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Bob knocked on Piers’ door and waited to hear the customary “come!”
‘Morning,’ said Bob entering the room.
‘Bob, hi, come in, coffee, I was just going to have one?’
‘No ta, I’ve just had a tea,’ he said flatly.
‘Oh, right, I’ll just ask Amanda to make me a coffee if you don’t mind.’
‘Be my guest, no matter to me,’ replied Bob.
Piers popped his head outside his door to ask Amanda for his refreshments and then went over to the small table in his office where Bob was sitting quietly. Normally Bob would be looking at the papers he’d brought with him or making some notes on matters he wished to discuss. Today he seemed unusually detached, in a world of his own.
‘So, Bob, thanks for coming to see me, I wanted to discuss where we are up to with the clinical trial, phase one for our prototype BQ-561?’
‘It’s in hand, should be due to start in about two weeks,’ replied Bob, giving the minimum information to Piers.
‘Well that’s great, remind me which CRO are we using?’ The CRO was the Contract Research Organisation which would be handling the clinical trial. Participants would be selected in collaboration with the contract company in accordance with the design of the study.
‘It’s ClinTry, they have a good reputation. StourMed have used them in the past,’ Bob was again delivering just the required information to satisfy Piers, normally he would have talked expansively about the trial, how many participants it involved, dosing regime and so on. Piers felt like he was having to drag the information out of Bob, it was a real struggle. A brief respite from the tortuous discussion came in the shape of Amanda bearing Piers’ coffee.
‘Oh, thanks, Amanda, just what I need to wake up my brain,’ he joked. Bob remained unsmiling. ‘So how many participants do we have in this first run?’
‘Eight,’ replied Bob.
‘Eight, right, and what dosing are we using?’
‘Well I’ve got to work it out, but it’s a standard protocol, why, do you want me to go back and find the actual numbers?’ he said aggressively.
‘No, er, no don’t worry for the moment, what’s the safety margin we’ve established, remind me.’
‘We saw no effects up to two hundred milligrams in rat and dog. We are going to be way below those limits.’
‘That all sounds excellent, I just needed to remind myself. It’s been a busy time with recent events here. Frank leaving, Mel starting. Oh, by the way, have you spoken to Mel yet today?’
‘Yes,’ replied Bob, his face betraying no emotion.
‘She’s a lovely girl,’ added Piers forgetting that woman would have been more politically correct. ‘I’m sure she will be marvellous for the company. What are your thoughts, Bob?’
‘Don’t have any, I’m a biologist, not a bean counter.’
‘I think that’s a bit unfair Bob, Mel is far more than a bean counter, she’s full of ideas which could be a game changer for the company. Did she mention her vision to you?’
‘Not sure, I wasn’t really listening, she didn’t ask for my opinion,’ added Bob rather rudely.
Piers started to look decidedly uncomfortable, his face flushed slightly. He sipped his coffee and there was an awkward silence. Bob started to gaze out of the window.
‘Bob, there’s something I need to mention and I hope I won’t upset you but as your employer and I hope friend, there’s something I can’t ignore any longer.’
‘What?’ asked Bob, raising his eyebrows.
‘Well, how can I put this, I’m rather worried about you, well we all are,’ and he paused to play nervously with his drink coaster on the table. Bob continued to stare out of the window. ‘We all have the utmost sympathy for you Bob, what happened was terrible, we had no idea your wife Joan was so ill. If we had known we would have suggested you took some time off before,’ and Piers paused, ‘well you know, before Joan passed away.’
‘Before she died you mean,’ said Bob aggressively.
‘Er, yes, before she died. We can’t imagine how you must be feeling. I’m more than happy for you to take some more time off, after all it’s only a week since, well, you know.’
‘Since she died, yes, eight days exactly. The funeral is on Thursday so I won’t be in.’
‘No, of course, absolutely, and don’t feel you have to come in on Friday either.’
Bob frowned, ‘Friday? Why shouldn’t I be in on Friday, the funeral is on Thursday, we’ve just said that.’
‘Well, I just mean, well, perhaps you might need some time to yourself, with your children, that’s all.’
‘No I don’t think so, I’d rather be at work, carry on as normal.’
Piers felt he wasn’t making any progress with this conversation. Bob was trying to present a stiff upper lip and it was admirable he wanted to get back to normal but it was not good if it was affecting his work. Piers had one last attempt, he felt it had to be said. ‘Bob, I don’t want to upset you any further but do you think you need to speak to someone, I mean someone in a professional capacity who might be able to help you at this time?’
‘What, a shrink you mean?’
‘Bob, no I don’t mean a psychologist necessarily but perhaps a counsellor. There’s no shame in accepting help, no stigma at all. The company would be willing to pay, well the health insurance to be exact would pay. I’d like you to think about it.’
‘Right, yes, well I’ve thought about it and the answer is no. I don’t need it, I’m fine, I want to get on with my work and if there’s nothing else I’d best get on,’ said Bob rising from his seat and gathering his papers.
‘Er, no, nothing else. My door is always open if you reconsider,’ said Piers wearily.
Bob stomped out with his usual heavy gait letting the door swing closed under its own steam. Piers sighed and put his head in his hands. He’d anticipated it would be difficult but that was a complete disaster. Bob was an excellent scientist but they couldn’t afford any mistakes with this clinical trial in the offing.
