If it hadn’t been for the reserved nurses parking, Nikki and Bobby would have had a hard time finding a parking space at the Cheyenne General Hospital. They got out of the car and ran into the emergency room and straight up to the reception counter.
“My son is here. I need to see him,” said Nikki.
“He’s fine Mrs. Evans,” said the receptionist. “Don’t worry. The doctor asked that you stay out here right now because there is a lot going on in the back. It’s your day off too. He doesn’t want you jumping in. He wants you to concentrate on little Eddie right now. Just take a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Okay,” said Nikki in a trembling voice. Nikki and Bobby sat in the only two chairs left by the emergency room entrance. It’s a familiar place for Nikki, but not so much for Bobby. There were several people there, waiting to be seen. Most everyone looked sick as if they have food poisoning. There was a line forming in front of the men and women’s restroom, with the future occupants not caring which line, just whichever one was shorter.
“My God, Bobby,” said Nikki, timidly as she held Bobby’s arm tight. “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know there must be something going around.” Bobby looked grimily at the people standing in line. “I’m not even sure if we should be sitting in here.”
“The doctors said it was okay. These people don’t have anything contagious. It’s something they ate apparently.” Nikki had a sudden reckoning. “Did you stop and get Eddie breakfast somewhere this morning.”
“I—”
She didn’t allow him to finish. “Damn it, Bobby. I told you not to let Eddie eat out in the mornings. It’s not good for him.”
“Well, he was playing sick this morning and wouldn’t get out of bed.” Bobby defended his actions. “I was in a hurry to get to work. We stopped for a couple of steak biscuits. No big deal.”
Words were about to start flying out of Nikki’s mouth, but Bobby lucked out when Doctor Harrington walked out smiling. Nikki and Bobby looked at him and were delighted to see he was smiling. Bobby felt at the same time it was creepy for the good doctor to have a grin on his face with so many people sick, stopping up the toilet in both restrooms. Of course, Doctor Harrington was smiling because the more patients that come in, the more money that flows into his pockets. Thanks to the new healthcare laws. Now everyone can pay, so let’s see them all and rack up the bill as high as we can get it. Twelve dollars for a pair of surgical gloves, and don’t forget the mandatory processing and paperwork fees. Doctor Harrington’s Porsche 911 sure looks nice sitting in the front parking lot, with that bright red paint job and the alloy wheels.
“Mr. and Mrs. Evans,” said Doctor Harrington with his rich smile.
“That’s us,” Bobby said, as he stood up to shake the doctor’s hand.
“I know, Mr. Evans,” Doctor Harrington smiled as he pointed to Nikki. “Your wife works here with us.”
“Oh right.” Bobby pulled his hand back, noticing the doctor’s hands were holding a clipboard in one hand and bottled water in the other. Bobby figured the doctor wouldn’t want to shake his hand. Probably scared of germs anyways.
Nikki looked at Bobby and shook her head. She smiled to the doctor and stood up herself. “Thank you so much Doctor Harrington. We appreciate everything you’ve done for Eddie.”
“It’s no trouble,” the doctor said, as he moved his water bottle to one hand and placed it on Nikki’s shoulder. Bobby squinted his eyes and stared at the doctor’s hand as the doctor kept talking to Nikki and ignoring him. “Eddie’s always a good boy and we’re happy to see him anytime. This may not have been the best circumstance in which to see the little fellow, but we still like having him here. He brings cheer to this gloomy place sometimes. He’s a really good boy.”
Bobby gave the doctor a mean look behind his back and under his breath he said, “I’ll bet you like the good boys, don’t you.”
“Thank you so much doctor.” Nikki smiled, looked at Bobby and then back to the doctor. “What exactly was wrong with him? Everything is going to be alright, right?”
“Absolutely, Nikki. The food he ate for breakfast made his stomach upset. Much like these other patients that are waiting to be seen. Apparently there is something going around that are causing people to become sick. Food poisoning it looks like. We believe there will be more cases as the day goes on and until we can find the source. Whatever made Eddie sick he mostly threw up by the time he got here. There wasn’t much of anything left to pump out of his stomach so we didn’t bother putting him through that unnecessary pain.”
