The Cure

IT HAD TAKEN SAMMY AND XAVIER close to ten hours to drive to Atlanta, but they didn’t enter the city. They had chosen to meet with June at a restaurant just outside of town so they wouldn’t enter the city limits, which in turn would save them a lot of trouble. It also was one of Xavier’s favorite chicken shacks, so he made sure someone went in and got him an order to go. After parking right beside each other, everyone got out of their cars to greet one another. Xavier gave the women who got out of the other car a big hug and they seemed genuinely happy to see each other. After a few seconds he turned and made a motion to his new friend.

“June,” Xavier started, “I’d like you meet a new friend of mine. This is Sammy.”

“Hi there Sammy, I’m June.” The woman came over and gave her a hug as well. She took a step back and was very blunt with her next question. “How much do you know about what’s going on?”

“Until a few days ago, I had in inoperable brain tumor in my head.” Sammy said with a very nonchalant grin on her face. She was hoping that would let June know that she was aware of the serum and what effect it had.

“Had being the key word here people.” Xavier added with a sly grin on his face. He had the look of a cat that eaten the canary. June seemed to want to say something, but her legs seemed to give out and she almost fell to the ground. Xavier caught her and leaned her up against one of the cars. Once she was able to get her footing back, he turned to face Sammy.

“Can you go in and get that order I was telling you about?” Xavier asked, “I think Dr. Zaun and I need a moment to speak alone.”

“Alright, I can do that.” Sammy said as she took the money from Carter and went into the chicken shack to make the takeout order for him. Once she was gone, June was able to take a few deep breaths and finally say something to Xavier.

“A brain tumor?” June repeated, “How big was it?”

“It was big,” Xavier answered, “They gave her about a year to live.”

“And you used the serum to take care of it?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was really amazing.” Xavier said with a cocky grin on his face, “It was really touch and go for a while, but the MRI confirmed it’s not there anymore.”

“Completely?” June asked as if she could hardly believe it.

“Not a trace,” Xavier confirmed, “As if someone zapped it out with a laser beam.”

“My gaud, Carter.” June said, as she still seemed to be in utter shock. “Is there really anything this serum can’t do?”

“We’re about to find out,” Xavier replied, “This was made to help the immune system combat disease. I’m can’t guarantee if it will work against man-made poisons.”

“I understand,” June said, as she realized what she was asking for.

Carter leaned up against the car beside her.

“Look,” He started, “I’m willing to help as much as I can, but I can’t promise a positive result. This is a whole new territory that I never considered venturing into.”

“I get it,” June replied, “Just the fact you’re here despite the pressure you’re against means a lot to me. Are you sure you want to go with me? I can take the serum to Florida and administer it myself.”

“No. That’s not an option.” Xavier said without hesitation. “I’ve got to be there for every administration just in case there are complications. I’m the only one who has worked with this up close. You’ll need me there if anything goes south.”

“Fair enough,” June said, as she knew better than to debate him. “I have to say I’m more confident now that this might work than I was before I got here. That woman in there is living proof that what you have more going on than just a simple cure.”

“It’s why I do this.” Carter said with a deep sigh. “It’s why I keep struggling to continue my research.”

There must have been no line inside the shack because Sammy came out with Xavier’s order in her hands. Carter could smell the deep-fried chicken and was eager to dig in the minute they hit the road for their next destination. She handed the greasy box over to her partner with a weird look on her face.

“That looks a little too deep-fried for my liking, Sir.” Sammy said, passing it over.

“Thanks for putting up with it for me,” Xavier said, taking a deep sniff off the contents inside the bag. “Thanks for getting this me this far Sammy. When this is all over, I will take a bus back to the city. From there we’ll keep working on our current project when I return.”

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?” Sammy asked, eager to do more.

“I am,” Xavier confirmed, “We need to keep our current location as safe as possible. That means you heading back and keeping down the fort. June and I will go on from here. What you have done so far has meant a great deal and we’re going to do our best to save Senator Jackson, I promise.”

Xavier could tell she was not happy to hear this despite his reassurances.

“Now get going,” Xavier said, “Send me a text from the temp cell when you get back and then destroy it, okay?”

