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“Can’t you call more workers in?”
“Screening is being done. We’re not allowing anyone with children at home to work with these patients due to the uncertainties about transmission. Finger crossed, by morning we should have a decent pool from the surrounding parishes. But at the moment, we’re fairly shorthanded.”
“That’s probably the right call, though,” I said. “The part about workers with children.”
A moan from the next cot over interrupted the doctor’s reply. “Huunnngry.”
It was Patricia, her eyes fixed on me and slightly less milky white than before.
“That’s the first time
any of them have spoken,” Dr. Bauer said, frowning.
“One of them did at the hospital a little while ago.” I went on to tell her about August Lejeune and his gunshot wound.
Patricia let out a keening wail. “Huunnngry!” She shuddered. “Braaaains.”
Dr. Bauer gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh dear god. It’s true.”
Not the reaction I expected. “What do you mean? What’s true?”
Dr. Bauer dropped her hand to her stomach. “A paramedic told me about a woman he took to the emergency room an hour or so ago.”
“One of these LZ-1 cases?”
“No, but connected. The patient—I’ll call her Miss L—told the authorities her uncle had been bitten last night by a neighbor—number twenty-one over there—but the incident hadn’t been reported because her aunt wanted to treat the uncle at home.” Dr. Bauer let out a sigh. “No insurance and didn’t want to lose everything to medical debt.”
I winced. “All too common.”
“Indeed. This morning Miss L woke up to her aunt’s screams from downstairs. She went down with a gun and found her aunt with her head bashed in and her uncle . . .”
“Eating her brain?” I gently prompted.
“That’s what Miss L said when the police questioned her. The uncle came at her, and though Miss L shot him multiple times, it didn’t slow him down. He clawed her up, but she managed to shoot him in the head and run for help.”
Great. The monsters were getting more monstrous. “Let me guess. No one believes her story,” I said sourly. “Or if they do, they won’t admit it.”
“Of course not. That would be crazy.” Dr. Bauer’s gaze rested on Patricia. “But I’ll be quite interested to see what shows up in the uncle’s stomach contents during the autopsy.”
“The Coroner’s Office pathologist is Dr. Leblanc. I’m sure he’d be glad to share his findings with you.” I had no need to find out what was in the uncle’s stomach. I already knew.
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Braaaains,” Patricia rasped.
A moan of huunnngry came from a patient in the next row, echoed by one of the Rucker twins. Patricia repeated, “Braaaains.”
Kristi approached, gazing thoughtfully down at Patricia. “Interesting. We’ll see how they do with the ProSwoleGel.”
Dr. Bauer looked around at the harried workers. “I’m sorry I don’t have anyone to assist you.”
“Angel has that covered,” Kristi said. “We won’t disturb your—”
An IV stand on the third row crashed to the floor.
“Arm’s loose!” a nurse hollered.
“Excuse me,” Dr. Bauer said and rushed over.
