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prayers.”
    “Thank
you for your prayers and support, Father,” said Rob as he said good-bye. He
wondered if he should call Katie to tell her what was going on. He pulled out
his cell phone and dialed. He wanted to tell her about the good news and the
bad news but there was no answer at her office and her cell phone was turned
off, so he left a message.
    Since
he was in the vicinity of the County offices Rob stopped by to see if Hope was
at work. She was and it was about time for her afternoon break, so he waited
for a few minutes and then they went across the street for an afternoon snack.
    “What
a nice surprise,” said Hope.
    “I
was in the area and wanted to see how you were doing,” said Rob. “So, how is
your day?”
    “Classes
today were fun. I discussed my business plan project with my group and everyone
really liked it. Thank you for your help with it. I find the more I learn, the
more I can relate to my job with the county. The people in my classes and the
people at work are always so nice to me. I really like it here, dad.”
    Rob
considered telling Hope about the student who had died last night, but he
thought it would be better to wait until she was at home this evening. She only
attended classes at the Center on the weekends while she was working, so he had
until then to figure out how to break it to her. She was close to all of the
students at the Center, and in many instances they looked up to her because of
her perseverance and her unwavering attitude. They all knew she could
accomplish anything that she put her mind to. Rob agreed. Her goal was to have
her own business someday and there was no doubt in Rob’s mind that she would
climb that mountain.
    “Well,
I’d better let you get back to work. I will see you at home later today.”  Rob
gave her a kiss on the cheek as he left her at the door to the office. She was
growing in independence and self-confidence, and he was so proud of her. His
smile, as he walked away, stretched from ear-to-ear.
    Rob
arrived back at the Center in the late afternoon. Marge met him as he pulled
up. “Everything ok Marge?”
    “Yes,
everything here seems to be ok. I did get a call from a friend who said her
grandmother, aged 98, passed away today. I immediately thought about what you
told me. I have only had a chance to call a handful of graduates, and so far
everything is ok. Have you heard anything else?”
    “Yes,
I talked to Father Jones at St. John Vianney and he indicated that they’ve seen
an increase in illnesses and two deaths, and both were elderly. I’ll wager
there is something going around, but I hope we’ve seen the last of it among our
students.”
    “Me
too. I don’t think I can handle the emotional stress, particularly if young
people are being touched. Let’s hope there’s no more bad news.”

CHAPTER 7
     
     
    That morning Katie had
been caught in a whirlwind of activity. Things were moving so very fast. By 10
a.m. she had already found herself sitting in on a video conference with the
Washington Director of the CDC and the Chief of Pandemic research, awaiting the
video conference with the Director of the CDC in Atlanta and the Secretary of
Health and Human Services. Exactly at ten, the call started. In addition, as a
surprise, there was a link up with the White House. Katie started to perspire.
This was really moving fast, she thought to herself.
    The Director of the CDC, Dr. Bob Gleeson started
by thanking everyone for their attendance and then he asked for introductions.
Besides the group with Katie, in attendance were the Secretary of HHS, the
Director of the CDC, the National Security Advisor, and several members of the
President’s staff.
    Sarah Lin, the Washington Director of the CDC,
outlined the situation so far, explaining the sudden, multiple deaths of unknown
cause, the increase in an illness that displays symptoms of stroke, with the
mortality rate among the elderly is at least twenty times higher than normal.
She also