Chapter Ten
With the aid of the newly arrived nurses, and Dr Phillips' Nurse -- Shirley; they used two adjoining rooms to set up a makeshift clinic in the west side of the house close to the patient's room.
The gathering of people in the house, the household staff, and immediate family and also Laurie and her family; took place in the downstairs grand hall, with the doctors standing in front of Jonathon's empty chair.
"We have good news and bad news," Dr Grey began as the gathering fell silent.
"Mr Richards is holding his own, and we have great hopes that we can cure him of his ailment... but only if we can find the right donors, to purge his system," Dr Phillips said. He waited for the sudden murmuring to stop before continuing. "Yes, that's right, and with that in mind, we are asking all members of the household to submit a sample of their blood -- the nurses will take the sample for you, and we can then test to see if you are a match."
They looked to Mathew and Michael. "As blood kin you two are our best shot, so would you both like to go first?" Dr Phillips asked politely.
As both men nodded their assent, a nurse walked up to lead them both out.
"Anyone else who is willing to be tested as a potential donor, then if you could just wait in this room until someone comes to find you."
Laurie and her father both stepped forward. "We would all like to be tested too."
Michael nodded to the small group gratefully. "Thank you," he murmured to Laurie.
It seemed that every member of the house wished to be and was tested that morning -- a sure sign of how much regard and concern was held for Jonathon Richards.
Dr Phillips and his nurse spent the afternoon going through the samples and logging down the results, and the two doctors met with Michael and Mathew and also Laurie and her kin, towards the end of the day.
"It's not the best of news, I'm afraid," Dr Phillips began sombrely to Michael. "And although both you and your uncle are genetic matches for you father; unfortunately, you are both negative for the antibodies that we need."
The colour drained from Michael's face. "Does this mean...?" he swallowed, unable to form the words.
"Now we haven't given up yet!" Dr Grey hastened to reassure.
Laurie had stepped across to Michael and she wrapped her arms around his waist as she attempted to comfort and support him.
Michael hugged her close gratefully, and looked over the top of her head, at the two doctors.
"No one else in the household staff was a genetic match, and nor did they have the antibodies either."
"So, what do we do now then?" Michael demanded emotionally.
"Well, we have been discussing this at some length," Dr Grey began cautiously. "And Dr Phillips, might have an idea."
"Oh?"
"Yes," Dr Phillips said. He sighed as he looked at the people standing around looking to him for answers. "Look why don't we all sit down and talk this thing through properly?"
The four, long sofas surrounding a massive square coffee table was the ideal place for them all to sit and talk, and Dr Phillips' nurse and another of the nurses came in with a trolley and cups and a Large coffee pot.
"We have long shifts at the hospital, and we have always found that hot beverages can aid multiple situations," she smiled as she poured out coffee and handed them out.
"Thank you, Sheila," Dr Phillips murmured as he sipped his own drink and waited until everyone else had one as well.
"Now..." he said suddenly, "as I said before, you and your uncle are not what we need to help your father... But we have here the very people who cured Mr Beaumont of his illness."
"Laurie and her family?" Michael asked.
"Yes... well the daughters actually. They are the ones with the antibodies that we need."
"Would you be willing to help my father, Laurie?" Michael had to know the answer to that before he could dare to hope for anything more.
Laurie smiled up at him. "Of course, I would Michael... as would Iris -- I am sure."
They both looked at Iris who also nodded.
"Well now... as to that... were it so straightforward then we would all be rolling on, but..."
He sighed and fell silent for a moment, and in the end, it was Laurie who sat forward and urged the doctor.
"Please Dr Phillips, just tell us... whatever it is... whatever we need to do -- just tell us."
He sighed again and looked again at Michael. "Although they carry the antibodies in their blood, they are not a genetic match for your father."
"So, what does that mean?" Michael demanded stressfully.
"Well, if we try to transfuse with just their blood then we run the real risk that we could kill your father -- or his system will go to war on any antibodies that we introduce into his body. If we transfuse using your own or your uncle's blood, then it will just flush through his system, and the viral bacteria will contaminate the fresh infusion."
"So, we are right back at square one then, no suitable donor!" Michael sat back in defeat.
"Well, no... you see the genetic match -- though very different, due to their nonfamilial relationship, they do have similar key markers. And it is really getting your father's body to identify with and accept the antibodies that we need."
"So how do we do that?" Laurie asked with a slight worry at where this was going.
"Well... We take some of your blood and some of the patient's DNA, and we mix it up with a serum, that I have concocted, and then we inject it back into the donor -- that's you," he smiled absently at Laurie, "and after an hour or so we shall put an amount into a saline solution and hook it up to the patient on a drip feed and see if his system accepts it."
"If his body doesn't reject it then we will have to keep repeating the process until his entire system has a quantity of the antibodies. Once we are sure that all the viral spores have been neutralised, then we will use Michael and Mathew's blood to flush and purge his system."
"Well I think that between me and Iris we could manage our part," Laurie said feeling a little faint at the whole idea of putting god knows what into her system just to drag it out again.
"Well as to that... I am afraid that we would have to rule your sister out, due to the early stages of her pregnancy the risks could be too great!"
The room fell silent in shock for a moment and then James suddenly shot up onto his feet.
"Pregnant? You mean we are pregnant?" he exclaimed joyfully.
Michael felt a rush of pure envy at the joy in the other man, although Iris seemed for the moment to be stunned into silence. Trudy of course was the first to rush across to hug them and congratulate them.
She looked across at Laurie and him, and then her eyes slid past them, and the colour drained from the older woman's face.
Michael turned in the direction of her eyes, to his uncle who had a look of horrified recognition on his face as he stared at Trudy.
He was frozen on her, and Michael looked again at Trudy. Her pale face was full or raw pain as she fixed on his uncle, and then quite suddenly, she just turned away again.
He looked back at Uncle Mathew who had his head down and was rubbing the back of it, right where his white streak of hair was.
