Chapter 28: Chapter 28

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"Hey.  Joss, you there?"

"Yeah." Jenson removed his helmet after parking his bike in the corner of the basement, wondering why his ever-handy assistant called him up again.  "Morning."

"Morning. Where are you exactly? Airport?"

"No. Just got out of the clinic. Got swabbed. Just have to wait for the results. Three hours tops."

"Oh. You forgot some stuff on your desk and your passport," Jessi replied, her tone bordering on concerned and bothered.

"Yeah." He frowned and eyed the elevator waiting for him.  "On my way to the office now."  He forgot to check up on her again, but she still sounded normal.  "How'd you know I forgot my passport?"

"I'm in the office."

"Huh? Why?"

"Someone from HR called.  She said they're gonna be testing everyone now.  Mandatory.  Here in the building."

"Why?"

"Three tested positive. The second one's Jonah, and, he's in the ER now." Jessi sighed over the phone, her voice muted.  "I had direct contact with him the other day, during the meeting.  They said he's showing flu-like symptoms now, plus brain fog.  Neurological, respiratory, and digestive issues basically."

"Really?" He straightened up and pressed his headset into his ear.  At the news, he stopped dead in front of the basement elevator, suddenly at a loss.  Definitely not what he expected to hear from her this morning.

"Yeah. They got my swab five minutes ago."

"Shit."  He put his mask back on and sighed.  "Wait for me. On my way up."

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"Hi."

"Hey." Jenson walked straight into his office when he saw his mask-wearing assistant sitting alone in front of his work desk. The office unsurprisingly looked tidier than how he left it last night.

She must've arrived here much earlier than the medical team who just collected her swab. Jessi reclined in her seat and stared at him. A face mask hid half of her pale face. Her hair was in a tight bun that showed off her slender neck and shoulders. Her plain yellow hoodie was paired with dark yoga pants that matched her gym shoes.

The bored look in her eyes and her laid-back posture confirmed that she had been stuck in here alone in his office for a while. Just waiting for the test results like him.

"You good?" He eyed her and dropped the knapsack full of his personal belongings for his scheduled trip.

Jessi nodded. "You? Feeling kinda weird or something?"

"Not really. You?"

"Just a little anxious."

"Same." He sighed and assessed her overall appearance again.

She seemed fine. Nothing unusual with how she looked today. Perhaps the pill did nothing. Maybe the dose was just too low. Not even a single side effect from the looks of it.

But if she tested positive for the virus that had been disturbing the day-to-day lives of billions of people all over the planet, he might get stuck in this office for the entire weekend. Not ideal. He had somewhere to be and someone to find and meet ASAP.

It wasn't ideal for Jessi, either. She had allergies, which could cause breathing problems if triggered by the viral infection in case she caught the bug from their sick co-worker.

"Any news about Jonah?"

"No updates yet," Jessi sighed. "But he was already hypoxic when they drove him to the ER. They probably intubated him if his symptoms only got worse."

"Sounds rough."

"Yeah. He looked fine the other day." She stared blankly at her phone. "We both thought it was just hangover headache."

"A headache's definitely a symptom now?"

"Yeah. Plus anosmia and ageusia. You suddenly can't smell or taste anything. Kel said way more clinicians now have enough data to prove it."

Kel? Did she just say "Kel"? It was Mykaela's nickname as far as he remembered. Or did Jessi say "Ken"?

Jenson frowned. "Your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Her brows scrunched. "Who said I have one?" Jessi squinted at him and chuckled. "How's your nose?"

"Like a dog's."

She scoffed and giggled. Perhaps she thought he was joking. "I'm serious. No issues at all? Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Yeah. All good. What about you?"

"Fine. For now," she muttered.

"D'you eat breakfast this morning?"

"Yeah, after I bought groceries. For our pantry." She nodded towards the door to their small kitchen and dining area.

"Again?" He scowled. Jenson pulled his face mask down just to show her his disapproval.

"Fridge was runnin' on empty."

"Why didn't you use my card?"

"Relax..." she mumbled. "It's just some produce and your favorite steak cuts." Her eyes smiled while she stared at him. Her thick mask hid most of her face but he could easily imagine her smile every time she laughed and her eyes narrowed. She was one of those few people who always smiled with every molecule of their face.

It was contagious. Even to him. "How much?" He grabbed his bag to fumble for his wallet.

"Stop it. You talk like you don't pay me 65 grand a year. Plus health insurance." She snickered. "Chill out. It's just some food for next week. How long you gonna be in New York? Well, if they'll let you leave today."

