“Yes, she was,” replied Dr. Wall. He returned her smile. “So, what do you think about all this?”
She paused, not wanting to take sides, and wanting to choose her words diplomatically. “Well,” she began, “first of all, everything hinges on getting a billion dollars. And I am not sold on that happening. But, if they can pull that off, what they’re saying is worth a try. It costs us nothing. It gets our name out there. And if it gets us one new discovery, saves one more life, that’s what we do here. And it breathes hope. Hope that someday, somehow, cancer will be a fading memory.”
“Okay, then, let me give you a for-instance, Mr. Harris,” said Dr. Wall. “Let’s say we do what you’re saying. We have an announcement and some mad scientist thinks he’s got a cure for cancer sitting in his lab. How on earth would he be able to share that information with us without fear that someone else would steal it? Keep in mind, Mr. Harris, we are doctors, not bio-scientists. For that matter, we’re not lawyers either.”
“Actually, I’ve got that covered,” Shelly said.
“You do?” Wall asked. His brow furrowed.
“I asked Barry Hayes to help out with that. He’s the Dean of Bio- Development at the University of Florida. Head of Pharmaceutical Studies. He can serve as a clearing house for UF’s military testing program. It’s very secure.”
“You realize if you want this hospital involved, then you’ll have to get the Board’s approval,” added Wall. “And it will need to be unanimous.”
“I know,” said Nick, “but we thought we would ask you and Dr.
White first.”
“So, Doc?” Jerry asked. “What do you say?”
“Look, guys, you want to help. I get that. But this is so far out in left field that it’s a little hard to wrap my head around it. I mean, we are talking about our children’s lives here. And using that as a backdrop for an off-the-chart idea borders on exploitation— something the Board takes very seriously. You realize that?”
“No, sir,” Nick said. “No child or anyone else with cancer will be exploited. Any treatment done here must meet your standards. No one is suggesting testing on patients. I don’t have to tell you that there are laws against that. Our idea may be outlandish, but we play by the book.”