She was petrified she would miss something and now and again asked for confirmation on a number or letter she was afraid of misconstruing because of his accent. When he got to the last line, there was a pause. She heard the slosh of liquid and could tell he was taking a drink. Now was her chance to ask the question that burned inside of her.
“Were you here at St. Theresa’s in 1972?” She sat in reverent expectation, almost as if she sat before God. She sighed when his voice answered affirmatively.
“I gave your Dr. G. a very special gift, something he told me he would do anything for.”
“It was me, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” he said. “Now you have what you seek.”
“Tell me, are you safe? Is there any way we can help you?”
“Do not worry about me, my dear. It is you who must be careful. What you have in front of you will change the world. Guard it with your life. I just ask one thing.”
“Name it.”
“You tell Dr. G. I have given you a gift, a gift from the Silver
Sparrow.”
“S.S.,” she said aloud. “Can I meet you someday?”
“From the moment I entered this country, people are determined to kill me because I carry this formula to make the world a better place. So I hide from those who make money off this terrible disease. Perhaps you can share this gift with the rest of the world. You ask me to meet you, and I say no, that would not be wise. I will watch from a distance. It is time for you to make your patients’ troubles disappear, yes?”
“Yes,” she answered, almost in tears as the phone went dead. She swallowed hard and looked down at her legal pad. She immediately called Dr. Shoo and left him an urgent message, then headed to the lab. Most of the lights were off or dimmed, except a brightly lit corner where a young tech was playing a handheld computer game.
“Hi, Doc,” he said.
“Hi. Johnny, are there any simulator models running right
now?”
“Sure, back in that corner.” He pointed to the far left of the lab.
“Need any help?”