. .” Regina poured tea into the cups on the low glass table in front of her. They were in her office, on the furniture by the windows, where they always sat, post-exam, to discuss treatment options or go over test results. Usually, the news wasn’t good, but this time Camille and Edward perked up as the hematologist-oncologist went on, “Early results have been promising—in mice, it shrank eighty-five percent of the tumors—though we won’t know how effective it is with humans until after the trial phase.”He asked, “Is that the hormone-based drug?” Regina, wearing a crisp white blouse and tailored gray slacks, nodded in response and handed him a steaming cup. “I didn’t know it was in trials.”“It’s not.” The trial was months away yet, she told them. “But I’ve spoken to Dr. Rose about it, and given the urgency in Camille’s case, he’s agreed to make her a test subject.” Dr. Ira Rose, an old friend of Regina’s, was head of the research team at MD Anderson that was developing the drug.
