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Chapter Fifteen

Joseph woke with a start and felt a sense of vertigo and he gripped the bed he was in. The last thing he could remember was that he was in his car driving and a black vehicle was coming towards him. He remembered that they collided but nothing after that then he woke up here. He tried to move but a quick shot of pain reminded him he should not.

It took a second then his eyes came into focus and he was laying in bed with IVs in his arms. The room was empty and plain and the white walls looked grey in the dim light. There was a vase of flowers sitting on a table next to him and a card that said it was from the officers at the station he worked at. A box of chocolates were next to the vase and trying to force his arms to move through the pain he grabbed the box and saw they were from George. In one corner there were a couple of balloons that said get well soon.

He found a call button next to him and pressed it to summon a nurse. She was a pretty thing probably no more than fresh out of college about five foot tall. Her long brown hair was tied in the back to make a ponytail. She looked old enough to be his daughter.

"Oh good you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore... what happened?"

"You were in a car accident and have been in a coma for four days." She said.

"Four days! That long? Where's my stuff I gotta call work." he said and tried getting out of bed but the nurse firmly held him down. She was stronger than she appeared.

"Relax sir, everything has been taken care of. Your boss was here and brought you gifts from your coworkers." Joseph relaxed a little and laid back down while the nurse was checking on him and seeing what the monitors were showing.

"When am I going to see the doctor?"

"Probably this afternoon, he'll want to check you out before he can discuss releasing you. You only sustained a few bumps and bruises but the doctor will want to make sure."

"Can I at least get my phone?" Joseph asked.

"One moment please." She said as she finished recording his vitals on a chart then she went to a closet and took out his phone from his belongings then handed it to him.

"Be brief." she cautioned as she left the room. Joseph called George to get an update on how things were going during his absence.

"Glad to hear you're up and about because we really missed you. So has Marms and I think he hates me for some reason."

"He loves you but he loves playing hard to get. I think it's a game for him."

"Anyway there's a lot you missed. The mayor declared a state of emergency because the number of attacks has risen dramatically. The "parasites" have spread to other cities as well. The National Guard and the CDC were called in and they are conducting a quarantine and now are rounding up infected persons. That doctor friend of yours tried to convince them it was a parasite but he has had no luck getting any volunteers to medical screenings of it. People are believing the media that it is a new strain of Mad Cow Disease. They claim some unknown medical professionals have confirmed it to be MCD." George said.

"Wait, Dr. Rick knows what the parasite is?" Joseph asked nonplussed.

"So he says, but he has no proof. Technically the case is now out of our hands but you have other things to worry about. You're on leave until your doctor clears you to return to work."

"I see him this afternoon so hopefully good news." Joseph said.

"Until then rest easy because we have everything covered."

"Is that crazy fortune teller still alive?" Joseph inquired.

"As far as I know, why?"

"Maybe we can convince her to let Dr. Rick examine her so he can get the evidence he needs." Joseph said.

"If she was not scooped up by the CDC then why not." George replied. Joseph concluded his call with George and called Doctor Ami leaving him a message to call him back.

Joseph laid back in bed and wanted to kick himself because he could not remember the number of the fortune teller. He had hoped to get in touch with her and maybe he could get her to agree to a physical if he could push past her crazy. She may require another tarot reading but he was willing to suffer through it if he could get her to let Dr. Ami check her out.

"Are you looking for answers?" The voice of a woman with long brown hair said as he turned on the television. Three women stood shoulder to shoulder in the commercial and behind them was a black background with purple stars that were animated. They seemed to be turning and spinning and moving all over the place as the works Psychic Readings hovered above their heads. He immediately recognized two of them as being the fortune teller he was looking for and the other woman was at the shop telling him some nonsense about ghosts and spirits.

He did not believe in this supernatural mambo jumbo but for a brief second it felt like fate that the commercial was playing just as he turned the television on.

"We can consult the tarot for your future," Rachael said.

"The stars hold many mysteries for us to explore," the brown haired woman replied. She stood in the middle between the other two with Rachael to her left and Martha to her right. Joseph copied down the telephone number and the address listed and laughed to himself as he saw the name of the place was The Incense Box.

