Simone falls ill - Chapter 0.1

Simone Baptiste

Simone Baptise - French
Rolf - German - Simone's Dog

Circus Location - In parkland in Lyon, France.

It's Wednesday 5th August 2015 mid morning and I am working with the animals. No one else is about other than Rolf as they are helping set up the big tent plus other stalls. All the normal activities are taking place as we all work towards getting the circus ready for the 1^st show tomorrow.

First symptoms

I am not feeling great today. A bit of a headache, tired, generally under the weather. One of my fellow performers comes up to me and asks if I have seen the news, seen this crazy "Spiderman" guy in Singapore? I reply "No not seen the actual footage. Did see something on the news about people with new strange powers. Sorry not feeling that talkative as I am feeling a bit ill. Got flu or something I guess. Will look out for this Spiderman person tonight if I feel up to it." I idly scratch behind Rolf's ear. Rolf yelps, turns his head away from me and gives me a long suffering look. I kneel down to look at Rolf. "What’s wrong Rolf? you normally like a bit of a scratch, you feeling poorly as well?" He is certainly not his normal self. He's losing some hair I notice, never a good sign, and the skin where I was scratching him is quite red. The old pressure test on the gums is a bit slower than I would like. He's certainly not well and I feel rubbish myself. It doesn't really feel like flu or a cold, as I have had those before. It's different, all over and certainly in my head. As I stand up again my vision swims and I stagger. I say to the other person, "in fact thinking about it, I am off to my caravan now, definitely got something and I think I might be feverish. Certainly got something affecting my balance so will try and sweat it out. Hopefully will be ok for the show tomorrow. Could someone check on me later this afternoon to check that Rolf and I are ok?" I take Rolf to the caravan, I try and encourage him to drink some water while drinking a lot myself. Then I curl up on the bunk with a blanket over me. Rolf in his usual place at the bottom of the bunk. I then drop off in to a feverish sleep.

I wake up, feeling groggy, my eyes are not focussing and my hearing is muffled but I can tell the caravan is full of people. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to focus before I recognise some of the other people from the circus. They are looking concerned. I try to sit up but can't. Someone asks me how I feel but I struggle to answer. I hear someone say "Get an ambulance now!" "Rolf, how is Rolf?" I ask but the words come out as if Rolf himself had tried to say it. My head is killing me and I pass out. I come around again in an ambulance on the way to the closest emergency centre.

Hospital

The curtain to my hospital cubicle swishes back and a middle aged male doctor walks in. “Ah, Mademoiselle Baptiste, we've done a thorough examination, taken some cranial x-rays and some blood tests. So far there is nothing clear coming through although we do have some concerns about the x-rays. Now we want to keep you here under observation overnight until we have a better idea of what, if anything, is wrong. So nothing to worry about. Now I understand that you do not want your parents informed, just your colleagues at the circus to be kept up to date?”

I reply “That would be correct. I don't feel the need to inform my parents but I do need to keep the Circus informed. How is Rolf my dog as he was also feeling ill?”

“I have no idea about your dog Mademoiselle. Perhaps your colleagues will take of that”
“You mentioned x-rays, what is wrong?”

“We are not clear exactly what we are seeing and so we want to do some MRI scans tomorrow, but we have seen what we think are odd structures within your brain. There is no reason to believe these are cancers in any way so I wouldn't worry about that. Have you taken any blows to the skull in recent years?”

"No I have had no accidents other than the normal bumps you get in a Circus act. Certainly nothing that has ever required a doctors attention. So what makes you say that these 'odd' structures are not cancerous?"
I am worried about Rolf but also worried about myself and I certainly don’t want authorities to get involved as I am also conscious that I am a runaway.

He responded to my question with “You didn't report any changes to personality or weakness and the oddities seem to be in your frontal lobes
that's this area here. We'd expect more symptoms from cancer. Of course until we have more appropriate scans we won't know for sure but X-rays are not a very good diagnostic tool for soft tissue.” I was not getting any feeling of evasion from him so I felt a little bit better. I feel, kind of OK but my head definitely feels funny. It doesn’t hurt at the moment but there's something different.

