The Pharmacist and The Prince

Isolation Centre

isolation centre /aɪsəˈleɪʃn sɛntə/  :  an isolation centre is a separate centre used to isolate patients suffering from infectious diseases.

The apothecary, despite its name, was a full sized manor. It had eleven rooms. One for record keeping, one for housing the Chief Healer, one for research, one for dining and the rest for consulting and treating patients. All of them were large with the record keeping room the largest of them all.  

Records of all the patients that had ever visited the apothecary since its commissioning were kept there. The room was hall-like, with pillars of stone rising up to the ceiling. 

Between the pillars were shelves and shelves of records piled up against the walls of the room yet the room maintained a nice orderliness and cleanliness to it.

There was a long table in the middle of the room where the records could be placed and examined without taking them out. It was on this table that Ebony sat examining the record of the first mortality of the plague.

Looking at the paper document in front of her, Ebony wished silently that they were a bit less informative. A drawing of the man, akin to a passport photograph, was attached to one corner of his medical chart. The picture showed a smiling bearded man who looked very content with life. The record mentioned that he had a family, a wife and three daughters.

The record also told her of what and how he suffered before he eventually died. What hundreds, if not thousands of people suffered before they died.

It brought sorrow to her heart and tears to her eyes. Death was inevitable, yes, but the suffering…the suffering could be avoided. The pain. Who would do something like this? She had to do something about this. 

Defeat panic with logic, she told herself. Defeat panic with logic.

Fortunately for her, this morning, she and Ulrich had stumbled upon a discovery that could help them track the origin of the plague. But as the day went by and she pondered on the issue, a question nagged on her mind.

The fact that the plague had an initial, less lethal phase was normal. But normal of a “naturally-occurring” plague. This plague was spread intentionally and it was intended to kill. Then, why did it have a similar phase to a “natural” plague?

Ebony sighed and wiped her eyes. She had a lot to do and a lot to think about. She hoped she could help this people out. She hoped that she was on the right path.

All the medical records had been assembled. The table at which she sat was covered with the medical records within the time frame she had specified. The sun was just setting but all the apothecaries had provided the records she asked for. 

Talk about efficiency.

The next step would be to separate the records of those who had the first version of the plague.

Ebony would love to sit back and examine all the documents at once but she knew it wasn’t possible. She had to work, she had to research and she had to experiment. And she had to travel. She needed to see the kingdom and the people. She had to design a response based on their lifestyles.

She needed to plan.

A knock and the sound of the door opening drew Ebony out of her reverie. She turned to see Ulrich and Aische enter the room. With a bow from Ulrich and a curtsy from Aische, they approached the table.

“Milady, the evening meal will soon be served. Are you hungry yet?” Aische said.

Ebony frowned at that piece of news. The apothecary was empty except for her and Aische, and now Ulrich. The King had sent a cook to the house to care for her food needs. She didn’t feel like eating but also didn’t want to waste the cook’s efforts.

He had been so excited to hear he would be cooking for a dark-skinned person. He had asked her what she liked and the kind of food she preferred. The mixture of eagerness and revulsion she had seen in his face when she described lasagna to him was one she would never forget.

“We should eat. Let’s go.”

As the trio headed out of the room and to the dining room, Ebony began to explain to them her plans for the next few days.

“I want to set up a laboratory in the research room. When I took a look at it earlier, I saw that there were laboratory apparatus and a small library of medical books present. I think it will fit as the base of our operations. We should also move the records we collected there so we don’t have to move to and fro. Is that okay?” Ebony said as they walked towards the dining hall.

They both nodded. They would do their best to help her because they knew helping her was helping the kingdom.

“I also want to set up an isolation centre for the infected.”

Ulrich furrowed his brows. “Isolation centre? What does that mean?”

 “An exclusive area only for the sick and infected people. We have to separate them from the populace.”

“Separate them? Why?”

“The disease is spreading. The probability that it is spreading from person to person is very high. We are going to try and stop or reduce the spread. To do that, we have to isolate the sick. I want to set up the centre here in the apothecary. But I don’t think the space here can contain all the sick here in the central region. Much less from all over the kingdom.”

Ebony tapped her chin, in deep thought. There is really no way to contain all the sick here. Despite the instantaneous teleportation, it would still be a hassle to transport all the ailing people. And some of them may not even survive the journey.

“We’ll have to set up similar centres throughout the kingdom. Preferably at the apothecaries.”

Ulrich shook his head at the suggestion. “Milady…eh…Ebony, not all the apothecaries are of this size. Some, especially in the western region, are small in size. About half the size of this one.”

Ebony nodded. “It doesn’t have to be in the medicine house. It can be just outside it. You know, I’m starting to think it’s better if the centres are a separate unit from the house. It will easier to clean and easier to access,” Ebony said, as the trio came to a stop at the door of the dining room.

“See.” Ebony pointed to a window at the left of the door. The window opened to the front of the manor, providing a means for those inside to see the beautiful, lush gardens outside. “The courtyard. We can erect a temporary building there and use it as the isolation centre. I’m thinking hundred or so beds. We can do it like this even in the smaller apothecaries.”

Turning back to Ulrich, she said, “What do you think?”

Ulrich hummed his agreement, looking impressed. "I think it is a great plan, Ebony."

Ebony turned to Aische. “What do you think, Aische?”

“Whatever milady says is fine.” Aische understood that this was a conversation that she could add little to. Yet, it filled her with appreciation to have an opinion asked of her.

“Whatever I say is fine? Really? Then call me Ebony.”

“Milady, I can never…To use your given name…I…” Aische stumbled over her words much like the first time Ebony had asked this of her.

Ulrich looked on in pity, as if understood very much what was going on in Aische’s mind. The first time Ebony had asked him to use her name, he felt his mind rebel against the very thought. Even now, every time he called her by her name, he felt he was disrespecting her.

But the greatest shock was that she didn’t seem to mind. Calling her by her name didn’t bother her. instead, it seemed that addressing her properly was what made her uncomfortable.

He had no idea who she was and where she came from but if she could save the kingdom, then he would do what he could to make her comfortable. Even if it meant using her given name.

It seemed, however, too much for Aische as the girl shook her head vigorously to the suggestion.

“Whatever I say is not fine, then. Well, nothing we can do about it. Let’s eat.” Ebony clapped her hands and pushed the wooden doors open and was greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of good food.

Her stomach grumbled in response. Maybe she was hungry after all.