I was impressed with how quickly Addison returned, and how frugally she’d packed. Most of us, on our first time out, tended to over-pack, preparing for any contingency.

“Dammit!” A harsh curse came from the front door, and I looked over to see Pansy struggling with a massive suitcase as well as a shoulder bag that was almost the same size as mine.

“Did I under-pack?” Addison asked from behind me. “I wasn’t sure if there was anything outside the basics I should bring. I can go get my laptop from the lab. Files, books, anything else you think we might need.”

I held up a hand before she could start babbling again. “A laptop is a good idea, since you’ll want to be able to take notes about anything we find. But we usually encourage whoever is first on site to pack light since they never know what they’re getting into. If you’ve forgotten something, we let the incoming doctors know, and they’ll bring it.”

She nodded, eyes wide. She didn’t look nervous though. At least, that didn’t appear to be the primary emotion she was feeling. She looked…excited.

“Will this be your first time in Texas?”

Why couldn’t I stop talking to her?

“I’ve never been anywhere except Minnesota and here,” she said. “And not much more than around Minneapolis.”

“Minneapolis? Who in the world would want to go to Minneapolis?” Pansy said breathlessly as she plopped her bags down next to Addison.

I intervened before Addison could respond, or Pansy could say something worse. “The pilot called a few minutes ago to say that they were almost done refueling. The car to the airfield will be here soon.”

“Where, exactly, are we going in Texas?” Pansy asked. “Austin? Dallas?”

“Pecan Grove,” Addison answered.

At least one of them had been listening.

“How long are we going to be there?” Pansy put her hand on my arm, and I turned to look at her. “I’m just asking because I remember when we were in Seattle two years ago, we thought we were only going for three days, but we had to stay for five days, and my pet-sitter charged me overtime.”

“You know that we won’t know anything until we actually get on site.” I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice, but it wasn’t easy. Pansy had been here for as long as I had. She’d been at half a dozen sites herself, and we never knew anything for certain until we could assess the scene ourselves.

I remembered the case that she was talking about, as well as her behavior when she realized we’d be staying longer than she’d anticipated. She’d been furious, ranting at anyone who would listen that she couldn’t stay in Seattle because she had to get home. She had plans and responsibilities. And I was the one she’d come to about all of it, even though I hadn’t been running point on it.

I’d been ready to send her back just to get her away from me.

I really hoped this wouldn’t be a repeat.

* * *

Three people were waiting outside the Texas hospital when we got there. A short, harried-looking woman in a business suit, an African-American man in scrubs, and a pretty, tired-looking woman. Their expressions when we came toward them told me that they were the ones who’d been dealing with the patients so far. Their faces lit up with the sort of hope that always made me a little anxious. It reminded me too much of the way Slade and Blake had looked at me when we were little, and before our parents died.

Like I could do anything.

That changed after the accident. I didn’t know if it was because my brothers no longer believed in me, or because I no longer believed.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Hunter.” I held out my hand, and the woman in the suit shook it.

“I’m Isis Bairstow, head of St. Mary’s. This is Dr. Neilsen Hoskins. He’s been working on this since the beginning.” She gestured to the other woman. “And Nurse Diaz was here when the first patients were brought in.”

“This is Addison Kilar and Pansy Kemyss, two members of my assessment team.” I gestured to both women. “Why don’t you get us up to speed and show us where we can set up?”

“Very well,” Ms. Bairstow said. “Follow me. We’ll talk as we walk.”

Efficient. I liked that.

“Dr. Hoskins, do you want to explain?”

“Go ahead,” the doctor said. “I’ll speak up if I think you’ve missed anything.”

“Three days ago, four men came into the ER with ulcers on their hands and wrists, as well as irritated, inflamed eyes and swollen lymph nodes. They were admitted for observation. The next morning, three women and two children came in with sore throats, mouth ulcers, tonsillitis, and swollen lymph nodes, as well as a cough. When we discovered that the five new patients were related to the original four, we suspected something transmittable and quarantined them together. Three of the patients began having breathing issues by that night.”

“We did blood work, but we’re still waiting for results for anything more exotic than the basics,” Dr. Hoskins said.

I raised an eyebrow. “After four days?”

“Our lab’s had some issues as of late, and it takes forever to get anything back,” Nurse Diaz put in.

“Last night is when things started to get bad,” Ms. Bairstow said. “A group of six kids were brought in with coughs, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. One of the boys happened to be related to the families in quarantine, which made us believe that all the cases are related. The men with the ulcers have been having issues breathing today.”

“I don’t think they have much time left,” Dr. Hoskins said.

Ms. Bairstow pointed. “We’re going to the top floor.”

As we crowded into the elevator, Pansy took the silence as an opportunity to start asking the questions that had apparently been forefront in her mind.

“Where are we going to put our luggage? I don’t want anything to get lost or stolen. That reminds me, who’s going to be taking our things to the hotel? I want to get a name so if anything’s missing, I’ll know who to talk to. And I need a ground floor room with a handicapped bathroom. I can’t handle those little ones.”

“Pansy.” I didn’t yell, but my voice was sharper than usual. “Let’s focus on the patients rather than our suitcases.”

She gave me the same look she gave whenever I was forced to reprimand her. On the surface, she appeared hurt, but I could see something…meaner underneath. Something I’d begun recognizing a lot more since Addison had joined the CDC.

“This is our floor,” Ms. Bairstow said. She stepped out first and waited for the rest of us to join her before starting down the corridor at a brisk pace. When we neared the end, she stopped and pushed open a door to the right. “You can use this as your lab. We don’t really have equipment, but there’s space in here.”

“We have our own,” I said. “We’ll need all of the charts, x-rays, results of any tests you’ve run.”

“Already ahead of you,” Dr. Hoskins said. “They’re lined up in the order we saw the patients.”

I set down my bag next to one of the chairs and saw Addison do the same. Pansy claimed the couch but didn’t say anything. None of us did because before anyone could, Nurse Diaz collapsed.