Bobby looked at the doctor, thinking, I’m surprised you didn’t you greedy old bastard. Probably need new tires for that piece of shit Porsche.
“So it was the food he ate for breakfast,” Nikki said, turning to Bobby and giving him the evil eye.
“What?” Bobby looked at Nikki and the doctor, playing off that he had nothing to do with the bad food that ended up in Eddie’s gut. “How was I supposed to know it was bad. He wasn’t complaining when he ate it.”
“Well,” said the doctor. “That’s how food poisoning usually works. It tastes good going down, but oh man, when it comes up, and out, it’s a whole different story.”
Nikki shook her head. Doctor Harrington laughed as he finally took his hand from Nikki’s shoulder. Must be the old man waiting for the opportunity to cop a feel, thought Bobby. The nurses would never put it past Doctor Harrington. He’s been working at Cheyenne General for nearly thirty years and there are only few a nurses he hasn’t accidently got a feel on.
“Your boy will be perfectly fine. I’ve gone ahead and written him a note to stay home from school tomorrow. He’ll also need to take some medication I prescribed to help sooth his stomach. Also make sure he drinks plenty of fluids. You know where to pick it up medication I’m sure.” Doctor Harrington turned toward Bobby. “Where did you take him for breakfast?”
“It was Winslow’s Burgers,” Bobby said.
“Okay. I’ll report it to the board to look into. Just a precaution to make sure no one else becomes sick...Eddie will be out in a few minutes and you guys are free to go. Thank you folks.”
“Thanks doctor.” Nikki smiled. Bobby just nodded and was glad to see the doctor go.
“I told you not to take him out to eat anywhere,” said Nikki. “You know how I feel about that.”
“Look Nikki. I’m sorry. I never thought he would get sick. I would never wish anything like this to happen to him. He’s going to be fine though, so can we concentrate on making him feel better? Please?” Bobby looked at Nikki with puppy dog eyes.
She looked at him angrily and then her expression went blank. “Fine.”
Nikki tucked Eddie into bed and kissed him goodnight. It was only 5:30 p.m., but Eddie had enough for the day and he was tired. She closed his bedroom door and went to the kitchen where Bobby was working his magic at the stove. The news is on the television reporting about more people becoming sick with food poisoning. They have already begun to warn people against eating meat, but the report has already come too late.
“How is he?” asked Bobby, as he flipped the burgers in the frying pan. He figured they were still good because they had been frozen in the freezer for a while.
“He’s okay now.” Nikki sat at the kitchen table. “I’ll keep an eye on him throughout the night.” She watched Bobby as he cooked and felt bad for the way she had treated him earlier in the day. She knows she can’t blame Bobby for Eddie being sick. He’s a good father and any good father would want to take their kid out for some fast food every once in awhile. She smiled and remembered how much she loves him.
“I’m glad you were able to take the rest of the week off.” Bobby walked to the sink, leaving the frying pan’s handle sticking out past the stove. “I’m sorry you know. The boss just threw this trip at Pete and I this morning. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“It’s okay. When you get back we can re-plan that trip you wanted to
take down to Denver.” She smiled and watched Bobby, laughing subconsciously at her apron that he was wearing. “You need to be careful over there in Kentucky. There could be contagions in the air that can hurt people. Besides, we need to be more cautious with this food poisoning that’s spreading around.”
“It’s no big deal. Just a bunch of dead farm animals.” He turned back to the stove and bumped the frying pan handle, knocking the sizzling burgers onto the floor. “Damn it.” He reached down and scrapped them off the floor with the spatula.
“It’s okay.” Nikki said as she got up to help him clean up the mess. “I’d rather have a salad anyway.”
