It Was 2020

If we were in Kay’s shoes, we would likely have freaked out after the first leaf incident occurred. If the first time didn’t shake us to our core, then seeing them flitting around town most certainly would. This is what Kay had to deal with. Knowing that the leaves played some role in something that was going on, but having no clue as to what this entailed was the problem. Kay was a doctor, and a damn good one at that. The leaves aren’t what scared her...it was the suits behind the leaves that utterly terrified her to the core. Kay knew that Theoth-E.R.S. had something to do with it. She didn’t know if the leaves were some form of biological warfare, if the organization was part of a foreign undercover operation bent on destroying the United States, or if they were conducting experiments on random citizens for some other reason. All she knew is that staying away from the leaves, and keeping her patients and those she loved away, was her main priority. Finding out what the hell was going on came second.

Kay called all of her family members in Louisiana the Friday after her vacation to make sure they were doing ok and feeling well. She couldn’t tell them about the leaves, or even ask their thoughts on how the old man died. She passed the time with idle chit-chat and hoped she sounded normal. Answering the seemingly simple question of ‘What’s wrong?’ was nonviable from her point of view.

All week long Kay had been seeing glowing blue leaves floating around office buildings, restaurants, adults, children, and up and down the streets of Madison. Sometimes they would find their way into vehicles or creep into a home through an open doorway. Kay refused to wait and see if these leaves landed on people. She was in no hurry to witness another assisted suicide/homicide.

All of her windows and doors stayed shut. When a patient came to her office, they were screened at the first door while Kay stayed behind a plexiglass partition. If nothing odd was noticed (no leaf visible) and they didn’t seem sick (no fever, visible signs of illness, or more than the usual agitation) then she let them keep their appointment. She knew these were your average signs of sickness, and the suicide she witnessed had none of these signs as far as she could tell, but she had to do something. She told her patients she was being proactive and trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Kay soon realized she was doing the same thing that everyone else was doing: taking precautions against an unknown threat that could kill people. Kay was trying to protect herself from something only she could see while everyone else was trying to keep the rest of the world from dying of a new sickness called COVID-19.

Though it was still early on, Kay had heard about COVID-19 from her patients and the local newspapers. A virus of unknown origins had manifested somewhere in Asia and people were dying. Apparently the President of the United States didn’t shut down international travel when he first heard about it in December and the virus had made its way to America. While Kay had her own reasons for taking temperatures, having plexiglass partitions, and making sure her patients and visitors didn’t appear sick, she knew the threat of COVID-19 would help make everyone more compliant to her requests.

When she spoke with her family, this allowed her concerns to sound more believable. Since most of her family were of the Republican persuasion, they assumed COVID-19 was man made and the government was trying to scare the nation into complying with all kinds of ridiculous rules and regulations. They thought Kay had been corrupted by the northerners and said she was taking the freedom from her patients by making them follow certain protocols before being allowed in her office. In order to quickly change the topic, Kay started talking about fishing and hunting. These people lived in Sportsman's Paradise and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to regale her with a story about their latest catch or kill. Her mother told her to check her mail every few days because they were sending her some deer jerky and gator balls.

Between talking with her family members, dealing with patients, and trying to keep herself safe, Kay decided it was time to attempt a stroll through her neighborhood. She deserved fresh air and freedom; leaves be damned! It’s not like she could do anything about them and they didn’t seem very interested in her.

So she grabbed her jacket, gloves, and purse and as she was locking her door she noticed her neighbor going into his apartment. His name was Jon, he was single, and he traveled a lot. Now that Kay thought about it, he had returned from somewhere in China the week after she moved to Madison. He was a very friendly man and he made it a point to visit her the first week she moved in. He was also very talkative and very proud of his traveling exploits.

She raised her hand to get his attention. It was then that she noticed the deathlike pallor of his face, his gaunt appearance, and the shadows under his eyes.

She retreated backwards and attempted to make casual conversation.

“Hey Jon. How are you doing buddy? You look a little under the weather. I hope everything is ok.”

Jon looks at her with, what can only be described as the face of a caged animal that knows it’s going to die and says,

“I’ve had better days. I’m not gonna lie. I’ve been feeling like crap ever since I got back from China. Doc says he’s never seen anything like it. I’ve got a fever, aches, cough, and it hurts to breathe. I think it’s like the bird flu or something, but I’m no doctor.”

Kay starts putting two and two together and realizes that Jon may just have that new virus. Of course the doctors around here wouldn’t know anything about it yet. Good God! This would be the first case in Wisconsin that she has heard of...and she knows the person!

“Jon, I think you need to go to the Emergency Room, like, now. Tell them about your travels and where you’ve been recently. I think that’ll help them come up with a way to help you.”

Jon looks at her with fear and trepidation. He knows what she is thinking. He’s thought the same thing in the weeks since he’s been sick.

“I know what you’re thinking Kay, and it’s crossed my mind a fair few times too. What if I do have that China virus? It’s basically a death sentence for me at my age. If I’m going to die, I want it to be in my house and in my bed!”

“Look, Jon, you’re only 60 years old. If you don’t go to the ER, I’ll call the Bureau of Communicable Diseases. They’re right up the road and they’ll send someone to get you. I don’t mean to be a jerk, but if you do have this virus, you need to get checked out and let them help you get better. Please.”

The look of fear slowly leaves Jon’s eyes and his body relaxes as he lets out a long sigh.

“Ok. Alright. You’re right. I’ll go. If I’m not home by Sunday night, let yourself in and water my plants, ok?”

Kay breathes a sigh of relief and says, “Sure thing Jon. I’ll see you soon.”

As Jon walks back to his truck and heads to the Emergency Room, Kay decides she’s had enough fresh air for the day and goes back to her apartment to watch television. Netflix and popcorn is better than fresh air anyways.