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The suspected terrorist was seizing in his chair before he collapsed onto the concrete, blood flowing freely from his nose. TK didn’t waste any time rushing to his side, putting his gloved fingers across the fallen man’s carotid to check for a pulse. It was rapid and accompanied by shortness of breath.
“Everybody back!” TK shouted, trying to get the crowd of onlookers to disperse. If this guy was exposed to the same toxin that was in the envelope it was already a major biohazard.
He radioed into his captain. “They found the guy who delivered the mail, the FBI were grilling him, and then he just collapsed.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line that made his stomach twist.
“Okay, TK, I want you to get away from him. Get everyone away until we know what the cause is.” Tommy’s voice sounded distant as it echoed through his radio.
“Copy.”
The paramedic began pulling down the plastic dividers to separate the tent from the outside world, directing Mateo to escort everyone away. His conscience wouldn’t let him abandon the man. Maybe it was because he was so young, maybe because he had looked so scared before he passed out, but TK couldn’t leave him to die.
“Mateo, toss me my kit!”
The firefighter obliged with a look of concern and confusion on his face. “What are you doing, man? Didn’t Captain Vega say get out of there?”
TK caught the medical bag and sealed the plastic lining behind him, closing off the world from the two of them.
“If I don’t help him, he could die.”
“And if you do help him, you could die! Or he could set off another terrorist attack.” Mateo was fighting back, running into the tent and dragging TK out himself, but Judd held him back.
“Innocent until proven guilty. I’m not going to let him die just because he might be a terrorist.” TK looked up to see Judd standing a few feet away, separated by a wall of plastic.
“You sure you know what you’re doing, son?”
TK nodded before turning his attention back to the fallen man. It was too late anyway; he had already breathed in whatever might be attached to the patient the moment he took his pulse. There was nothing to do but try and save both of them.
The man was burning up under him, his limbs vibrating, and his heart showing no sign of slowing down. TK slipped the portable oxygen mask over his face as he checked the responses of his pupils. Whether it was the toxin or the fall from the chair, the delivery boy was out cold.
TK’s heart started to race, and he prayed that it was just anxiety and not his own body coming down with symptoms. He stole a glance behind him and saw Judd talking into his radio. TK’s heart sank as he realized he was probably telling his father what was going on.
A spike of guilt ran through him. He should have been the one to tell his Dad and Tommy that he was treating the biohazard patient. He wasn’t in the mood for a lecture; he just wanted to save the guy. TK clenched his teeth together in focus as he inserted an IV for fluids. The next step would be antibiotics, which, of course, they didn’t have on the rig. Not in the kinds of amounts he needed.
“TK- how are we doing?” Judd called from a half-dozen feet away.
“He seems to be stabilizing. Do they have any idea what the substance was? I need to know before I make any further treatment.”
Judd’s lack of response was all the answer TK needed.
“It’s positive for Anthrax.”
TK could feel the heat tearing through his skin; he was coming down with a fever. He tried to calm his racing heart by focusing on the man in front of him, who was regaining consciousness but still overall in bad shape.
As soon as they got the confirmation of the virus, a team was dispatched to bring the proper treatments to them, reducing the risk of spreading the virus on transfer.
He was coming down with the symptoms faster than he would have imagined, but to be fair, he never had a biological attack like this before.
“You still with me, kid?” Judd asked, never lifting his gaze from the infected paramedic. “Just a few more minutes.”
TK nodded. He knew that help was on the way. He just prayed that it would arrive in time.
***
“That was some stunt you pulled.”
TK came to with his father hovering obnoxiously a few inches from his face.
“It's what you would have done.”
Owen sighed, leaning back into his chair. “That still doesn't mean it wasn't stupid.”
TK smiled, the antibiotics making him feel like a new person. He knew that there was a part of his dad that was proud of him, and if he had to make the same choice again, he knew he would.
He couldn't help it if he was a self-sacrificial idiot. He was a Strand.