“Well,” Bobby frowned at the sudden loss of his hamburger patty he was so anxiously waiting to scarf down. “Guess it’s salad for me, too...I can’t believe that asshole Masterson wants me and Pete to go put together this story. It’s already on the national news and Channel 5 already did a piece on it. That old prick just wants to make us suffer. He wants to be able to say he had a guy in the mix no matter if it’s too late or not. I don’t know why we can’t just do a story on the people that are getting sick from this. I’m sure it’s all connected. I can do the story right here at home.”
“Just think,” said Nikki as she threw the hamburgers in the trash. “At least you’ll get travel pay on this. Then we can use that extra money and go to Denver and stay in a nice hotel.” They didn’t need the extra money. She thought this would make him feel like he was contributing more than he really is.
“What about Eddie?” asked Bobby.
“He’ll be fine. Besides you’ll only be gone a couple of days. I’ll just hold him out of school until you get back.”
“Alright.” He walked over and kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
THE DRIVE-IN PART ONE
As the day turned to dark it seemed as though more people were becoming sick, but the worst of it was yet to come. Not everyone watches the news and not everyone experienced the bout of food poisoning that struck in many places earlier in the day. The un-expecting people are soon going to experience their fair share.
At the only drive-in theater in southern Kentucky just about five miles north of the Miller farm, the last picture show of the evening was playing on the big screen. The place is always packed on Thursday nights and draws in the locals and many out-of-towners. Even folks that drive by on the interstate would go out of their way to catch a flick at one of the last drive-ins in America. Thursday nights were always retro night and tonight Steve McQueen is racing across the screen in his ’68 Mustang. The drive-in rows were filled front to back and left to right with all types of cars. The humidity kept most people from leaving their windows up while watching the film. They all had the little speaker hanging on the side windows, blasting in the sounds of McQueen’s Mustang as it chased the Charger through the streets of San Francisco.
George Stevens, the owner of the drive-in movie theater, sat at his desk inside the backroom of the main building at the rear of the theater. A small window let in the lights of the movie playing on the screen and reflected off his computer screen as he pounded his fingers on the keyboard, inputting his calculations of the money that kept rolling in from his business. Tonight, they had nearly sold out of his specialty burger and fry combo at the concession stand. Only $4.50, plus tax. It’s just about the best deal in southern Kentucky for a burger combo. On the menu, George also had chicken sandwiches, and beef tacos, three for $4.00, but that price is good only on Mondays. Mondays were always the slowest, so George didn’t want to give away too many beef tacos.
The total for the evening is high and George smiled from ear to ear as though his penny stock had jumped through the roof on Wall Street. It’s his best night in nearly two years despite the ongoing incidents down the road at the Miller farm. He was getting all the business from the locals and from the government workers that came into town. They may not be watching his retro flicks on the screen, but they sure are scarfing down his specialty hamburger. Seems they didn’t get the message not to eat the meat. It’s his finest secret recipe, developed by his mother when he was just a boy.
George grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and moved just north of the state line when he was twenty-two. At such an early age, he was already tired of big city life. That was forty years ago and he was able to buy the drive-in theater, now called G. S. Drive-In of Kentucky, in the mid 90s after having worked on local farms and doing repairs for the original owner. George has always been fascinated with the movies and he always dreamed of owning his own theater. He managed to bring the place out of the dumps and back into a prospering business with the help of a few roadside billboards on Interstate 65 and with his young wife being a college graduate. She used her internet marketing skills to put up a website with all their specials and free movie ticket giveaways. Her master’s degree in accounting helped out as well.
Oh yes, tonight would be a night that George would never forget. Sold out of nearly everything in the concession stand, he would have to make a special trip to Bowling Green to replenish supplies in the morning. Everything was going great, until the knock came on his door and he could hear his wife, Nancy, screaming through on the other side.
“George,” she screamed as she beat on the door. “You better get out here quick. Something’s happening out in the lot.” She kept pounding at the door, shaking it on its hinges.
