Twenty people tested their weight on their own legs. A few faltered. They leaned on each other as one of them looked at the three people in the room with them. He didn't know Dobin or Cere so he addressed the one he did.
"Thank you for your help. We're healed enough to make it to our rooms. We'll be able to return to our duties in a few days, but what did you mean by the family is dying?"
Dobin explained who he was and everything he knew about the current situation. Cere went on to explain as much as they needed to know about the poison.
"So, the family is doomed… What happens to us?" he asked sadly.
Dobin scoffed, "don't count my sister and Kyle out just yet. Besides, he and Tanisha are healthy, and they will both have families. The Abel family will still go on."
The man nodded and headed toward the door with a family member on his shoulder. Ariadne watched them all go then walked with Cere and Dobin to the dining hall. She volunteered for a shift in the middle of the night then went to bed.
Dobin's resolve steeled even more seeing the sick. "Mom, they need IVs don't they. Giving them enough liquid will be impossible if they keep this up."
Cere nodded, "exactly. This is going to be an exhausting time. I'll be here as much as I can."
Dobin frowned, "If you can give me a list of supplies, I'll go buy them."
"You?" Cere asked.
He nodded, "as I said, Gerald gave me everything I needed to do his job until he's back on his feet. Of course there will be a learning curve… I don't know all the businesses and such. In fact, I have no business knowledge at all…"
Cere thought for a second. "We have some important projects going on at home. I think the school is going to have to end quicker for you all. Do you think you could pass your exams if you took them tomorrow?"
It was Dobin's turn to think. "I'm not as smart as my sister… I think I can. I'm sure she could. Kyle as well."
Cere nodded, "let's get those supplies so I can get IVs in all these people. I want you in bed after that. We can talk as a family and get the plans arranged. I'll need to talk to my husband. I think it's best if I have my own lab here to study this thing. I also want to observe the patients to get an idea of what may work. I think Paul needs to assist his father."
She sighed thinking of the mess Barica created.
They had Ariadne help them find Gerald's office. The desk was huge and there were a lot of things on his desk, yet it wasn't busy.
Dobin sat down and logged in under his profile. He was glad there were no biometric scans. He found the marketplace application pretty quickly and searched for everything they needed. The list added up fast.
He thought about quantity and realized if this took years, they would spend a lot on this.
Cere looked the order over and increased the amounts on a few things. Then she hit the buttons for auto-order on a monthly basis.
"We need to be ready to be in this for the long haul," she paced her hand on Dobin's shoulder. "Go rest, son. We'll talk in the morning."
Dobin looked at his mother, "I don't have a room here…"
Ariadne heard him and saw the intense fatigue in his face, "there's an empty room next to mine I can put you in. It's in the servants quarters below and I'm sure Miss Tanisha will move you tomorrow, but you'll at least be able to sleep tonight, if you'd like."
Dobin simply nodded and followed her. Before long, he was passed out, fully dressed, on a bed in a house that had more secrets than his sister ever had. He'd think about that tomorrow.
Cere started all the patients on an IV drop and set them all up with a liquid diet for nutrients. She didn't want to treat their discomfort just yet. She needed to understand exactly what they were experiencing.
Monitoring systems were set up for all of them. They were linked to a main computer so she could watch all their vitals at once. What she really needed was to isolate the poison. The question she had yet to figure out was how.
She went back to Gerald's office. Dobin had been too tired and forgot to log off. She placed another order to establish a lab. She didn't care about the price tag. She paid with her own card. Now she just needed Tanisha to figure out which room she could have.
Watching the numbers didn't yield much. Waiting for morning was excruciating.
In the morning, it was Cere who was yawning but she called Paul and her husband so they could be in on the conversation. Once they understood the full weight of the issue, Paul agreed to take his finals as did Dobin.
Dobin refused to return to school. "I'll take my tests here or not at all. I promised Gerald I'd handle things. I will do my best, but I can't if I'm not here."
Cere nodded slowly, "this may be a hard sell but given the situation, I think it might work. I need everyone to understand this could take a very long time to save these people. If it's even possible. I need to examine the data."
Lana listened thoughtfully, "I still have things to accomplish at school. I'm not ready to leave yet. However, if I'm needed, I need to be contacted immediately."
Kyle added, "I'm wherever she is."
Cere chuckled softly, "I expected that. Honestly, I think Lana's continued work on here fears at school would be beneficial. Her research on plants would be even more beneficial."
Lana nodded while chewing on her bottom lip. "I think communication will be required between us. Kyle's father needs to be notified. We need free access to any related files at the company and he needs to stay there until the crisis is averted."
"I don't think he's going to like that…." Cere responded.
"He'll accept the order or he will step down," Kyle said firmly.
Cere nodded as chills ran down her back om response to Kyle's tone.
"If you don't want anyone coming and going, then I'll need my husband to send me some things," she said.
Lana and Kyle nodded at the same time.
"Dobin's things are either here or in his room on my planet. If he needs anything new, he can buy it. He has enough that he should be able to. As for coming and going, that is strictly Kyle and I for now. If you need to leave, mom, I'll ask that you coordinate with us. We don't know if there are any more tricks of Barica's out there."
Cere scoffed, "she ran a whole research company. She devised something this diabolical with no one knowing. I agree caution is the word of the day."
"Tanisha, is there a room Dobin can use? I'd like to leave his stuff and get back to school," Lana said. "I'm sure our friends are worried sick."
Tanisha nodded, "there are a few options. Do you want him near you or near the office?"
"Office!" Lana and Kyle both said at the same time. Lana chuckled.
Dobin smiled, "near the office is perfect."