"Counting on it." Jenson sighed. Magnus had been waiting long enough to hear some news about his strangely hard-to-locate half-sister in New York. He just wanted to get it over with the soonest possible. "Three days tops."

"You read the latest travel requirements?" Jessi asked next.

"The list you emailed? Yeah."

"Seriously, though..." Her muffled voice took on a somber tone now. She shook her head faintly and distractedly stared at the ceiling. "Lotsa people would be screwed 'cause of pinheads who evolved out of the idea that they're an exception to the rules."

"You mean, like Jonah?"

"He was at a frat party last Wednesday."

"Nice." Jenson scratched his head, not really surprised. Judging strangers wasn't a pastime for him but degenerate partygoers like that guy kind of deserved the crap he was dealing with now. Some people just couldn't stay put at home to save their life.

"Sure your nose is fine?"

"Yeah. I can even smell your new shampoo." He smirked to himself. "And you're ovulating again."

Jessi's eyes widened when she gasped. "How did you..."

He removed his mask. Now he could smell her genuine shock, besides the new scent of her hair. "And they used citrus and vanilla fragrance."

"That's..." She held her bun and kept gawking at him. "Insane. I'm not even sitting next to you."

"I told you: like a dog's." He put his mask back on to hide his grin. Shit. He should stop showing off now. But this waiting game was boring him out of his wits.

"How's Darren?"

"Prolly still in bed." Jenson checked his phone. No new messages or calls from Charmaine or Darren. He frowned at his lonely phone.

Clearly she didn't take his breakup text seriously. Or she was too busy cheating on him.

"Joss, call DJ. I just texted him but I think he's still sleeping."

Fine. He grabbed his phone and tried calling Darren. Eight rings later, still no answer.

Why would she text Darren? Just to check up on the guy after his drunken episode last night? The worry in her eyes and voice denoted genuine concern, though. "They questioned me, the medical staff downstairs in the tent, for contact tracing. I think one of them's a cop." Her brows and forehead wrinkled.

"A cop?"

Tracing. Shit. Why would a police officer be in their office building?

"Why did they question you?" Jenson crossed his arms over his chest, puzzled and a tad nervous all of a sudden.

Did she talk to someone about what Darren did in here last night?

Crap. If so, they might get questioned by the police any minute now. "For contact tracing," Jessi said.  "I heard the security staff and the cop manually checked all the CCTV footage, to pinpoint and list down who else had direct contact with Jonah and the other two who tested positive."

"Ah. Makes sense," he muttered out of having nothing else to say. Just for contact tracing. Okay. Then he had no reason to panic. The camera in the corner was basically a prop.

"You should call Darren," Jessi advised. "Tell him to get tested, too."

"Hey. You didn't tell 'em he was here last night. Did you?"

"No." She glanced at him.  "And I didn't touch him or anything. But if they ask me, I have to tell them he dropped by."

"Yeah. I know."

"He needs to get swabbed today. Just to be sure."

"Fine." He rang Darren's mobile again. Only to be disappointed. Still no answer even after the second try.

"He always sleeps in when you're not shooting an episode, huh?"

"Almost drank himself into a coma yesterday."

"He told you?"

"Yeah." He texted Darren. Just in case he would be up and about any minute now. "It's just another bender. He'll get over it."

"I couldn't stop thinking about Ramona, to be honest," Jessi muttered after a lengthy silence. Her forearms rested on his desk as she stared at the neat stack of paperwork on the edge. "Couldn't sleep through the night."

Before he could say anything, a masked security personnel knocked on his office door, catching them by surprise. The woman wore a face shield and didn't take another step forward to get near them. "Mr. Ross and Ms. Kinley?"

"Yes?" He sat up, staring at the security staff clutching a paper-filled clipboard.

"Morning. Apologies for the inconvenience. But after the confirmation that Ms. Kinley had direct physical contact with Mr. Jonah Phillips, you're both required to stay in quarantine for at least 72 hours."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Where? At home?" Jessi sat still as she regarded their unexpected visitor slash bearer of bad news.

"Not our recommendation."

He scowled. "What do you mean?"

"So three-day isolation..." Jessi sighed and palmed her forehead, her voice a notch quieter than his. "Effective now?"

"Yes. If possible, you two should stay here for the whole duration so we could properly monitor you,"  the uniformed staff replied.  "72 hours is the minimum requirement since the incubation period is up to three days. Strictly no going out for both of yous."

Shit.

"No physical contact with anyone else. Not even your family, significant others, roommates or neighbors. I know it's not ideal, and we apologize for the hassle, but it's the protocol."

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