Virestorm Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ann Arbor

Alex awoke with a start. She could hear a knocking on her door. At first she was disoriented. She started to raise up and realized she was unable to. As the fog in her mind began to clear she could hear Stephanie in the background calling to her over the music playing. She reached up and remembered she was still in the tanning  booth. “Oh shit” she thought to herself, how long had she been there? She raised the clamshell top and pulled out the earbuds.

“Stephanie I’m fine, I fell asleep. Sorry”

“That’s ok Alex, it happens all the time.” Stephanie rolled her eyes and backed away from her door and returned to her desk.

Alex grabbed her watch. Uh oh, it was already nine o’clock. How could she have slept for an hour on that bed? She could feel the sticky sweat in the small of her back. She grabbed a towel, wiped the bed down and a with a fresh towel wiped her back arms and legs. She must look like a disaster. She pulled on her panties and bra and went over to the mirror. She brushed her hair, applied make up and then put the rest of her clothes on. Paula was going to kill her. If she decided to stand up and do her routine she would have been first up like all of the newbie first time performers. Alex headed out the door and into the main room. Stephanie looked up at her.

“Alex, you owe for an hour and you only paid for 30 minutes.”

Alex rolled her eyes, reached into her purse and pulled out the punch card. “Fine, just punch it I’ve gotta go!”

“Fine, not like it’s my fault you passed out in there you know. Maybe you should be getting your sleep at home.”

Alex was perturbed by this latest comment, partly because it was rude but partly because she really wasn’t sleeping well at night and Stephanie’s comment hit a chord. Alex headed down the narrow wooden staircase and bounded out onto South University Street. She speed walked down the side walk toward State Street. She passed the undergraduate library, better known as the “Ugly” from the old days before they replaced the 1950’s boring brick structure with the new modern glass and brick structure. She saw the undergraduates heading in and out with their back packs full starting their Spring term studies. She made it to Main Street and headed up the steps to the Union building.

The Union building is a red brick structure with peaking roofs and a traditional old school East Coast appearance. Built in the early 1900’s for men only the building is now used for all sorts of University student functions and is very popular for its lounge with frequent band performances and on nights like tonight amateur comedy hour.

Alex entered the heavy wooden doors and went up the hallway to the lounge. She could hear the tail end of laughter followed by applause. She headed through the crowd and could see a table just in front of the stage where Paula’s boyfriend Malcolm was sitting and next to him two empty chairs. She walked up and looked up at the stage. Paula was bowing to the audience and waved and said thank you. She caught Alex’s eye and raised her eyebrows quizically. Alex sat down next to Malcolm. He looked over at her. His ice blue eyes cut straight through her.

“I can’t believe you Alex, you’re her best friend and you missed her entire act.”

“I know Malcolm, look I feel like a total shit ok? I didn’t plan on missing her debut. Today was crazy, I raced over here and I know I blew it, but I didn’t mean to. I wanted to see her too you know.”

“Well, she did great, and you better make her feel like you were here even if you weren’t. She’s been behind you through all of your issues and you owe her more than this. Oh, here she is.” Paula ambled up, she was smiling although her lips were a little tight. When she leaned over to give Malcolm a kiss Alex could see that she was shaking.

“I hope I didn’t make a complete ass of myself.”

“No babe, you were great. We were all laughing. You totally had us. Great job. Didn’t you think she did great Alex?” He gave her a kick under the table.

“Oh yeah, great job. I missed some of it but you totally had everyone eating out of the palm of your hand.”

“Really?” Paula was starting to relax, her tremor in her voice began to settle down. “I wasn’t sure if the joke about Bush nuking the “liberal country of Hawaii” carried well. You know how everyone’s so sensitive.”

Alex didn’t know what to say but Malcolm stepped in and saved her, “You nailed it right on. Maybe the junior national guard didn’t quite get it but everyone else was totally with you. You did great. Do you want to stick around for the other acts or go out for a beer?”

“I could really use something a bit stronger. Let’s head to the Full Moon and get some chili fries and drinks. I’m starving, I never ate, I was way too anxious.” She reached over and gave Alex a hug. “I’m so glad you caught part of the act. I was so pissed I thought you missed the whole thing but you must have been out of my sight. Those bright lights distort, like, everything. Come on guys, let’s get out of here.”

They headed out of the club and turned onto State Street and again on South University.  Students were heading out of their dormitories, apartments and houses and heading in loosely amalgamated groups toward the various bars in town. A few were heading out with stuffed backpacks to pull all night study sessions at one of the several libraries but since the term had just started most students remained in party mode. As they navigated the streets Alex struggled to keep up with Paula and Malcolm. She could over hear the two of them dissecting the monologue to refine and improve it. Even though Alex could practically recite the routine herself she didn’t feel she was invited to contribute.

Eventually the streets became quieter and they reached Main Street. This area was more of a graduate level group of students who tended to be more serious. Evening festivities tended to be less noisy and more intellectual. Branching off Main Street were a number of establishments catering to this crowd for several decades. Most of the bars and restaurants maintained their early twentieth century architectural style with tin ceiling tiles, old wooden floors, and brass railings.

