Ken McClure - Resurrection

‘Good, I don’t want anyone reassuring her, not you, not the nurses, not anyone. I want her to dwell on things. I want her to think about it and worry.’

‘Understood.’

Two black Bedford vans were leaving the hospital grounds when Dewar arrived a couple of hours later. He suspected they would be taking bodies of smallpox victims to the crematorium and mentioned this to George Finlay who confirmed it.

‘We’ve lost seven patients today,’ said Finlay. ‘I’m expecting twice that number tomorrow but thankfully we’ve not been having the trouble I anticipated over disposal of the bodies. I think people are just too frightened to make a fuss. You said you thought the source was still out there?’

‘I’m afraid so. All along I thought the virus had escaped from one of the university labs; I even thought I knew which one, but it turns out it didn’t. I need Denise Banyon to tell me where her man, Kelly stole what he thought were drug capsules when in fact, they were freeze-dried cultures of smallpox virus.’

‘My God.’

Dewar told Finlay about Kelly and Hannan injecting reconstituted virus, believing it to be heroin. Finlay screwed up his face in horror. ‘What a thought.’

‘Denise is probably our last chance of finding out where they got them in the first place,’ said Dewar.

‘Good luck and God help us all,’ murmured Finlay.

‘I think He could do with some help from a vaccine right now,’ said Dewar. ‘Any word of it?’

‘Nothing yet.’

A nurse came into the room and said, ‘Sorry to interrupt Doctors but Dr Dewar is wanted on the telephone.’

Dewar followed the girl to the unit’s main duty room and picked up the phone.

‘Malcolm Ross here, public health laboratory service, Dr Martin said you wanted to speak to me urgently. I was in charge of the squad who did the decontamination on Kelly’s flat. Is there a problem?’

‘No problem,’ said Dewar. ‘But I wanted to know if you came across a number of glass vials in the flat, small, round capsules about four centimetres long and half a centimetre in diameter; they contained a crystalline white powder?’

‘No, we didn’t,’ replied Ross without hesitation.

‘You’re quite sure?’

‘Absolutely certain. What is this?’

Dewar could understand Ross becoming defensive. He was bound to think he was being questioned about drugs that had gone astray. He didn’t want to tell him what was really in the vials so he simply said, ‘Thanks, that’s all I wanted to know.’

‘Bad news?’ asked Finlay who had followed him along to the duty room and had heard the one word expletive Dewar had used when he’d put down the phone.’

‘Not good,’ said Dewar. ‘It makes Miss Banyon’s contribution more important than ever.’

‘Anything you need?’

‘Protective clothing including visor, an injection site swab, some pyrogen-free, sterile saline and a ten ml. syringe,’ replied Dewar.

A second nurse came into the room and Finlay said to Dewar, ‘Staff nurse Flynn has just been in to see Denise. ‘How is she?’

‘Feeling sorry for herself. She’s convinced people are keeping something from her. Says there’s a conspiracy and we’re all the same. Stuck-up shitheads, to use her exact words.’

‘So, no change there,’ said Dewar. ‘Good. Couldn’t be better.’ He went along to the changing room and donned full protective gear before proceeding to Denise Banyon’s room. Outside the door he stopped and listened. The television was on as usual but it wasn’t too loud. Dewar had hoped her headache might persuade her to turn the volume down. For once, things were going his way. He started to have a loud, false conversation outside Denise’s door.

‘No, I’m sorry nurse,’ he said firmly. ‘There simply isn’t enough American vaccine to go round. Some patients will just have to take their chance with the disease. I’m sorry, I know how you and your colleagues must feel. I know it’s rough but that’s what difficult choices are all about.’

Dewar waited a few seconds then entered Denise Banyon’s room.

Denise’s eyes opened wide when she saw the protective gear Dewar was wearing. He had the visor down.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ she exclaimed, holding her sore arm and shrinking back into the chair she was sitting in.

‘I’ve just come to see how you are, Denise,’ said Dewar. ‘Any problems with headaches? Stiff limbs?’

‘I’ve got it, haven’t I? I’ve got this bloody disease. That’s why they wouldn’t tell me anything. Bastards!’

‘Tell me about the headache. Is it bad? Is your neck stiff and sore?’

‘Yes,’ bleated Denise. ‘Oh Christ I’ve got it. I’m going to die!’

‘If I can just take your pulse,’ continued Dewar without contradicting her.’

‘Wait a minute, I know you. You’re the bugger who came before.’

‘I told you at the time I was a doctor, not a policeman,’ said Dewar evenly. ‘But if you’re declining medical help I’ll go now and leave you alone. You have the right.’ He made to back away.

‘No, wait. I don’t want to die. I want this American vaccine stuff. I need it. I’ve got the disease!’

‘The American vaccine? No, I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Denise, but if you take it easy and do what the doctors and the nurses tell you I’m sure you’ll have more than a fighting chance.’

‘A figh … I don’t want a fucking fighting chance, I want the vaccine. Why won’t you give me the vaccine, you bastard. It’s because you think I’m rubbish, isn’t it. Fucking is.’

‘Don’t be silly Denise. There just isn’t enough vaccine to go round. Some of us have to make difficult decisions, hard choices. It isn’t easy you know. But you’re young and fit.’

‘You sound like that Tory bastard Blair. Difficult decisions my arse. I want the vaccine!’

‘Don’t be silly Denise. Behaving like that isn’t going to get you anywhere. I suggest you get into bed and take it easy. Stop upsetting yourself. You’re going to need all your strength to fight the disease.

Dewar saw fear replace the raw aggression he was used to seeing in Denise Banyon’s eyes. He was well pleased.

‘Wait! Wait!’ said Denise as she though Dewar was about to leave. ‘You wanted to know things?’

‘What things?’

‘You know, about the drugs Mike stole. Where he got them. You remember. You asked me often enough.’

‘Oh yes,’ said Dewar vaguely. ‘What about them?’

A look of cunning came back to Denise’s eyes despite Dewar pretending to be off-hand. ‘First the vaccine.’ she said.

‘No deal,’ said Dewar, making to turn away but his eyes were wide and his pulse was racing. He mustn’t blow this. On the other hand he couldn’t trust Denise to keep her part of any bargain.

‘All right!’ said Denise, putting both her hands to her cheeks. ‘I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Just say that you’ll give me some of the American vaccine.’

‘I can’t make deals like that,’ said Dewar. ‘It wouldn’t be fair but I will give your case … further consideration.’

Denise’s face lit up. That was as good as you got from these bastards. They’d never made a bargain with you. They always had to dress it up as something else. ‘What did you want to know?’

Dewar took off his visor and turned off the television. He sat down facing Denise. ‘Tell me about the man who asked Michael help him recover the drugs he later stole from him.’

‘Some guy approached Mike at the building site where he was working and asked if he’d do a wee job for him.’

‘Why Mike? Did he know him?’

‘Mike was driving the bloody digger,’ said Denise. She said it as if Dewar was some kind of idiot.