Free Plague Ship by Leonard Goldberg

should,” David said. “Now tell me, when did your symptoms begin?”
    “Late last night,” Berns replied. “We both felt feverish, and chilly. Ralphie’s temperature was higher than mine. A hundred and one, I think.”
    David quickly estimated the incubation period for the virus. Will had been ill for two days at the most. So assuming he was the source of the contagion, the incubation period was in the range of forty-eight hours, which was very short. The usual incubation period for the influenza virus was four days. A virulent virus with a brief incubation period, David thought grimly. It was a perfect combination for a major outbreak. At length David asked, “Do either of you have shortness of breath?”
    “Not really,” Berns said and tried to suppress a wet cough.
    “Are you coughing up any blood?” David inquired.
    “A little,” Berns said. “But not nearly as much as Ralphie.”
    David walked over to the sofa and placed a stethoscope on the chest of Ralph Oliveri, which was the name embroidered on his white robe. The man opened his eyes to peer at David, then closed them without saying a word. Ralph Oliveri’s lungs were filled with crackles and wheezes, and his breath sounds were distant. Bad, David told himself, knowing the worst was yet to come. He studied the man’s face again and now saw a blue tinge to his lips. Another ominous sign.
    The phone in the cabin rang. Berns quickly answered it, then held the receiver out to David. “It’s Dr. Maggio, for you.”
    David put away his stethoscope and reached for the phone. “Yes?”
    “More bad news,” Maggio reported. “Two of the deckhands now have symptoms of the flu. Both are coughing their heads off.”
    “Do they have hemoptysis?” David queried.
    “Not yet,” Maggio said. “But my biggest concern at the moment is the crowded quarters they’re occupying. The beds for the crew are pushed together, almost side by side. They’re going to infect everybody down there, if they haven’t already.”
    “Somehow you’ve got to isolate them,” David urged.
    “That can’t be done. All the cabins are taken.”
    David knitted his brow and concentrated on the problem. Somehow the infected crew had to be separated from the others. But how? There was no good way to do it, so they’d have to settle for a not-so-good way. “Put surgical masks on the sick deckhands, then push their beds into the corner, as far away from the others as possible. Finally, see if you can arrange to have some curtains put up around their beds.”
    “I don’t think that’ll be of much help.”
    “It’ll have to do for now,” David said. “I’ll meet with you in the sick bay shortly so we can make further plans.”
    David hung up the phone and came back to Berns. “The virus you have is beginning to show up in other parts of the ship. It’s obviously very contagious, so here is what I’d like you to do. First, don’t leave the cabin unless you absolutely have to. And don’t allow any visitors in. If you do leave, wear surgical masks that I will have sent down to you. Second, avoid all places where crowds assemble, such as the dining room and movie theater.”
    “What shall we do for food?” Berns asked.
    “We’ll provide room service,” David said and headed for the door.
    “Nasty virus, eh?” Berns called after him.
    “Very.”
    David hurried down the passageway with a worried look on his face. The virus was spreading so rapidly to all parts of the ship. The cases would really begin to pile up now, particularly among those with impaired immune systems. Like the couple he’d just seen. Christ! He wondered how many more HIV-positive people were aboard the Grand Atlantic . They would go first, along with those on chemotherapy, then the elderly and infirm, then those with cardio-pulmonary problems. But there was still one big question in David’s mind. How did Will contract the virus and develop
influenza pneumonia? How? He was a healthy kid, yet he