Arthur Hailey - Strong Medicine

Quentin, an avuncular white-haired figure in his seventies, with courtly manners, was head of a Washington law firm specializing in pharmaceutical matters, especially defense against damage claims. The firm had been retained on the advice of Felding-Roth's regular lawyers. Quentin, Celia learned, was known among colleagues as "Mr. O. C. Fixit," the initials denoting "out of court.”

This because of his negotiating skill-"he has the nerve of a high-stakes poker player," a company lawyer commented-in knowing just how far to go in getting claims resolved without court proceedings. Celia decided early that she would trust Childers Quentin. It also helped that she liked him. "What you and I must do, my dear," he informed her as if addressing a favorite niece, "is make swift settlements that are reasonable and generous. Those last two points are essential in containing a disaster situation such as this. About being generous, remember the worst thing that could happen is for one Montayne case to go into civil court and result in a multimillion-dollar jury award. It would set a precedent for other awards which could break your company.”

Celia asked, "Is there really a chance of settling everything out of court?" "A better one than you might think.”

He went on to explain. "When grievous, irreversible damage is caused to a child, such as is happening with Montayne, the first reaction of parents is despair, the second, anger. In their anger the parents want to punish those who caused their grief; therefore they seek a lawyer's help. Above all, the parents want-as the cliché goes-their day in court. "But we lawyers are pragmatic. We know that cases which go to court are sometimes lost, and not always for just reasons. We also know that pre-trial proceedings, crowded courts, as well as defense engineered delays, may cause it to be years before a case is heard. Then, even if won, appeals can drag on for years more. "Lawyers know, too, that after that first flush of anger their clients will become weary and disillusioned. Trial preparations can dominate their lives. These are personally consuming, an ever-present reminder of their sorrow. Invariably, people wish they had settled early and resumed, as best they could, their normal living.”

"Yes," Celia said, "I can understand all that.”

"There's more. Personal-injury lawyers, which is the kind we'll be dealing with, look to their own interests as well as clients'. Many take a damage-claim case on a contingency fee basis, so they receive a third, sometimes more, of what is won. But the lawyers have their own bills to pay-office rent, their children's college fees, mortgage installments, last month's American Express account...”

Quentin shrugged.”They are as you and 1. They would like their money soon, not doubtfully in the distant future, and that is a factor in achieving settlement.”

"I suppose ”

Celia's mind had drifted during the last exchange, and now she said, "Some days, since coming back here, I get a feeling of being cold and calculating, thinking only in money terms about Montayne and all that's happened.”

Quentin said, "I already know you well enough to believe that will never occur. Also, my dear, in case you think otherwise I assure you I am not indifferent, either, to this terrible tragedy. Yes, I have a job to do, and I will do it. But I am a father and a grandfather, and my heart bleeds for those destroyed children.”

From this and other sessions, a target was set for a further fifty million dollars to meet possible settlements. Also looming was an estimated cost of eight million dollars for the withdrawing, recalling and destruction of all supplies of Montayne. When Celia relayed these totals to Seth Feingold he nodded gravely, but seemed less alarmed than she expected. "We've had two fortuitous happenings since the beginning of the year," the comptroller explained.”One is exceptionally good results from our O-T-C products, where sales are much greater than anticipated. There also is a large, unexpected and 'once only' profit from foreign exchange. Ordinarily, of course, our shareholders would benefit. As it is, both windfalls will have to go toward that added fifty-million reserve.”

"Well, let's be grateful to both sources," Celia said. She remembered that this was not the first time 0-T-C products, which she once disdained, had helped keep Felding-Roth solvent in time of trouble. "Another thing that seems to be working for us," Seth continued, "is the promising news from Britain. I assume you're aware of it," "Yes. I've read the reports.”

"If it becomes necessary, on the strength of them the banks will lend us money.”

