The morning had been crazy. Back-to-back immunizations, flu shots, another case of the strep throat that was going around, a few routine diabetes checks, a little girl with a suspected broken bone in her heel whom I’d sent over to the emergency room. Primary care physicians were the gatekeepers of the medical world. We regulated access to specialists and collaborated with various organizations to act comprehensively for the good of our patients.

“No problem, darlin’,” Dr. Harper said.

I knew I shouldn’t take offense. He called everybody “darlin’.” It was one of the phrases he’d brought with him from the South when he’d moved here last year. But I didn’t feel like being patronized.

He poured coffee into two mugs and set one in front of me.

“Thanks, schmoopy.” I smiled and lifted the cup in a mock cheers. Fair’s fair.

He seemed surprised but chuckled, no offense taken.

I sipped the coffee, making a face. It was disgusting, thick as tar and burned. But there was no time to run down to the café.

“Can you believe it about Julia?” Dr. Harper shook his white head. Julia called him Colonel Sanders behind his back, and I had to agree. “How silly! I thought the girl had more sense than to go stealing drugs from her office. I reckon her career is over now.”

“Lots of people have done terrible things for good reasons,” I argued. “Look at Edward Jenner. He invented the smallpox vaccine and saved millions of lives, but he performed medical experiments on children and babies. Or Jonas Salk. Same thing. He developed a cure for polio and saved millions of children from death and disfigurement, but he performed medical experiments on his own kids.”

“Now, hold your horses there.” Dr. Harper looked surprised by my argument. “Jenner’s experiments worked. So did Salk’s. They were for the greater good.”

“Sure, but they still tried untested theories on babies and children. The experiments worked, so we think of them as medical heroes. If they hadn’t worked, Jenner would be an evil villain who gave a bunch of random kids smallpox, and Salk would have paralyzed or killed his entire family.”

Dr. Harper stroked a hand down his white beard. “That sort of mind-set has been the impetus behind many a cruel medical and social experiment. It could easily result in deliberate deafness to suffering.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Brittany peeked her frizzy head through the office door and asked if I would see one of Dr. Wallington’s patients.

“It’s an emergency walk-in, and Dr. Wallington isn’t back from his honeymoon yet.”

I glanced at my watch. Josh had his second dose of lymphodepleting chemo in just a little bit, and I couldn’t be late.