Pandemic

7

MONDAY, 7:31 P.M.

Jack always enjoyed a sense of anticipation prior to getting into a neighborly game of b-ball, but tonight it was particularly satisfying. After the interactions with Emma, with Dorothy, and finally with Laurie, he needed to clear his mind, and in his estimation, there was no better way than a good run. People who didn’t play the sport had no idea. Jack was convinced that in the hour and a half that he generally played, every muscle he had, and a few he didn’t know he had, got called upon. And then there was the unique sense of satisfaction after making a basket. Jack always knew if his shot was going in the moment the ball left his hand. And when it did go in, there was a kind of thrill that was almost erotic. At one point in the past, soon after he and Laurie had started seeing each other on a personal level, Jack had tried to explain it all to her, but he’d quickly given up. It had been obvious that she didn’t believe him and thought he was romanticizing the experience.

Emerging onto his stoop, Jack looked over at the playground. As late as it was, he was concerned about how long it might take him to get into the game. It was a complicated system. The games were to eleven, with each basket counting one point. The winning team stayed on the court, and the next challenging team was selected by the individual who had established the right to play next. As a decent player, Jack was frequently chosen, particularly by Warren Wilson, who was the best player.

It was at that moment that Jack’s mobile phone rang. Since he had again forgotten to take the ringtone off Alarm, the fire truck noise made him jump until he realized what it was. He pulled the phone out to look at the screen. He was afraid it was going to be Laurie, continuing her lecture. But it wasn’t Laurie. To Jack’s relief, it was the virologist, Dr. Aretha Jefferson. Jack quickly answered.

“Hello, Dr. Stapleton,” Aretha said cheerfully. “I hope I’m not catching you at a bad moment, but I wanted to check and see if you were going to be playing ball tonight.”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Jack said. “You caught me on my way over to the playground.”

“Wonderful,” Aretha said. “What do you think of my coming by this evening?”

Jack went up on his tiptoes and scanned the crowd over at the court. “It looks like a rather popular night, so it might take some time to get in a game. I’m sure you know the usual street rules.”

“I do indeed,” Aretha assured him. “I’m willing to be patient.”

“Then come on over,” Jack said. “I’ll introduce you around. I’m sure when they hear you played college ball at UConn you’ll get in a game at some point.”

“Thank you,” Aretha said. “See you in ten minutes or so. I’m already in my kicks.”

Sensing that the woman was about to hang up, Jack added, “What’s the scoop with the viral samples?” He was surprised she’d not mentioned the test results.

“Let’s just say it’s interesting,” Aretha said. “I’ll explain it more when I see you.” She disconnected.

As Jack crossed the street he pondered Aretha’s word choice. Interesting was hardly the description he’d expected. What he gathered was that she wasn’t finished, even though some four hours had passed. That in itself was unusual, or so he thought. The problem was that he wasn’t as conversant with rapid tests for viruses as he should have been. With the accelerated advance of molecular biology, the laboratory testing capabilities were in a constant state of change.

It was definitely crowded when Jack arrived courtside. But he was in luck. Warren Wilson had gotten out earlier than usual and had secured “winners” for the very next game. And hoping Jack might appear, he had left one of his slots open. Jack was more than happy to accept, especially since the other players on the pickup team included Flash, David, and last, Spit, whose sobriquet was based on one of his less endearing habits.

As they waited for the current game to be over, Warren asked how things were going at home, since two days ago Jack had asked if he could sleep on Warren’s couch if things ever got intolerable with the in-law. “So-so,” Jack said, but didn’t elaborate.

Aretha Jefferson showed up before Jack got into the game so that he could introduce her to a number of the regular players, but particularly to Warren and Flash. They were the two most important male personalities in the neighborhood and on the playground. Aretha’s outfit and ability to talk the talk suggested she was an accomplished player, and she was well received, including by the three relatively new female players who consistently showed up. With the males it was a help that Aretha had a killer body, the female equivalent to Warren’s, whose physique put all the other men to shame. Jack was confident she’d get into a game. From then on, her general acceptance for future participation would be up to her skill level.

As the current game neared completion and Jack prepared to get out on the court, Aretha pulled him aside. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t call you this afternoon as I promised. I wanted to wait until I had more information. I ran all the rapid tests for viruses on your samples right away after you dropped them off. All of the tests were negative for virus, and that included all the usual culprits, as well as the new guys on the block like MERS, SARS, and bird flu.”

“I don’t believe it,” Jack said. He let out a breath that sounded like a balloon deflating. Once again, the subway death was thwarting and surprising him. “Are you sure it wasn’t influenza?”

“I know you suspected it would be,” Aretha said. “So I didn’t call you with the first round of results. Instead, I ran the tests again, which required a bit of overtime. But it was the same outcome. To be specific, it looks like it’s not influenza. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, it’s not influenza,” Jack said reluctantly. “So it’s not a typical viral pathogen. But do you think a virus could still be involved?” The more he’d thought about the possibility of a weird graft-versus-host rejection phenomena, the less probable he considered it. It just didn’t happen with a solid organ like a heart. There weren’t enough immune cells. It had to be an infectious process.

“Of course an unknown virus could be involved. I suppose it is not totally out of the question that it could also be a totally new strain of influenza. The rapid tests are very specific. That’s the reason I inoculated the tissue cultures I mentioned. I’ll be watching them over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. If there is a virus, there will be a cytotoxic reaction. Cells will die. I’ll let you know the moment I see anything suggestive.”

“If it shows a virus is present, how do you figure out which one it is?”

“We have some tricks,” Aretha assured him. “I’ll fill you in if and when we get to that point.”

“Thank you, Aretha,” Jack said. “I really appreciate your personal attention to this.”

“You are most welcome, Dr. Stapleton. And thank you for introducing me around here on the playground. I’m sure I am going to enjoy the experience. And now let’s see what you’ve got. Word is that you aren’t bad for a white boy, so good luck in your upcoming game.” She laughed and fist-bumped with Jack before he trotted out onto the court.