Broken Justice

by Ralph Gibbs

  “When we develop a working vaccine, I want everyone attending this conference to receive the vaccine first and then healthcare workers,” the president said. “State officials can get their shots along with the general public. If the people think anyone is getting special treatment, they’ll riot. In the meantime, Dr. Marcus, I want you to get out to all the hospitals your best guess as to what antibiotics to use.”

  “Hospitals are going to run short,” Marcus said.

  “Authorize FEMA to issue push packages,” the president said.

  “Yes, Mr. President,” Marcus said.

  “All right, gentlemen, thank you for attending,” the president said. “We’ll get together later this week.”

  The connection severed; President Dixon leaned back in his chair. He needed a nap. In the corner of his room was a three-by-six-foot army cot that he slept on because they were easier to burn should it prove necessary.

  “Nothing but the best for the president of the United States,” he said, moving to the window to check on his wife and daughter. A few hours later, his daughter passed into the next world, followed shortly by his wife.

  CHAPTER 7

  Danica came downstairs and hesitated before stepping into the dining room. She was hoping her father had already left for work as he normally worked early on Fridays. It was one reason she waited to tell her parents about her plans. If it didn’t go well, and it didn’t, she could avoid any confrontation until later that evening when cooler heads prevailed. No such luck. Her father, seated at the head of the table and dressed for work was engrossed in the newspaper and sipping coffee from a lopsided and deformed mug that said, “World’s Greatest State Trooper” in bold letters on one side and “North Carolina” on the other. The cup was a gift from her younger brother Bailey when they learned about pottery in school. Her father’s drill sergeant hat and weapon belt hung on a pegboard near the back door. Her mother refused to allow weapons at the table.

  Where her father was a Conservative and Republican, her mother was a Liberal and Democrat. Danica never understood how that worked, but it did.

  “Love,” her mother said one day when she asked. “Lots and lots of love.” Her father gave a similar answer. Her father never cared that Danica leaned liberal because he was confident that once she started her career in law enforcement and lived in the real world, she would see the light and develop conservative views.

  Bailey, dressed in a pair of jeans and his favorite Bart Simpson shirt, sat in the chair next to her father drinking a glass of orange juice. Her mother, who was busy sliding scrambled eggs onto a breakfast plate full of bacon and buttered toast, was dressed in her nurse’s smock.

  “Morning,” Danica said softly as she slid into the chair across from her brother.

  “Morning sweetheart,” her mother said in a nearly sing-song voice as she picked up two plates off the counter. Her dad stopped reading the newspaper long enough to glare at her before going back to whatever article held his interest. Dinah placed the plates in front of Danica and Bailey and then went back for the last two.

  “I thought you were off for the rest of the week,” Danica said to her mom trying to make small talk. Danica picked up her fork and moved the eggs around on the plate.

  Her mother picked up the last two plates. “I was supposed to be, but they called me and asked me to work at the hospital.”

  “But you don’t work at the hospital,” Danica said.

  “Apparently they’re slammed,” her mother said. “That chickenpox is gaining steam. I don’t mind, though. Beats hanging around here all day doing laundry and dishes. Besides, a little more overtime and maybe we can afford that new couch I want. It’s got a built-in recliner with a cup holder in the armrest for your dad. Maybe that’ll keep him from putting water rings all over my furniture.”

  “Maybe I should stay home,” Danica said.

  Arnold grunted, folded the newspaper and tossed it on the table. After taking a swallow of his coffee, he straightened his black tie and started to get up.

  “Oh, sit down,” Dinah said, placing a plate in front of him and taking the chair next to Bailey. Arnold did as he was told. “I swear. Sometimes, you’re about as mature as Bailey.”

  “Hey,” Bailey said surprised. “Don’t drag me into this. I want to be a cop, and I use coasters.”

  “As for working at the hospital, there’s nothing to worry about,” her mother said. “I was vaccinated. We all were. Besides, don’t you have an exam today?”

  “A geometry test, after lunch,” Danica said.