"Is it ok to use my mobile in the hospital to phone my friends or do I need to go outside?"

“Yes, you may use your mobile outside the hospital but we'll be moving you to a ward shortly and there are phones at each bed. I'd suggest you use those. Now, do you have any questions you'd like to ask?”

"Yes I have some questions.

- How long before I move to the Ward?

- And where am I now?

- How long was I unconscious?

- Have you heard of or seen any other cases like mine?

- What time is visiting hours? As I will need to get a change of cloths.

- In fact how long do you need to keep me in for? As the Circus will be moving on in a few days.”

“Ohh that’s a lot of questions

- As soon as the nurses here have word that the bed is ready.

- In the Hôpital St Joseph in central Lyon.
- You fazed in and out of consciousness throughout your journey in the ambulance. I believe you were some 30 minutes in the ambulance.
- Well currently you're not that unusual, so yes, I have seen people presenting with symptoms like yours before. However, until we get the results of the blood tests and tomorrow's MRI scan we won't know what is actually wrong with you.
- Visiting hours are 2.30pm to 4.00pm and 6.00pm to 8.00pm. I'm sure your colleagues can bring you some more clothing.

- Currently we uncertain how long you will need to be kept in for.

A couple of your colleagues are still in the A&E lounge. I'll send word to them so they can come along tomorrow with fresh clothing for you. Do you wish them to know any details about your condition?

Now you ought to rest. Do you need anything to drink?”

“A jug of water would be great and could I have a chat with my friends?”
“Yes, for a short while only though.”

I then chatted to my friends from the Circus. I ask for them to deliver me some clothes. Also chat about Rolf and how he is. Would it be possible for them to bring him when they come with a change of clothes. I tell them something about what the doctor told me. About needing extra scans and such like. I hopefully say they may find nothing and I will be released tomorrow.

Meanwhile in the hospital lab...
Gerald, the screen for sample 628 is positive, it is the Condition.
Mlle Baptiste?
Yes
OK, I'll inform the hospital director.

‘They’ get involved

The following day, Thursday 6th, I am given a MRI scan. In the afternoon visiting period my friends bring in some fresh clothes for me and tell me that Rolf is at a local vets where he seems a bit odd. Ironically the vet is going to scan him too. They joke about how you two cannot be separated even in your illnesses. They also bring me some reading material and a multi-media player. I actually feel OK, still a little odd, but I can't quite put my finger on why, but basically OK. I keep getting flashes of, something, of knowing what people are thinking. Not telepathically, just instinctively. It's almost as if I can 'feel' them around me...and then it goes again.
The doctor turns up mid afternoon to talk to me about the results. He says the MRI has shown some very unusual brain development. They want to move me to the special brain centre in Jülich, Germany. It is not far from the French border and it is the best brain scanning centre in Europe, probably in the world, under Professor Karl Zilles, Director at the Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine.

I am not a happy puppy. I always feel uncomfortable in institutions due to my runaway past and (irrational it may be) am worried that I will be sent back home.

"but I can't afford this! Who is paying? Am I actually in danger? If not why do I need to go? If I do need to go I want to take my dog with me as there is no one else to take care of him and it is my responsibility to care for him. In fact I won’t go without him!"

“It's OK Mlle, your CMU (Couverture Maladie Universelle – Universal Health Cover) scheme will cover the costs. Well until we have more detailed scans we won't know for certain what the problem is, whether it is getting worse. You have to be very careful with any malady affecting the brain. It is a very delicate organ and there is very little spare room in the skull. Any extra growth can has very serious effects. The trip to Germany will only be for a few days. Can your circus colleagues not look after your dog?” The doctor seems genuine but there are some underlying concerns coming through. He is worried about something.

