his DNA is certainly affecting people's health."

"Exactly opposite of how we want it to affect their health," Maris said.

Alan turned toward her office door. "You wanted a test, Maris. This is it. This is what the serum does to humans."

His self-satisfied tone brought Maris back to her senses. She sat up and snatched her phone.

"What are you doing?" Alan asked.

"Damage control," she told him. "You're right, this is my test. And I'm going to get the results. I'll see how it affects every single person who's been exposed to it."

"How are you going to do that?" he asked. "The hospital has already called the Centers for Disease Control. They'll take charge of it from here."

"And I'll be helping them every step of the way," Maris said. "Meta-chem will be their new best friend."

Liz felt as if she were swimming though the air. She'd never noticed it before… the way air pressed on your skin. It felt like a light, soft blanket wrapped all around her. She was beginning to get used to it, she thought. It didn't hurt,

after all. It was just a different way of being aware of her body.

Her eyes were still closed, but she could hear enough to tell her everything she needed to know. She could hear Max's breathing, very loud, as he sat next to her hospital bed. She could hear people moaning and crying in the beds all around. She could hear doctors whispering to one another in worried tones. And from out in the main waiting room, she could hear a crowd of people. She didn't hear them individually, just the roaring sound of the whole group. At first the sounds had been too loud, but she seemed to be getting used to them now too.

Liz opened her eyes, and immediately Max jumped to his feet. "Liz," he whispered. It sounded like a normal speaking voice. Liz smiled. Max had learned not to talk too loudly since she'd gotten sick.

"Hey," she said. "Are my parents here yet?"

He shook his head. "I think its pretty crowded out there. They might have trouble getting in," he said.

Liz just nodded. She stared up at the tile ceiling of the hospital. The tiny specks in the tile seemed to be moving around, forming shapes. The lights weren't too bright anymore, but she thought she could see different colors in them. "It's changing," she told Max. "Before, everything was too harsh… the sounds, the lights. But now it's all just… different."

He looked worried. "They haven't even done any tests on you," he complained. "When are they going to come back and examine you?"

"It's okay," she replied. "They checked my heart and my lungs. I'm not in any immediate danger. If it's crowded,

they have to treat sicker people first. Why is it so crowded, anyway?"

Max wouldn't meet her eyes. "Uh, it's some sort of… epidemic."

"What?" Liz cried. "Everyone is sick like me?"

"I don't think so," Max said. "As far as I can tell, everybody is sick in a different way. I heard some of the doctors talking. They don't know what's causing it."

Liz studied Max's face. His eyes were bloodshot, almost as if he'd been crying. He's really worried about me, she realized. Liz reached out for his hand.

"I thought your skin hurt," Max said. "In the car, you couldn't stand anything touching you."

"That doesn't apply to you," she told him.

He took her hand in his. Liz closed her eyes and let the sensations in her skin wash over her. She felt the warmth of Max's body seeping into her, as if his love was a tangible thing. In fact, if she concentrated really hard, she almost thought she could hear his heart beating.

"You have to leave now." The voice was harsh, and loud enough to make Liz jump. Her eyes flew open, and she saw a doctor standing at the foot of her bed. He wasn't looking at her. He must be talking to Max.

"Are Liz's parents here?" Max asked.

"I don't know. But you have to leave," the doctor insisted.

"Max, no," Liz cried.

"I told her I'd stay until her parents… "

"All visitors must leave the hospital now," the doctor interrupted. "We're overcrowded, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on its way to investigate.

They've ordered us to send everyone home unless they're ill."

"The CDC?" Liz whispered.

"Is this a contagious disease?" Max demanded.

"We don't know anything," the doctor said. "But as a precaution, we'd like to separate those showing symptoms from those who are healthy. If it's a contagion, we don't know how it's spreading."

"Everyone is sick with something different. How can it be one disease?" Max went on, raising his voice. "Why is the CDC coming?"

Liz pulled her hand away from Max's so she could cover her ears. Immediately he turned to her. "Sorry," he said, lowering his voice.

"Max, go," Liz whispered. "If something's happening, you'll be able to figure it out if you find Michael and Isabel. Don't worry about me."

He searched her face. "Are you sure?" he mouthed, glancing at the doctor, whose back was turned.

Liz smiled. "I don't think you have much choice. But as long as you're out there trying to solve this, I'll feel better."

"Okay." Max didn't sound too confident. "I love you, Liz."

