Drake Sisters 04 - Dangerous Tides

"Don't tell me it won't happen again. Of course it will happen again. It's just a fact of your life that whatever you're working on can consume you completely. Where's another lab coat? I want to see what you found."

    Tyson stood in stunned silence.

    No one had ever reacted that way. And no one had ever asked to share his passion with him. "Are you sure?" He could barely get the words out and his tone was husky to his own ears.

    "Before Irene ever mentioned the trial to me, I was reading as much as I could about the drug. It sounded so promising that I researched it as thoroughly as possible. Several colleagues of mine contributed what they knew or thought, and I began to get a very uneasy feeling. That's why when Irene asked about putting Drew in the program I asked her to wait a bit longer until we knew more."

    "You were right to be suspicious," Ty said. "The side effects for young people are very different from the side effects for adults, yet they're using the drug for both. The adults seem to be able to handle it, but the kids are definitely having a problem." He reached over her head to drag a lab coat from a shelf. "Here, put this on."

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    "And then we're going to go out and get you food, Ty," Libby said. "You can't go without eating, it isn't good for you."

    "You sound like Sam," Tyson said as he led her toward the back of the room where he had his work set up. "He's all about getting me fat."

    "He brought you lunch earlier."

    "Did he?" Ty looked around with a faint frown on his face. "I don't remember. Poor Sam. I must drive him crazy. He takes the time to make food for me and I don't even notice him. I'm the only family he's got and I'm not very good."

    Libby rubbed his arm. "Family loves unconditionally."

    Their gazes collided. "Not my family."

    She flinched at the grimness in his tone. "Isn't that the way you love Sam?"

    He turned to examine the data on the screen of his computer. "Yes."

    Libby smiled to herself. His voice was gruff. He was uncomfortable with anything to do with his emotions. "Then most definitely you know how to love unconditionally."

    Tyson drummed his fingers on the tabletop, peering closer at the computer, clearly uncomfortable. "I know the problem is in the components, but I haven't isolated it yet. Old Harry could be a great biochemist. He's got the right idea, but something is off and I just can't get it."

    "Most research focuses on adults, not adolescents. Much more research on the adolescent brain is needed. We need large focus studies of treatment conducted," Libby suggested.

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    Tyson nodded his head in agreement. "I spoke to the head office about that just the other day. They don't seem to understand that brains that aren't fully developed react differently to meds than adult brains."

    "Maybe they don't want to know, Ty," Libby said carefully. "There are too few researchers focusing on children and most are working for pharmaceutical companies. Maybe the answer is for a non-pharmaceutical company to conduct the studies."

    He shook his head. "I don't believe that, Libby. The men and women on my team are dedicated to what they do, not to the money for the company. They want to find ways to help. I think we need to show the importance for adolescents. People have the unrealistic idea that teens aren't vulnerable to disease and mental illness. Maybe they just don't want the facts in their face so they overlook that particular segment in research, but the reaction these kids are having to this drug is a prime example of why we need to concentrate on the adolescent brain."

    Libby pushed a hip against him to move him so she could see the data as well. "We should talk to Drew and get his mother's consent to draw his blood."

    "And get the reports on him from this study," Tyson agreed. "That would be very helpful. Do you think Irene will give us her consent?"

    "She's called the house numerous times and she was very apologetic."

    "She should be. She bashed you over the head."

    "Not just for that. I doubt she would have hurt me if I hadn't already been having a difficult time, but she actually sold Drew's remarkable story of my putting him into remission to a tabloid."

    Tyson stiffened, straightening to frown at her. "She claimed you healed Drew and sold the story to a tabloid?" He repeated it slowly and Libby