Mark Pryor - Cyberian Affair

Eduard relaxed at her touch. He knew his wife understood this much better than him, even though it wasn’t her specialty. “I don’t know—”

Magda didn’t wait for him to finish. “We knew Viktor had no chance for a normal life unless we tried this. We took a gamble… a serious gamble. No one has ever done this before. Doctor Logan is taking a big risk with us. He could lose his license, even go to jail.”

“Your wife is right, Mister Prazsky. It’s still early in his treatment, and I believe this is working. But I can’t offer any guarantees.”

Eduard sat back in his chair and let out a breath. “I know you’re right, but this seems so ghoulish. Viktor just lies there, doesn’t open his eyes, and doesn’t respond when we talk to him. A few months ago, he was a normal teenager. He laughed. He played football.” Eduard choked back tears. “Our son doesn’t even smile.”

Magda squeezed her husband’s hand. “Doctor, we’re both worried about Viktor’s progress. How soon before we see some response? How many more treatments are required?”

“I plan to grow enough stem cells for two more treatments. I wish I could tell you how soon he’ll be responsive, but we are in uncharted territory here. There are no past cases to go on.”

The door opened, and the faint sound of yells and chants of an angry crowd interrupted their conversation. Most of the sounds were unintelligible, but two words stood out—‘baby’ and ‘kill’.

A nurse stepped in. “Doctor Logan. There’s a rowdy group of people at the front desk demanding to talk to you. Shall I call the police?”

He looked at the nurse. “No, Dana. Tell them I’ll be right out.” Logan looked at the Prazskys. “Sorry for the interruption, but there are people who don’t approve of our work at the fertility clinic. This shouldn’t take long.” Logan left the Prazskys alone in his office.

Eduard turned to his wife. “Are we fooling ourselves? Does Viktor have a chance?”

Magda pulled a hanky from her purse and brushed it under her nose. “Our son doesn’t stand a chance without this treatment—none. Very few people understand stem cells, but Doctor Logan does. He’s the only one willing to treat Viktor.”

“It feels wrong. We’ve given him millions of crowns. Hundreds of millions. And we can’t tell anyone about the treatments, even though Viktor lies there lifeless. How do we know Logan’s not just swindling us?”

“I don’t think—”

A loud bang interrupted them.

“Gunfire!” Eduard said. “Quick. Behind the desk.”

Magda grabbed her husband’s arm and crouched beside him. “The door isn’t locked.” Her grip tightened. “They can get in here.”

Eduard nodded and started to rise.

Three more shots. Screams.

His wife pulled him down. “No! It’s not worth the risk. Stay here with me.”

Rapid footsteps approached. Maybe only one person, certainly not a crowd.

Dana flung open the door. “Doctor Prazsky!”

Magda poked her head above the desk. “What happened?”

Dana’s voice shook as she rocked from one foot to the other. “Doctor Logan’s been shot. I think he’s dead.”

“Where’s the shooter?” Eduard asked, moving from behind the desk.

Dana started to cry. “Everyone ran away… Please help him.”

Magda ran toward the door.

Eduard followed her.

****

The following afternoon in their hotel room, Magda dropped the phone and collapsed on the couch. She didn’t sleep last night. Doctor Logan was dead. The police had questioned everybody in the clinic, and they asked more questions this morning. Then she pleaded over the phone with Doctor Kaplan at the clinic.

She turned to her husband, tears in her eyes. “Viktor’s treatments are over.”

Eduard sat beside her and held her hand. “How can they do that? Didn’t Logan train anyone?”

“He didn’t share his research or methods with anyone. He was afraid he’d be arrested for treating Viktor.”

“What about Doctor Kaplan?”

To Magda, this was obvious, but her husband wasn’t a doctor. “Kaplan is a neurosurgeon. He doesn’t know anything about stem cells.”

“He knows what Logan was doing, doesn’t he?”

“He claims he has no idea.” Magda let out a sigh and shook her head. “He’s full of shit. He knows what was going on, but he doesn’t want anyone else to know.”

“Can’t we force him to help Viktor? Would money help?”

Magda stood up and hugged him. Her husband was used to solving problems with money, but she knew it wouldn’t work this time. “He can’t help.” Then she broke down and wept.

Eduard held her until the tears stopped, then brushed the hair from her face and kissed her.

Grateful for the loving support of her husband, she looked into his dark eyes. “You don’t understand, do you?”

He shook his head.

Magda looked down at her feet. “Doctor Kaplan can’t give Viktor the treatments. No one can.” Slowly, she raised her head and stared at the ceiling, tilting her head slightly.

“What are you thinking?” Eduard asked. “I recognize that look.”

A weak smile formed on her face. She paced around the room slowly, rubbing her neck. Finally, she sat in a chair. “He’s already had five treatments. That might be enough.”

“You really think so? Why isn’t he better?”

“If Viktor’s body has accepted enough stem cells, they’re already creating new neurons.”

“What do we do now? Just sit around and wait for him to get better?”

“Let’s get Doctor Kaplan to remove this tumor, then we can take Viktor back to Prague. I work with several doctors who can deal with teratomas. Logan said he’s still at risk. If any tumors appear, the doctors in Prague can remove them.”

“Don’t they need to know about stem cells?”

“No, they don’t. Besides, this treatment isn’t approved for clinical trials. We could get in trouble.”

As a police officer, Eduard knew the risk. “You’re right. I think we should keep this a secret… forever.”

2004—Alcalá, Spain

Even though the cell replacement treatments ended five years ago, Viktor’s health and quality of life steadily improved. It was truly a miracle, one worthy of celebration, but behind it all was a secret that could ruin his family. His parents paid for an illegal medical procedure. They broke the law.

This morning, Viktor completed a series of medical tests at Alcalá University Hospital, near Madrid. After lunch, his parents accompanied him to the office of Doctor Moreno, the most respected neurologist in Spain.

As they pulled up to the curb, Viktor reminded himself to use the name Oliver Klima, the false identity for his medical appointments. He hated the deception, but he knew there was a risk the doctors could discover his illegal treatments, putting his parents in jeopardy.

Viktor stepped out of the taxi and opened the door for his mother.

Magda reached for her son’s hand and winked. “You’re looking handsome today, Oliver .”

“Thank you, Mother.” Viktor helped her out of the car.

They entered the modern three-story office building and headed for the elevator. Viktor knew his way. He had been coming here for two years. This was his fourth visit, and he hoped it would be his last.

The ‘Klima family’ arrived in the reception area and were directed to the doctor’s office where a gray-haired man, wearing a white lab coat, met them at the door. “ Buenas tardes .”

Magda responded in English. “It’s good to see you again, Doctor Moreno.”

The doctor directed them to the chairs in front of his desk while he took the seat behind it. He glanced at his computer. “I have your test results, Oliver.” He looked at Magda and continued, “If you have any questions, Doctor Klima, let me know.”