“This is extortion, you are just going to let these patients suffer when you have something that is potentially life-saving all for what? A patent? Money?” Elizabeth charged.
“It’s not that simple, Doctor Grant,” the woman on the phone stumbled as she spoke. “This is how we are getting the grant for this research, we have to make sure that the drug is profitable, you know how this industry is.”
“I also know that I have patients dying all because you want to nickel and dime about whose name is on what,” Elizabeth snarled into the phone. “None of us here care a bit about whose name is on it, we aren’t after your patent, we are trying to help people, that’s what people in our profession are supposed to do.”
“I’m sorry, Doctor Grant, but we can’t?—”
“Send us the drug, or I will make sure to bury you, your study, and everyone involved so deep in red tape that the patent will never see the light of day, or if it does it will have the name ofthishospital associated with it, not your ridiculous start-up pharmaceutical LLC.”
The woman on the line was silent. Anyone who was familiar with Elizabeth Grant’s work knew that she could do that, she could have so many companies fighting for that patent that it would never see the light of day.
“I just need to know if it will help my patients, that’s all, you can have all the credit, all the patents, everything, just let us try to save these people,” Elizabeth said, her voice softer, almost desperate. Truth was, she would likely have agreed to whatever terms the woman gave her, but she couldn’t just roll over.
“I’ll send you some samples,” the woman finally acquiesced. “If they work, then I’ll send some more, but we better be credited for this.”
“Of course, it’s your drug,” Elizabeth said, relief washing through her. It looked like there was finally a light in the darkness. She prayed to whoever would listen that this drug would work.
11
AVA
Ava opened her eyes slowly, the drip of IV fluids seemed to echo all around her. She looked up to find Elizabeth standing at the door, a soft smile on her face.
“Your spasms seemed to have calmed down, so I had them wake you,” Elizabeth said and started to slowly walk toward Ava.
“That’s good,” Ava said, her tongue thick in her mouth. Her muscles wouldn’t respond to her commands. She attempted to lift her hand toward Elizabeth as she walked up to the bed, but her arm just flexed back and forth a few times. “What’s happening to me?”
“You’re under a lot of medication, particularly muscle relaxers, but I thought you would want to know that I think we’ve found something. We are waiting for the medication to arrive, but everything looks as though it will be exactly what we need to eliminate this virus.”
Ava tried to nod but found that she couldn’t. Elizabeth continued to talk, but Ava could hardly focus. Her consciousness continued to drift in and out as Elizabeth explained the new drug and the fight with the pharmaceutical company to get it. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched this beautiful woman, so concerned, so adamant that she would heal Ava. If Ava had had any sort of control, she would have chuckled, if anyone could do it, it would be Dr. Elizabeth Grant.
As she watched Elizabeth’s face, she could feel herself drifting and Elizabeth’s face became distorted. Suddenly, Ava was self-conscious. She didn’t want Elizabeth to see her like this. She felt so weak; the pain she had felt in the beginning was excruciating and she was exhausted. She had no idea how long she had been put under, but her throat hurt, it was raw and burned with each breath, they must have had to put her on a ventilator. It was a good thing that she had been able to come off of it.Right?
She found herself angry, she needed to tell Elizabeth to go away. She wanted her to go away, except that she didn’t. At the same time, she didn’t want Elizabeth’s last memory of her to be lying in this bed, incapable of the slightest movement. She felt her jaw tightening and the machines around her started screaming. She looked back at Elizabeth, whose eyes were wide with fear. Darkness felt as though it was closing in around her, enveloping her, and it was warm. It was comfortable. It was peace.
No!She couldn’t leave yet. She wasn’t ready. Ava’s mind fought to stay in the room with her. Medical personnel were surrounding her, their faces twisted in fear.It’s alright, I’m okay,she tried to say, but nothing came out. Their movements were slow and blurry. Their faces said they were working as hard and as fast as they could, but to Ava it felt as though everyone and everything was underwater. No sound reached her ears. Everything moved outside her control, surrounding her, but not touching her.
Her consciousness lifted from the bed and then she was looking down at herself, at least she thought it was herself, she couldn’t really tell from the constant movement of people around her. Pain seared her throat as she watched someone forcing a tube through it and into her lungs. She could feel it, but it was wrong. Everything was wrong. How could her body betray her like this?
She looked around and found Elizabeth standing to the side with a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were filled with tears. Ava drifted over to her, and Elizabeth lifted her eyes, and for a second Ava thought she was looking right at her, but then she turned and walked out of the room.
Ava jolted, snapped back near her body.Elizabeth!Ava screamed internally, there was so much pain. Her body was failing. Where did Elizabeth go? She needed to see her, she needed to tell her that everything was fine, that she was comfortable, at peace even.
Ava jolted again, fire coursing though her entirebody. Silently screaming, Ava found that she could no longer see. People were shouting, machines screaming, and everything hurt. She longed for that warm enveloping darkness. She started to drift again.
A third time, white hot fire coursed through her. The noise of the room threatened to overwhelm her, but Elizabeth’s face rose to the front of her consciousness.Elizabeth. Ava needed her, but more than that was the overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needed her, too. She couldn’t go yet.
The noise around her seemed to subside, but nothing was discernable. Voices carried all around her, but it was like they were all just out of range to be heard or speaking another language. Darkness started to close around her again, but this was different; it wasn’t warm or peaceful, but it was safe. She could slip into it for a while, just for a quick rest. Allowing herself to relax, she fell into the darkness.
When she opened her eyes again, the room was empty and dark. The pulsing of the machines and the hiss of the ventilator were subdued. She looked around but couldn’t move anything beyond her eyes. She felt locked in place. Panic started to creep in, the image of Sandra looking at her, the fear in her eyes. Ava couldn’t feel anything, guessing she must be medicated to prevent the pain, but her muscles were tight. Ava came to the stark realization that she did not have much time left. Sandra barely lasted the night when she came in like this.
She desperately searched her mind for some way to communicate, but could not come up with anything. She needed to talk to Elizabeth. The door to her room opened, almost silently, and Elizabeth’s face floated above her own. Guilt and shame threatened to overwhelm Ava as Elizabeth looked down at her. Elizabeth’s sharp blue eyes were softened as she gazed at Ava.
“Can you hear me?” Elizabeth asked softly.
Ava blinked in response.
I love you.
