Executive orders - Tom Clancy [341]
HELLO, I'M CALLING for Dr. Ian MacGregor.
Who's calling, please?
This is Dr. Lorenz at CDC Atlanta.
Wait, please.
Gus had to wait for two minutes, by his watch, long enough to light his pipe and open a window. The younger staffers occasionally chided him about the habit, but he didn't inhale, and it was good for thinking
This is Dr. MacGregor, a young voice said.
This is Gus Lorenz in Atlanta.
Oh! How do you do, Professor?
How are your patients doing? Lorenz asked from seven time zones away. He liked the sound of MacGregor, clearly working a little late. The good ones did a lot of that.
The male patient isn't doing well at all, I'm afraid. The child, however, is recovering nicely.
Indeed? Well, we examined the specimens you sent. Both contained the Ebola virus, Mayinga sub-strain.
You're quite certain? the younger man asked.
No doubt about it, Doctor. I ran the tests myself.
I was afraid of that. I sent another set to Paris, but they haven't got back to me yet.
I need to know a few things. On his end of the line, Lorenz had a pad out. Tell me more about your patients.
There's a problem with that, Professor Lorenz, MacGregor had to say. He didn't know if the line might be bugged, but in a country like Sudan, it was not something he could discount. On the other hand, he had to say something, and so he started picking his way through the facts he could disclose.
I SAW YOU on TV last night. Dr. Alexandre had decided to see Cathy Ryan at lunch again for that very reason. He'd taken a liking to her. Who would have expected an eye cutter and laser jockey (for Alex, these were more mechanical specialties than the true medicine he practiced-even that profession had its rivalries, and he felt that way about almost all surgical specialties) to take an interest in genetics? Besides, she probably needed a friendly voice.
That's nice, Caroline Ryan replied, looking down at her chicken salad as he took his seat. The bodyguard, Alexandre saw, merely looked unhappily tense.
You did okay.
Think so? She looked up, saying evenly: I wanted to rip his face off.
Well, that didn't quite come across. You were pretty supportive of your husband. You came across smart.
What is it with reporters? I mean, why-
Alex smiled. Doctor, when a dog urinates on a fire hydrant, he's not committing vandalism. He's just being a dog. Roy Altman nearly choked on his drink.
Neither one of us ever wanted this, you know? she said, still unhappy enough to miss the jibe.
Professor Alexandre held his hands up in mock surrender. Been there, done that, ma'am. Hey, I never wanted to join the Army. They drafted me right out of med school. It turned out all right, making colonel and all. I found an interesting field to keep the brain busy, and it pays the bills, y'know?
I don't get paid for this abuse! Cathy objected, albeit with a smile.
And your husband doesn't get paid enough, Alex added.
He never has. Sometimes I wonder why he doesn't just do the job for free, turn the checks back in, just to make the point that he's worth more than they pay him.
You think he would have made a good doc?
Her eyes brightened. I've told him that. Jack would have been a surgeon, I think-no, maybe something else, like what you're in. He's always liked poking around and figuring things out.
And saying what he thinks.
That almost started a laugh. Always!
Well, guess what? He comes across as a good guy. I've never met him, but I liked what I saw. Sure as hell he's no politician, and maybe that's not a bad thing once in a while. You want to lighten up a