“You give the couples a financial incentive to allow their unused embryos to be …”
“Used in a manner to benefit human medical science in whatever way we see fit,” Dr. Tufa said. “Which could prove lucrative, if we were to partner with you by providing embryonic stem cells for your trials.”
Mind racing, Michael kept a calm expression on his face. Could he trust Dr. Tufa’s offer? If something seemed too good to be true, it usually was, but this wasn’t an opportunity Michael could afford to drag his feet on. What did he have to lose? “That’s quite a generous offer.”
Dr. Tufa held up a hand. “It’s a strategic potential business transaction. You’ve only had one successful patient, is that correct?”
“He was a miraculous first case. After only three months on the protocol, he emerged from the coma with no loss of muscle function or memory. I monitor his progress monthly and have noted no adverse effects.”
Michael thought about the former PC-5 gangster, Beaujean Ali. The man had barely survived the hit put on him by another faction of the gang, languishing in a coma for years. A revolving door of specialists had tried to do what Michael’s protocol had done in a fraction of the time. But Michael feared that Ali was an outlier. He needed to test more patients to determine a more typical outcome.
“Any other patients?”
“A Navy SEAL who also suffered physical trauma and has been in a coma for about four years.”
A crease rose on Dr. Tufa’s forehead. “I didn’t realize your work was limited to patients in comas from physical trauma.”
“It isn’t,” Michael insisted. “Comas induced from physical traumas are more complex and difficult to treat. Other causes should respond even faster.”
“And you’ve tested this?”
“Not yet,” Michael reluctantly admitted. Twisting the band of his wedding ring around his finger, he fought the urge to curse under his breath.
“Would you be open to incorporating patients in comas from other causes into the clinical trials?”
“Of course, I would,” Michael dropped his hands into his lap, waiting, hoping that Dr. Tufa would commit to sourcing the embryonic stem cells for his protocol.
“Then I would be happy to support your work, Dr. Marsh,” Dr. Tufa said, rising from his chair. “I will have my assistant send you the paperwork to sign.”
Michael rose and stepped closer to Dr. Tufa. “This is all upside for me, but what’s in it for you, Dr. Tufa? What do you want in return for your generosity?”
Michael had no intention of sharing the credit for years of painstaking research with anyone. When his protocol was proved to be a success, the world would know only one doctor had been the brains behind it all.
“The ability to add patients to your clinical trials,” Dr. Tufa responded, straightening the monogrammed cuff of his expensive white shirt. The diamond cuff link sparkled under the harsh florescent lights. “With …no… questions asked. Do we have a deal?”
Chapter One
Julian squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his face as he took a deep breath. This was harder than he’d thought it would be. Harder than he ever expected, but he had to keep talking. Get it all out so he could move past the disappointment and the pain of being rejected by the woman he loved more than his own life.
It was the only way he could get their relationship back on track.
“She started to cry, and they weren’t tears of joy, you know,” Julian said, resting his hands on his lap as he leaned back in the worn cushioned chair. “I kept thinking, what the fuck is happening? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. But then, Mena had never minced words about marriage. She wasn’t ready and yet, after everything we went through in Kenya …”
Julian paused as an old man passed by, holding the hand of a small child. His soothing words explained why the kid’s mommy still needed to be in this place. Pale blue walls enclosed the room, lit with halogen lighting. A window at each end let in a moderate amount of sunlight through the wide blinds.
Julian shook his head. “I did the only thing I could do to protect us both. I closed my hand around the ring and just pulled her into my arms. I never let her say the words. It would have fucking crushed everything in me to hear her say no. The next day, I returned the ring to the jeweler. We haven’t talked about it since.”
Julian glanced at the row of monitors lining the side of the hospital bed. Jagged lines jumped and zigzagged across the screen. A discordant melody of intermittent beeping increased, then slowed.
Years had passed since he’d last seen his best friend, Broman Garrison. Getting the courage to visit Broman was easier now that he was in the Aerie Islands. Broman had been accepted into a coveted experimental clinical trial at the Rakestraw Blake Center. Broman’s wife, Dawn, had sold her Jacksonville home. She lived in a small bungalow in St. Basil with her adopted son, Elliott, and made the trek out to the RBC several times a week.
Picking at a string on his jogging pants, Julian continued, “I don’t know what this means for our relationship, but I can’t … I won’t walk away from Mena. I don’t want to go back to being that guy I was before she was in my life. Man, I don’t understand how you did it. How you just walked away from Sunny when you loved her so much. I get it. She lied to you. She didn’t want you to know that she’d hooked up with your best friend before she met you. Hell, I didn’t want you to know either because I saw how in love you were with her. Sometimes, I look back and wished I’d lied to you too. Pretended like I’d never met her before. Would that have made things better? Who knows? Anyway, I saw her when we moved to Nairobi. She’s made a great life for herself, runs this top-notch private executive security firm. I worked with them for a while, which helped when Mena was kidnapped. But that’s a story for another day. Don’t want to pile too much on you in one visit. I’ll tell you all about that and running into Tubeec Hirad next time.”
Julian leaned back in his chair. Whatever treatment Broman was receiving here, Julian could already tell a difference. Four years ago, after undergoing dozens of surgeries, Broman had been thin and frail, a shadow of his former self.
Looking at him now, he was much the same as he’d been before the ambush in Central Sulawesi. He’d gained weight and appeared muscular and strong, ready to take on the world again, if he could just open his eyes.
Julian would give anything to have his best friend back. The Broman he grew up knowing and loving like a brother had to still be in there somewhere.