  “Well, you don’t want to miss that,” Dinah said. Her mother smiled and winked at her son. Bailey looked over at his dad. “You know, Dad, I was thinking, won’t they need cops in space.”

  Arnold put down his sausage filled fork and looked suspiciously at his wife.

  “You know Bailey,” she said, sounding innocent, “I think you may be right. With all the advances in space travel, it’s only a matter of time before we have a colony on the moon. Once they do, they’ll need law enforcement astronauts.”

  “That’s cool,” Bailey said. “I want to be a space cop too.”

  A car horn sounded in the driveway. As he stood up, Arnold shoved down another spoonful of food, wiped his mouth, and straightened his tie again.

  “One space cop in the family is enough,” he said to Bailey. His tone had changed. To Danica, it sounded like acceptance. Arnold turned to her. “We’re not done talking, young lady. I want to hear more about this.”

  “Yes, sir,” Danica said.

  Her mom rose and kissed her husband and said, “You’re not taking the squad car today?”

  “No, Henry came to pick me up. They want people to patrol in pairs.” He lowered his voice so that Danica wouldn’t hear, but she did. “This . . . whatever it is . . .” Dinah was about to interrupt, but he held up his hand in protest. “I know it’s the chickenpox. The point is, this chickenpox is causing people anxiety, and they’re showing signs of stress. There’s a protest happening downtown later today, and it’ll probably end up getting out of hand. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing if you and the kids stayed home today.”

  “It’ll be okay,” Dinah said. “They need me.”

  “I need you,” he said, looking at her in earnest. “I need you and the kids to be safe. You know it’s why I do this job.”

  “We’ll be fine,” she said. She reached up and grabbed his gun belt and hat from the peg and handed it to him. The discussion was at an end, and he knew it.

  “Fine,” he said. “How about I come by and take you to lunch?”

  “I’d like that,” she said. “I hear the cafeteria has a four-star rating.”

  “Yeah, and just as expensive,” he said.

  “Well, then it’ll be just like taking me out on the town,” she said, a smile crossing her face that lit her up like a Christmas tree. “Don’t forget my flowers.” He smiled and walked to the door.

  “Be careful,” Dinah said.

  “I always am,” he said, donning his hat.

  Dinah turned to Danica and Bailey. “Okay you two, time for school.”

  Bailey squinted his eyes and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

  “What’s the matter?” his mother asked.

  “My head just started hurting,” he said. Dinah felt his forehead. “You don’t feel hot.” She opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. “Take this.” He slammed it down and chased it with the rest of his orange juice and then finished his bacon. “Your appetite doesn’t seem to be affected. It’s probably nothing. However, put this aspirin in your pocket and take it if your head doesn’t stop hurting by the time you get to school. If you don’t feel better this afternoon, call me.”

  “Okay,” he said slightly dejected at not getting to stay at home but knowing it was never an option.

  “Hey,” Dinah said as she reached out and lightly touch Danica’s arm. “Everything will be okay. Your father is already startin
g to soften up, and it’s only been one evening.”

  She gave her mom a quick hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “If we’re as busy at work as they say we are, I may need you to get Bailey.”

  “I will,” Danica said, heading out the door behind her brother.

  Danica tossed her backpack onto the back seat of the car and slammed the door harder than intended. Bailey jumped onto the passenger seat as their neighbor, Erica Chambers, rushed from her house pushing Matthew, her eight-year-old son, out the door in front of her. Erica, unorganized and disheveled, dropped her keys and swore.

  “Good morning, Erica,” Danica said and waved.

  Erica turned and shielded her eyes from the morning sun.

  “Oh, hey, Danica. Sorry, I can’t talk right now. I’m late getting Matthew to school. I forgot to turn on my alarm again, the bus driver is out sick, and the school didn’t call until a few minutes ago to let me know.”

  With her fake blond hair, high heels, short miniskirt, bought boobs, extra heavy makeup, and a deep Texas drawl, Erica looked and sounded more like she worked as a stripper instead of a bank manager. Despite her over-the-top appearance, and probably because of it, Danica liked Erica. She was a genuinely friendly person and always made an effort to talk to Danica when not busy rushing Matthew to school, which was more often than not. When Danica first began to question her sexuality, Erica was the only person she opened up to.

