'Fifty-three,' Pitt said. He held up a sheet of paper where he'd kept a tally.
'Jesus H. Christ,' Sheila said. For a moment she stared off down the hall with unseeing eyes and chewed the inside of her cheek while she considered the options. Looking back at Pitt she said: ''Come with me and bring that sheet of paper!'
Pitt struggled to catch up with Sheila who was moving as if on a power walk. 'Where are we going?' Pitt asked as they entered the hospital proper.
'The president's office,' Sheila said without elaboration.
Pitt squeezed onto the elevator with Dr. Miller. He tried to read her face but couldn't. He didn't have any idea why he was being taken to the administration. He worried it was for disciplinary purposes.
'I'd like to see Dr. Halprin immediately,' Sheila said to the head administrative secretary. Her name was Mrs. Kapland.
'Dr. Halprin is tied up at present,' Mrs. Kapland said with a friendly smile. 'But I'll let him know you are here. Meanwhile can I get you coffee or perhaps a soft drink?'
'Tell him it's urgent,' Sheila said.
They were kept waiting for twenty minutes after which the secretary escorted them into the administrator's office. Both Sheila and Pitt could tell that the man was not feeling well. He was pale and coughing almost continuously.
After Sheila and Pitt had taken chairs, Sheila concisely summarized what Pitt had told her and suggested that the hospital take appropriate action.
'Hold on,' Dr. Halprin said between coughs. 'Fifty cases of flu during flu season is not a reason to scare the community. Hell, I got the bug myself, and it isn't so bad, although if I had the choice, I suppose I'd be home in bed.'
'That's fifty-plus cases at this hospital alone,' Sheila said.
'Yes, but we are the major hospital in the community,' Halprin said. 'We see the most of everything.'
'I've had two deaths of previously well-controlled diabetics who've possibly died of this illness,' Sheila said.
'Influenza can do that,' Dr. Halprin commented. 'Unfortunately we all know it can be a nasty illness for the aged and the infirm.'
'Mr. Henderson knows of two people who've had the illness and who have demonstrated personality changes as an aftermath. One of those people is his best friend.'
'Marked personality change?' Halprin asked.
'Not marked,' Pitt admitted. 'But definite.'
'Give me an example,' Dr. Halprin asked while he blew his nose loudly.
Pitt related Beau's sudden carefree attitude and the fact that he'd skipped a whole day of classes to go to museums and the zoo.
Dr. Halprin lowered his tissue and eyed Pitt. He had to smile, 'Excuse me, but that hardly sounds earth- shaking.'
'You'd have to know Beau to realize how surprising it is,' Pitt said.
'Well, we've had some experience with this illness right here in this office,' Dr. Halprin said. 'Not only do I have it today but both of my secretaries had it yesterday.' He bent over and pressed his intercom button. He asked both secretaries to come into his office.
Mrs. Kapland appeared immediately and was followed by a younger woman. Her name was Nancy Casado.
'Dr. Miller is concerned about this flu bug that's going around,' Dr. Halprin said. 'Perhaps you two could set her mind at ease.'
The two women looked at each other, unsure of who should speak. As the more senior employee Mrs. Kapland started.
'It came on sudden, and I felt terrible,' she said. 'But four or five hours later I was on the mend. Now I feel wonderful. Better than I have in months.'
'It was pretty much the same for me,' Nancy Casado said. 'It started with a cough and sore throat. I'm sure I had a fever although I never took my temperature so I don't know how high it went.'
'Do either of you think the other's personality has changed since your recovery?'' Dr. Halprin asked.
Both women giggled and covered their mouths with their hands. They looked at each other conspiratorially.
'What's so funny?' Dr. Halprin asked.
'It's just a private joke,' Mrs. Kapland said. 'But to answer your question, neither of us feel our personalities have changed. Do you think so, Dr. Halprin?'
'Me?' Dr. Halprin questioned. 'I don't think I have time to notice such things, but no, I don't think either one of you has changed.'
'Do you know others who have been ill?' Sheila asked the women.
'Many,' they said in unison.
'Have you noticed a change in anyone's personality?' Sheila asked.
'Not me,' Mrs. Kapland said.
'Nor I,' Nancy Casado said.
Dr. Halprin spread his hands out, palm up. 'I don't think we have a problem here,' he said. 'But thanks for coming over.' He smiled.
'Well, it's your call,' Sheila said. She stood up.
Pitt did the same, and he nodded to the president and the secretaries. As his eyes met Nancy Casado's, he noticed that she was looking at him in a curiously provocative way. Her lips were slightly parted and the tip of her tongue played within the shadows. As soon as she could see he was looking at her, she let her eyes roam up and down his body.
Pitt quickly turned and followed Dr. Miller out of the president's office. He felt uncomfortable. All at once he had an appreciation of what Cassy had been trying to tell him that morning after their visit to the room Beau had occupied in the student overnight ward.
Balancing her books, purse, and some take-out Chinese food, Cassy managed to get her key in the door and the door open. Entering, she kicked the door closed.
'Beau, are you home yet?' she called as she unburdened herself on the small table next to the door.
A deep, threatening growl made the hairs on the back of Cassy's neck stand straight up. The growl had been very close. In fact it sounded as if it had been right behind her. Slowly she raised her eyes to the decorative mirror above the entrance table. Just to the left of her image was the image of a huge light-brown bull mastiff with its enormous canines bared.
Ever so slowly so as not to upset the already perturbed animal, Cassy rotated to face it. Its eyes were like black marbles. It was a fearsome creature that stood taller than her waist.
Beau, munching an apple, appeared in the kitchen doorway. 'Whoa, King! It's okay. This is Cassy.'
The dog stopped growling and turned toward Beau and cocked his head to the side.
'It's Cassy,' Beau repeated. 'She lives here too.'
Beau pushed off the doorjamb, gave King a pat and told him 'good boy' before giving Cassy a solid kiss on the lips. 'Welcome, lover,' Beau said breezily. 'We've been missing you. Where have you been?'
Beau moved over to the couch and draped himself over the arm.
Cassy hadn't moved a muscle. Nor had the dog except for his brief look at Beau. He wasn't growling any longer, but he'd continued to fix her with his baleful stare.
'What do you mean, where have I been?' Cassy asked. 'You were supposed to pick me up. I waited for half an hour.'
'Oh yeah,' Beau said. 'Sorry about that. I had an important meeting and there was no way to get in touch with you. You told me yourself you could get a ride easy enough.'
'Yes, when it's planned,' Cassy said. 'By the time I realized you weren't coming, everyone I knew had left. I had to call a cab.'
'Jeez!' Beau said. 'I'm sorry. Really I am. There's just a lot going on all the sudden. How about I take you out to dinner tonight to your favorite place, the Bistro?'
