Luckily, the officious AI hadn’t seen fit to call the captain. Fleming didn’t seem the type to tolerate one of his officers going on a bender on the ship. Not even a temporary officer like her. She walked into the clinic and did a double take at how many people were waiting. Day three of her cruise was certainly starting off differently than the preceding two days in terms of patient load. Her chief nurse, Vicente, came to meet her. “What’s going on. Why are all these passengers here?” she asked in a low voice as he accompanied her to the office through the throng. “Started around two a.m. standard ship time,” he said. “Physician’s Assistant Bevar reported getting calls and a few walk-ins, even at that hour.” She tapped the proper tab on the desk’s AI console to signify she was on duty. “And the symptoms?” “You won’t like it—gastrointestinal. Diarrhea, vomiting, fever, cramps.” Emily stared at him for a moment before sinking into her chair, hand to her forehead.
