Early next morning David got to hospital so he could check on the results of Bianca's overnight testing. A nurse had been taking readings every two hours. If Bianca wasn't going to go through with further treatment (and David hadn't ruled out the possibility of persuading her further) he was going to get all the data he could from her.

…

Frankie burst into David's office a few hours later. He was dressed in a tracksuit rather than his usual doctor's coat and looked less than pleased.

"I thought when we spoke last night we'd agreed Bianca was to be given time to rest and recover and then you give orders for a nurse to take obs every two hours!"

David looked up from his computer at the angry young man.

Frankie opened his mouth to make another gruff statement but then closed it again, shaking his head in annoyance.

"…I was going to ask if you were some kind of sadist and then I remembered who I was talking to…" he muttered.

"Assessing how the Orpheus serum has affected her body is an important part of Bianca's recovery." David countered.

Frankie stepped up and leaned over David's desk.

"Not when it compromises something as vital as her physical recover. We were supposed to start her Physiotherapy assessment this morning but Bianca is now so exhausted I've had to postpone for another day. We are talking about a woman's ability to walk here… The muscle damage from that infection is certainly going to compromise her already limited leg movement and the sooner we start the sooner we know what there is to save!"

"I'm sorry." said David, but his mind was still focused on the importance of his serum, "But if she would only let me treat her with Orpheus then that wouldn't be an issue."

"That is a load of crock… This isn't about your magic cure; this is about giving the patient what she needs. If you want to focus on testing haven't you already got enough people walking around already cured… Dixie, Stuart, Erica… wouldn't one of those be a better candidate? Why this obsession with Bianca?"

"Because they weren't treated in hospital! The records won't hold up to critical examination!"

"But shouldn't they give you more idea of why your formula doesn't always work? One lone patient isn't going to be enough for serious medical review either, even with all the most detailed notes you could gather."

David stared back at Frankie and didn't answer.

Realising he wasn't getting through to his colleague, Frankie pushed himself back off the desk. Before he left he made one last statement.

"Just leave Bianca alone. Give her time at least to recover from her months of abuse... If you care about her as you once claimed, give her time."

Frankie stormed out as abruptly as he came.

David was left blinking in his wake… something in Frankie's words had sparked an idea in David's head. Why did it work on some patients and not others? Maybe it would help him understand Bianca's reaction to his formula by going back over his old cases?

…