George is a chemist in Raleigh-Durham's Research Triangle. In his free time he loves commune with nature and this is a great place to do it. He enjoys hiking and hunting in Appalachia. He and his buddies have been looking forward to spending a week in the mountains on a fall hunting trip that has been planned for three months. Even though he did not bag the ‘big one,' he does return with something else. A few days after arriving back home, he thinks he is coming down with the flu. He is nauseated and vomiting, wracked with severe body aches and a blinding headache. His fever is 103.5. He heads to the ER when the rash appears on his hands. He is admitted into the ICU.