sir. That means the organism infecting your patient is growing so much more rapidly than the Corynebacterium diphtheria that it’s covering over that bacteria. And whatever this other organism is, it’s resistant to every antibiotic in our arsenal.”
***
David Madison awoke from a fitful doze when he heard the door of his room open. Despite good eyesight, he couldn’t identify the person who entered. He’d complained to Dr. Pearson about the face shield, mask, and gown all his visitors had to wear, but until now, using height and mannerisms, he’d generally been able to identify the few people cleared to enter his room: two nurses, one orderly, and his chief of security, Jerry Lang. This new visitor was taller and thinner than Lang, and his walk was different from Dr. Pearson’s. Madison didn’t recognize him, and he had a bad feeling about it.
He felt silly challenging the person like a sentry on post, but then again, he’d learned in his years in the White House to have a high index of suspicion in some situations. This one qualified. Madison cleared his throat and said, “Who are you?”
The intruder—because that’s what Madison was beginning to think of this person as—didn’t respond, but continued his slow advance across the room. When he was six feet from the foot of the bed, his hand disappeared for a moment beneath the hem of the yellow isolation gown he wore.
“What are you doing?” Madison asked. He was concerned not only by the visitor’s failure to respond to his question, but by the raspy tone he detected in his own voice. Pearson had warned him to watch for difficulty breathing. Was what he was experiencing now due to fright or to a progression of his disease?
The man’s hand emerged holding a small pistol with a long, thick barrel. Still without a word, he pointed it at Madison, who thought he could see the man’s finger tighten on the trigger.
It was probably useless to make a grab at the weapon, but Madison determined to try. He gathered himself for the effort. His left hand was encumbered just enough by the IV in his vein that Madison leaned a bit to the left as he tried to sit up. Then gunfire shattered the relative hush in the hospital room.
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