41. Chapter 41
Chapter forty-one
Alex
It was Alex’s responsibility to determine if Dr. Donalds was an enemy or an ally. He wouldn’t let anyone else hurt Danyal. Alex watched Dr. Donalds and her assistant draw vials of Danyal’s blood for testing.
Alex asked what tests they would be running that the hospital couldn’t complete. Dr. Donalds replied that PGC had more sensitive equipment, and some new tests could identify damage down to the molecular DNA level. Alex asked how long the results would take, and she said they’d process them in-house, so turnaround time is significantly reduced––at most, twenty-four hours. She added they would run a confirmation test to verify the results before she asked Nurse Ringwood to take the vials to the lab for analysis immediately. Nurse Ringwood nodded and quickly went down the hall to the penthouse elevator.
“Thank you, doctor. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and Danyal.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Dr. Lieth. I can’t promise I can find anything medically to help Danyal.”
“Please, call me Alex. You’re standing in my bedroom,” said Alex with a disarming smile.
“Don’t tell my wife. She’d not believe you, anyway. May I ask a question, Alex?”
“Yes, you may.”
“Why am I treating Danyal in the penthouse rather than the medical wing?”
Can I trust her?
“Because I’m unsure how safe the company has become, and I don’t know who to trust.”
Dr. Donalds turned towards Alex and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t blame you, darlin’. I’m scared, too. Murders, kidnappings, and terrorist groups weren’t what I signed up for. I’ll do all I can to help Danyal, but I question your decision to treat him here. I’m not sure you’re thinking straight. I can’t predict what medical equipment he’ll need, and moving him to the medical wing in a crisis will cost valuable moments that we may not have to spare. I think your decision is reckless. You’re not seeing the forest for the trees.”
“Thanks for making me feel worse, Dr. Donalds.”
“That was not my intention, darlin’. As Danyal’s physician, I need to let you know any issues I see which could affect his recovery.” Dr. Donalds took a deep breath. “I sense you don’t want to hear this, but I believe it’s also a mistake not letting Dr. Bruno assist in Danyal’s treatment.”
Alex could feel his blood pressure rising as he closed his eyes and tilted his head. “Please, Dr. Donalds, enlighten me.”
“If it were my Charlotte in this bed, I’d allow anyone with the knowledge and skills to help her recover to assist in her treatment. If I had my druthers, I’d eat my pride for her treatment.”
“So, I should make a deal with the devil?”
“I wouldn’t call him that, but you get what you get with Bruno. Is he too big for his britches and a condescending asshole? Yes. Is he the best boss in the world? No. He thinks the sun comes up to hear him crow. But to his credit, he knows more about cutting-edge treatment than any physician I’ve met. I’ve learned more from him in two years under his supervision, than in a decade in the private sector. We’re not friends, but if he could save my beloved, a deal with the devil sounds like a small price to pay.”
“May I ask you a question, Dr. Donalds?” asked Alex.
“Of course, darlin’. We’re in your penthouse bedroom, so it’s only fair you call me Veronica.”
“OK, Veronica, do you completely trust Bruno?”
“That’s a complex question; I trust him with science. He won’t stop until he solves a problem. Do I trust him as a person? Will this answer leave this room?”
“No––I promise, any secrets shared in the bedroom stay in the bedroom.”
Veronica chuckled. “He’s probably the most miserable son of a bitch I’ve ever met. However, I’d gladly let him save Charlotte if he could.” Veronica giggled again, “I should quit talking ugly, but if he were a superhero, his superpowers would be biting sarcasm and hissy fits.”
“Sounds more like a supervillain.”
“Your words, not mine.”
“There was a time when he was kind and jovial,” said Alex.
Veronica tilted her head to the side. “Two questions. Are we talking about a different universe, and what have you been smoking, child?”
Alex said that seeing Bruno used to be the highlight of his school year. He brought Alex’s favorite Scooby-Doo Band-Aids and cherry lollipops for his yearly checkups. Alex thought Bruno cared for him, unlike many of the staff at the boarding school.
Veronica said she couldn’t believe her ears. Alex said it was shocking, but it happened.
“So, can you give me your scientific opinion if I ask you a work-related question?”
“Of course,” she said.
“What do you know about the inoculations?”
Veronica took a deep breath. “I’m afraid that’s a company secret.”
“You know I technically own the company.”
“I’m unsure if answering your question would violate my NDA.”
“I understand, and don’t want to jeopardize your position. What if I asked you a hypothetical question?”
“Hypothetical questions are entertaining. Let’s try it on for size,” responded Veronica.
“So, if I wanted to replicate these injections, would I need chemical or organic materials?”
“That’s an interesting question. I’d speculate you’d need organic materials. Stem cells would be the perfect thing if you were recreating similar research.”
“Interesting––so genetic editing would take longer to make changes. What if I wanted to make an alternative for staff who didn’t want to take injections?” asked Alex.
“In those situations, theoretically, you could treat an object the person wears to have a similar, but weaker, effect.”
