The last vial

"The Last Vial" by Sam McClatchie is a late 20th-century science fiction story about a strange and fast-spreading sickness that throws a research lab into a frenzy. The main character, Dr. John Macdonald, comes back from vacation to find a simple flu has turned into something much worse. He juggles trying to figure out the virus and dealing with his own relationships while the world around him panics. Early on, it looks like the flu might cause big problems with having kids, making people worry about what it could mean for society if people can't have children. The book shows how scientific discovery and a scary health crisis create a really intense story.