Dr. Chance is no exception to the rule. From the onset7 he’s anxious to leave. He checks his watch so oftenyou’d think he was about to miss a train. The difference this time around is that Sara Fitzgerald is just asanxious to get him out of the courtroom. Because the patient who is waiting, the person who is dying, isKate.
But beside me, Anna’s body throws heat. I get up, continue my questioning. Slowly. “Dr. Chance, were anyof the treatments that involved donations from Anna’s body ‘sure things’?”
“Nothing in cancer is a sure thing, Mr. Alexander.”
“Was that explained to the Fitzgeralds?”
“We carefully explain the risks of every procedure, because once you begin treatments, you compromiseother bodily systems. What we wind up doing for one treatment successfully may come back to haunt you thenext time around.” He smiles at Sara. “That said, Kate’s an incredible young woman. She wasn’t expected tolive past age five, and here she is at sixteen.”
“Thanks to her sister,” I point out.
Dr. Chance nods. “Not many patients have both the strength of body and the good fortune to have a perfectlymatched donor9 available to them.”
I stand up, my hands in my pockets. “Can you tell the Court how the Fitzgeralds came to consult ProvidenceHospital’s preimplantation genetic10 diagnosis11 team to conceive Anna?”
“After their son was tested and found to be an unsuitable donor for Kate, I told the Fitzgeralds about anotherfamily I’d worked with. They’d tested all the patient’s siblings12, and none qualified13, but then the mother gotpregnant during the course of treatment and that child happened to be a perfect match.”
“Did you tell the Fitzgeralds to conceive a genetically14 programmed child to serve as a donor for Kate?”
“Absolutely not,” Chance says, affronted15. “I just explained that even if none of the existing children was amatch, that didn’t mean that a future child might not be.”
“Did you explain to the Fitzgeralds that this child, as a perfectly8 genetically programmed match, would haveto be available for all these treatments for Kate throughout her life?”
“We were talking about a single cord blood treatment at the time,” Dr. Chance says. “Subsequent donationscame about because Kate didn’t respond to the first one. And because they offered more promising16 results.”
“So if tomorrow scientists were to come up with a procedure that would cure Kate’s cancer if Anna only cutoff her head and gave it to her sister, would you recommend that?”
“Obviously not. I would never recommend a treatment that risked another child’s life.”
“Isn’t that what you’ve done for the past thirteen years?”
His face tightens17. “None of the treatments have caused significant long-term harm to Anna.”
I take a piece of paper out of my briefcase18 and hand it to the judge, and then to Dr. Chance. “Can you readthe part that’s marked?”
He puts on a pair of glasses and clears his throat. “I understand that anesthesia involves potential risks. Theserisks may include, but are not limited to: adverse19 drug reactions, sore throat, injury to teeth and dental work,damage to vocal20 cords, respiratory problems, minor21 pain and discomfort22, loss of sensation, headaches,infection, allergic23 reaction, awareness24 during general anesthesia, jaundice, bleeding, nerve injury, blood clot,heart attack, brain damage, and even loss of bodily function or of life.”
“Are you familiar with this form, Doctor?”
“Yes. It’s a standard consent form for a surgical25 procedure.”
“Can you tell us who the patient receiving it was?”
“Anna Fitzgerald.”
“And who signed the consent form?”
“Sara Fitzgerald.”
I rock back on my heels. “Dr. Chance, anesthesia carries a risk of life impairment or death. Those are prettystrong long-term effects.”
“That’s exactly why we have a consent form. It’s to protect us from people like you,” he says. “Butrealistically, the risk is extremely small. And the procedure of donating marrow26 is fairly simple.”
“Why was Anna being anesthetized for such a simple procedure?”
“It’s less traumatic for a child, and they’re less likely to squirm around.”
“And after the procedure, did Anna experience any pain?”
“Maybe a little,” Dr. Chance says.
“You don’t remember?”
“It’s been a long time. I’m sure even Anna’s forgotten about it by now.”
“You think?” I turn to Anna. “Should we ask her?”
Judge DeSalvo crosses his arms.
“Speaking of risk,” I continue smoothly27. “Can you tell us about the research that’s been done on the long-term effects of the growth factor shots she’s taken twice now, prior to harvest for transplant?”
“Theoretically, there shouldn’t be any long-term sequelae.”
“Theoretically,” I repeat. “Why theoretically?”
“Because the research has been done on lab animals,” Dr. Chance admits. “Effects on humans are still beingtracked.”
“How comforting.”
He shrugs28. “Physicians don’t tend to prescribe drugs that have the potential to wreak29 havoc30.”
“Have you ever heard of thalidomide, Doctor?” I ask.
“Of course. In fact, recently, it’s been resurrected for cancer research.”
“And it was a milestone31 drug once before,” I point out. “With catastrophic effects. Speaking of which…thiskidney donation—are there risks associated with the procedure?”
“No more than for most surgeries,” Dr. Chance says.
“Could Anna die from complications of this surgery?”
“It’s highly unlikely, Mr. Alexander.”
“Well, then, let’s assume Anna comes through the procedure with flying colors. How will having a singlekidney affect her for the rest of her life?”
“It won’t, really,” the doctor says. “That’s the beauty of it.”
I hand him a flyer that has come from the nephrology department of his own hospital. “Can you read thehighlighted section?”
He slips on his glasses again. “Increased chance of hypertension. Possible complications during pregnancy32.”
