Only one answer burned in her mind. Radiation poisoning.

She'd never seen any cases, but she'd just passed her nursing board examination and the symptoms were undeniable.

Juanita rushed to the phone and called the lab technician. "Get up here right away, I need some tests for leucopenia and neutrophilic leucocytosis."

The lab technician sounded panicked. "What are you talking about, Juanita? I can't run nothing like that."

"You better, and bring a dosimeter if you have one."

"What do you think I am, radiology?"

"No, they won't be in for a couple of hours. Go in there and see if you can find one. I need it right away."

"Juanita, you been in the beer?"

"No, and just mind what I say or your evaluation is going to have some pretty negative comments on it."

Juanita hung up the phone and hurried to the medication cabinet. "Where are those pills?" She pulled down the bottle of potassium iodide. If the men had been exposed to too much radiation, they'd have to take some immediately. This was most certainly an emergency and God had put her in this place at this time to handle it.

On the run, she hurried toward the shower and the three patients who needed what she carried in her hand.

Chapter 7