Grace had been busy since Thursday. She was there when the medical tents were put up. Since Dr. Gatbunton was not around, she was the one who received the medical team from the local health office and briefed them about the school's health services. Along with other school personnel commissioned to stay behind in the isolation camp, she assisted the medical team in all the groundworks.
Alex also volunteered to stay but the principal rejected his request. Since he was in the teaching force, the principal saw no need for his services. Only qualified personnel were allowed to remain in the campus. It broke his heart. He really wanted to be at Grace's side to make sure she was safe during the crisis but he had no other choice but to comply.
For Grace, it was a heart-warming gesture from Alex. She also liked Alex but in this outbreak, she had to set aside her personal life to focus in giving her outpouring service. Nonetheless, the thought of Alex cheered her up and brought relief despite everything.
She was really exhausted and was about to take a break when she noticed a commotion inside one of the tents. She was certain that Tara and Cecilia were inside, administering the needs of the patient. She saw them coming out of the clinic and entering the tent.
The noise became louder. She hesitated going inside the tent in order to avoid crossing paths with the two. Not that she hated or abhorred them but as much as possible, she did not want to be working with them. They first met last Monday when they assisted in giving mandatory flu shots to the students. That first encounter was not as pleasant as Grace hoped to be. The two nurses were overprotective of their paraphernalia. They did not want her to touch their stuff that they locked themselves in the stock room when they prepared the shots. Grace's participation was only to inject those shots to the students. All throughout, the two were either snobbish or sarcastic to her each time she attempted to strike a conversation with them. Her guts told her that something was weird and fishy about them.
So Grace made a resolve to avoid any encounters with them if they get to work again. And then the isolation camp was finally put up in the campus and to her surprise, the two were also involved. Like before, they were authoritative to their fellow nurses, always giving orders while doing less, as if they were the leader of the medical team. Early that morning, they also brought supplies not listed in the team's inventory. They simply said they were donations from a good doctor who wished to provide extra medicines in case of shortage. To Grace's curiosity, there were no labels on their stocks. But in the chaos as patients arrived in the isolation camp, those supplies were never thoroughly scrutinized.
The chaos became more obvious in the tent and so Grace finally entered the scene. The patient was yelling hysterically at Tara and Cecilia. She was an old woman, probably in her early 70s, and though she looked feeble and scrawny, there was strength in her angry protest. She resisted the medication the two insisted on giving her.
"Are you okay?" Grace asked the woman. "Why are you so mad?"
"They are giving me medicines not in my prescription," she said with strong conviction.
Cecilia and Tara looked at each other. For a brief second, Grace saw panic and hesitation in their face, particularly in Tara who looked drained of any color. She turned white as a ghost.
"Actually, these are not medicines," Cecilia said. She managed to blurt out those words calmly but Grace heard a hint of fear. "These are introvenous vitamins. This way, the old lady can easily boost her immune system and recover from her sickness."
"But it is not written on her records, right?" Grace asked with poise and sarcasm, as if challenging them. "We can't give anything on the patients if it is not in the doctor's orders."
"But this is only vitamins," Tara raised her voice. "It will not do any harm."
"But we just don't do what we want to," Grace insisted. "We have protocols to follow."
"Why are you here anyway?" Tara questioned her angrily. "This is not your station and you should not be meddling with us. That's the protocol."
"But the chaos here can be heard outside. I just can't stand outside while a patient cries. I just can't do anything but listen to your arrogant action."
"Holy crap, so you think we are arrogant?" Tara stepped closer to Grace.
"That's not what I mean," Grace defended herself. "If that thing you want to give her is useful, then tell us what exactly it is."
Tara became suddenly speechless. Cecilia quickly but carelessly thought of a rebuttal.
"This is just a vitamin," she said.
"What exactly?" Grace insisted.
"You do not have to know, girl!" Tara said stubbornly.
Grace was taken aback by her answer. After an oppressive silence, she said softly, "Why not? So even this woman here does not have to know what you are giving her?"
The two became mute, unable to answer her any longer. Just then, Dr. Alvarado entered their tent.
Meanwhile, Estella and Sonny were recording their news report for the evening program when they noticed the disturbance in the tent. It was a busy day for them. That morning, they followed up on the recent deaths and witnessed some sort of miracle in the marketplace. They were still undecided whether to report that miracle since their news chief did not find it substantial. If there would still be time, they could use that as filler and as a human interest story. Nevertheless, Estella still made a new recording for it. Presently, they were recording updates about the isolation camp when they heard the commotion. Estella wrapped up the report and approached Sonny.
"There's some chaos out there," she said.
"Yeah," Sonny replied, "let's check it out. This is the first trouble for the camp."
Estella grinned. "It could just be a simple misunderstanding."
The two went to the tent exactly the same moment that Dr. Alvarado came to the rescue. They did not notice him until he spoke. For a while, the tent became crowded.
"She is right," Dr. Alvarado was saying, referring to Grace. "You intentions may be noble but we can't take the risk. I want to talk with the two of you in the clinic."
Instantly, he left. Tara and Cecilia tailed behind him, angry for being embarrassed. Since they did not really know what happened, Estella talked with Grace and the patient and their statements made her further dislike the two nurses. Since the outbreak, she had several not so pleasant encounters with them.
"I don't understand why they keep insisting giving me the shots," the old woman reasoned.
"You did the right thing," Grace comforted her.
Estella and Sonny left the tent as Grace pacified the woman and put her back to bed again.
"I really feel something bad about the two nurses," Estella confided to Sonny. "They are not acting like concerned nurses."
Sonny chuckled. "Then how should concerned nurses act?"
"Don't get cocky with me. They are just not the typical caring nurses. They act as if this outbreak is nothing to them."
"Don't be too quick to pass judgement. Or is your instinct telling you something else?" Sonny teased her. "Speaking of instinct, didn't you see the boys appearing behind you when we were recording earlier?"
"What boys?"
"There were just the two of them and I am not sure because they quickly evaded. But they looked like the boys we saw in the market."
"The four boys with the bikes?"
"Yes, minus two."
"Where could the other two be?"
Sonny shrugged. Estella sensed something else. Because where the boys are, there would always be trouble.....