Five Days in Paris (18 page)

“Give it to research.” Frank pushed it away impatiently. “I'm not going to read that garbage. They're just looking to delay us needlessly. I know the kind of work Suchard does for us. He's a nervous old woman.”

“He's a prize-winning scientist,” Peter said firmly, determined to hold his ground, but the meeting with Frank had been a nightmare from beginning to end, and he was anxious to leave, and get home to Greenwich. “I think we should discuss this further on Monday, when you've had some time to digest it.”

“There's nothing to digest. I'm not even going to discuss it. I'm sure Suchard's report is nothing more than hysteria, and I refuse to pay attention to it. If you want to, that's your business.” And then he narrowed his eyes and wagged a finger at him. “And I don't want this discussed with anyone. Tell both our research teams here to keep their mouths shut. All we need is this kind of gossip flying around and the FDA will withdraw our application for us.” Peter felt as though he were in a surrealistic movie. It really was time for Frank to step down, if he was going to make these kinds of decisions. They had no choice. They could not go to the FDA with Vicotec before it was ready. And he had no idea why Frank wouldn't listen. But Frank looked increasingly annoyed when he moved on to the next matter of business.

“We received notification from Congress, while you were gone,” he snapped at Peter. “They want us to appear in front of a subcommittee in the fall, to discuss the high prices of pharmaceutical products in today's market. More whining crap from the government, about why we're not handing out drugs free on street corners. We do plenty of that in clinics and third world countries. This is an industry for God's sake, not a foundation. And don't think we're going to price Vicotec like a giveaway. I won't have it!” The hair on Peter's neck stood up as his father-in-law said it. The whole purpose of the drug was to make it accessible to the masses, to make it available to people in remote or rural areas, or home situations that made it difficult, or even impossible, to get to medical practitioners for treatment, like his mother and sister. If Wilson-Donovan was going to price it like a luxury drug, they were going to defeat the purpose, and Peter had to fight back a wave of panic.

“I think price
is
going to be an important issue here,” Peter said calmly.

“So does Congress,” Frank barked at Peter. “They're not calling on us just for this, it's the broader issues, but we still have to make a stand for high prices, or they're going to cram our words right down our throat when Vicotec hits the market.”

“I think we should keep a low profile,” Peter said, his heart sinking as he said it. He didn't like anything he was hearing. It was all about profit. They were developing a miracle drug, and Frank Donovan was going to take full advantage of it.

“I've already accepted. You're going. I thought you could do it in September, when you go to the FDA hearings. You'll be in Washington anyway.”

“Maybe not,” Peter said sternly, determined to put the battles off till later. He was exhausted. “Would you like a ride out to Greenwich?” he asked politely, hoping to change the subject. He was still stunned by how stubborn Frank had been. It was way beyond reason.

“I'm having dinner in the city,” Frank said curtly. “I'll see you this weekend.” Peter was sure that he and Katie had arranged something, and she would tell him when he got home. But all he could think about when he left was the insanity of Frank's position. Maybe he was senile. No sane person would have wanted to appear in front of the FDA, asking for early release on a product that was dangerous, not after what Suchard had said, not if there was any risk at all. And as far as Peter was concerned, it had nothing to do with legalities, or liability, it had to do with moral responsibility. Imagine if Vicotec was cleared for sale, and they killed someone. There was no doubt in Peter's mind that in that case he and Frank would be responsible, and not the drug. It was out of the question.

It took him the entire hour of the trip to recover from the meeting with Frank, and when he got home Katie and all three boys were milling around the kitchen. She was trying to organize a barbecue and Mike had promised to help, but he was on the phone setting up a date for later that night, and Paul said he had something else to do. Peter looked at his wife ruefully, took off his jacket, and put on the apron. It was two o'clock in the morning for him, but he hadn't been home all week, and he felt more than a little guilty.

