Frederick sat in his laboratory at three in the morning, surrounded by papers and data and blood samples. His team had gone home hours ago, but he remained, running calculations, trying to find a way to accelerate the cure formula without compromising safety or effectiveness.
It was impossible. The math did not work. The biology did not support it. Every angle he tried led to a dead end.
Dr. Helen Park found him there at dawn, still working, still trying.
"You need to sleep," she said gently, placing a cup of coffee on the table beside him.
"I can't," Frederick said. His voice was hoarse from hours of not speaking. "She's dying, Helen. The woman I love is dying, and I can't save her."
Helen sat down across from him, her sharp eyes studying him carefully. After a moment, she said, "The
