THE MAVERICK DOCTOR AND MISS PRIM/ABOUT THAT NIGHT... Read Free Page A

excitement. It was only made slightly better by the look of disgust on Donovan’s face over the other side of the room.
    Callum smiled at her. “You know the rules, Callie. You took the call—of course you’re on the team.”
    “I’ll be ready in half an hour. Let me get the updated plans.” She rushed off, her heart thumping in her chest.
    First official day on the job and she was on the outbreak team investigating an apparently eradicated disease. Isabel would have loved this.
    * * *
    Callie shoved her bag in the overhead locker and sat down next to Callum. Everything was happening so fast. She hadn’t even had time to think.
    The doors of the plane were already closed and they were starting to taxi down the runway. The cabin crew was already in their seats—the safety announcement forgotten. The normal rules of aviation didn’t seem to apply today.
    This was the biggest team she’d ever been part of. There had to be around thirty people on this plane. Other doctors, epidemiologists, case interviewers, contact tracers, admin personnel and, most worrying, security.
    Callum had the biggest pile of paperwork she’d ever seen. He was checking things off the list. “Vaccines—check. Protocols—check. N95 filtered masks—check. Symptom list—check. Algorithm—check. Three-hundred-page outbreak plan...” his thumb flicked the edges of the thick document “...check.”
    He leaned back in his seat. “And that’s just the beginning.” A few minutes later they felt the plane lift off. Ninety minutes until they reached their destination.
    “What have you done about containment plans?”
    He nodded at her question. “I’ve identified a suitable building for a Type-C containment. Arrangements are currently being made to prepare it. In the meantime we’ve instructed Chicago General to switch their air-conditioning off. We don’t want to risk the spread of the droplets. They don’t even have suitable masks right now—only the paper ones, which are practically useless.”
    He shook his head. “Those spots were starting to erupt. These kids are at the most infectious stage of this disease.”
    Callie shuddered. A potentially deadly disease in an E.R. department. Her mind boggled.
    It didn’t matter that she was a completely rational person. It didn’t matter that she specialized in infectious diseases. There was still that tiny human part in her that wanted to panic.
    That wanted to run in the other direction.
    The strange thing was that there were colleagues at the DPA who would kill to be in her shoes right now. Her very tight, uncomfortable shoes. Why hadn’t she changed them before they’d left? Who knew how long she would be on her feet?
    She hesitated. “Who are you relaying the instructions to right now?”
    His eyes fixed on the papers in front of him. He didn’t look so good. “The chief of staff at Chicago General is Max Simpson. He’s following our instructions to the letter. Or rather Matt Sawyer is following our instructions to the letter. He’s the only one with any experience down there.”
    There were small beads of sweat on his brow. He reached into his top pocket and pulled out some antacids.
    “You okay?”
    He nodded as he opened the packet and popped three in his mouth.
    Callum was the calmest, most knowledgeable doctor she’d ever worked with. She’d worked side by side with him through lots of outbreaks. She couldn’t ask for a better mentor. But even he looked a little scared. Maybe it wasn’t just her after all?
    Or maybe it was something else entirely.
    She lowered her voice. “He was your protégé, wasn’t he?”
    “My what?”
    “Matt Sawyer. I heard he was your protégé.”
    Callum grimaced and shook his head. “Do me a favor. Don’t let Sawyer hear you call him that. That would tip him over the edge that I presume he’s currently dangling on.”
    “What do you mean?” During all the frantic preparations Callie hadn’t had any time to find out more about