Then he turned and followed the doctor down the hallway.

Maria bounced her leg nervously. She didn't know what to worry about most. Her mother, who was still wheezing air through an oxygen mask? Her little sister… sister!… whom she'd left at her house with Michael? Her father, who was even more of a jerk than she'd ever thought? Or the entire

city of Roswell, which seemed to be in the grip of a bizarre autoimmune failure?

"Max!" Isabel cried. "Over here!"

Maria spotted Max weaving his way through the crowded room. When he saw them, his worried expression turned to one of confusion. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked. "Who else is sick?" He glanced at Maria's mother.

"She has asthma," Maria informed him.

"And Kyle's inside somewhere," Valenti added. "He sort of passed out."

"And Jesse," Isabel added. "The new lawyer from Dad's firm."

"Where's Liz?" Maria asked.

"They have her in a room. She was one of the first ones here," Max said. "But they haven't figured out what's wrong with her. They've barely even tried to." He glanced around. "Have you seen her parents?"

"No," Maria said. "But it's been getting more and more crowded. They might have a hard time finding parking and getting in."

"Then they're not going to get in," Max said grimly. "They just kicked me out of Liz's room. They want visitors to leave. Something strange is going on here."

"Where's Michael?" Isabel asked.

Maria shot a glance at her mother. She hadn't told her who Sadie was… when they'd gotten to the DeLuca house, Amy was too sick to care why Maria had some kid tagging along with her. "He's… uh… babysitting," she replied.

Isabel raised her eyebrows. But Maria was spared any more explanation, because at that moment about twenty

people in big, puffy decontamination suits burst into the waiting room.

If this were a movie, Maria thought, everyone would be screaming and running around in terror. But in reality, all the people in the waiting room were so frazzled already that they just stared numbly at the people in the suits.

One of the suits made his way over to the reception desk and picked up a microphone. His voice came over the PA system. "We need everyone who is not sick to please file slowly outside," he said.

Nobody moved.

"That is, if you're here because you are ill in some way, you can stay," the suit said. "Everyone else has to leave now."

Maria and Isabel exchanged nervous glances. "I'm not leaving until someone tells me what's wrong with my son!" Valenti called.

"Me either!" yelled someone else. The protest caught on, and the room filled with angry voices.

"I'm afraid you have no choice," the suit answered. "We're from the Centers for Disease Control, and we've been ordered to set up a quarantine here."

"Here we go again," Maria muttered.

"What about my son?" Valenti yelled.

"Those actually ill will be transferred," the suit replied. "The hospital will be kept running as usual for accident injuries, pregnancies, and ongoing medical care."

Now Valenti jumped to his feet. Maria grabbed Amy's hand and held on tight.

"Transferred where?" Max demanded. "Why?"

"We're taking those who are ill over to the new Meta-chem

building," the suit explained. "Their labs are more up-to-date than the hospital labs, and they've graciously offered us the use of their facilities to quarantine and care for the sick."

This news practically caused a riot in the waiting room. The people in suits, the regular doctors and nurses, and the patients and their families were all yelling at and pushing one another. Maria was so busy trying to figure out who was in charge that she didn't even notice the cops until Isabel grabbed her arm.

"I think we should do what they say," Isabel said grimly. "Look outside the doors."

Maria looked through the glass windows in the doors. Outside were a bunch of cops in riot gear. "Where did they come from?" she asked.

"They're not local," Valenti commented, stepping up behind them. " Roswell doesn't even have that many cops. My guess is they're private security. Maybe the CDC brings their own goons with them."

Around the room people were quieting down. It seemed everyone had realized that the CDC was calling the shots here. Maria turned to check on her mother, but Amy was gone. "Mom? Mom!" she yelled. She thought she could see Amy heading off down the hallway with a nurse. "Mom!" Maria realized she was being herded toward the door with the rest of the crowd.

"What about my son?" Valenti was yelling. "Who do I call to get updates?"

"Mom!" Maria cried. She felt tears running down her cheeks. Where were they taking her mother? How could they just pull her away like that?

She felt an arm around her shoulders and looked up into Max's eyes. "Come on, Maria," he said. "We have to go."

"My mom," she said.

"We'll figure it out," he told her. "We always do."

Before she could protest, they were outside on the sidewalk in front of the door. Maria's group was one of the last to leave. She and Max turned around as they got outside.

The doors closed in their faces.