Dr. Iverson’s smile gone. “I know. I know . . . it’s a lot to process, and . . . nothing, no one, can change what’s happened. But if we can soften the blow even just a bit, isn’t that something?”

And it’s not my place to speak, but. “This is real? This isn’t some scam?”

Dr. Iverson’s smile returns. “It’s a hundred percent real.” She meets Ms. B’s gaze. “If you accept our offer, Quincy will live again.”

Ms. B sits up straight, pulls the skin beneath her red eyes taut. “For how long, doctor?”

Dr. Iverson’s brow furrows. “How long?”

“How long until my son would die again?”

Dr. Iverson nods faintly.

“Wait,” I say. “What do you mean, die again?”

Dr. Iverson’s eyes stay on Ms. B. “We won’t know until Quincy’s completed the fifth phase of the reanimation.”

“So we’re talking, what? Five years? Ten years?”

Ms. B wags her head. “No, Jamal. That’s not what they’re offering. Is it, Doctor?”

“We’re offering you the chance to say goodbye to your son.”

“For how long, though?” I press.

The first bubbles of impatience finally break through the surface of the doctor’s face. “As I said, we won’t know until . . .”

I cut her off. “Okay, but what’s the longest you’ve brought any of the others back?”

“We make amazing strides every day. The technology is improving all the time. What we’re accomplishing is nothing short of mirac—”

“Please, answer the question, Doctor,” Ms. B interjects.

Dr. Iverson folds her arms. “What we’ve done in the past is not an indication of . . .”

“Doctor,” Ms. B says firmly.

Dr. Iverson shakes her head. “Nineteen days, seven hours.”

My face drops. “I know this sounds crazy, but I thought, at minimum, we were talking months, but . . . but this is . . .”

“One day, soon, we’ll be able to safely extend the reawakening. But for now . . .”

Ms. B nods. “So, even if it’s successful, and I imagine it’s a big if, Quincy would live for a couple more weeks?”

“The good news is we have reason to believe Quincy will exceed our initial estimate.”

“How much longer?” I ask.

“I’d rather not speculate, but so far the diagnostics point to several more days. Which may not seem like an astronomical difference, but when you’re talking about bringing a person back to life, every minute matters.”

And that’s fair. Why had I been so shocked about the time frame? They were undying a human being. Any amount of time would be amazing.

“I’m sorry, Doctor,” I say. “I guess I just heard you could bring Q back and I just assumed it was . . . forever. But obviously, even if it’s just for a few weeks, it’s still . . .”

“No,” Ms. B says, her wobbly voice stretching no to two syllables. “No,” she says again, more firmly. “No,” she repeats.