“But she likes it here,” the clone said. “Moving will be hard on her. Traumatic, even.”

“There will be an adjustment, certainly,” Waterson said. “But she’ll be fine in due time. I don’t see any other way. I’m concerned about her well-being here. She needs a certain level of care and monitoring that we simply cannot provide. If she were to become confused or disoriented, especially overnight when we’re at minimal staff, well, I hate to think what might happen, Mr. Adams.”

The clone frowned and leaned forward a bit in his chair. “So how do we go about this exactly?” he asked. “Do I just choose another facility? I’m not sure where to begin.”

“I’m here to assist you in any way I can,” Waterson said. “I have a few suggestions here that you can begin to look at.” He pushed a handful of pamphlets forward on his desk. The clone took them and laid them in his lap without glancing at them.

“What are we talking about for a timeline?” he asked. “I mean, does this have to be tomorrow?”

“Regulation dictates that we allow sixty days for the transfer. I would suggest, Mr. Adams, that we move somewhat faster than that. We’ll need to assign a dedicated nurse for your mother, around the clock, until she’s moved. I’m afraid that will be your financial responsibility. It can be quite expensive, you understand.”

The clone pursed his lips and nodded. “I’ll start looking through the information right away,” he said. “Do what you need to do. I understand.”

The clone made a move to stand and Waterson put up a hand to stop him.

“One more thing, Mr. Adams,” he said. “Before you select a facility, there is one procedure I’d like to try, something I think could be valuable in assessing her needs more exactly. It could help in placing her.”

“What’s that?”

“I presume you’ve heard of Meld?”

Jeremiah almost jumped off the couch. “He can’t be serious,” he said.

“You could say so,” the clone told Waterson. “Actually, I work for ViMed Pharmaceutical, the company that produces Meld.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware you were in the scientific field, Mr. Adams.”

“No, I’m in the communications and marketing department. I’ve worked closely on Meld from that end, though. I know all about it.”

“So, you’re aware of the advantages here,” Waterson said. “Meld would allow us a closer look at precise aspects of brain degeneration. We could pinpoint memory erosion, synaptic collapse, that sort of thing. It could go a long way toward tailoring her treatment.”

“He’s out of his mind!” Jeremiah shouted. “That damned clone better not let this happen!” Brent glanced at him and typed something into his laptop.

“Do you think it would be safe to use on her, under the circumstances?” the clone asked Waterson.

“Oh, yes,” Waterson told him. “Under proper medical supervision, Meld is perfectly safe.” Jeremiah saw an almost imperceptible smile cross the clone’s face at the words, no doubt finding satisfaction at hearing his own jargon echoed back at him. Jeremiah felt like punching in the wall.