  “I’ll take Matt to school,” Danica offered.

  Erica turned to lock the front door. “That’s okay, honey. I don’t want to put you out.”

  Danica smiled. If Erica had one fault, it was that she was overly protective of her son. “It’s okay, Erica. You can trust me,” Danica said. “I’ve been driving for a year now, and I haven’t had a single ticket. I’m taking Bailey, so I’m headed there, anyway.”

  “It’ll be okay Mom,” Matthew said, looking up at Erica. Matthew hoped that if Danica took him to school, the boys in class would stop calling him a mamma’s boy, if only for a day.

  “You sure?” she asked, kneeling in front of her son and straightening his collar. “I don’t mind taking you. It means I get to spend a little extra time with you.” Mathew nodded his head vigorously.

  “Okay,” Erica said, sounding disappointed. As Matthew turned to run off, she swatted him on the butt. He jumped. “Make sure you buckle up . . . and learn something useful today.”

  “Okay, Mom,” he said without looking back.

  “Thank you,” Erica said, walking over to stand next to Danica and putting a hand on her shoulder. “I owe you.”

  “You can buy me a drink later.”

  “That should endear me to your parents.”

  “My Dad’s already upset with me.”

  “Did you tell him?” Erica asked excitedly.

  “I told him I wanted to join the Air Force and become an astronaut,” Danica said.

  Erica cringed. “You probably would’ve been safer with the . . .” Erica hid her mouth with her hand and whispered, “. . . Lesbian thing. How did he take it?”

  “He didn’t have a heart attack like I thought he would. Mom said he’ll eventually come around. I think it’ll take years.”

  “We’ll see,” Erica said as she leaned into the car. “Hello, Bailey.”

  “Hey,” he said gruffly.

  “What’s wrong with him?” she said, glancing up at Danica from the car window.

  “He said he has a headache,” Danica said. “I think he’s just trying to get out of going to school.”

  “I hope you feel better,” Erica said, walking to her car. Danica watched Erica saunter away, admiring how her beige miniskirt formed perfectly to the contours of her ass. Erica turned and caught her looking. Danica tried to act innocent. “I should be home around six if you need to talk. I’ll fix you a drink, and you can tell me all about it.”

  Danica often wondered if it was a curse or a gift living next to a gorgeous neighbor. Probably both.

  **********

  About an hour before Danica was scheduled to take her geometry test, the phone in her pocket vibrated. Sitting up straighter, she looked to make sure Mr. Talbert wasn’t watching before sneaking a peek at the incoming text. It was from her mother.

  “CALL ASAP—911,” the text read. Shouldering her backpack, Danica grabbed her textbook and headed for the door.

  “Danica? Everything all right?” her teacher asked.

  “I feel nauseous,” Danica said. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and then see the nurse.”

  “That’s going around,” her teacher said. “I’ll email you your homework assignment.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Talbert,” Danica said as she left the room.

  She called her mom as she entered the bathroom. The phone didn’t complete the first ring before her mother answered.

  “Hey, honey,” her mom said.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I want you to pick up your brother and go home.” Her mother sounded worried.

  “What’s going on?” Danica asked, concerned.

  “I’m not sure, but you should see the hospital. It looks like we’re shooting a science fiction movie here. CDC people are running around in decontamination suits everywhere. They’ve taken over the place.”

  “Why?”

  “I suspect it has something to do with this so-called chickenpox virus going around,” her mother said. “I’ll know shortly. We’re about to go in for a briefing.”

  “What does the news say?”

  “I’ve no idea. I’ve been too busy to look. I’ll call you—”

  Danica heard screams in the phone’s background, followed by gunfire. “Mom?” Danica yelled, her voice echoing in the empty bathroom. The only answer was more screaming and the sounds of multiple gunshots. “Mom! Mom!”

  “I’m here, honey,” her mom said, sounding out of breath. “I’m okay. It’s over.”