He tried to kiss Kate hello once he had the apron on, but he was surprised by how cool she was, and wondered if she suspected something about Paris. The telepathy of the female race amazed him. He had never cheated on her in eighteen years, and the one time he had, he suspected she knew it. The boys disappeared almost immediately, to pursue their own plans, and she remained chilly with him all through dinner. It was only once the boys were gone that she actually said something to him, and his heart sank when he heard it.

“My father tells me you were very rough on him tonight,” she said quietly, looking daggers at her husband. “I don't think that's fair. You've been gone all week, and he was all excited about the launch of Vicotec, and you spoiled it.” It wasn't another woman she was upset about, it was her father. As usual, she was defending him without even knowing what had happened.

“I didn't spoil it, Kate, Suchard did,” he said, feeling drained. He couldn't fight both of them. He had barely slept all week, and he wasn't up to it, besides the fact that he had to defend his business decisions to her upset him deeply. “The laboratory in France detected a serious problem, a flaw in the makeup of Vicotec which could potentially kill someone. We have to change it.” He said it calmly and matter-of-factly, but she still looked suspicious as he explained it to her.

“Dad says you're refusing to take it to the hearings.” Her voice was a plaintive sound in their kitchen.

“Of course I am. Do you think I want to take a product with a serious flaw to the FDA and ask for an early release, to sell it to an unsuspecting public? Don't be ridiculous. I have no idea why your father reacted the way he did. But I assume that, when he reads the reports, he'll come to his senses.”

“Father says you're being childish, that the reports are hysterical, and there's no need to panic.” She was relentless and a muscle tightened in Peter's jaw. He was not going to discuss it with her any further.

“I don't think this is the right time to talk about it. I'm sure your father was upset, so was I. And just like him, I didn't want the results to be what they were. But denial is not the answer.”

“You make him sound stupid,” she said angrily, and this time Peter snapped at her.

“He acted like it, and you're acting like his mother, Kate. This is not between us. This is a serious business matter in the company, and an important life-threatening decision. It's not yours to make, or even to comment on, and I don't think you should be involved here.” It infuriated him that Frank had obviously called her to complain the moment he left the office. And it reminded him suddenly of everything Olivia had said. She was right. Kate did run his life, and so did her father. And what annoyed him was that he had never allowed himself to see that.

“Dad says you don't even want to appear before Congress about pricing.” She sounded wounded as she said it, and Peter sighed, feeling helpless.

“I didn't say that. I said I thought we should keep a low profile right now, but I haven't made any decision about Congress. I don't know anything about it.” But she did. Frank had told her everything. And as usual, she knew more than he did.

“Why are you being so difficult?” Kate hounded him as he put their plates in the dishwasher, and tried to help her. But he was so exhausted and so jet-lagged he could hardly see straight.

“You don't belong in this, Kate. Let your father run Wilson-Donovan. He knows what he's doing.” And he shouldn't have been whining to his daughter. Peter was livid.

“That's exactly what I was saying to you,” Kate said victoriously. She didn't even look pleased to see him. All she wanted to do was defend her father to him. She didn't even seem to care how tired Peter was, or how disappointed he was himself by the flaw in Vicotec, and their inability to go to the FDA with it, or commence production. Her only thought was for her father. It had never been as obvious to him as it was now, and seeing the look in her eyes hurt him deeply. “Let my father make the decisions. If he says you can go to the FDA with it, there's no reason not to. And if it makes him happy for you to appear before Congress on pricing issues, why not do that?” Peter wanted to scream as he listened.

“Appearing before Congress is not the issue here, Kate. And going to the FDA too soon on a product that's potentially dangerous is suicide, for all of us in the company, and for the patients who might choose to use it, unaware of potentially lethal complications. Would you take thalidomide knowing what you do now? Of course not. Would you ask for early release by the FDA? Of course you wouldn't. You can't ignore potentially fatal flaws in these products once you're aware of them, Kate. That's insane, and so is going to the FDA prematurely. You can turn the whole country off the drug by exposing it too soon, or unwisely.”

“I think Father's right. You're a coward,” she said bluntly.

