“Oh please, Arthur,” said Sabrina. “Would you quit being morally outraged and look at the facts? Some of those people are alive right now because of what he did.”
Richard turned around.
“Don’t make it sound more spectacular than it is,” he said. “Only one of them is alive, and it’s probably a coincidence.”
“Fine,” said Sabrina. “Have it your own way, Richard. You’re the expert. Why don’t you tell them about the girl who survived?”
Richard sighed.
“Her name was Agnes,” he said. “She was fourteen years old when Peterson selected her for his bogus experiment. She had an inoperable brain tumor that wasn’t responding to treatment. Her family was so desperate for a glimmer of hope that they handed her over to him without any hesitation. He treated her with the drug for several months, and by some strange twist of fate, she got better.”
“What happened to her after she recovered?” said Arthur.
“I would like to say she lived happily ever after, but she didn’t,” said Richard. “The trauma she suffered was extreme. Peterson performed a lot of unnecessary procedures on her to collect as much data as possible. She testified against him at the trial, and then she disappeared.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Arthur, looking at Richard with undisguised contempt. “You don’t even know if she’s still alive.”
“Actually, I do,” said Richard. “If you’d answered any of my countless phone calls over the last twenty years, you would have learned that she contacted me and thanked me for saving her from Peterson. She said she had finally come to terms with what he did to her. She had just found out she was pregnant, and she wanted to build a better life for her child. I still hear from her occasionally. She recently retired from her job as a nurse, and from what I’ve been able to gather from my conversations with her, she’s extremely happy.”
“See, Arthur?” said Sabrina. “It’s not as bad as you seem to think.”
Arthur didn’t look at her. His attention was focused on Richard, and the expression on his face was far from pleasant.
“You really are pathetic,” he said. “I should have known you’d pull a stunt like this as soon as Peterson was released. You’ve given Sabrina false hope. You ought to be ashamed. If you’re planning to be the hero, you can forget about it. I’m not going to let you experiment on her.”
“Arthur, this was my idea,” said Sabrina. “Stop dwelling on the past, and listen to me. I’m not interested in postponing the inevitable. If I thought I didn’t have a chance to be cured, I would go into the bathroom and slit my wrists right now. This drug is my only hope. Agnes wasn’t the only person who got better because of it. Eighteen patients were treated with it, and six of them recovered.”
“Is that true?” said Arthur.
“Yes, I suppose,” said Richard, “but they were elderly, and most of them had so many other things wrong with them that they didn’t survive very long.”
“What happened to the other twelve?” said Arthur.
“Do you really want to know?” said Richard. “They bled to death. It was sudden, catastrophic, and relentless. Peterson wasn’t discouraged. He chalked it up as a useful piece of data, but he never figured out why it happened. It just goes to show how irresponsible he was. He had no idea what the drug was actually doing.”
“Sabrina, it’s too dangerous,” said Arthur.
“Is it more dangerous than death?” she said. “It’s true that you might lose me sooner this way, but I’m willing to take that chance. I wish you would stop being so selfish, Arthur. I want your support, but I don’t need your permission.”
“Can’t we at least talk about the other options?” said Arthur.
She ignored him.
“Richard, how long will it take to make the drug?” she said. “I’m running out of time, and I’d like to get started as quickly as possible.”
Richard shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Probably not more than a few days, but there are a lot of details we need to iron out first. For instance, how are we going to keep this whole thing confidential? You’ll need to be closely monitored throughout the duration of the treatment, but hospitals are crawling with so many people that we couldn’t possibly swear them all to secrecy. If this got out, there would be consequences.”
“That’s why I’m going to stay right here in this house,” said Sabrina. “It will be the most convenient arrangement for everyone. What do you think, Andrew? Will that be a problem?”
“Not as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I’ll arrange for the necessary medical equipment to be delivered to the house, and I’ll see about hiring a nurse to take care of you when I’m not around. That will be the hardest part. We’ll have to find someone who knows how to keep quiet and doesn’t mind breaking the rules.”
“Agnes would be perfect for the job,” said Richard. “She’s got more experience with the drug than anyone else, and she’s suspicious by nature. I’ll call her and ask her if she’s interested. She might say no, but it’s worth a try.”
“It’s decided then,” said Sabrina. She was so elated by her success that she expected to be congratulated, but a despondent silence filled the room. She gazed around in irritation. Richard looked morose, and Arthur appeared to be on the verge of losing his composure. Lisa’s father hung his head. His guilt was almost palpable. Sabrina despised him for being so transparent. Lisa’s mother clutched his arm.
“Andrew, please tell me you’re not seriously considering this crazy idea,” she said. “You’re a good person, and I know how much you enjoy helping people, but this is going a step too far. I don’t understand why you’re willing to risk everything you’ve accomplished. What if something goes wrong? If it were just you and me, I wouldn’t worry so much, but