"Hello this is the Incense Box, how may I bless your future?" The voice sounded like the medium he had spoken to when he first went there. He could not recall her name even though he could kinda remember her telling him it... or did she?

"Hello this is Detective Namer, I'm looking for the young lady that reads tarot cards." he said

"Detective, I am so glad you called. I've been thinking about you and it seems the universe has answered my wish." Martha replied.

"Ma'am?"

"Rachael has been missing for over a week and no matter how many times I call, she will not answer. I've been afraid she passed to the other side yet if she did her spirit has not come to me."

"Over a week you said?" Joseph asked but fear now gripped his stomach as he realized he may be too late.

"Yes dear." she replied.

"Could she have been placed under quarantine because she did mention her dog bite her. She may be getting checked out to be sure she doesn't have... Mad Cow Disease." he said and had to force himself to say that name rather than call it the parasites they were. He was picturing her in her house with her head exploding as they had run their course. He hated to be so morbid but that seemed to be the end result.

"No she stopped coming to work long before the quarantine started. I'm just afraid of what might have happened." Martha said and he could hear the panic in her voice. She reminded him of a grandmother worried about her grandchild and he was sure that Rachael would object to being called a child. He also knew some women see younger people as being kids no matter what their true age is. She probably thought of him as being like a grandson too!

"I'll drop by and see if I can find her and if you hear from her give her my cell number because I need to get a hold of her too." Joseph said and read off his cell phone numbers to her and she repeated them to make sure she heard correctly.

Joseph finished his call with her then dialed Dr. Ami and tried to ignore the looks the nurses gave as they walked by and glanced inside.

"Hello, Doctor Rick Ami speaking."

"Hello Doctor, it's your old friend Detective Namer."

"Oh, I have been anxiously awaiting your call. How are you? Are you still in the hospital?"

"Long story yes but I hear you solved the case?" Joseph said.

"I spoke to a friend and we both think the parasite is a trypanosoma. This is a parasite that can affect people and animals and controls the mind causing some unusual behavior in the host. There are two main types: an American one and a African one." Dr. Ami said excitedly and he was talking so fast that Joseph had to take a minute to understand what he was saying.

"Amazing and they cause headaches and make people bite other people?" Joseph asked.

"They are spread by bug bites not sure about the headaches but if they cause unusual behavior then biting others could be included."

"Could be or is? If we are to challenge the city council then we need some concrete answers and not guess work." Joseph said skeptically.

"Well what else could cause it?"

"I dunno but as the parasite expert it is your job to know and hopefully provide answers. Have you explored any other possibilities in case you are wrong about those triposonna things?" Joseph replied.

"I fear... in my haste that I have not done diligently in this matter. When I heard the symptoms the trypanosoma cause, I jumped to conclusions."

"I don't mean to give you a hard time doctor but right now the city is gripped in fear that Mad Cow Disease is infecting everyone. People are scared and unsure of whom to trust. Not to mention the media is stirring up the panic by their constant news broadcasts. I need something more than I think it is this. We are gonna need evidence and you are the only one to help me get it." Joseph said.

"Yes, you are right of course. Forgive my haste. I now understand why you are the detective and that I am the scientist. I need to apply more logic and evidence in finding out more about these parasites." Dr. Ami stated. Joseph felt a pang of guilt at being rather abrupt with the good doctor but time was running out and they needed results fast.

"Can you get access to the patients the CDC has?"

"I have tried but my access is restricted somewhat. Because they feel they have the cause they will not allow any unnecessary testing,"

"Like checking for parasites?" Joseph interrupted.

"Exactly. I was able to get a couple of the bodies after the patients had expired. I could find no trace of the parasites, just elevated white blood cell levels. This normally means the body is fighting off an invading foreign substance. Usually these turn out to be viruses but they can also be the body trying to fight off parasites." Dr. Ami said.

"Makes sense, after all I remember you telling me that some parasites are viruses so it makes sense." Joseph replied.

"So the parasites burst through the skull, presumably when the host is no longer viable. Then the parasites disappear... maybe to find a new host."

