Page 16 of Ice Princess

Raven blinks, she is so tired, but this is the last step. She can hang the bag for Elizabeth and Maggie and then rest. It will take a few hours to know if it works if their symptoms are clearing and she can use that time to rest. If it works as she hopes it will, she is going to need to be fresh so that she can make the instructions more concise and get them out to other labs to start producing the cure. She had a good feeling that this serum was the one, it was going to work.

“Hey, I have got some bad news.” Blade steps into the lab.

“Did Elizabeth or Maggie?”

“No, I am sorry their condition hasn’t changed. I just got word from the CDC five more cases have popped up. Our worst fear is confirmed they hit other places.”

“Where? Do they have them in isolation?”

“Two in New York City, One in L.A., One in Austin, and one in Washington D.C. All in isolation and backtracking to figure out where they were infected. The one in New York they found the source he was hit while riding the subway.”

Raven felt a cold chill go through her body.

“He had a bag of syringes Raven; they can see it on the camera. Our worst fear has come true.”

“Ok, it’s not airborne it will be harder to spread that way. Fingers crossed we have a cure.”

A machine beeped, and she turned.

“This is ready, let’s get it bagged and into the patients.” He nods and takes one of the bags from her.

They each go into one of the isolation rooms and hang the bag. It would take a few hours to see improvements.

“Ok now we wait.”

*****

“Dr. Ballenger, Dr. Benson come quick.” The nurse crashes into the on-call room and flips on the light.

“Betty what the hell?” Raven says covering her eyes from the bright light.

“Come now, you have to come now.” She rushes out of the room and back down the hall. They get into their PPE and rush down the hall.

There in the isolation room Maggie is sitting up drinking out of a straw.

“It worked, Blade it worked!” Raven pushes open the door and rushes into Maggie gathering her up in her arms.

“How are you feeling?” She grins at her friend even though she can’t see her face she knows it is showing through her eyes.

“Like I have been hit by a train.” Maggie smiles up at her and lays back on the pillows.

Raven pulls back and gives her a once over. “How long, how many bags?”

“Three bags about five hours. We wanted to make sure before we woke you, but it is working.”

The sores had receded, and her eyes were no longer bloodshot. The treatment seemed to be working.

“Let’s give it 24 hours before we sound the horn. I think you are going to be ok.”

“Elizabeth?” Raven looks over at Blade, giving her a thumbs-up through the window.

“It looks like she is going to be ok.”

“I will be back to check on you in a bit.”

Raven runs to her desk and sees she has missed 5 calls from Owens. She pushes the button for the Skype call and his face immediately fills the screen.

“It’s working, Raven! We have had at least six patients show huge strides towards wellness. I think you found it.”

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