Celia had been delighted to learn of progress at the Harlow institute from where an exciting new drug, Peptide 7, seemed likely to emerge soon-"soon" in drug-development parlance meaning another two years before submission to regulatory agencies for approval. In an attempt to re-involve Sam in company policy, Celia had gone to him to discuss the latest U.K. news. Because the British institute had been Sam's idea, and he had fought to keep it funded, she assumed he would be pleased to have his faith confirmed and hoped, too, it would help offset his deep depression. Neither idea worked out. Sam's response was indifference. He also rejected a suggestion that he fly to Britain to talk with Martin Peat-Smith and judge the significance of what was happening. "Thank you, no," he told Celia.”I'm sure you can find out what you need by other means.”

But even Sam's attitude did not change the fact that Harlow could now loom large in Felding-Roth's future. And something else. Vincent Lord's long years of research into what was known chemically as "the quenching of free radicals," the elimination of dangerous side effects from otherwise good drugs, had at last shown positive results. These were so auspicious-with all the indications of a major scientific breakthrough, something Lord had always coveted-that a massive research effort in Felding-Roth's U.S. laboratories was now being directed toward final development. While the British Peptide 7 was clearly the drug that would be

340 _ ready first, Vincent Lord's creation, provisionally named Hexin W, was likely to be only a year or two behind. The second development had another effect. It made Lord's future more secure at Felding-Roth. Celia had at first considered-in view of Lord's strong advocacy of Montayne, and for other general reasons-replacing him when an opportunity arose. Yet now he seemed too valuable to lose. Thus, surprisingly, and despite the overhanging shadow of Montayne, the company climate suddenly looked brighter.

6

At Harlow, Yvonne Evans and Martin Peat-Smith were spending an increasing amount of time together. Although Yvonne still kept a small apartment she had rented when beginning work at the Felding-Roth institute, she was seldom there. Every weekend and most weeknights she was at Martin's house, where she happily took over the domestic side of Martin's life as well as attending to his-and her own-sexual needs. Yvonne had reorganized the kitchen, which was now orderly and gleaming. From it she produced appetizing meals, exercising a talent as a versatile cook which seemed to come to her naturally and which she enjoyed. Each morning before they left, separately, for work, she made the bed she and Martin shared, seeing to it that the linen was clean and changed more frequently than in the past. She left notes with instructions for the "daily," the cleaning woman, with the result that the remainder of the house took on the immaculate appearance that comes from an eye for detail, which Yvonne had, and proper supervision. Some changes in the pet m6nage were also made by Yvonne. She added a Siamese cat of her own. Then, one Saturday when Martin was working but Yvonne wasn't, she brought a saw and other tools with which she constructed a hinged "cat flap" in a rear downstairs door. It meant that the cats were free to come and go at any time, the effect being healthier for the pets and for the household. Also, when Yvonne stayed overnight she exercised the dogs in the early morning, supplementing the regular exercise Martin gave them every evening. Martin loved it all. Something else he loved was Yvonne's cheerful, usually inconsequential chatter. She talked about a multitude of subjects, few of great importance--current films, the private lives of stars, pop musicians and their offstage antics; which London stores were having sales, and the latest buys at Marks and Spencer; the telly; gossip of the institute--who had become engaged, was pregnant, or about to be divorced; sexual excesses of the clergy, as reported in the vigilant British press; even a political scandal or two... Yvonne absorbed such matters, garnered from listening and selective reading, like a sponge. Strangely, not only did Martin not object to hearing all this, at times he found it refreshing and a change and, at other times, like background music. The point was, he decided when he thought about it, he was surrounded so much of the time by intellectuals whose conversation was on a serious scientific plane, with trivia excluded, that he grew weary of it. When he listened to Yvonne he could coast contentedly, leaving his brain in neutral. One of Yvonne's interests-a near-passion-was the Prince of Wales. His much-publicized romances fascinated, though sometimes worried her. She discussed them endlessly. A name linked with Charles's at the time was Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg. Yvonne refused to take the gossip seriously.”A marriage would never work," she assured Martin.”Besides being a Catholic, Marie-Astrid isn't right.”