“Affirmative,” Sam said with a playful salute.

Xavier took a moment to grab his stuff from Sammy’s car: one bag with a small change of clothes and another bag that contained the serum. He tossed both bags into the back seat of Junes car and then watched with June as Sammy got back into the car and started to head back to the place where her journey started. June looked back at Carter with a look of admiration.

“You gain a friend everywhere you go, don’t you?” June asked.

“You’d be surprised,” Xavier agreed, “With all people this cure has turned around, even the most sinister people are better people today because of this treatment. When you give someone a second chance at life, they often want to make a better go of it. I’m fortunate that some of them want to use that chance to help me complete my mission.”

He grabbed his order of chicken off the hood of the car.

“Let’s get going,” Xavier ordered, “The Senator isn’t getting any better.”

They stepped into the car and began their trek to the next state below, which was Florida. Once back on the highway, Carter took a moment to let June get herself settled into the road and himself a moment to munch a bit on some chicken before starting the questions. He rolled up what was left of his snack and tossed it into the back seat.

“Tell me about this poison,” Xavier started, “Where is it attacking him?”

“It’s concentrating mainly on the central nervous system.” June said not taking her eyes off the road. “If it wasn’t such a small number of people affected by the poison, we would have suspected a gas attack. Yet only three two people seem to have the illness and it’s because they seemed to have shared from the same plate. The Senator seems to be the kind of guy who doesn’t mind letting people sample his cuisine when it’s something worth raving about.”

“I guess that was a lucky break for you. Is there any trace of the poison inside the food itself or are you guys still drawing a blank on what it is?”

“Nothing yet,” June replied, “They’re really striking out with it.”

“If they don’t know what’s causing it,” Xavier added, “That would make any attempt to treat it like playing darts blindfolded.”

“I wouldn’t come to you if we weren’t this desperate,” June agreed, “We need to get this under control. You have no idea how many people would owe you a great deal if you could save this person.”

“I have a good idea,” Xavier confessed as he looked in the back at his samples of the serum. “If I’m going to get this serum to the public and the world, I’m going to need someone with some real political clout in Washington to back me. I might not get any better assistance with that than the guy who is need of help right about now.”

“That is the understatement of the century.” June said with a smile, “This guy might have the power to issue a full pardon in less than two years. He has the power to end the run, which is why I knew you might want to help him.”

“I’m not just doing this for myself.” Xavier said, somewhat hurt by the accusation that he was just there for political gain. “I’m here for more important reasons, that being to assist a friend and to treat a patient, regardless of who it is.”

“My goodness Xavier,” June started, “Being on the run has changed you a great deal. You starting to sound like a real doctor, and it really suits you.”

“Being on the run has made me appreciate the finer things in life.” Xavier said as he watched the view as they whizzed by. “Such as the basic feeling someone gets by using their knowledge to make others feel better.”

“But you’re doing that on a grander scale right now!” June explained, “You may not do it every day, but the patients you are treating are all fatal and they’re walking away fully healthy and able to resume their lives. The work you are doing is amazing, and I just can’t believe you are being treated this way for it.”

“They don’t want a cure,” Carter replied, “A cure that can take care of you with one hit isn’t good for anyone’s business. The companies want something they can medicate the patient with repeatedly so they can charge for it as often as possible. Just the impact this would have in Africa and the HIV outbreak would cost them billions. That’s why they torched the building and put me on the run.”

“That is truly sick,” June concurred, “This is why we need to save this man.”

“Then let’s get to it,” Xavier said, as he opened his notepad and took a few notes as well as he could with the bumpy driving. “What other symptoms did the patient display after ingesting the poison?”

They talked about the case for several hours, only making occasional stops at very secluded stations for bathroom breaks. Xavier thought it was nice to speak with June again after a bit of time had passed. She was doing very well, and it was the first time he was able to see one of his patients in person in person rather than just calling to ask how they were doing. He was afraid to ask how she was doing but instead focused on the task at hand. If she was having problems with the serum or her illness, she would bring it up at the appropriate time. As they crossed into the state, he had to at least ask one thing.

“How do you intend to get me into the hospital,” Xavier inquired, “And I mean close enough to treat the patient? I’m assuming by now he’s got tight security detail, and the place is going to be crawling with cops.”

