The Du Page Affair

This is an original work by Zeb_Carter and is protected under (c) copyright by U.S. copyright law. It is only being submitted at Literotica.Com and any submission to any other site has not been authorized by the Author.

Breaking the News Part III

It was one o'clock sharp when John entered the conference room at the clinic. Of course John wasn't surprised that everyone who had been there yesterday was back again today. With the benefits package and the pay rate his company was offering them who wouldn't.

Michelle and Susan were sitting at the head of the table with an empty chair between them. John had left Jenny at home this time as this should be a very short meeting. At least he thought it would, should be a short meeting.

Susan stood up when John entered the room, she took his hand in hers and stood there looking into his eyes. John winked at her and let go of her hand. She let go of his and he sat down. She cleared her throat looking around the room and looking quite embarrassed, sat back down.

"Are there any questions that need to be answered?" John asked.

Everyone shook their heads no.

"Is everybody going to participate?"

Again they all nodded their heads.

"Good and welcome to Campus Du Page as this place will be called in the future. So, now that you have all decided to participate I will see you here in five days?"

They all nodded again. Then a look of confusion crossed all their faces.

"Five days. In nine days the event will occur. We need to be here when it happens. We also need to be here prior to the evacuation. So we will all be here in five days from now prepared to stay for one year.

"For the next two days you will be helping your families to move. I have arranged trucks and movers for you all. Then you will be here helping get this place ready for the next two days. On the fifth day you should be here no later than twelve noon.

"We will be staying here from then on. By the morning of the ninth day everyone should have been evacuated. The building behind the clinic will be set up as a dormitory for you. The building next to that will house ambulatory patients. Over the next few days half the rooms here at the clinic will be converted to hospital rooms.

"Two rooms will be converted to surgeries. I know that none of you are surgeons, but you will learn. I have also arranged to have a very good surgeon here to teach and help you learn.

"There will also be an extensive medical library, in electronic form, on the premise. Each of the computers you now use for patient data will be connected to the medical library. I hope you will all avail yourselves of the opportunity to learn. Learn all you can."

"I plan too," Michelle said, looking around the room at the other doctors and nurses.

They nodded at her statement looking at each other. Michelle and Susan smiled as their friends and colleges agreed silently.

"I have others who will be staying with us also." John continued. "They will be working in the restaurants and the pharmacy. There will be people to help with laundry and cleaning. Although I expect everyone to participate in cleanup, as there will be no maid service at the dorms.

"There will also be people working next door at the home supply store. As survivors come in we will put them up in the building to the west and east of us. Then they will be put to work in one of the places that we will maintain to make our stay here less tedious.

"Supplies will be air dropped in on an on going basis, once a week to start then once every other day until the end of the year. I expect for us to house about eight hundred people over the year. There will be more cycling in and out of Du Page during that time also.

"There will be approximately five thousand people within the zone who will not want to come to Du Page, which means that after a short time we will have to go to them...house calls anyone." They all laughed at that until they realized John was serious.

"House calls?" asked one of the nurses.

"Yes, house calls. The doctors will take turns making round to camps that the survivors set up around Du Page as these people will not come here of their own accord. Think of them as field trips. Some of you nurses will also be going on these excursions so be ready.

"Are there any other questions?"

Everyone shook their heads no. John signaled Michelle and she rose and went to the door to open it to let the caterer in. People flowed into the conference room carrying trays of food and placed them on the conference table.

"I hope you're all hungry as I have brought lunch with me. Dig in. Don't be shy."

Over the next couple of hours John had a chance to talk privately with each of the doctors and nurses who would be staying. He hoped that he conveyed a sense of safety, their safety. John told each of them that they would not be hurt during the coming year and they would be better doctors and nurses when it was over. He also told them their families would be cared for and looked after and not want for anything. He told them that their families were just a phone call away, anytime, night or day.

John also told them if something unforeseen was to happen to a family member that required their presence that they would be out of the zone within thirty minutes. This reassured each of them. When they were all finished and the catering crew had returned to cleanup the remnants of lunch John moved to the podium again.

"If there are no more questions," he said looking around the room. There were none. "Then you are all free to go home and get things ready for tomorrow. The movers will be at you homes early, six o'clock in the morning. They will handle everything concerning the move except some of you personal belongings that you will want with you.

"I expect to see you all here in two days." John sat down and waited. The doctors and nurses filed out of the conference room and left. Michelle and Susan came and sat beside him.

"That went well," Susan commented.

"Yes it did. We'll see how calm they are when the bombs go off."

To be continued...