Part 28 (1/2)

”We think Daisy has teta.n.u.s.”

”Teta.n.u.s? But surely you can treat that. There're vaccines . . . aren't there?”

Susannah shook her head slowly. ”Up-time, there were vaccines and anti-toxins and we could always get more. I'm sorry, Dell, but we've run out. We've used what we brought back with us on neo-natal cases. We're doing the best we can using plasma taken from some of the last people to get a teta.n.u.s shot up-time, but I don't think it'll make much difference in Daisy's case.”

”What the h.e.l.l do you mean you don't think it'll make much difference in Daisy's case?” Dell yelled.

”Everything is happening too fast, Mr. Beckworth. Even if we had the anti-toxin, I don't think we could do anything for Daisy. Even up-time, when someone wasn't immunized, teta.n.u.s was a very dangerous disease. It's caused by a toxin that kills in extremely low doses. Daisy, from what we can tell, has had more than a lethal amount.” Susannah rested her hands on her desk. ”I'm sorry, Mr. Beckworth, but I think you should prepare yourself for the fact Daisy isn't going to get better.”

”Not get better?” Dell shot to his feet, the chair went flying backwards. ”You mean she's going to die?

She's too young to die. Daisy's only f.u.c.king four years old.”

”I'm sorry Mr. Beckworth, but we've doing everything we can. In Daisy's case, I don't think it's going to be enough.”

”How much time, Doctor?”

”The speed it's been working, a couple of days, if that.”

”s.h.i.+t!” Dell buried his head in his hands. He sniffed, and pulled out a handkerchief, blew his nose and mopped his eyes. ”I better see about getting a message to Lora's husband.”

Susannah remained seated. She grabbed a handkerchief and blotted her eyes. Sometimes she really hated her job.

”Hi, Mary. I've come to takeRegina home. How is she?”

Mary Moran opened the door to let Stu inside. ”She's sleeping just now. But what's happening with Daisy? We were all worried about her at work.”

Stu stared blankly at Mary and shook his head.

”Oh, how's Lora coping?”

Stu sighed. ”Not very well. Look, I'm sorry, but could you just getRegina , please. Mom's home alone with Lora's kids, and she's not very well herself.”

Stu started to worry as he turned to walk up the drive. Lora's house was dark. There should have been lights on. It wasn't that late, and anyway, surely his mother would stay up until she got news of Daisy.

When he arrived at the door he became even more worried. The sound of a child crying could be heard.

It sounded as if Tommy had been crying for a long time. It wasn't like his mother to let a child cry like that. He rushed inside.

The sight before him made him jerk. For a moment, in the first flash of light, he'd mistaken the blanket-covered toys on the floor for a body.

Tommy had never been able to settle without his blanket as long as Stu had known him. He picked up the blanket to give it to the baby, but the odor made Stu back off. It smelled as though Tommy hadn't been changed for a while.

Stu was worried about his mother now. There was no way she would let a baby stay wet. He headed for his mother's room, but she wasn't there, either.

Stu paused. The sleeping weight ofRegina was somehow comforting, but she was starting to feel heavy.

Best to put her to bed before searching for Mom. He headed for the girls' bedroom, then froze. His mother lay curled up on Daisy's bed, some of Daisy's favorite toys gathered in her arms. Beside her, holding her hand, sat Maria Helena.

Maria Helena carefully slipped her hand out of Aggie's and walked over toRegina 's bed. She opened the bed covers and gestured to Stu.

The look of calm acceptance in Maria Helena's eyes almost caused him to throw up. He placedRegina on her bed and left her in Maria Helena's capable hands. Then he moved to check his mother. She looked peaceful, too peaceful. He touched her hand. It felt cold. He felt for a pulse. He couldn't find one.

Finally, he took her spectacles and held them close to her mouth. No sign of water vapor.

Stu swallowed and turned to check on Maria Helena andRegina .Regina appeared to be sound asleep.

Maria Helena met his gaze. Blinking and breaking eye contact he looked around the room before returning to look at Maria Helena. ”Benji?” he asked.

Maria Helena pointed up the hall.

”Will you be all right, Maria Helena?”

She nodded.

Feeling guilty for leaving her in the room with a dead body, Stu walked over to Benji's room. Benji was curled up in bed and Stu had to make sure that Benji was just sleeping. He was.

Quietly Stu slipped out of Benji's room, closing the door behind him. He looked at the bed where Maria Helena sat beside her sister. He couldn't leave the two girls in the same room as a dead body. It just didn't seem right, but first things first. He had to get Tommy cleaned up and properly settled.

Nurnberg, two days later Jeff Matheny looked at the radiogram with dread. The look Tom Johnson, the radio operator, had given him when he pa.s.sed it over promised bad news. The fact that the radiogram was folded and sealed suggested the worst of bad news. With great trepidation he broke the seal. He looked to the bottom first, to see who it was from. ”Dell.”s.h.i.+t, the only Dell he knew was his father-in-law. Why was his father-in-law sending him a radiogram . He moved his eyes to the main text.

DAISY DYING STOP.

TETa.n.u.s STOP.

GET HERE ASAP STOP.

Jeff swallowed. His daughter was sick, and he hadn't known. He looked at the header of the radiogram to see when it had come in.Oh, s.h.i.+t. It's two days old. My daughter may have died without me at her side. And h.e.l.l, Lora. My family needs me . Jeff set off to tell his boss he was heading for Grantville.

After the funeral Stu Beckworth stopped walking to turn and look back at his niece's home where friends and family were still gathered to comfort the family. He spat at the ground. ”The sooner that b.a.s.t.a.r.d goes back to Nurnberg the better.”

Dell nodded his agreement. Lora's husband had arrived in Grantville barely in time for the funeral. There might have been some excuse for that, but there was no excuse for the way he ignored the two girls in favor of his sons. ”Yeah! The sooner the better. For a moment there, I thought you were going to thump him.”

”Believe me, Dell, if you hadn't dragged me away from there I would have done more than thump the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Maria Helena went from excited and animated that her 'father' was coming home to totally lifeless as he walked right past her, and her sister was reduced to tears. I could have killed him there and then.”

”Yeah, well, then it was a good thing I dragged you away. There's been enough death in the family for now.”

Stu shoved his hands in his jacket pocket and started walking again. Dell fell in beside him. They walked another half mile before Dell broke the silence.

”Why the h.e.l.l isn't the government doing something to protect the children, Stu? Okay, so they got that smallpox immunization program up and running, but what about teta.n.u.s?” Dell stared at the setting sun. ”I asked Dr. s.h.i.+pley after Daisy died. She said she hadn't heard anything. You got any idea what it takes to make a vaccine?”