Final Notice, page 20
Parker looked closely at the blood tests again with the large red note scrawled across the front page, “Urgent screening for Rabies required.”
“The lab called me this morning about these results, and we need to carry out some additional tests immediately.”
“For what?”
“Rabies. The tests had anomalies that raised some questions. There haven’t been reports of rabies in dogs in southern California for years. Bats occasionally and increasingly in skunks, which makes it possible for transmission to dogs.”
Vince blinked with recognition and said, “Skunks. The night that Miles and I were attacked, the dog smelled like a skunk.”
Parker looked as if he had been diagnosed with rabies. He was white. “Shit! We need to get you into the ER asap to have those tests done.”
Parker whispered. “Vince, if not caught in time, rabies is usually fatal.”
“Do you think it’s too late?”
“I don’t know. Let’s get you to the ER first and let them run the tests. Are you OK to drive over to the Huntington on your own?”
“I think so. But why didn’t they give me a rabies shot that night at the ER?”
“You told me that they had given you an injection!”
“They did, but I don’t know what it was for. I was half out of it at the time. The place was like a war zone. Total chaos. Thinking back, it’s not surprising that they could have missed the call. The doctors and nurses were being pulled left and right attending injured people. Did they just miss it?”
“I don’t know. Let me call Huntington right now and see what they did.”
“I was treated at St. Luke’s, not Huntington.”
Parker buzzed his secretary and asked her to call St. Luke’s ER and find out what treatment Vince had received.
Parker explained, “It’s not an automatic treatment action if it’s a dog bite in what’s considered a safe area, although I would say it should have been considered since the dog that bit you was not available for examination.”
Parker asked if the police had made any progress finding the guys and their dog and Vince asked additional questions about rabies. Parker’s phone buzzed and he picked up, listened, and told Vince that they had only given him an antibiotic shot so he needed to go to Huntington asap.
Parker called ahead to give the ER a heads up and make sure they had the rabies vaccine and he encouraged Vince to think positively. At least they knew what it was, and modern medicine could work miracles; and Vince, looking for any supporting evidence that his optimism was realistic, anchored on the thought that he hadn’t received his Final Notice. When he arrived at the ER, the doctor on duty, Dr. Malindra, explained to him that several tests were necessary to diagnose rabies in humans. They took samples of Vince’s saliva, serum, spinal fluid, and skin biopsies of hair follicles at the nape of the neck. When they were finished, they suggested he go home, rest, and they would call as soon as the samples were analyzed.
Vince drove home thinking about how and what he would tell Trudi. He was strangely composed, for some reason. In part, it might have been the shock of knowing that he might soon die. Another reason might be that he now had an even stronger moral case to find the two guys and dog. He called Qasim using his hands-free phone. Qasim said he would remind everyone again.
When he returned home, Trudi met him at the door, wanting to know what Dr. Parker needed so urgently and what took him so long? His composure started to dissipate but he led her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. Taking a deep breath and sitting next to her, he said, “I may have contracted rabies.”
“From that dog that attacked you and Miles?” It was more of a statement than a question.
He explained that he had gone to Huntington where they took a number of samples for testing, and they would call him. His laptop was on the coffee table and he opened it, saying, “Let’s look up rabies and see what we’re dealing with.” He entered, “rabies in humans” and received a number of hits with very similar information:
Signs and symptoms in humans
The average incubation period (time from infection to time of development of symptoms) in humans is 30-60 days, but it may range from less than 10 days to several years.
They thought back about when he was bitten. “It was one week ago yesterday, so that’s 8 days,” said Vince.
He read on:
The first symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu, including general weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache. These symptoms may last for days.
Trudi asked if he had any of that and Vince confirmed the headaches and the fever that Dr. Parker discovered.
Looking at his laptop again, Vince read:
There may also be discomfort or a prickling or itching sensation at the site of bite, progressing within days to symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, and agitation.
“Well, I’ve had the itching and low levels of agitation.”
As the disease progresses, the person may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia.
“A little insomnia, which has made me sleepy during the day. Grouchy? Or more-grouchy?”
Trudi almost smiled. “A little.”
As they read the last paragraph, “The acute period of the disease typically ends after 2 to 10 days. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive. Once a person begins to exhibit signs of the disease, survival is rare.” Trudi gasped, and tears welled up, causing Vince more pain than the thought of his death. Their grief was almost unbearable. He took her in his arms and said, “Let’s not jump the gun. The tests aren’t back yet.
