A SURPRISING DISCOVERY

The next day, I had the day off from Art School, and Sarah had taken the day off, so I went to the infirmary early. Mia was perched on a plastic chair, her crayons spread out in front of her like the vibrant colours of a rainbow. She looked up at me and smiled when I said hi, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“What are you doing over there?” I asked, gesturing to her colouring.

“I’m colouring a picture for Grandma Agatha,” Mia said, holding up her page proudly. “I want to make her smile.”

“That’s so kind and thoughtful of you,” I replied, feeling a warmth grow in my chest at her sweet gesture. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Do you want to see?” Mia asked, hopping off her chair and coming over to show me.

“Of course,” I said, bending down to take a look.

Her picture was a bright and colourful display of her imagination, with rainbows arching over rolling hills and unicorns grazing in lush grasslands. “It’s beautiful,” I said, feeling a sense of admiration for the innocence and creativity in her artwork.

“Really?” Mia asked, her eyes sparkling with delight.

“Really,” I replied, giving her a hug. “You have a real talent for art.”

Mia beamed at the compliment and went back to her seat to continue colouring. I made my way to the infirmary and was surprised to see Adam with Dr. Volkov. My heart sank at the sight of him—the same person whom I had just confessed my feelings for—and my cheeks flushed as our eyes met briefly before looking away again.

I cautiously stepped inside the room, my gaze shifting between Adam and Dr. Volkov. Dr. Volkov gave a brief nod in greeting, but Adam seemed to be avoiding my gaze. I took a deep breath and smiled, trying to appear friendly. “Good morning, Adam and Dr Volkov,” I say before taking a few steps forward. “Hi Alivia,” Adam said quietly, finally looking up at me.

His voice was awkward and tense, and I could sense the tension in the air. He was trying to be friendly but clearly struggling with it.

I decided to focus on the task at hand and asked, “What can I do to help today?”

Dr. Volkov gestured toward a pile of supplies in the corner of the room. “We could use your help with organizing the supplies,” he replied before turning to Adam. “And Adam is here to assist as well.”

“Okay, I’d be happy to help,” I said with forced cheerfulness as we set to work in uncomfortable silence. As I sorted through boxes of medical supplies, Adam cleared his throat nervously, clearly wanting to say something.

“Alivia, I just wanted to apologize for last night…I was wrong, and I’m really sorry for hurting you.” He started hesitantly. Even though his back was turned toward Dr. Volkov, it was obvious that he was listening attentively while checking the patients.

A mix of emotions swirled inside me but I kept my voice calm when I said, “It’s okay, Adam. I understand that it was a difficult situation for both of us.”

He looked surprised at my response and continued, “I just want you to know that I respect and value your friendship. I don’t want to lose that over this misunderstanding.”

“I value our friendship too, Adam,” I said as my lips curved into a warm smile. “Let’s move forward and focus on our work here.” He nodded slowly before pulling out another box of supplies from a nearby shelf.

Dr. Volkov seemed relieved at our resolution and continued working while Adam and I found our footing again as we worked together in comfortable silence.

As Dr. Volkov exited the building, he stopped in his tracks when he spotted Mia, her small arms covered in stitches. He gestured for me and Adam to follow him outside so Mia could not hear. His gaze filled with concern, he asked, “What happened to that little girl? How did she get those stitches?”

I swallowed hard; eyes downcast as I recalled what she had endured. “Her father was infected with the virus, and he attacked her. I have no idea how she survived. She was in really bad shape when I treated her.”

Dr. Volkov’s forehead creased into a frown. “Was she bitten?” I nodded silently and he continued, “If she was bitten then how didn’t she get infected?” His eyes widened in surprise as we all realized there may be more to this virus that we don’t know yet.

“I agree it is quite strange,” I murmured in response. Dr. Volkov thoughtfully scratched his chin before speaking again “Can you bring the documents of the procedures you followed when Mia was brought in; I wanted to study them and see what you did differently” and I agreed eagerly.

This could be a breakthrough in our understanding of the virus, and I felt a spark of excitement at the prospect of uncovering new information. I quickly retrieved the documents and brought them to Dr. Volkov. We returned inside the inn and took a seat at one of the tables.

Dr Volkov opened the documents and read through them, he nodded in approval and occasionally made notes in the margins. After a few minutes, he looked up at me and said, “You did everything by the book, Alivia. I need to do a blood test to check what’s going on.” Adam sat next us listening intently.

“Adam, I need you to start preparing the equipment while Alivia and I go speak to Mia, she treated her before so she might trust her” Adam began his work immediately and I nodded as I followed Dr. Volkov

We both walked over to Mia who was perched in Agatha’s arms reading a book. Dr. Volkov approached Mia and smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. Dr. Volkov cleared his throat, trying to catch her attention. When Mia looked up at him, he smiled warmly and said, “Hello Mia, I’m Dr. Volkov.” He offered his hand to her.