Natalie sighs and kisses his cheek. “What was that for?”
“For putting him in his place. You should know what went on last night with him and Summer.” She tells him what Hayden told her. “I don’t like him, even if he makes delicious chocolates. I would like you to keep him away from my girls.” Natalie implores.
“That’s a strong statement for you. Summer is a beautiful young woman, Natalie. Just look at her. She radiates with beauty, and that is a magnet to men. At some point she will need to find a husband, but not until she glows with love the way you do. I will keep him away,” he assures her.
Standing in the sunshine Summer laughs with the children as they talk excitedly about the mermaids. She is relieved to see her parents alone. Hopefully, the doctor will be too busy to bother with her.
“I do have some work to do, Natalie. Are you going to return to our cabin or keep the children here?”
“I think we shall stay and enjoy the sunshine. You could use the quiet while you are working.”
“Thank you, but don't stay too long. I don't want you getting sunburned.” He leaves, and Summer decides to join him.
Back in their cabin, they get to work on the new protocol. These two journals are new black leather notebooks. They are tied with a matching leather band and kept in a locked box. Larger than the others, they are easily recognized.
Three hours later, Dr. Denning and Summer decide to take a break and join Natalie with the children for afternoon tea.
Chapter 6
Dr. Jung Rudolph gathers his bag from his small cabin and takes out the medium wooden box. Using a small brass key, he unlocks the box and lifts the top. Inside on a bed of velvet are two syringes. One is filled with the blood on an infected patient. The other is the venom from the pox of a different infected patient.
Smallpox in its natural state is a natural born killer. It attacks the body swiftly and without mercy. The study of pathology is his passion. The first time he realized the power in those tiny droplets he was stupefied. Injected in small amounts into a patient, he believed the person would become immune.
When he presented his ideas to the medical community, he was laughed at and ridiculed. Some even considered him a criminal for testing his theories on live patients. While some of the volunteers died, most merely contracted mild cases of the disease. His last case was an eight-year-old orphaned boy. Inconveniently the subject died three days into the trial. Jung believed the dosage was off, but he was not able to test that theory because he had been forced to change his name and disappear again after being pursued for murder.
With his new identity, he found work on board different ships. When he learned that Dr. Denning was traveling on the S.S. Kharon, he was determined to meet him. He had been lucky enough to attend Dr. Denning’s medical conference regarding Protocol One. The doctor scheduled to work refused to trade posts with him, unfortunately for him, Jung would not take no for an answer. With the information from those journals, he could change his future.
Quickly he closes the lid and slips the wooden case into his pocket. This evening his planning will all come to fruition, and if all works well, he will alter the course of medicine. Imagine a ship infected with the worst strain of smallpox ever seen and the doctor who managed to stop the spread? He would be finally respected in the medical community along with all of the perks and notoriety that goes with it.
This ship is a floating test lab. He will infect one patient with the blood and one with the pus. Then he would observe them and see how it unfolds. When he had presented his theory earlier of testing on live patients, in a controlled environment, Dr. Denning had reacted with shock.
“Jung, we are not scientists. Our job is to protect the sick, not endanger their lives.” Jung was disappointed but expected such a response. Exactly as the rest of the medical community. It is always looked down upon to test live patients. They observe, not act, and he was tired of watching. Dr. Denning understood the frustration but would not capitalize on this opportunity.
Tea with the good doctor was enlightening. He could not believe what the old man shared with him. He was almost complete with Protocol Two. Once at Harvard, Dr. Denning was going to present his ideas and studies to the board and potentially at the next medical conference. Jung’s goals became clear at that moment. This is why he was here. He will infect the patients and steal the journals before they are released to the public.
With Dr. Denning’s protocol in his hands, he would make sure to stop the spread of this disease on board. A few hundred lives lost could save potentially tens of thousands. Time to find patient X and he knows just who it will be. The low-class family, they had dinner with last night. After the discussion at the table the previous evening, he is positive they will jump at the chance for free inoculations.
‘Time to go to work.’ Jung walks with purpose down to the lower levels. He begins to visit patients, handing out small candies to the children and building trust amongst the people. His offer of free
