THE DUTY CREW

“But Dr. Brisbane, you’re the Infectious Disease Watch today.” Simms was half pleading and half disappointed. She had the hots for Brisbane and they actually dated once. She had been waiting for another invitation to things better than the good night kiss outside the Nurse’s section of the Bachelor’s Officers Quarters.

“I have to make rounds on my own wards and the TB ramp.” Brisbane also had more Phantom tickets to sell.

“Buzby, it’s Christmas. You’re the only friendly face that I know non-professionally today.” Simms paused with an audible sigh. “Please? It’s Christmas.”

“Okay. Let me give you some stat orders.” He liked Abbe Simms. Besides, she was right. It was a holiday and they had to inject some modicum of humanism to being stuck with working Christmas Day. He would undoubtedly need a return favor when the air-evacs arrived. “Get three blood cultures from two different veins. Send down three malaria smears and have one of the medical interns read them after he starts an IV of glucose and normal saline. Have the lab do a stat CBC. Give him two aspirin rectal suppositories now to bring his temp down. Oral aspirin in his state of dehydration could irritate his stomach. I’m on my way. Merry Christmas Abbe.” Brisbane had reacted reflexly to the description of the patient’s fever. Any cyclical fever with elevations above 103 was malaria until proven otherwise. He might have to push some intravenous quinine.