“You won’t be sorry you vaccinated them,” Dr. Rudolph says and bows as they walk off.
Mr. Sanders and his wife work their way through the crowd of people, watching him closely. The children run and play while they socialize.
‘Patience Jung, let them come to you,’ he reminds himself. He cleans his table and talks to an older couple who are dealing with seasickness. They laugh, and when a man clears his voice, Jung turns and smiles.
“Mr. Sanders, it is nice to see you again. What can I do for you?”
“I understand from some of our friends that you are offering free vaccinations?”
“Indeed, but please tell me what changed your mind?” He asks as he readies his supplies and places the wooden box on the table.
“Miss Denning did. We were able to discuss it in more detail with her, and she was able to explain it to us. She swears it is safe and we would like to be vaccinated if possible.”
“Absolutely. Please, bring your whole family over.” Jung smiles and places the candies on the table to ensure the children see it first. When the family of four arrives, he is ecstatic. They do not know that he has chosen them, but history will remember them before he is through.
The Mother and Father are the first to get vaccinated. He offers them each candy and laughs with them when they relax with him. The little girl is next. She cries and holds her mother's hand, but soon it is over, and she is happily munching on her candy.
“Alright, Danny, for you I have a special candy. Where is it?” He pats his pocket and finally pulls out a lollipop with swirls of bright crimson, white and green. It is wrapped and tied with a bow. Danny’s eyes grow huge in his small face.
“Oh,” Danny whispers, he can almost taste the sugary sweetness. His mother helps to unwrap it.
“Thank you, Dr. Rudolph.” He is licking on the treat and oblivious to anything except the explosion of flavors.
Jung opens the wooden case under the table to ensure he does not scare him off. When he is ready, he nods at the mother, and she lifts his sleeve. It burns more than the other shots, and Danny cries, but he holds on tight to his lollipop, and soon the burning subsides. Jung encourages them to return to their room and rest. Apply a cold compress for any swelling and contact him at once if they notice any side effects. He quickly packs up and returns to his room to rest and plan.
Now to get Dr. Denning and the Sanders family together. His candy will do the rest.
That night in the dining hall the Captain makes his rounds and invites everyone to a family get together in the dance hall.
“The ship is not to capacity, and that presents a unique opportunity to socialize. We have a band and a dance floor. No expense was spared in the design, and I believe it will be a memorable evening. Tomorrow evening, six sharp.”
Excitement flutters through the ship, who would turn down a chance to dance? Summer laughs at the girls as they talk about the dresses they will wear.
“Dr. Denning, I hope to see your family tomorrow evening at the dance?” Jung asks when he finds them on the upper deck.
“Of course, I never pass up a chance to dance with my beautiful wife.” Natalie blushes and they all laugh. Summer stays quiet, and no one is shocked when the captain joins them and shakes Jung's hand.
“Excellent idea, Jung. This should be quite the evening.” Jung looks embarrassed as he looks at Summer.
“What a lovely idea, Dr. Rudolph and to include all the passengers. What made you think of it?” Natalie inquiries.
“Miss Denning made a good point at dinner, and I felt as though maybe I should make more of an effort to get to know people. What better way than a dance?” Jung asks.
“Well done, Jung,” her father says, glancing at his daughter.
Summer bites her tongue offering a halfhearted smile and excuses herself to join some of the single ladies for a stroll. Her heart tells her that something is not right about this, people do not change their minds overnight! A rat is still a rat, no matter how you dress it.
Chapter 7
Day Three
The day passes much as the first one did. Breakfast in the dining hall before they return to the cabin to work.
“Alright, Summer, this is the final draft of Protocol Two. I will call out the details, you make sure to check them off and so on. Let’s begin.”
Summer watches as her father paces the room with his hands clasped behind his back, head down in deep thought.
“We know from observing the infected patients how the disease proceeds. We also know it is spread from the infected persons, through contact. Physical contact with the infected, and now I believe it spreads from linens, clothing, and toiletries. A sterile environment is a must, to stop the spread. What we cannot prove, as of yet, is that if it is transmitted through the air as well.”
Summer stops reading the notes and looks up, “You're saying it’s airborne? Would that not make it unstoppable?”
“Not at all, what I am saying is the isolation of
