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Tuesday - September 14

Turning the corner, Ruth arrives at the fish market. Asking the clerk for the freshest halibut he has, he picks out one that he had received one hour ago. While the cost is high, Ruth agrees to pay the price of thirty dollars for such a delicacy. The clerk wraps the fish in a brown bag, and hands it to Ruth with many thanks. Ruth leaves the fish market to begin the one hour walk to Claire's.

Walking briskly, and enjoying the warmth of the Sun on her face, Ruth arrives at Claire's apartment. As she ascends the stairs, she notices a black car at the end of the corner stopped, letting out a passenger. With her eyes squinted, due to the Sun blinding her, Ruth can't make out who it is. The passenger walks towards Ruth. After a few seconds, Ruth notices who it is; it's Claire. Ruth watches the black sedan turn the corner and disappears.

Descending the stairs, Ruth walks to meet Claire. Claire, surprised to see Aunt Ruth says, "Aunt Ruth, why are you here?"

Aunt Ruth sees that something isn't right. She takes Claire's hand and reminds her about dinner and staying for a while.

Claire looks at Aunt Ruth and tries to hold back tears, but begins sobbing on Aunt Ruth's shoulder.

Aunt Ruth caresses Claire, quietly whispering in her ear, "Come, my dear. Let's get in where it's warmer. Shall we?"

Claire nods her head, and tightly snug's herself deeply into Aunt Ruth's arms, as both women climb the stairs.

Continuing to lay her head in Aunt Ruth's arms, Claire stops, and looks at Aunt Ruth wanting to tell her what happened and who she saw today. Heeding her father's warning, Claire smiles, and says, "I love you, Aunt Ruth. Thank you for being here with me."

Aunt Ruth caresses Claire's arm tighter, saying, "I love you too, Claire. I love you, too."

Together, both women enter the apartment.

___________________________________

The CDC is in total chaos. The order for lockdown was given before noon, and the employees ordered to stay have been calling their loved ones, telling them of the emergency, which is still unknown to many.

Ted and Monica have been retrieving the cancelled researches, and I need to call Claire right away. As I head back to my office, I hear someone calling my name. I turn around and see the man I saw the other day standing in the hallway. Wanting to know who he is, I begin to approach him, but I start to have an awkward feeling. So far, the whole week has been awkward, but I feel unsettled and scared as I find myself nearing him. When I'm about five feet away from him, he turns around and vanishes through the door.

"Wait!" I yell, as I start to chase after him. "Wait!"

When I near the front door, an armed guard blocks my way, and says, "Sorry, Dr. Bennett. You're in lockdown. You can't leave the premises."

I give the guard a slight nod, and turn around and head back to my office.

Instead of taking the elevator to the third floor, I decide to take the stairs. I think about the people who have died from such a horrendous death, which almost seems biblical. I'm also thinking that I must go to Julie to get permission to reopen my dad's files. Though I'm deeply concerned about this so-called virus, my thoughts are somewhere else. Claire and our baby are all I can think about. Are they safe? Is Aunt Ruth with Claire? Will this virus get to them? The more questions I ask myself, the more I become worried.

Unknowingly, I arrive at my office door. When I enter, my office phone is ringing. The call is from the outside. I rush to it, hoping that it's Claire. I snatch the phone off of its receiver, and gasping for breath, I manage to say, "This is Dr. Bennett."