The Moses Legacy

Chapter 24

‘What could it possibly be?’ asked the consultant.

‘It’s nothing I’ve ever seen before,’ the toxicologist replied.

The curator was in an isolation unit at University College Hospital as the experts discussed and debated what he was suffering from. They had ruled out swine flu, bird flu and pretty much any other form of flu. But that didn’t tell them what it was.

They were treating him with a cocktail of antibiotics in case it was bacteriological and antipyretics to bring down the fever. They were awaiting the results of toxicology and blood sample tests and they had asked his colleagues what he had eaten and drunk recently and if any of them had experienced similar symptoms.

So far they had drawn a blank on every one of their speculations. They were further hampered by the fact that he alternated between unconsciousness and delirium, making it impossible to glean any useful information from him.

Right now, he was just emerging from unconsciousness and apparently trying to speak. They couldn’t enter the isolation chamber because that would be a contagion hazard, but there was a microphone by the bed and they were pointing to it and telling him to speak into it. He half sat up and struggled to move his lips close to it.

‘Nehu… Nehu…’

‘What’s he saying?’ asked one of the doctors.

‘It sounds like Nehu.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘I don’t know. Sounds like something in Hindi maybe.’

‘Nehushtan!’ the curator finally blurted out and then slumped back on to the pillow.

The monitoring equipment let out a high-pitched whine, warning that the patient’s vital signs had failed.

‘Nehushtan?’ one of the doctors echoed.

‘It must be a country,’ said another.

‘Why would he mention a country?’ asked the first.

‘Or a province?’ a nurse suggested.

‘You’ve heard of it?’ asked one of the doctors.

‘No, but it could be a province or a region instead of a country. Maybe it’s where he comes from.’

Meanwhile, down the corridor, a member of the hospital ancillary staff had gone to use a phone.

‘Hallo, is that the news desk? I’ve got a story that might be worth a few quid.’