Dr. Franklin said, looking at Emily gravely from across his large desk. “So all I can do is measure secondary effects and compare them to your previous tests.” Paul felt tense and like his stomach was twisting, but he wasn’t exactly sure why. He and Emily were in Dr. Franklin’s office for an update on her prognosis, but it wasn’t likely anything said today could surprise them. Emily shifted slightly in her chair. She was dressed more casually today than she’d been for most of the week, during which she’d been attending the trial hearings. Today, she wore a pair of well-worn jeans and a brown velvet jacket, and her hair was hanging down around her shoulders. Paul thought she looked beautiful but a little pale, and he knew she was as tense as he was about this visit. She said, “Yes. I know that. Are things…progressing as you expected?” Dr. Franklin leaned back in his chair and gave her a little smile. “It’s actually better than I originally expected. It’s definitely progressing, but not as quickly as I’d anticipated.”