“I can't believe this,” he said, staring at her in disbelief. “Is that what he said to you?” She nodded in answer. “I think he's overwrought and I'd like you not to get involved in this. I've been gone for nearly two weeks, and I don't want to get in an argument with you about your father.”

“Then don't torment him. He was very upset by the way you behaved this afternoon. I think that's rotten of you, Peter, and unkind, and disrespectful.”

“When I need a conduct report from you, Kate, I'll ask for one. But until then, I think your father and I can work this out for ourselves. He's a grown man, and he doesn't need you to defend him.”

“Maybe he does. He's almost twice your age, and if you don't have any respect for him, you'll drive him into an early grave, if you ride over him roughshod.” She was near tears as she berated her husband, and he sat down and took off his tie. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

“Oh for God's sake, will you stop? This is ridiculous. He's a grown-up. He can take care of himself, and we don't need to fight over him. You're going to put me in an early grave if you don't give me a break. I've hardly slept this week, worrying about the testing at the laboratory,” and then of course there was Olivia, and three nights spent talking to her and driving to and from La Favière. But none of that was mentioned, and it seemed so unreal now that even he could no longer believe it. Kate had catapulted him back into his own world with the subtlety of a nuclear explosion.

“I don't know why you were so cruel to him,” she said, blowing her nose, and Peter stared at her, wondering if she and her father were both crazy. This was a product they were dealing with. It had some problems to work out. It was not personal. His refusal to go to the FDA with it was not a mutiny against Frank, nor was his candor with him meant as an affront to Katie. Were they all nuts? Had it always been like this? Or was it suddenly worse than ever? As tired as he was, it was difficult to make heads or tails of it, and Katie crying over it was the last straw, as he got up and put his arms around her.

“I wasn't cruel to him, Katie, believe me. Maybe he had a bad day. So did I. Let's go to bed, please …I'm so tired I feel like I'm dying.” Or was it losing Olivia that made him feel that way? He couldn't figure any of it out now.

Katie went to bed with him reluctantly, and she was still complaining about his injustices to her father. It was so ridiculous he stopped answering her, and in five minutes he was asleep, dreaming of a young girl on a beach. She was laughing and beckoning to him, and he ran toward her thinking it was Olivia, but when he got to her, it was Katie, and she was angry at him. She was shouting at him, and as he listened, he saw Olivia disappearing into the distance.

And when he awoke the next day, he felt leaden again. It was that overwhelming feeling of despair that felt like rocks had been dropped on him. He couldn't remember what it was, or why he felt that way, and then as he looked around and saw the familiar room, he remembered. He remembered another room, another day, a different woman. It was hard to believe it was only two days before. It might as well have been a lifetime. And as he lay in bed, thinking of her, Katie came in and told him they were playing golf that afternoon, with her father.

Olivia was gone, the dream was done. This was the reality he had come home to. It was the same life he had always led, it was just that suddenly it all felt so different.

Chapter Nine

Things settled down somewhat eventually. Katie's spirits improved, and she stopped defending her father as though he were a child in the sandbox. They saw a lot of him socially, and after the first few days Peter was home, both she and her father were in better humor. And Peter always liked it when the boys were around, though this year they seemed to spend less and less time with their parents. Mike had a driver's license now, and he drove Paul everywhere, which lightened the load on them and also meant they didn't see them. Even Patrick seemed to spend very little time with them. He had a crush on the girl next door, and spent most of his waking hours at her house.

What is it about us this year? Do we have leprosy?” Peter complained to Kate one morning over breakfast. “We never see the kids anymore. They're always out somewhere. I thought they were supposed to spend time with us when they came home from boarding school, instead they're out with their friends all the time.” He felt genuinely bereft without them. He liked spending time with his kids, and it made him feel sad somehow when he didn't. They provided a kind of companionship and ease he no longer shared with Katie.

“You'll see them at the Vineyard this summer,” she said calmly. She was more used to their comings and goings and more inured to their busy lives, than he was. And in truth, she didn't enjoy them quite as much as he did. He had always been a terrific father, even when they were little.