Still holding Trudi, Vince continued, rather than let a heavy silence weigh down too hard, “When that dog attacked Miles and me, he smelled strongly of skunk, and Dr. Parker mentioned that there had been an increase of rabidity in skunks, so maybe the dog had been bitten by one. Miles has rabies protection, but I don’t.”
“Why don’t they give people rabies shots along with measles, mumps, polio, etc.?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s that easy nor is it usually necessary. The big question is why they didn’t give me something or say something that night?”
For the moment, there was nothing they could do except wait for the call from Huntington, so Vince, who had another headache, went to lie down. Trudi said she’d wake him when the call came.
It came about an hour later and it wasn’t what either of them wanted to hear. Vince had tested positive for rabies. They wanted him back as soon as possible to begin treatments. Trudi had taken the call and she asked if that meant he would be OK? Dr. Malindra hesitated a second and said, “Mrs. Fuller, I will be very honest with you. His chances are not very good, but there is a chance.”
Trudi woke Vince up, passed along the news and said, “Let’s go get you a chance!”
They sped off to Huntington with Trudi at the wheel and checked into the ER, asking to see Dr. Malindra. He came out to get them a few minutes later and brought them into a small examination room. He explained the procedure without repeating his view of Vince’s chances of beating the rabies virus. They would first give him a local shot to numb the hand, and then inject human rabies immune globulin in a number of locations around the wound. In his opinion this should have been done the night of the attack. The dose was commensurate with his weight and if they couldn’t inject the full dose in the wound area, they would inject the balance in his upper arm. They would then inject the first in a series of four shots of rabies vaccine. Additional shots would be administered three days later, seven days later and 14 days later.
Vince mentioned the internet article about the long-shot odds of beating rabies once contracted and Dr. Malindra said, “Let’s get you weighed and dosed up and continue the process, with success in mind. You’re alive so we have an advantage.”
Following the procedure that Dr. Malindra had outlined, Vince truly felt like a pin cushion as they went back out to their car.
***
Mobile, Alabama. The ‘Women for a Better Future for our Children’ (WBFC) group were mostly liberal and mostly Democrats and Independents. They were black, white, and other colors; Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists; straight and gay. They usually met and interacted as a supportive group, focused on their own specific situations, and rarely were they militant. But this was one of those times.
Alabama Senator Alan Gehrhardt was holding a Town Hall meeting to rally support for yet another of his far-right objectives – getting rid of the Alabama Department of Education and allowing the private sector to run it. This idea might have been conceived on account of Alabama’s education ranking of 49th in the nation. Or perhaps it was the result of Senator Gehrhardt’s attending Alabama schools, which would also give him an excuse for authoring Alabama Senate Bill 24.
SB24 repealed Alabama’s statute that required a permit to have a concealed handgun on your person or in a vehicle. The bill allowed everyone who was previously denied a lawful permit to now be able to conceal a handgun … anywhere. That sounds crazy, even for Alabama, and most of the law enforcement leaders in the state and even a few, fellow Republican lawmakers, decried the bill. But SB24 squeaked by and Gehrhardt was on a roll ... bank rolled, no doubt, by the NRA.
The WBFC knew that if Gehrhardt was successful with the abolition of Alabama’s Department of Education, there might not ever be a future, let alone a better one, for their children. So, they decided to attend the Town Hall meeting and make their voices heard.
On the far right extreme of the alt-right universe, a loosely formed group of men was also planning to attend the meeting. These were men who, if not actual members of the KKK, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, racist, bigot, and misogynist camps, were certainly aligned with their beliefs; and they came to support their hero, Senator Gehrhardt.
It was difficult to say why any of these low-functioning morons were interested in Alabama’s education future, as they certainly had not derived any benefit from it; but perhaps it was to exercise their gun-toting rights under SB24.
This event, with its cast of characters, was exactly the type of event that Sheriff Don Blakely had highlighted in his unsuccessful efforts to stop SB24. As he put it, “Alabama law currently prohibits weapons at organized protests. A repeal of the current law by the passing of SB24 will allow handguns to be present at both peaceful and non-peaceful protests. This is especially troublesome and dangerous for protests that espouse or evoke hatred. Although the First Amendment protects protests, these gatherings will now be attended by persons possessing a handgun hidden from the view of law enforcement. SB24 will also allow persons with a past history of violent behavior to do so, as well.” And oh, was he right!
Fifteen members of the WBFC joined the well-attended “Town Hall” meeting at the East Mobile High School gymnasium. They carried with them neatly hand-lettered signs reading “Our Children are our Future,” “Our Children Deserve a Better Future,” and “Our Children’s Education IS NOT FOR SALE!” – pretty moderate slogans by any standards. The WBFC members were not alone in being against the Senator’s plan. In fact, a large majority of the crowd were there to speak out and protest against him, believing that education run by the private sector might make education better for the wealthy, but worse for everyone else.