"People have reported headaches could the parasites be the cause?" Joseph asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact the trypanosoma causes headaches in the people they infect. They eat the brain tissue and the heachaches are a result as well as the strange behavior." Dr. Ami replied.

"The ones infected were infected when they were bitten correct? Any cases where the person has not been bitten?"

"Not that I know of, they all complained of animal bites and human bites." Dr. Ami said as he read over his notes.

"So it was transmitted by the bite? Maybe in the saliva?"

"I supposed but we are never gonna get anywhere just rehashing the same thing over and over again." Dr. Ami said, his voice sounding depressed.

"We might get some new clarity." Joseph replied.

"Unless we can get a sample of the parasites, or test someone that is infected, I am afraid we have hit a stalemate."

"Do you remember that fortune teller I brought you to see? I heard she went missing before the CDC quarantined everyone. If you can get to her place and check on her to make sure she is alive then maybe we will have someone that can verify the parasite infestation." Joseph said.

"And if she is expired?"

"Then we are no different than we are now but it is the best we can do at the moment. Unless, of course, you want to go visit the quarantine patients and have one bite you." Joseph mocked.

"How can I get a hold of you?"

"This is my cell, just call it. I'm still in the hospital but hopefully by this afternoon I will be discharged." Joseph said and he heard his phone beeping at him warning of a low battery. He ended the call and awaited the doctor's visit to check on him.

Joseph staggered into his apartment and could barely walk with Marms rubbing himself against his legs. He was afraid to step on him and then be sent tumbling while Marms was just overjoyed to see his hooman that he allows to live with him.

The doctor sent him for some more tests to make sure he was alright and no permanent damage was done. The MRI showed everything was fine. A few bumps and bruises and a mild concussion but nothing too serious to worry about. He was given something for the pain and told to return if any new symptoms occur within the next 7 to 10 days. This also meant being out of work for that long.

Joseph refused to sit around that long because while he recovered the epidemic of the parasites could cause irreparable damage. He would take it easy but he was not going to sit it out no matter what the doctors, or the CDC, or even what George said. He was not going to let the truth get buried because the higher ups wanted to suppress the truth.

He had been given 800 mg tablets of Ibuprofen to help with the pain after he refused something stronger. He was afraid he might become addicted to the pain pills so when the doctor offered he rejected it. The last thing he needed was to be a police officer in rehab because the pills to help him recover made him into a junkie. He knew of some fellow officers that had lost their jobs because of that.

He made his way to his chair and sat then jumped as Marms jumped on his lap and curled into a little furry ginger ball and began to purr as he was falling asleep. Joseph gently began to pet him absentmindedly as his thoughts wondered. He reached over with his free hand and picked up the television remote to see what was on. He stopped petting Marms a couple of times as he focussed on the television but Marms would stretch and poke him with his little paw to remind him that his job was to pet him. He would then begin to pet the little kitty again until his focus again wondered.

His fear was that the fortune teller Rachael was dead and with her gone he needed to find another person that was infected that might be willing to be part of an examination. He wondered if the promised a possible cure instead of living their life with Mad Cow Disease would entice someone to undergo the testing.

He found his patients being tested as ads for lawyers offering to sue the person if you were bit by them. This seemed foolish to Joseph because the person usually died after biting someone so how could they be sued if they were dead?! It irked him the greed of people trying to capitalize on the misfortune of others.

Rachael's mind was in the fog again and she just aimlessly walked. Her feet hurt but she did not care, she did not care about anything except finding Joseph. She felt an irresistible desire to be with him. She would walk the streets until she could find him.

Although her vision made everything look cloudy, just as her mind was, she was able to use her sense of smell kind of like a form of radar. She was trying to lock in on Joseph's scent and as she walked she occasionally found others like her wandering around. She could get a distinct aroma from them when she got close and the smell somehow made her want to stay away from them.

She finally got the scent of who she called Joseph and began to follow the trail. She figured it would lead her to him but why she wanted to find him she was not sure. It just gave her a reason to be moving again.

Her ambition was draining from her and she felt like a puppet being dragged along as someone was pulling her strings but she did not care in the least. It was fine and she just let the one in control do what they wanted. She just no longer cared about anything...