Now, as she stumbled along the street, Pia was overwhelmed by the thought that just when she’d allowed Rothman into her world, he was going to abandon her. Why was he doing this? And why now? It was irrational to think so, but did he do this to spite her? Did he purposely set her up? After all, he’d admitted to being depressed. She was almost paralyzed with anxiety.

At the Infectious Disease Clinic, Pia was shaking when she was handed the Z-Pak prophylactic antibiotic. She sat down in the waiting area and her head started to clear. She was aware that several people had tried to talk to her, but she didn’t hear them.

“Miss Grazdani!” a nurse called out sharply, standing directly in front of Pia. She was on the brink of calling the ER if the young woman continued in her fugue-like state, thinking Pia might have to be admitted.

Not quite awakening, Pia sat up straighter and focused on the nurse’s face.

“I’m here,” Pia voiced. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I said that you can’t go back to the lab. It’s going to be closed until the CDC epidemiologists get here from Atlanta and declare it clean. What you should do, as we have advised the others, is go home, start your antibiotics, and watch your temperature. Is there someone we can call who can meet you there? Miss Grazdani? Are you okay, Miss Grazdani?”

“I’m just fine,” Pia assured her.

Chapter 26.

26.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
NEW YORK CITY
MARCH 23, 2011, 2:37 P.M.

It wasn’t a warm day, but Pia had wanted to sit outside. She had found a bench set in a small rectangle of public cement, what in New York City is called a park, and sat down, hands in her coat pockets, her chin down, hood pulled over her eyes. Her mind played over the scene she had just witnessed several times. There was a surreal quality to it, like it was one of her nightmares. Unfortunately it was real.

After she had gotten herself reasonably calmed down, Pia got up from the bench and started to walk toward the dorm. She got halfway, changed her mind, and turned and headed back to the hospital. There she took the first two of her antibiotic tablets at a water fountain before heading to the internal medicine floor.