The house was still. Robert was up in his study; she could just barely hear the click of his computer keys as he typed. She paused again in the darkness of the dining room.

“This is ridiculous!” Marissa said finally. She’d never had so much trouble making up her mind. With a new but fragile sense of resolve, she mounted the stairs and walked into Robert’s study.

“Robert, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Robert turned to face her.

“Wendy and I have been thinking,” she continued.

“Oh?”

“It may sound a little crazy . . .”

“These days, I’d expect as much.”

“We thought that perhaps it would do us good to get away for a short time,” Marissa said. “Like a vacation.”

“I can’t take time off now,” Robert said.

“No, not you and I,” Marissa said, “Wendy and I. Just us girls.”

Robert thought for a moment. The idea had some merit. It would give him and Marissa time to cool down. “That doesn’t sound so crazy. Where were you thinking of going?”

“Australia,” Marissa said. She winced as the word came out of her mouth.

“Australia!” Robert exclaimed. He snatched off his reading glasses and tossed them on top of his correspondence. “Australia!” he repeated as if he’d not heard correctly.

“There is an explanation,” Marissa said. “We didn’t just pull Australia out of a hat. I found out today that the only concentration of cases of TB of the fallopian tubes like Wendy and I have is in Brisbane, Australia. So we could do a little research as well as have some fun. It was Wendy’s idea. She’s a diving enthusiast and the Great Barrier Reef—”

“You were right!” Robert said, interrupting her. “This sounds very crazy. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Your practice is in a shambles and you want to fly halfway around the world to continue a crusade that came close to landing you in jail. I thought you meant a little vacation, like a weekend in Bermuda. Something reasonable.”

“You don’t have to overreact,” Marissa said. “I thought we could talk about this.”

“How can I not overreact?” Robert demanded.

“It’s not that unreasonable,” Marissa said. “I also learned today that this odd form of TB has been showing up on an international scale. Not only in Australia, but in Europe as well. Someone should be looking into it.”

“And you are that someone?” Robert asked. “In your state, you think you are appropriate?”

“I think I am very qualified.”

“Well, I think you’re wrong,” Robert said. “There’s no way you could be objective. You’re one of the cases yourself. And if you care about my opinion, I think your going to Australia is preposterous. That’s all I have to say.”