The Beginning of the End (Book 1): Toward the Brink Read Free

showing concern. Precisely why she had been ‘recruited.’
    Not fast enough. The EMTs came crashing through the ER doors, pushing a gurney in front of them. The patient, a woman in her early twenties, thrashed about like a fish out of water.
    “Oh my God!” the young nurse shrieked.
    “Nurse, get a hold of yourself!” RN Bronden said.
    The first year had never been told to expect anything like this in nursing school. She was shocked by the size of the pregnant woman’s stomach.
    “I’m sorry, but …”
    “Do your job. If you can’t, I’ll find someone who can!” Turning to the EMTS, Bronden yelled, “Get her into the ER. I
have
to let the doctor know.”
    Bronden skipped down the hallway. She had to notify the doctor before he entered the ER, not about the patient, but about the young nurse who might prove to be trouble.
    # # #
    Elliot sat on the deck chair by the pool, his head in his hands. There was no need for pretense anymore, and he sobbed openly. His mother was finally at peace. When required, Elliot stood firm as his father had asked. Both men got a chance to say goodbye. More importantly, they were able to express their love and gratitude to the woman who meant everything to them. Now was a time for reflection.
    Elliot understood all too well that cancer was a terrible curse on mankind and not only for the sufferer. His mom was finally at rest, and he was thankful for that, but that made it no easier on him—or his dad. He loved his mom, and he would miss her deeply.
    # # #
    “What was that I just witnessed?” The first year nurse confronted Bronden openly.
    “Not here,” Bronden said. “Come with me and I’ll explain.” She led the new nurse down the hallway to the first floor supply room. “Look through the boxes on the shelf like you’re taking inventory, okay?”
    “Yeah sure, I can do that.”
    “And what I’m about to tell you
doesn’t
leave this room, got it?”
    “I won’t tell anyone,” the young woman said to her superior, “but you better fill me in good because I can see you know about this, don’t you?”
    “Yes, I do, but I’ve never seen anything as bad as this one.”
    “Then tell me what’s going on. How can a woman give birth to a twenty-five-pound baby after only five months?”
    Nurse Bronden was pleased that she made no mention of the baby’s pig snout nose. She didn’t need reminding. “It’s the growth hormone that was developed here in Idaho and was used on the potato crops. We’re seeing the results of this untested hormone in Idaho because it was used for a full year here before the rest of the country. All the fries you buy are contaminated with the growth hormone,” she explained.
    “You mean that’s causing birth defects and premature births in Twin Falls?”
    “Not just Twin Falls but across the whole state and soon the country,” Bronden said. “There are also hundreds of cases reported every week of people vomiting a green bile that’s rumored to cause death to anyone unfortunate enough to get spewed on.”
    Bronden could see the effect her frank description was having on the young nurse, who was alarmed by such news. However, Bronden sensed she wasn’t quite satisfied with a few answers. She needed a killer punch.
    “When the doctor finished the delivery, he said, ‘I have a phone call to make. You know what to do.’ What did he mean by that?”
    Bronden looked through the window of the supply room door and checked to make sure no one was watching. This young nurse certainly had good ears. She would try and make her believe they were on the same side. It shouldn’t be hard; that’s why she was paid the extra dollars after all, wasn’t it?
    “When this happens, as long as the newborn survives, the protocol is to call CDC headquarters in Atlanta. They send a team over to pick it up. No paperwork, no questions, no problems. You know what I mean?” Bronden was hoping she did or at least was starting to. “And before you ask,