Chapter 441: Sophie

Richard’s doctor called Sophie on Thursday morning.

Sean knew because Sophie texted him at nine forty-seven.

Can I call you.

He called immediately.

"The doctor called," she said.

"I know," he said.

A pause.

"You knew," she said.

"I found out Wednesday," he said. "Elena Park flagged it in the clinical notes. I was at the hospital."

"Why were you at the hospital," she said.

"Richard’s follow-up," he said.

"You went to his follow-up," she said.

"I was in the corridor," he said.

She was quiet for a moment.

"You were in the corridor," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"Of course you were," she said.

He held his phone.

"Sophie," he said.

"Yeah."

"Low expression," he said. "Monitoring not treatment. The doctor explained what that means."

"Yes," she said. "She was clear." A pause. "Monitoring means a blood panel every six months. It means I know something I didn’t know yesterday. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong."

"Yes," he said.

"I know that," she said. "I read the clinical literature last night after the doctor called. I wanted to understand the marker profile before I talked to anyone."

"You read the clinical literature," he said.

"I’m thorough," she said.

He held his phone.

"Yes," he said.

"The expression level is 0.3," she said. "The threshold for clinical relevance is 0.7. I’m not at half the threshold."

"Yes," he said.

"I know I’m not in danger," she said. "That’s not why I called."

"I know," he said.

She was quiet for a moment.

"Sean," she said.

"Yeah."

"You were in the corridor on Wednesday," she said. "Elena Park told you. You’ve known for two days."

"Yes," he said.

"You didn’t call me," she said.

"No," he said.

"Why," she said.

He held his phone.

"Because the right way for you to find out was from your doctor," he said. "Not from me in a corridor at a hospital who found out from the principal investigator while standing in the wrong place at the right time."

A pause.

"The wrong place at the right time," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"You were there for Richard," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"And Elena Park told you about me," she said.

"She wanted me to know," he said. "Because I was paying attention. She said that."

"Elena Park said you were paying attention," she said.

"Yes," he said.

A longer pause.

"What’s she like," said Sophie.

"Precise," he said. "She identified me in thirty seconds and had my full profile from the exception request documentation."

"She’s good," said Sophie.

"Very," he said.

"I want to meet her," said Sophie.

"She’ll be at Richard’s next appointment," he said.

"I know," said Sophie. "I’m coming to the next one." A pause. "I’ve been meaning to. I just hadn’t said so yet."

"Good," he said.

She held the line.

"Four questions," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"I’m using one now," she said.

He held his phone.

"Okay," he said.

She was quiet for a moment.

The specific gathering quality of someone who had been holding something and was deciding how to place it.

"The trial," she said. "Richard’s enrollment. The exception request. Elena Park and the foundation board and Thomas Reeve and everything that got him into the trial." She held the line. "Was any of that you."

He held his phone.

He held it for a long moment.

She waited.

She had four questions and she had organized them into categories. The ones that needed to be asked in person and the ones that could be text. She had chosen this one for a phone call.

She had been waiting for the right moment.

"Yes," he said.

A pause.

"All of it," she said.

"The clinical data made the case," he said. "I found the right person to present it to."

"Thomas Reeve," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"Who you know through the Vertex round," she said.

"Yes," he said.

She held the line.

"Sean," she said.

"Yeah."

"Richard doesn’t know," she said.

"No," he said.

"Are you going to tell him," she said.

He held his phone.

"No," he said.

"Why," she said.

"Because what Richard needs is for the trial to be working," he said. "Not for it to have been arranged. The outcome is the same. The mechanism doesn’t need to be visible."

She held the line.

"You do that a lot," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"The architecture in the background," she said. "The right room found before anyone asks for it." A pause. "I’ve been watching you do it for months. Every time I hear about something landing correctly I trace it back and you’re usually in it somewhere."

"Not always," he said.

"Often," she said.

He held his phone.

"Sophie," he said.

"Yeah."

"That’s three questions used," he said. "You have one left."

A pause.

"I know," she said. "I’m saving it."

"For when," he said.

"For when I know what it is," she said.

He held his phone.

"Fair," he said.

"Yes," she said. "It is." A pause. "Sean."

"Yeah."

"Thank you," she said. "For all of it. For being in the corridor. For not calling me before the doctor did. For the trial." A pause. "For answering the question honestly."

"You asked directly," he said. "That deserves a direct answer."

"I know," she said. "That’s why I asked it on the phone."

He held his phone.

She had organized them into categories. The ones that needed to be asked in person and the ones that could be text and the ones that needed a phone call.

She was fifteen.

"Sophie," he said.

"Yeah."

"The marker profile," he said. "0.3. Below threshold. Monitoring every six months."

"Yes," she said.

"You’re going to be fine," he said.

"I know," she said.

"Not because I’m telling you," he said. "Because the data says so and you read the clinical literature."

"Yes," she said. "Both things."

"Good," he said.

"Sean," she said.

"Yeah."

"Richard’s fifth bookshelf," she said. "The photographs."

"Yes," he said.

"He put one of you on it," she said.

"Yes," he said.

"He didn’t tell me he was going to do that," she said. "He just did it." A pause. "I think that’s the most honest thing he’s done since the meeting at Harlow’s."

He held his phone.

"Yes," he said.

She held the line.