Part 18 (1/2)
”It's not futile, Barnabas. Don't be cynical. I did as much as I could without you here.”
”Do you really believe you will isolate a serum?”
”Eventually. But the most important part of any cure will be your att.i.tude.”
”Is there some problem with my att.i.tude, Doctor?”
Julia clenched her fist to control her temper. ”Don't call me that.”
”But it's what you are.”
Knowing she would get nowhere by continuing this conversation, Julia sighed deeply. ”Are you coming down?”
He didn't answer, just walked over to the door and down the hall. Julia followed with a heavy heart.
Maggie noticed the two small marks on her neck the next morning, but dismissed them as insect bites. She raised a hand to gently touch them. They weren't painful.39.
”That's what you get for leaving the window open, Maggie,” she said to herself. Still she found a scarf that matched her dress and tied it around her neck, covering the marks. No sense worrying the others.
She was on her way out after lunch with David when Quentin came in. ”Going somewhere?” he asked.
”To the beach,” David told him. ”I'm going to look for some more rocks and sh.e.l.ls for my collection. You want to come?”
”Why not? I was planning to play hookey from work anyway.”
”Great!”
”Go on ahead, David. We're right behind you,” Maggie said, smiling at her charge's eagerness. ”He's very fond of you.”
”He's a good boy.”
”I think sometimes he's closer to you than he is to his own father.”
”Roger's not an easy man to talk to. Especially for David. But they're getting closer, I think.” He took her arm to guide her around a fallen tree branch.
”Quentin,” she said, ”I should apologize for what I said last night -”
”Don't. You were right.”
Maggie pursed her lips in frustration. He really was impossible.
They watched David while sitting on a large rock. ”I can't believe that Carolyn's really back in college.”
”She is. She's taking all the required business courses.”
”To what end?”
”My job,” he said, leaning back on one elbow.
”And what will you do?”