"They can look after my dog but you say 'only a few days' but how do you know that? Have you any other concerns that you have not yet mentioned?" I ask giving him the full charm offensive.
“Because we've provisionally booked you in for 2 days, Friday and Saturday. No, other than the brain developments you seem in good health.” Still getting a feeling that there is perhaps something else but since he's certainly seems concerned at my condition it is hard to pick up anything else.
"Okay I will go then" I says grudgingly. I ring my friends to bring Rolf to see me to say Au Revoir and to arrange for them to take care of him. I tell them where I am off to and make certain they have my Mobile number. Then pack to go. Rolf is in a very unusual mood or state of mind perhaps, but he is *very* happy to see me. He keeps licking me for starters, even more than normal. He seems well enough now, in fact he seems positively springy. The vet has put him on some anti-biotics because of his raised temperature.

Flight Out

When I get back to the ward I find they have arranged a helicopter to fly me north to the German clinic. A helicopter! I am surprised, as I would have expected an ambulance to be used as helicopters are normally used for emergency cases. I asked the Paramedic about this. “Nah he says, it's way too long a drive from Lyon to Jülich so the air ambulance will do the job. it's all been approved by the hospital director. Enjoy the flight but sit on the right side of the helicopter. You'll get a better view of the Rhine and the Ardenne, plus you won't be sitting in the sun. The journey is uneventful and we arrive at dusk. The clinic is very impressive and I am shown to my own room which is pretty damn nice. I feel very tired all of a sudden, unusually so. I assume it must be the journey so I check if I can have some food before bed. Room service is available and one of my friends rings and says that all is well at the circus. I settle down to sleep.

The Clinic

Friday is eventful. The scanning is slightly unnerving as I am passed through a whole body scanner. They then take some tissue samples and more blood samples. I feel tired but they ask me to take some other tests, cognitive, behavioural, and physical. All this testing takes all day only interrupted by meals. I go to sleep that night feeling very tired.
On Saturday morning the doctors, including some new one's I have not met before, come to see me. These new ones are not German or even French. I am told that I do have some very unusual brain development, but it does appear to be brain development rather than cancer or trauma induced growth. At present it doesn't appear to be inhibiting my normal functions, ability to reason, my personality etc.

I do detect an undercurrent of something else in their behaviour. There's something quite intense in their manner and some of the foreign doctors seem pretty scary to me. They seem to be driving matters rather than the original doctors. Certainly to these new doctors I am beginning to feel like I am being regarded as a test subject rather than a patient.

I am now feeling more than a bit scared as I am trapped in some institution uncertain if I will be let out. I have bad vibes on why I am there and have some scary unsettling people working on my case. Not particularly worried about my condition as it is not cancer or causing me any problems. I just want back to my normal life and Rolf. Oh yes lack of Rolf is not making me any happier as he has been my protector for the last two years. This situation without Rolf is taking me back to my childhood.

Flight Home

In the middle of Saturday afternoon an orderly comes and tells me that I have to gather all my stuff together for the flight back to Lyon. Hurrah, feeling pleased to be going back to the Circus, I pack my stuff up ready to leave. I resolve not to do anything particularly exciting as long as everything fits in with a flight taking me back to Lyon, Rolf and the Circus.
I follow the orderly out to the helicopter for the flight. Apparently I was not the only one travelling as some of the new doctors were flying out as well. After about half an hour I start to get a nagging feeling that the helicopter isn't flying back to Lyon, the land looks different, it looks like we are still over Germany going north. Eventually the helicopter lands at a military airfield with a gentle bump and I am escorted off at gunpoint. Feeling very scared I decide to co-operate as there is nothing else I can do. I meekly do what they say and go for a medical check-up as instructed. The nurse says she needs to take another blood sample. She slips the needle into my arm and I then feel everything is slipping away as blackness overtakes me.

Sunday 08th August
Lyon, France
Local evening news
..and witnesses say the dog jumped a 10 metre fence in order to escape. The owner of Rolf was not available for comment. Friends from the circus where she works say she is ill, having been moved from the St Joseph hospital to a specialist clinic in Germany. Police and animal handlers finally managed to capture the dog using tranquilizer darts. Witnesses say it took 4 to put the dog down. No one was hurt by the animal, the circus staff saying he is a great animal, utterly trust worthy and the closest thing to a best friend Mlle. Baptiste has.
Police have not said what they will do with the dog.