They turned into the Full Moon restaurant. At the entrance outside was an iron gate enclosure and behind it were several tables. Sitting at one of the tables was a thin guy with thin light blonde hair. He was surrounded by a couple of other guys and girls who looked to be graduate students and at least ten years younger. They were watching the thin blonde guy closely and he was gesturing with his left hand which was holding a partially burned cigarette, the right was holding a pint of a dark beer. He looked over to Alex, Paula and Malcolm as they entered.

“Hi Alex, how are ya doing tonight?” He opened his arms and Alex leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. One of the woman who was sitting across the table looked Alex up and down and not with a look of approval.

“I’m doing pretty good Vince. They totally bombed me in the lab today. Nine specimens to process from Pakistan, well really only eight arrived. Tomorrow will be marathon part two so I hope you don’t have too many plans for tomorrow.”

“No problem, we’ve been light lately. Hey, you want me to get you a beer?” Now the girl sitting with Vince was really glaring.

“No, it’s okay, I’m going to help Paula and Malcolm celebrate her debut at the Union, but I’ll catch you up tomorrow.” She headed in after Malcolm and Paula who had already navigated past the narrow bar area to an available table. As they walked through more than one of the men at the bar turned to look at Alex. Her near hip length blonde hair was always a potent visual stimulus and was a source of both good and bad fortune depending upon your perspective. Paula caught several of the visual shakedowns in mid view and projected one of her “concerned friend” looks to Alex who was happily sashaying in the midst of the attention.

“Oh, don’t worry, I haven’t anytime for games tonight. With the work load I have tomorrow I only have just enough time for a basket of chili cheese fries and a beer. I still don’t get why you guys just blow past Vince every time we see him.”

Paula rolled her large brown eyes to the ceiling, shrugged, and shook her head a little. She probably understood Alex’s need for masculine attention better than Alex did and she wasn’t convinced that Vince was a “good friend” like Alex was always saying. Paula didn’t really think it took a Ph.D. in psychology to recognize that Alex was eventually going to have to discover a better method of dealing with her father’s absence in her life. Because of this she gave Alex a lot of free space and support. She knew deep down Alex would eventually confront these demons, a few weeks ago after a night of copious alcohol consumption Alex began to discuss her dad. But, the discussion was just the tip of a very deep iceberg.

“Look Alex, he plays this Mayor thing every night. He closes the place down, surrounded by his disciples and the rest of his “city council”. You’d think he’d grow up by now. These girls he dates are like at least fifteen years younger than him. Anyway, I’m not so sure his intentions are true with you.”

“Oh Paula come on, we work together sometimes but besides that he’s totally harmless.  It’s not like I’m going to sleep with him or something.” Just as Alex said this Malcolm walked up.

“Hey ladies I got a pitcher of the draft  weissbeer.” After Malcolm poured three tall glasses he raised his to Paula, “To your triumph at the Union, may we all laugh until our buttons pop and our trousers rip,” with that they all crashed their glasses together in unison.

Moments later Malcolm and Paula were dream talking about her great future career of physician by day and comedienne by night. Alex’s mind slowly wandered to the day’s work and the inconsistencies in the lab specimens. Paula reached over and punched Alex in the shoulder busting her out of her thoughts.

“Oww, what was that for?”

“Well, for like ten minute Alex we’ve been asking you what’s going on in your head and you haven’t responded. Malcolm was ready to call the paramedics.”

“Ha ha. Today was just very strange. There was another flu outbreak, this time in Pakistan. Looks like nine people died but they only sent eight specimens. Anyways, tomorrow I have to process everything. Looks like the weekend might even be burned. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Bummer, I was hoping we could take a canoe out on the Huron River together. This will be one of my last weekends for a while since clinical rotations have us doing Saturday Grand Rounds and Sundays we have to work. Let me know if you end up getting any free time.”

Just then the food arrived. Alex hadn’t even thought about eating today, with the frantic work pace she just realized the last thing she ate was that cinnamon raisin French toast at breakfast. She voraciously dug into the fries and half of Paula’s blue cheese bacon burger.

“Wow Alex, I’m glad you didn’t mistake any of my digits for a fry or I would be ruling out surgery as a specialty. I think your enthusiasm for the meal scared away half the single guys at the bar who’ve been eyeing you all night. Of course the other half are wondering if you could do that to a burger, hmmm.”

Alex made a limp chuckle. Her eating habits were a common topic of humor to Paula and admittedly there had been some pretty funny times but she didn’t always like being the butt end of some of Paula’s humor. Anyways, right now it didn’t really matter, she was tired and she knew she better head home and catch up on her sleep, tomorrow was going to be a very long day. Alex broadened her lips into a smile leaned over and gave Paula a hug and a peck on the cheek for Malcolm.

“With that, I must go. Those of us who work for a living get few chances for rest. Ciao guys.” Alex quickly headed for the door, no sashay this time, only one brief eye contact with an attractive twenty-something long light haired guy in a tie-dyed shirt, and out into the Spring night.