June put her purse on her lap and dug through it while driving carefully.

“You’re not the only one with contacts these days.” June pulled out an ID card and handed it to him. “You’re Dr. Roberts, a contamination expert from the CDC who is there to make sure that the spreading of this poison is minimal. Investigating this will get you close enough to the Senator to administer the serum.”

“Actually, I don’t mind you administering it.” Xavier confessed, “I just said I wanted to be there to help out in case there were complications. It would look less suspicious if you were the one handing out the drug, or if you got someone from the hospital to administer it.”

“Chances are I’m going to do it myself,” June confessed with a deep sigh, “They won’t know what it is, and I at least have a little insight and experience to be confident enough to know what it’s capable of doing. I won’t be afraid to inject it.”

“That seems to settle it,” Xavier said, settling back into his seat to get a bit of a nap. “When we get there, I’ll act like I’m just there to observe and you can make the injection since they trust you to do the work. Are you okay with that?”

“Using the serum is my idea,” June reminded him, “I’m not going to make you do all the work and be left out to take all the blame if something goes wrong. If we do nothing the same result is going to happen anyway. Right about now we have nothing to lose and everything to gain with this hail-Mary.”

“I get the point.” Xavier said as he used his baseball cap to cover his eyes. “Let me know when we get remotely close to the hospital, and we’ll talk more then.”

After several minutes of listening to the car bump along the highway and to June talk to herself about what she was about to do, Xavier finally managed to nod off to sleep for a short while. He had one of those naps where it only feels like you closed your eyes for less than a minute, but several hours had passed during that time. June shook him awake, and as he was lifting his cap to see what was going on, he realized how much time had passed.

“How far out are we now?” he asked.

“We just got off the highway, so we’re about twenty minutes out.” June answered, “So, I need you to be awake, alert, and ready to play your role.”

June wasn’t lying about the time. About ten to fifteen minutes later they arrived at the hospital, and it was surrounded by what looked like the entire state’s national guard. Xavier was a bit worried about security but at this time these men were guarding someone and not actually looking for a specific person. Chances are these people were also secret service so if he didn’t bump into anyone from the local or federal law enforcement, he might be in the clear to move about once he got into the hospital with someone of June’s influence. She stopped the car at the parking checkpoint.

“I’m here to see Dr. Roberts,” she informed the guard, showing her ID, “My name is Dr. June Zaun, and this is my associate from the CDC, Dr. Alex Rodricks. We’re expected.”

The guard took both her identification as well as Xavier’s, the very same I.D. she had given him a short time ago. The guard turned his back and spoke into his radio, obviously to confirm if the Chief of Staff at the hospital was expecting them, which according to June really was. He returned to the car a few moments later.

“You’re free to go inside.” The guard said, handing both cards back.

“Thank you.” June took back their cards and entered the hospital’s underground parking lot. Once they were inside, she immediately parked as close to the elevator as she could, even going as far to steal a handicap spot to ensure they were as close to the door as possible.

“That felt too easy,” Xavier confessed.

“Don’t get cocky,” June reminded him, “Grab the serum and let’s get inside. I don’t want you here any longer than necessary.”

“You’ll get no argument from me on that one,” Xavier concurred as he reached into the backseat and grabbed the medical bag that contained the serum. He had just enough to treat both the Senator and the other man who had been poisoned but didn’t want to leave any left over for someone to study. They were both going to get a normal dose, if that doesn’t work, nothing would. So, carrying any more wasn’t going to make a difference either way so Xavier brought only what he needed and nothing more. Once in the elevator he felt the need to ask.

“How do you intend to get close without raising suspicion?” he inquired.

“Once we get in, we’re home free.” June said with a smile, “Our friend has ordered a full quarantine of the subjects. We need bio-suits to visit them, which means once we are cleared to visit, we’re in suits and near impossible to identify.”

“Smart, I like that.” Xavier responded with a smile, “A lot of people walking around in a bio-suit will make it easier for me to slip out should I need to make a hasty exit as well.”

As they exited the elevator, they quickly walked over to the head offices were to meet up with the man who would be their go to guy in the hospital. June knocked on the door and someone called for them to enter. Once they were inside the room, June opened her arms and gave the man a big hug.

