Protecting Her(36)

So that’s why everyone’s being so nice. They’re sucking up to the boss. Last time I was here, I wasn’t even allowed to make a decision and now I’m the CEO.

People continue to come by my office all morning and I get nothing done. At eleven, I go to meet Logan for lunch. He’s already at the restaurant when I arrive.

We greet each other and give our order to the waiter. I don’t have much time and neither does Logan.

“So how’s the baby?” he asks.

“Getting bigger every day.” I take a sip of water. “How’s work going?”

“Good. I went to a conference last week. Some of the doctors I trained with in Europe were there.”

“What was the conference about?

“New innovations in cancer treatment. I won’t bore you with the science, but basically, the newest treatments are going to focus on turning off the genes that cause cancer so they won’t continue to multiply.”

“When will this treatment be available?”

“Probably in twenty years.” He shakes his head. “It’s ridiculous how long it takes for these treatments to be approved, at least here in the States. There are so many regulatory hoops to go through. Research. Clinical trials. But human trials are already being done in Europe, and so far, the results looks very promising.”

“I was asking because I just learned that my father has lung cancer.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“He begins treatment next week. He’s taking a leave of absence from work so I’m now the interim CEO at Kensington Chemical. I don’t know when he’ll be back at the office. It depends on how his treatment goes. I’ve heard lung cancer doesn’t have a high survival rate. Is that true?”

“It depends on when it’s detected. If you’d like, I could contact your father’s physician and look over his treatment plan, just as a second opinion. I could also suggest some clinical trials your father could be part of that would give him access to the latest treatments.”

“Are there any that offer this new treatment involving genetics?”

“Not here in the States. He’d have to go to Europe.”

“What if he was willing to try the treatment without being part of a clinical trial?”

“It’s not allowed. If the physician dispensing the treatment got caught, he or she could go to jail and would likely never practice medicine again.”

“That seems rather extreme. If the patient is willing to try it, he should be able to.”

Logan sighs. “Don’t get me started, Pearce. You know how I feel about the constraints on health care in this country. I could go on all day.”

I smile. “Yes. I know it frustrates you.”

“Well, anyway, if you need any assistance with your father’s care, just let me know. I wish I could’ve done more for Shelby’s father, but he was too far gone by the time I met him.” He pauses. “Has Rachel talked to Shelby recently?”

“Yes. Rachel had to pick her up last—” I stop because I didn’t mean to say that. Now he’ll ask me about it and I’ll have to make something up. Shelby said she was on date, but I know she wasn’t. I knew as soon as Rachel told me the address. That gas station is next to a very exclusive neighborhood where one of the members lives. I’m guessing his wife came home when he wasn’t expecting her and he had to kick Shelby out.

“Did Shelby’s car break down?” Logan looks concerned. He still cares about Shelby, even though she’s made it clear they can’t be together.

“No. She just…she had a date that didn’t end well.” I decide to tell him Shelby’s made-up story. If he thinks she’s dating again, maybe he’ll stop pursuing her.

“What do you mean it didn’t end well?” Now he sounds angry.

“I don’t know all the details. They argued and he left her on the sidewalk and took off.”

He sighs and looks down at the table. “She should have called me. She knows I would have picked her up.”

“I thought you two are no longer speaking.”

“That’s just Shelby being Shelby. She does this all the time. She talks to me and then she doesn’t. The woman drives me insane.”

“Logan, I think it’s time to let her go. She is obviously not ready for a serious relationship. Maybe you should start dating other people.”