AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because the patient’s blood is missing Factor proteins.”
“Right.” I cross my legs and swing my foot for the first time in… forever. I so rarely have a chance to sit down for breakfast and not have anywhere else to rush off to. “Patients who are missing this protein often suffer spontaneous bleeds. And as we both know, if someone bleeds too much…”
“They die.” His jaw clenches, but he smooths his actions and carefully reaches for his coffee. “So you inject this protein every other day, which makes you a normal, not-at-risk-of-bleeding-out person.”
A smile breaks out across my face, but I look down at the tray of food between us and select a croissant. “Essentially. Though we both know if I was to suffer trauma of some sort, we need to take more precautions and inject more Factor. Now these pills,” I lean across and tap the pamphlet peeking out the top of the file, “they’re experimental. Scientists have altered the powdered factor and turned it into a pill, providing patients an opportunity to swallow that once a day as an alternate plan to infusion.”
“So… if it’s the same powder, delivered in a different way, why are you so worried? It’s the same thing.”
“Because blood runs in my veins, Archer. The Factor I infuse is delivered directly into my bloodstream. The pills will be absorbed through the stomach. Which means they’ll pass through acid, and those acids will interact with this medication in ways we’ve not yet discovered. It’s all fun and games to consider this a viable alternative for patients, but if the medication isn’t being received appropriately?—”
“Spontaneous bleed,” he concludes on a sigh. “Death.”
“Pretty much.” I take a bite of my croissant and look out at the ocean. I’m not sure if we’re actively sailing. Or just, like, bobbing here. But it’s peaceful either way. There are no crazy waves. Nothing to see in any direction except more water. The sky is blue, and the ocean is an almost exact copy. “I’m willing to do my own research,” I admit quietly. “And I’ve been attempting to collate information over the last little while, since you won’t shut up nagging me about it.”
He coughs, laughing softly in the back of his throat. But he reaches out and snags a strip of bacon from the serving tray. We’ve both skipped using our plates and utensils and gone straight to eating with our fingers. “You call it nagging. I call it love.”
“I call it additional stress,” I counter. Though I say it gently. No malice. “I don’t enjoy infusion either, Archer. But it’s?—”
“It’s what you need to do,” he accepts. “It’s your lifeline.”
“It’s what I know,” I admit. “And I think we’re both aware of my dislike of change. So I’m working on it. Reading into the trials. I moved past the pamphlets a while ago. And Doctor Cleary hooked me up with some of the founding researchers running the trials.”
“Nicki hooked you up with…” He frowns. “You and Nicki talk in private?”
“You mean, do I have a private relationship with your ex-girlfriend outside of you?” Snickering, I take another bite of pastry and groan. Finally, food touches the sides of my stomach and combats the hunger I woke up with. “Yes, Archer. Thingsdoexist outside of you.”
“She’s not my ex-girlfriend,” he grumbles. “She’s my ex-went-out-on-a-date-one-time. You can be friends with whoever you want. I was just?—”
“Surprised? Taken aback? Concerned?”
“You’re hardly even friends with your friends. Adding more to the list is outside of the realm of what I expected you to do.”
“Ha-ha.” My hunger gets away on me, drawing me closer to the table until I set my elbows down and scan for more sustenance. Selecting a boiled egg, I crack the shell and peel the hard exterior away. “So there you have it. I’m doing my research and considering my options. And you’re being bossy, because that’s what you do.”
“It’s not being bossy to care about your wife’s bleeding disorder.” He grabs an egg, too, and begins peeling. Though he’s slower than me. Calmer, as I finish stripping mine and take a bite. “Have you found any information that has helped your decision-making process? For or against.”
“I’ve found the trials.” I take another bite and chew like an undignified cow. “There’s more than one pill being tested right now. Competing pharmaceutical companies, racing to make theirs mainstream and reap the market share before the other guys do it. One company, we’ll call them A, is having more successes than company B.”
“Are either company having successes enough to convince you to switch over?”
“Not so far.” I toss the last third of my egg into my mouth and grin when Archer offers his, freshly peeled and ready to go. “Thank you.” I accept it and chew what’s already in my mouth. “Company A seems to be ahead of the game. They’re taking things slower, more careful. And they’renotincluding children in their trials.”
“Company B is experimenting on kids?”
I sit back and start swinging my foot again. Pastry and boiled egg eradicating that pang of starvation, so now I can relax. “Parents are desperate, Archer. Medical bills are astronomical, and having a kid in the hospital every other week is crippling. Trialspayyou to take part, so these parents see the benefits?—”
“Free meds and hospital admission,” he finishes. “They see the financial perk.”
“Yes. And sometimes they miss the risks.”
“Like their five-year-old bleeding to death,” he sighs. “Has either company reported fatalities so far?”
“No. But several patients, adults and minors, have been removed from the trials after adverse reactions. Several others are responding well.”
“And the majority?”
“Are seeing not much response at all, which means they end up needing to infuse anyway. It seems their stomach acids are destroying the proteins in the pills before they’re absorbed into the bloodstream, so although they’re getting a small benefit, it’s not enough.”