  “What the hell is going on?” Danica asked panicked.

  “I think someone got upset because they couldn’t get into the emergency room fast enough,” her mother said, evenly. “He shot one of the CDC guys. Baby, I’m going to have to go. He needs help.”

  “Jesus, Mom. Maybe you should come home.”

  “It’s okay, security shot and subdued the man.”

  “You should come home anyway,” Danica pleaded.

  “I can’t,” her mother said. “The CDC is not letting anyone leave the hospital. They fear we’re already contaminated.”

  “I’ll call Dad.”

  “No need. He’s here with me. He came by for lunch. The CDC commandeered him and have him working security outside the emergency room. I’ll have him call you later. Love you. Gotta go. They’re taking us into the briefing.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Tell Dad I love him.” The connection went dead. Danica looked in her contact list and called Erica.

  “Danica?” Erica said. “Is everything all right? Is Matthew okay?”

  “He’s fine. I dropped him off this morning, just like I promised. My mom just called me and told me to get my brother and go home. Apparently, the CDC has quarantined the hospital. She wouldn’t have called me if she wasn’t worried. Something big is going on. If it’s okay with you, can I pick up Matthew as well?”

  “That would be great,” Erica said, sounding relieved. “The banks closing early so I’ll be home soon. I’ll call the school and let them know you’re coming. And Danica, I don’t care how your parents feel about it, there’s a whole bottle of Southern Comfort at my house with your name on it.”

  “Matt will be at my house when you get home.”

  Walking down the hall toward the office, she looked in classrooms as she passed and noticed people were checking their phones. It seemed word was spreading. CDC and gunfire tended to have that effect. Danica left the school without bothering to check out. By the looks of it, other people were leaving as well. When she arrived at Matt’s school, there was already a long line of cars picki
ng up kids, and all the parking spaces were full. She pulled as far to the right as she could and parked.

  “Hey, you can’t park there. You’re blocking people,” the driver behind her said, leaning out his window.

  “I’m sorry. I have to pick up my brother. You can still get around me.” The man gave a disgusted face but said nothing. There were more than a dozen parents in the office when she entered. She shouldered her way through to the counter.

  “Hi Danica,” Dominick, the school counselor, said. “Have you come to pick up Bailey?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll call and have him come to the office.”

  “Can you call for Matthew Chambers as well? His mother asked me to pick him up.”

  Dominick checked his notes. “I’m not seeing where she called to give permission,” he said.

  “The phones have been jammed all afternoon,” Mrs. Turner, the school secretary, said from behind Dominick. “I doubt she’s been able to get through.”

  “I can’t let you take him unless we have permission from his mother,” Dominick said.

  On the television, which was hanging on the wall in the back of the room, the President of the United States suddenly appeared.

  “Turn that up,” someone yelled.

  Mrs. Turner quickly fumbled through first one drawer and then another before finding the remote.

  “—Ago I signed an executive order declaring a state of national emergency,” The president said. “I want to assure you that this is purely precautionary and there is no reason to panic.”

  “Oh shit, that means it’s time to panic,” someone yelled.

  “Quiet,” several said at once.

  “—Have taken this extraordinary action because I have received credible information indicating the outbreak has the potential to reach worldwide pandemic levels. I want to stress that I said potential; it has not reached that point, and chances are slim it will. I want to assure you we are working on a vaccine, and one should be available soon. However, as a precaution, I’ve deployed FEMA and members of the CDC to major outbreak sites in Virginia, North Carolina, and Wyoming. They’re there in advisory roles only. They will coordinate with state and local officials and will provide assistance and medical supplies as necessary. Also, effective immediately, all commercial ground transportation has been suspended. All buses and trains will be stopped at their next destination. All commercial and private aircraft have been ordered to land, and all foreign aircraft ordered to turn around and head home. Those aircraft that are already past the point of no return will be allowed to continue but will be subject to quarantine protocols once ground side. At 4:00 PM, the only aircraft that will be allowed in the sky will be military and emergency medical aircraft.”