Neef bit his tongue. Telling Heaton where to go might not be such a brilliant idea at this particular moment. “I don’t think that’s wise, Tim,” he said. “Eve has nothing at all against us. She thinks she’s reporting the facts. I shudder to think what it might be like if she were suddenly to see us as the enemy.”
“Mmm, I hadn’t thought of that,” conceded Heaton. After a few moments thought he said, “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Apart from that, she has become very attached to one of the children in my unit. She visits him daily.”
“Oh well then. Just a thought.”
Neef closed his eyes and felt relief as the moment passed.
“I’m going to contact George Lancing at the Regional Health Authority now,” said Heaton. “I want him to put pressure on the Department of Health to have this thing handled at top level. I don’t think Lennon’s up to the job.”
“It’s a particularly difficult job for anyone at the moment,” said Neef. “There’s nothing to go on.”
“I don’t think some extra help would go amiss. Action is what’s needed, not understanding.”
“Up to you,” said Neef and the conversation came to an end. Next to call was Eve Sayers.
“I’ve been trying to get through for ages,” she said.
“I had Tin Heaton on the line. He’s our chief executive.”
“Not very pleased, huh?”
“You could say.”
“Are you very angry?”
“More numb than angry,” replied Neef.
“I just reported the facts, Mike.”
“Heaton thinks you made us look like donkeys.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“I know.”
“He isn’t going to ban me from the hospital, is he?”
“No, nothing like that,” replied Neef without further explanation. “Just don’t count on getting a Christmas card from him.”
“Will I get one from you?”
“You might.”
“I’m sorry for hanging up on you the last time we spoke.”
“We were both pretty angry as I recall.”
“Pax?”
“Pax,” agreed Neef.
“Want to come over?”
“If you’re not too fussy about what we eat why don’t you come over here and I’ll find us a delicious packet from the freezer.
“Okay. I’m on. About an hour?”
“Fine.”
“What are we having?” asked Eve as she came in and sniffed the air appreciatively.
“Something with an appetizing picture on the packet,” said
Neef.
“They’re all pretty good at that,” smiled Eve.
“I particularly liked the look of rapture on the faces of the people on the front of this packet,” said Neef.
Eve picked up the empty packet and looked at it. “Irresistible,” she agreed. “Looks like they just had sex instead of Salmon in Puff Pastry.”
The meal wasn’t wonderful but it was palatable and washed down by a good wine that Eve had brought.
“Did you see Neil today?” asked Neef.
Eve nodded. “He wasn’t too well. I think Lawrence had upped his medication. I read him a fireman story and he dozed on and off and held my hand. It was nice, as if we didn’t need to talk somehow.”
Neef nodded.
“The sparkle is going from his eyes. It’s like watching a flame start to flicker and die. God! I’d give anything to be able to help him. I really would.”
Neef put his hand on top of Eve’s. “Hang in there,” he said gently. “For his sake.”
“Of course. I’m sorry,” said Eve, pulling a paper tissue from her handbag and blowing her nose. “Let’s talk about something else.”
As if on cue, Dolly made her first appearance of the evening and walked across the floor to take up her customary position in front of the French windows.
“Do you think she’s jealous of my being here?” asked Eve.
“I doubt it,” said Neef. “Dolly is too self-possessed and confident to even imagine anyone else as a rival.”
“What a comfortable feeling that must be,” said Eve. “How do I make contact with her?”
“The orange fish,” said Neef.
“Pardon?”
“It’s her new toy. I stuffed it down the back of the couch.”
Eve went over to the couch and extracted the orange fish. She held the cane in her right hand and dangled the fish at Dolly’s side. Dolly responded immediately and started to chase the fish which Eve swung across the floor and round the room.
“Come on, Dolly!” urged Eve as she moved the fish even faster and Dolly gave a display of feline ability when it came to a chase.
“She certainly can move.”
“Cats are like that,” said Neef, joining her on the couch. “Their agility can really take you by surprise.”
“Like this, you mean,” said Eve, sitting up straight and kissing Neef full on the lips. She drew back slightly as if waiting unsurely for a response. There was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. Neef wrapped his arms round her and kissed her long and hard, his senses heightened by the sudden desire that came over him. It had been such a long time. “If you like,” he said.
“I like,” replied Eve.
Eve rolled over on to her front and propped herself up on her elbows to look at Neef’s face. His eyes were closed but there was a smile on his lips that said he wasn’t actually asleep. She pushed the hair back from his forehead and said, ‘This of course, is another way of dealing with stress and tension.”
“I think I like it,” murmured Neef.
“Do you?” Eve teased. She ran her fingers lightly across his closed eyelids.
“God, yes.”
Eve looked at the trail of clothes and underwear that stretched out the door of the bedroom. She rested her head on Neef’s chest and said, “I must say, I’m feeling quite relaxed myself.”
The telephone rang just before three in the morning. Eve, being disorientated, picked it off the bedside table and almost answered it before she remembered where she was and handed it to Neef.
“Neef.”
“It’s Lennon. There’s been another case.”
“Who?”
“An electrician on the staff at St George’s.
“Another staff member.” murmured Neef. “Pereira must be right.”
“Right about what?” asked Lennon.
“I talked to Max Pereira on Friday night. He’s the research scientist who’s running our Gene Therapy trial. He’s an expert on viruses. He said our problem looked like a virus was responsible not a chemical.”
“A virus?” exclaimed Lennon. “But how?”
“I know, I know,” sighed Neef.
“Have you mentioned this to any of the university people?” asked Lennon.
“I asked David Farro-Jones for his opinion.”
“What did he say?”
“Like you, he didn’t think much of the idea but he agreed to have a look at samples from Charlie Morse under the electron microscope to see if he could spot any sign of a new virus.”
“I see,” said Lennon.
Neef detected a coolness in the comment. He added, “I was going to tell you if he found anything. It seemed such a weird idea I didn’t want to bother you with it unless we could back it up but now that there are five cases...”
“When will Dr Farro-Jones have the results of his search?”
“David thought Monday but I could call him in the morning and ask if things could be hurried up.”
“I’m sure the idea of an infectious source must have flitted across all of our minds during this business but we dismissed it because it simply isn’t possible,” said Lennon. “Cancer cannot be transmitted from person to person.”
“Certainly not in the past,” said Neef. He thought about what Pereira had said about people not wanting to consider anything new. “We really should keep an open mind at this stage,” he said.