Gehrhardt began the session by spewing a bunch of “alternative facts,” also known as lies, and the audience called him out with that label. A procession of attendees used a pair of mics to put questions to the Senator, who not so deftly dodged their intent, followed by more chants of “LIES!” A young and obviously passionate young woman, Tiffany Clayton, a member of the WBFC, refused to accept Gehrhardt’s dodge of her question and persisted, demanding an answer. This led to some of the Senator’s supporters shouting her down, which led to shouts from the other side, which led to pushing and punching. Security personnel rushed in to break things up and then, a shot rang out, followed by more, followed by a stampede to exit the gym.
When it was over, three people were wounded – not seriously – from gunshots; eight others required medical attention as a result of the stampede; and one was shot dead. The outcome was not nearly as bad as it could have been, especially as the dead victim, Lance Cartwright, was one of the gun-toting Gehrhardt supporters, who was armed and out on parole. His gun also matched shots hitting two of the three wounded. Neither the murder weapon nor the shooter, whose shot killed Cartwright, was found.
As it turned out, this event was a minor prelude for something much bigger.
***
CHAPTER 23 – SENATOR JOHN MCADAM
Washington, DC. US Senator John McAdam had been in office for almost 30 years and had just been re-elected to another six-year term. The Alabama Senator was a moderate Republican who deeply regretted the direction his party had taken. He was a fiscal conservative but socially liberal. He wasn’t as conservative and inflexible as the Tea Party was, nor was he as liberal as most of the Democrats on the “other side of the aisle.” But he truly cared about the difficulties that many people faced to achieve a comfortable life – a life where hard, honest work was available, where they could get quality healthcare for themselves and their families, send their children to good schools and at least junior college. He wished his party was more tolerant and less bigoted and he also realized that he had become part of the problem.
When first elected, he sincerely believed that he was elected to represent his constituents. He abhorred the thought of taking outside money that would need to be repaid by voting and acting in the interest of his benefactors, instead of the people who elected him. He disliked the pork barrel tactics and was often a lone voice against the addition of questionable addendums to otherwise good bills. The older senators tried talking with him and explaining the way things worked, but he was not easily swayed. McAdam worked hard for his constituents, shuttling between DC and various cities in Alabama to listen to the people.
When his first term was nearing completion, he campaigned on the same platform he had the first time: “I will work hard, day and night, to fight for what you want and what is in your best interests.” He was stung a bit that another GOP candidate had joined the race to challenge him. It wasn’t the competition that bothered him. It was the support for the other candidate from the Republican Party and the significant funding from the steel industry and others. In addition, the word in the Senate was that McAdam was not a team player. He won his seat again, although by a slim margin, and it was a far more pragmatic John McAdam that began a new term.
Still, the GOP’s guiding principles at the time were not impossible to live with. Ronald Reagan was the first President he served under, followed by George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The Reagan and H.W. Bush years were his best and even when Bill Clinton was in office, Congress was still doing the job they were elected to do - move the country forward through good legislation, healthy and rigorous debate, and compromises that made sense for everyone; at least in Clinton’s first term.
His next two elections were easier, with the first being unopposed and the second election contested by a younger candidate, who had the passion to serve and was sincere in his efforts. Accepting money from donors who would want to call in the debt one day had become normal, as had turning a somewhat blind eye toward many of the pork addendums, unless they were completely out of line.
But it was during the George W. Bush years that it all changed. McAdam could see that the new President was being manipulated by a few people who brought in a completely unethical – even by congressional standards – approach. Bald-face lying became OK and the “kinder and gentler” America that W’s dad espoused rapidly began to disappear, as the Tea Party wing gained control. His big regret, however, was that he had stopped fighting. He watched many old guard Republicans and Democrats being swept away by the far right, thanks to Citizens United and/or the NRA’s money. So, he played it safe.
Now, however, things were getting completely out of hand. Freedoms were not just being squeezed; they were being stripped. He felt all alone on the Hill, perhaps because the others were not speaking out either, or perhaps because he really was out of step with the GOP.
When Alabama State Senator Alan Gehrhardt introduced and shepherded through AL SB24, he was enraged and embarrassed that his state could pass such an irresponsible bill. It was one thing to have a fringe bill introduced, but when it passed, that was an indictment against everyone in the party-in-power, even at the US Senate level. When he brought it up with his fellow US Senators, they dismissed it on the basis that it was a State bill, and those guys at the State level were a flakey group. The minor leagues. But he wasn’t buying it.