“So, how long would these new inoculations last?”
“Only a week or two at the most––the science says our bodies would reject the inoculations similar to how our immune systems fight off bacteria or a virus.”
“So, how long would it take for the inoculation to leave the system if you ran out of injections?”
“Hmmm. That would depend on how long the person was taking the injections. It would be about a week for someone new to the process, and much longer if the subject had been on the injections for many years.”
Damn, that wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“If a scientist wanted to get around the injections, could it be done?”
“Medically, no. There’s no way around it.”
“What if there was a supernatural workaround?”
Veronica moved her right hand over her mouth. “What’re you telling me, Alex? Do you know a way around the injections?”
“Hypothetically, if I did know a supernatural workaround, would you be willing to test it?”
Veronica sat on the side of the bed before wringing her hands. “The scientist in me would like to test your theory, but I’d need to know if there could be any side effects.”
“Not that I’m aware of. I want to see if I can share my energy with you and sense your energy, despite your inoculation.”
“Will you have access to all my thoughts?”
“I promise I’ll only stick to the questions asked.”
Veronica nodded. “How does this work? I’m intrigued.”
“I need to place my hand on your heart to feel your spark, and I can ask you questions to check their validity.”
“So, you’re a human lie detector.”
“I guess you could see it that way. You’re under no obligation to do this if you’re not up to it.”
“Let’s do it––the scientist in me wants to know if this is real, or if you’re selling me snake oil.”
“I’ll need to place my hand over your heart.” Alex rubbed his hands together to warm his palms before placing his right hand over Veronica’s heart. “OK, there’s one more step; you need to give me consent. Do you give me consent to touch your energy?”
“Yes, I give consent.”
“I’ll start with small questions. Why did you join PGC?”
“Many reasons: paying off my student loans, wanting to live in Boston, and making enough money to support my wife. As newlyweds, money didn’t come easy or grow on trees. My wife, Charlotte, is completing her social work Ph.D. at Starling University.”
“You’re being sincere. Good for Charlotte! I didn’t know she attended Starling; I’ve probably passed her in the halls.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but she did look in the door during one of your lectures to see who the new owner of the university was.”
“I’m not offended by that––I hope it was on a good hair day,” Alex said with a smile.
Dr. Donalds grinned. “She thought you were a real looker. It’s hard not being able to talk with your spouse about your work. Not that she’d believe any of this anyway. It’s like living a dual life.”
Alex nodded. “That’s also true. I’m sensing there was another reason for joining PGC, a deeply personal reason involving Charlotte.”
“Yes…Charlotte has stage two neuroendocrine cancer. The treatments are working for now, but I want to find a cure,” said Veronica with tears in her eyes.
“I can feel how tenacious you’ve been in caring for her. No wonder you endure Bruno.”
“He’s my best chance for a cure,” said Veronica.
“I’ll ask a few questions and please answer them to the best of your ability. Do you hold any grudges against PGC?”
“No.”
“Do you know who provided information about PGC to outside forces?”
“No.”
“Do you have any connections with the Sons of Enyaluis?”
“Hell no. Those bastards need to pay for all the damage they’ve caused.”
“Do you know anyone in the company with connections with the Sons of Enyaluis?”
“No.”
“Everything you’ve told me, Veronica, was the truth. You have a gorgeous soul, and Charlotte is a real beauty,” said Alex as he removed his hand from Veronica’s chest. “I didn’t know how long the energy I shared with you would last, but I expect it to wear off quickly.”
“Believe me, she knows it,” said Veronica. “She’s a real peach. How’d you discover the injections weren’t ironclad?”
“I know you can keep a secret, Veronica. Ditta passed this information on to me through Galen. I’m not sure she ever used it, but she made sure I knew about it.” Alex paused before saying, “I would love to meet Charlotte someday. Maybe at the company Pride celebration?”
“That would be wonderful. She’s always looking for a reason to get gussied up. I need to go, Alex; I want to supervise the tests on Danyal’s blood. I hope I didn’t come on too strong about asking you to consider Bruno’s help.”
“I’ve touched your soul, Veronica. I know you were being sincere.”
“Please, try to rest, Alex. I promise to do everything within the company’s resources to help Danyal.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your dedication and support.”
After Veronica had left the penthouse, Alex pulled out his phone to text Galen: Drop Dr. Donalds from the suspect list. Text me back. She’s one of the good guys, but I’ve bad news. The plan to switch the injections is a bust. The longer the person has been on the injections, the longer it will take to leave their system. It would take months to get the injections out of Bruno’s system. It could also take weeks to get the injections out of Zoe’s system, and we don’t have time to waste.
Alex placed his phone on the nightstand and straightened the blankets around Danyal before gently climbing into bed to lie beside his boyfriend. Alex closed his eyes but opened them again to take one last look and make sure he was next to Danyal before kissing him softly on the forehead. He was finally lying beside his boyfriend in bed once more.
Please don’t let this be the last time.