Dr. Chance glances up. “Donors are advised to refrain from contact sports to eliminate the risk of harmingtheir remaining kidney.”
I clasp my hands behind my back. “Did you know that Anna plays hockey in her free time?”
He turns toward her. “No. I didn’t.”
“She’s a goalie. Has been for years now.” I let this sink in. “But since this donation is hypothetical, let’sconcentrate on the ones that have already happened. The growth factor shots, the DLI, the stem cells, thelymphocyte donations, the bone marrow—all of these myriad33 treatments Anna endured—in your expertopinion, Doctor, are you saying that Anna has not undergone any significant medical harm from theseprocedures?”
“Significant?” He hesitates. “No, she has not.”
“Has she received any significant benefit from them?”
Dr. Chance looks at me for a long moment. “Sure,” he says. “She’s saving her sister.”
Anna and I are eating lunch upstairs at the courthouse when Julia walks in. “Is this a private party?”
Anna waves her inside, and Julia sits down without so much as a glance toward me. “How are you doing?”
she asks.
“Okay,” Anna replies. “I just want it to be over.”
Julia opens up a packet of salad dressing34 and pours it over the lunch she’s brought. “It will be, before youknow it.”
She looks at me when she says this, briefly35.
That’s all it takes for me to remember the smell of her skin, and the spot below her breast where she has abeauty mark in the shape of a crescent moon.
Suddenly Anna gets up. “I’m going to take Judge for a walk,” she announces.
“Like hell you are. There are reporters out there, still.”
“I’ll walk him in the hallway, then.”
“You can’t. He has to be walked by me; it’s part of his training.”
“Then I’m going to pee,” Anna says. “That’s something I’m still allowed to do by myself, right?”
She walks out of the conference room, leaving Julia and me and everything that shouldn’t have happened butdid.
“She left us alone on purpose,” I realize.
Julia nods. “She’s a smart kid. She can read people very well.” Then she sets down her plastic fork. “Your caris full of dog hair.”
“I know. I keep asking Judge to pull it back in a ponytail but he never listens.”
“Why didn’t you just get me up?”
I grin. “Because we were anchored in a no-wake zone.”
Julia, however, doesn’t even crack a smile. “Was last night a joke to you, Campbell?”
That old adage36 pops into my head: If you want to see God laugh, make a plan. And because I am a coward, Igrab the dog by his collar. “I need to walk him before we’re called back into court.”
Julia’s voice follows me to the door. “You didn’t answer me.”
“You don’t want me to,” I say. I don’t turn around. That way I don’t have to see her face.
When Judge DeSalvo adjourns37 us for the day at three because of a weekly chiropractic appointment, I walkAnna out to the lobby to find her father—but Brian’s gone. Sara looks around, surprised. “Maybe he got afire call,” she says. “Anna, I’ll—”
But I put my hand on Anna’s shoulder. “I’ll take you to the fire station.”
In the car, she is quiet. I pull into the station parking lot and leave the engine running. “Listen,” I tell her,“you may not have realized it, but we had a great first day.”
“Whatever.”
She gets out of my car without another word and Judge hops38 up into the vacated front seat. Anna walkstoward the station, but then veers39 left. I start to pull back out, and then against my better judgment40 turn offthe engine. Leaving Judge in the car, I follow her around the back of the building.
She stands like a statue, her face turned up to the sky. What am I supposed to do, say? I have never been aparent; I can barely take care of myself.
As it turns out, Anna starts speaking first. “Did you ever do something you knew was wrong, even though itfelt right?”
I think of Julia. “Yeah.”
“Sometimes I hate myself,” Anna murmurs41.
“Sometimes,” I tell her, “I hate myself, too.”
This surprises her. She looks at me, and then at the sky again. “They’re up there. The stars. Even when youcan’t see them.”
I put my hands into my pockets. “I used to wish on a star every night.”
“For what?”
“Rare baseball cards for my collection. A golden retriever. Young, hot female teachers.”
“My dad told me that a bunch of astronomers42 found a new place where stars are being born. Only it’s takenus 2,500 years to see them.” She turns to me. “Do you get along with your parents?”
I think about lying to her, but then I shake my head. “I used to think I’d be just like them when I grew up, butI’m not. And the thing is, somewhere along the way, I stopped wanting to be like them, anyway.”
The sun washes over her milky43 skin, lights the line of her throat. “I get it,” Anna says. “You were invisible,too.”
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subpoenaed
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| v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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duress
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| n.胁迫 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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donor
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| n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体 | |
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genetic
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| adj.遗传的，遗传学的 | |
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diagnosis
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| n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断 | |
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siblings
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| n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 ) | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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genetically
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| adv.遗传上 | |
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affronted
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| adj.被侮辱的，被冒犯的v.勇敢地面对( affront的过去式和过去分词 )；相遇 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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tightens
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| 收紧( tighten的第三人称单数 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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adverse
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| adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的 | |
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vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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allergic
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| adj.过敏的，变态的 | |
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awareness
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| n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智 | |
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surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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marrow
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| n.骨髓；精华；活力 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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shrugs
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| n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 ) | |
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wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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milestone
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| n.里程碑；划时代的事件 | |
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pregnancy
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| n.怀孕，怀孕期 | |
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myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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adage
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| n.格言，古训 | |
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adjourns
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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hops
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| 跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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veers
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的第三人称单数 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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astronomers
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| n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 ) | |
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milky
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| adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的 | |
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