It took him another hour to go through all the admission recommendations, initialing some, sending others back for follow-up evaluations, noting a few of special interest for routing to Hutch. But not the Blaylock case, not that one. He had a strong feeling that it would be useful to Sarah. In any case, it was hers by rights. She had written brilliantly on night terrors of adulthood and had achieved a couple of cures that lasted beyond the imposition of sedatives and tranquilizers. The case belonged to her. There was no sense in letting Hutch in on it, he would just assign it to somebody else to prevent her getting points with the board.

When Sarah appeared at seven her mood had lifted considerably. She came around his desk and kissed him on the forehead. “Methuselah’s beta-prodophin levels were dropping like crazy at the end,” she said in a voice rich with excitement. “We are on our way.”

He gave her a hard kiss. It felt good to do it, all though his body. “You’re wonderful,” he said.

“I might have that breakthrough you’ve been looking for,” she said, obviously not even aware of the kiss. “I think we just might be able to establish a viable level of control over beta-prodorphin production. We won’t be able to stop the aging process, but it’ll give us the ability to slow it down, or even turn it back.”

He looked at her, right into the directness of her eyes. He was absolutely stunned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m on the threshold. I’m going to get the key.” She tossed her head, went on. “It isn’t a matter of a drug at all. We can achieve our results by controlling the depth of sleep and the temperature of the sleeping body. Just with what we know now we could probably add ten or fifteen percent to the life-span of the average individual. With no pharmacologic side effects.”

“My God.”

“The data is falling together, I guarantee it. You were worried about the board. Don’t be. You’ll win in a walk.”

Tom was too relieved to be elated. He took her cheeks in his hands and kissed her again. This time she responded, making a pleased sound in her throat, drawing a leg up behind his, slipping her arms around him. Behind it all was this simple love, the cherishing of each other’s dreams. She was so close!

He remembered the case he had imposed on her. “I really am sorry about this patient,” he said. “If I had known what was going on I never—” She touched his lips, smiling.

“The patient needs me. I’m the best choice in a case of night terrors.” It was his turn to smile. At least she wasn’t holding it against him as she had so many other things recently, in that stubborn way he found so hard to accept.