“It’s good to see you again.” June said, smiling at the man in the office.

“It is,” The man replied, “I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“I know that, and that’s why we’re here.” June informed him. “There’s someone here I want you to meet.”

Xavier walked in and shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr Roberts.”

“And you’re the man I heard might be able to help us?” Roberts said, shaking his hand. “What is your name?”

Xavier turned to June, looked to her for guidance on what answer he should give. Was this someone they could trust, or should they continue with the CDC act? June seemed to get the vibe of what he was thinking and motioned Dr. Roberts to take a seat. The chief of staff was used to getting weird stories, but he was about to get a dozy.

“My name is Dr. Xavier Carter,” Xavier started, “We’re here to help you save the Senator.”

Dr. Robert’s face went a little pale upon hearing the name, but he turned to June to get a clarification. “What the hell is going on?”

“David, I need you to trust me.” June said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Do you remember earlier this week I asked you to do a full screening of my blood?”

“Yes, you had me take the blood myself.” Roberts recalled, as he appeared to be confused. “I don’t know why you didn’t let any of the staff do it instead.”

“Look at the results, and then you’ll have the answers you seek.” Xavier said as he motioned Dr. Roberts back to his desk.

Roberts backed away from Xavier, obviously afraid of him and fetched a file folder that was at the back of the room. He opened the file and started to read the results, when he found the details they wanted him to find, Roberts looked back up at June almost in shock.

“This is impossible!” he called out.

“It isn’t, I assure you.” Xavier said, staying at the other end of the room to give Dr. Roberts his space.

“My tests say she’s perfectly healthy!” Roberts said is absolute disbelief.

“You took the blood yourself.” June said, “It’s gone.”

“How is that possible? She was infected with HIV!” Dr. Roberts

“She’s been cured.” Xavier said as he walked over and placed the bag on the desk. “The same serum that saved June is in this bag. I don’t know if will work against poisons, especially since we don’t know what kind it is… but I’m here because June said you needed my help. This might be the only chance the Senator has.”

Dr. Roberts couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “But what about the police and the FBI and all that crap?”

“It’s not real!” June said as she slapped Dr. Roberts on the arm. “There are hundreds of companies that don’t ever want this stuff to get FDA approval. They will have done a lot of horrendous things to keep it underground, including murder. Could you imagine how many billions would be lost if a one-shot cure like this were to be shipped to Africa? Use your head, David!”

David looked down at the file folder that was still on his lap, and then with his free arm he opened the bag that Xavier had placed on his desk. He leaned over and took a long look at the tubes of pinkish liquid that were nestled in there, waiting to be used to save someone’s life.

“My gaud,” Roberts cussed, “This thing is for real, isn’t it?”

June gave David another hug.

“You have no idea how real this stuff is,” June told him, “We’ve only begun to realize its full potential. That’s why I asked Dr. Carter to come here. I think this serum might be the only hope the Senator’s got.”

“I don’t understand,” Roberts confessed, “What does this serum do that might save his life?”

“What this serum does is adapt itself to combat whatever is attacking the human body,” Xavier quickly explained, “I’ve also had a few patients who have been cancer free for over a year. All we need to do is get this into the blood stream and the serum will do the rest of the work.”

“Wait a minute,” David said as he turned to June, “Did he say cancer free?”

“Yeah, he did.” June said with a smile. “This thing is for real.”

“We’re telling you this because we are not going to do this behind your back, not in your hospital,” Xavier continued, “If you’re not cool with this experimental treatment, say the word and me and my serum will leave. But if you are on board, all I need is a chance to speak with the patient to get his consent to use the serum and we’ll get to work. We can teach or we can do, but does the Senator have that kind of time?”

Xavier suddenly held his breath, hopeful that David was onboard.

David’s mood suddenly changed. “That’s going to be a problem.”

“What’s going on?” June asked.

David sat back down behind his desk. “The Senator wasn’t very lucid to begin when he first came to this hospital. He was delirious, even out of his mind sometimes. And then a short time ago he slipped into a coma. Unless something happens, I don’t think he’s ever going to wake up again.”