Never Alone

Chapter 10

     The overload of information was difficult for Annie to process. How was it possible a government agency was keeping something so important from the American people? How many hundreds of thousands of people would still be alive had the cure for the cancer epidemic been made available for use? The question at the forefront of her mind was simple. Why? Why keep something so valuable a secret in a lab?

'Follow the money...It all comes down to dollars and cents.' Tracy's words rang in her ears. Of course, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and the whole medical system benefited financially from the dreaded disease. How much money was made from chemotherapy and the drugs used to keep the symptoms of the greater problem at bay? Probably much more cash than her Midwest mind could fathom.

She looked past Trevor's arm to the computer on his lap. A spreadsheet showed the names of prominent men in the medical community...men she never knew existed until today. Next to each name was their annual revenue for conventional cancer treatment, and the numbers were staggering.

Without any real conversation between them, they combed through the carefully cataloged investigation Tracy left her to complete. Her eyelids grew heavy, and the words and numbers on the screen all blended together until she could not make heads or tails of them. The early morning at work and the stress and emotion of the day were finally catching up with her, but she was determined to stay awake until all was clear to her.

Despite her best effort to keep her eyes open, she finally lost the battle and surrendered to sleep.

***

With each new file he opened, pieces of the puzzle snapped into place. All the men on this list were daily gaining wealth at the expense of the men, women, and children battling a disease they did not know was cured. He also found evidence of some off-shore bank accounts and phony businesses these powerful men used to pay others to do their dirty work.

Feeling Annie's head rest against his arm, he turned to find her sleeping soundly. His heart wrenched in his chest; she didn't know what she was doing, and she would most likely regret all this in the morning. Still, he wanted to take care of her whether she wished him to or not. Shifting, he managed to grab the blanket off the back of the couch and cover her up. When he moved, Annie stiffened for a moment, and he froze, afraid he would wake her. Instead of opening her eyes, she draped her arm over his stomach and rested her head against his chest. Her breathing was slow and peaceful, and he tenderly brushed her bangs back from where they had fallen over her eyes. He couldn't help himself; something about the way they rested on her forehead in a soft wave made him want to touch them.

Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he tried hard to focus on the two remaining files. His breath caught in his throat as he opened a letter Tracy wrote him. With tears impeding his vision, he read the words his sister typed for only him.

Oh, Trevor,

If you are reading this letter, it means the next time we see each other will be in heaven. First of all, let me tell you how sorry I am. I never meant to involve you in any of this.

I'm sure you will want to know how I came across this information, so let me explain. I was looking through the CDC database for something everyone in my line of work can access, and there must have been some kind of system glitch that allowed me access to classified information. You know me well enough to know that once I saw there was actually a cure for the very disease that took mom and dad, I had to share it with other people. I couldn't keep it under wraps, no matter what it cost me. I'm just sorry to have put you in danger, and I hope you will be able to forgive me someday.