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."Yes.Yes, I'd like that very much."He stepped back toward the golf cart, then stopped her from returning to her car."Leave that here.It'll be safe.Leave the keys with us." She must've stared, because he added, "We try to expose our residents to as little pollution as possible.""Of course," she said, feeling stupid."But I have to get something out of my car.Would you—""Not at all," he said, and her keys weren't in her hand anymore, and he opened the car door and removed her purse and binder and presented them to her.Leaving the car unlocked, he took her arm and seated her on the cart.With no more speed but considerably less noise, they returned to Radiant Dawn."Why haven't I heard of this place before, Dr.Keogh?" Stella asked, instantly regretting it.Curb your suspicion, chica, at least for now.Keogh's expression, however, showed no ire.His eyes, hidden behind those black glass cages, might've been twinkling with pride as he said, "I'm surprised you haven't, really.After all, we've been covered in all the major papers, though we've tried to keep the media and the general public at arm's length from our work here.It would be a grave injustice to our residents to place a higher priority on publicity than on our work with them.""And how are the pa—residents selected? Not everybody could afford something like this…" What's wrong with you today?Again, she failed to get a rise out of him, wondered why she couldn't stop trying."At first, I admit, money was a factor, but we've become self-sufficient, and now operate, as much as possible, on a need-blind basis.We have a crisis intervention hotline which handles all manner of personal traumas, providing referrals to counselors, doctors, and so on.But we take a special interest in those with cancer, because no one else can tell them how to live with it, let alone why it happened to them.Those who need us most, who have nowhere else to turn, will eventually find their way here."They cruised down the main avenue, and Stella heard nothing but the breeze and the dragonfly hum of the electric cart.Residents standing outside their houses or waiting at the intersections smiled and waved, and Dr.Keogh waved back.The residents were of all ages and races, dressed in identical light cotton tracksuits.Stella saw workers now, but they wore the same outfit, and were clearly residents themselves."So this place is a commune," Stella said, turning to face Dr.Keogh.His mind seemed a million miles away, and he looked at her for a long moment before he seemed to gather himself.He felt it too, the same sense of belonging that washed everything else away.Only her mistrust had spared her.When he focused on her, however, his gaze was as penetrating as before."We strive to create a sense of community here, Ms.Orozco, a society with its collective eye on the goal of surviving.By taking responsibility for every aspect of their survival, from maintenance to growing their own food, they come to renew their appreciation for life itself."Great.Every hospital could save a bundle if they could convince their patients that they'd mend faster by cleaning out their own bedpans."But your policy doesn't extend to medical staff? You have trained medical people here?"Keogh laughed."Of course, aside from myself, we have five other doctors, ten nurses, an anesthesiologist, an oncologist and a radiologist.All of them are also patients.Well, here we are."The cart pulled into a cart-sized space in front of the medical center.Stella noticed an RV and an ambulance beside the door—the same one they'd picked up Stephen in.A bulky cable ran from the wall of the medical center to a port on the side of the van."I think you'll be impressed with our facilities, Ms.Orozco.Our emergency room is especially noteworthy." He held open the door for her and followed her in.A gust of refrigerated air blew past her as she stepped in.Over her shoulder, Dr.Keogh said, "Pressurized, you understand, to minimize airborne infection.Now, as a medical professional yourself, what do you think of this?"She stepped into the room, and all doubts about the integrity of Radiant Dawn crumbled away.Whatever they were, they weren't just peddling snakeoil.The emergency room boasted three trauma stations and an on-site radiology station.Peering in the window of what she thought was an odd closet, she saw a baby MRI apparatus.She'd never seen a model half that small before.There were a dozen beds, lining the L-shaped room.All empty.At the crook of the bent room, a middle-aged woman in a track suit sat at the nurses' station [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]