“Holy shit,” said George as he nearly knocked over his beer getting up from his desk and running to unlock the door. “Calm down Nancy.” He opened the door and saw a look of fear and confusion on his wife’s face. “What’s the matter?”
“Get out here fast,” she grabbed his arm and pulled him along down the short narrow hallway leading to the exit. “People are throwing up out their car windows. They’re puking everywhere...I think I’m gonna throw up, too.” She felt her stomaching doing cartwheels even though she hadn’t eaten. The sight of children, women, and men of all ages, hanging their heads out of car windows, puking up the hamburgers, tacos, and chicken sandwiches they had purchased at the concession stand that evening just before the start of Bullitt.
“Hot damn.” George pushed her out of the way and ran out of the door and to the parking lot. “Holy shit.” George nearly buckled at the knees at the sight of the puddles of barf next to nearly every car. Little chunks of meat and potatoes sparkled in the mess from lights of the big screen. George wasn’t grossed out at the sight, but grossed out at the thought of having to give all the customers their money back, ruining his best night of sales in nearly two years. Several thoughts were running through his mind of how he could play this off and put the blame on someone else for the contaminated food the people had purchased from him. George didn’t know it just yet, but the fault was not his own. He wouldn’t find this out until a few days later, but by then it would be too late.
“George.” Nancy came out of the building and grabbed George’s arm and latched onto him tightly. “What’s wrong with them?” George put his arm around her and they looked at the disgusting sight of people continually throwing up inside and out of their cars.
By this time, the people were getting out of their cars and some were running to the restrooms to wipe away the mess from their chins and shirts. Others ran to the restroom to clear out the backend now that their top end was spilled in the parking lot. Mothers were carrying their children and screaming. Some were leaning against car doors and throwing up what was left in their stomachs down the side of their car. George and Nancy watched as vomit dripped off the sides of cars and people kept screaming. On the big screen, the black ’68 Charger had just crashed and burned just like George’s sales for the night.
Nancy began to sob as she dropped to her knees, holding George’s hand and looking up at him. “What is going on, George? What is wrong with them?” George ignored her cries and was unaware of her fingernails digging into his forearm as the tears ran down her cheeks. He had no idea what to make of the situa
tion, nor did anyone else across the country as it was happening in more places than just Steven’s Drive-In of Kentucky.
THE SICKNESS
A long way from Kentucky and up north in Central Park in New York City, the late evening air was warm and humid, even for late September. Tourists were walking around and taking in the scenery while the hustlers were on the sidewalks suckering people out of their money. Businessmen and women sat in fancy restaurants enjoying their high-priced meals and their expensive champagne. The not so rich were enjoying their late meals at the fast food joints, while others were starting to get liquored up at the many nightclubs and bars throughout the city. At a moments notice, everyone seemed to have the same feelings hit their stomachs just as it did to those at Steven’s Drive-In. It was a feeling as though being on a ship at sea, causing your stomach to stir and making everything want to come up like an active volcano ready to burst. Thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers and tourists were hit with this feeling at roughly the same time as though the whole state was a big ship at sea. In fact, the country seemed to be a ship at sea. People began throwing up in the fancy restaurants on their plates and expensive evening clothes. People in the park, after eating a big hot dog covered with ketchup were throwing up. People in their homes, after having a late night snack of a roast beef sandwich were throwing up. It seemed as though anyone who had consumed beef, began emptying their stomachs and their bowels with not enough time to make it the can. Whatever was spreading was spreading fast.
It didn’t stop with New York. It is happening everywhere, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, D.C., Orlando, everywhere. The entire country upchucked at nearly the same time and produced gastric bowel movements of ungodly proportions. The sudden thoughts of an epidemic began to pass through everyone’s mind. Hospitals started becoming overwhelmed with sickly patients. People were going crazy in the streets. It became pure madness. The people leaning over toilet bowls, puking their brains out could only think of two things, God please make it stop and God please don’t let me die. No one is dying, but no one knew it just yet. This is just the beginning of it.
The Gorging Page 5
