Candace said. ‘I told him about you, and he’d like to thank you in
person.’
‘I don’t know if that is a good idea,’ Kevin said. He could feel himself
tense.
‘On the contrary,’ Candace said. ‘After what you said at lunch, I think
you should see the good side of what you have been able to accomplish.
I’m sorry that what I said made you feel so terrible.’
Candace’s remark was the first reference to Kevin’s lunch outburst since
its occurrence. Kevin’s pulse quickened.
‘It wasn’t your fault,’ he said. ‘I’d been upset before your comments.’
‘Then come meet Horace,’ Candace said. ‘His recovery is fantastic. He’s
doing so well, in fact, that an intensive-care nurse like me is just
about unnecessary.’
‘I wouldn’t know what to say,’ Kevin mumbled.
‘Oh, it doesn’t matter what you say,’ Candace said. ‘The man is so
thankful. Just a few days ago, he was so sick he thought he was going to
die. Now he feels like he’s been given a new lease on life. Come on! It
can’t help but make you feel good.’
Kevin struggled to think up a reason not to go and then was saved by
another voice. It was Melanie.
‘Ah, my two favorite drinking buddies,’ Melanie said coming into the
room. She’d caught sight of Candace and Kevin through the open door.
She’d been on her way to her own lab down the hall. She was dressed in
blue coveralls which had animal center embroidered on the breast pocket.
‘Are either of you guys hungover?’ Melanie asked. ‘I’ve still got a
little buzz. God, we went through two bottles of wine. Can you believe
it?’
Neither Candace or Kevin responded.
Melanie looked back and forth between their faces. She sensed something
was wrong.
‘What is this–a wake?’ she asked.
Candace smiled. She loved Melanie’s outspoken irreverence. ‘Hardly,’
Candace said. ‘Kevin and I are at a standoff. I was just trying to talk
him into going over to the hospital to meet Mr. Winchester. He’s already
out of bed and feeling chipper. I told him about you guys, and he’d like
to meet both of you.’
‘I hear he owns a string of resort hotels,’ Melanie said with a wink.
‘Hey, maybe we can finagle some vouchers for complimentary drinks.’
‘As appreciative and as wealthy as he is, you could very well do better
than that,’ Candace said. ‘The problem is that Kevin doesn’t want to
go.’
‘How come, sport?’ Melanie asked.
‘I thought it would be a good idea for him to see the good side of what
he’s been able to accomplish,’ Candace added.
Candace caught Melanie’s eye. Melanie understood Candace’s motivations
immediately.
‘Yeah,’ Melanie said. ‘Let’s get some positive feedback from a real,
live patient. That should justify all this hard work and give us a
boost.’
‘I think it will make me feel worse,’ Kevin said. Ever since getting
back to the lab, he’d been trying to concentrate on basic research to
avoid facing his fears. The ploy had worked to an extent until his
curiosity made him call up the Isla Francesca graphic on his computer
terminal. Playing with the data had had an effect as bad as the smoke.
Melanie put her hands on her hips. ‘Why?’ she asked. ‘I don’t
understand.’
‘It’s hard to explain,’ Kevin said evasively.
‘Try me,’ Melanie challenged.
‘Because seeing him will remind me of things I’m trying not to think
about,’ Kevin said. ‘Like what happened to the other patient.’
‘You mean his double, the bonobo?’ Melanie asked.
Kevin nodded. His face was now flushed, almost as bad as it had been at
the commissary.
‘You’re taking this animal-rights issue even more seriously than I am,’
Candace remarked.
‘I’m afraid it goes beyond animal rights,’ Kevin said.
A tense silence intervened. Melanie glanced at Candace. Candace
shrugged, suggesting she was at a loss.
‘Okay, enough is enough!’ Melanie said with sudden resolve. She reached
up, placed both hands on Kevin’s shoulders, and pushed him down onto his
laboratory stool.
‘Up until this afternoon I thought we were just colleagues,’ she said.
She leaned over and put her sharp-featured face close to Kevin’s. ‘But
now I feel differently. I got to know you a little bit, which I must say