Fenton's Winter Read Online Free PDF Page A

little more than conventional
plastics."
    "But the potential for it must
be enormous," said Fenton.
    Saxon shook his head and said,
"We thought so too at first but the truth is it's just not strong
enough to be useful in the big money affairs like defence and space
technology. But for medical uses, of course, it doesn't have to be.
We've manufactured a range of test tubes, bottles, tubing etc from
it which will cost only a fraction more than the stuff in use at
present. We think the advantages will outweigh the extra cost and
hospitals will start changing to Saxon equipment. "
    "I take it you have a patent on
the plastic?"
    "Of course," smiled Saxon.
    "It sounds like a winner," said
Fenton.
    "We think so too. We are so
confident that we have gifted a three month supply of our
disposables to the Princess Mary."
    "That was generous," conceded
Saxon.
    "Well you were kind enough to
put our Blood Analyser through its paces for the licensing board,
it seemed the least we could do."
    A printer started to chatter
and Susan Daniels removed a strip of paper from the tractor feed.
"All done," she said.
    Fenton accepted the paper and
looked at the figures. "Normal blood," he said.
    "A control sample," said Susan
Daniels.
    "How do the figures compare
with the ones given by our own analyser?"
    "Almost identical and the Saxon
performed the analysis on one fifth of the blood volume and in half
the time."
    "Maybe Saxon will gift us one
of their machines as well as the Tupperware." said Fenton, tongue
in cheek.
    Nigel Saxon smiled and said,
"There has to be a limit even to our generosity."
    Susan Daniels handed Fenton a
sheaf of papers. "These are the results of the final tests. You'll
need them for the report."
    Saxon said to Fenton, "I hate
to press you at a time like this but have you any idea when the
final report will be ready?"
    "End of next week I should
think."
    Fenton left the room to return
upstairs but paused at the foot of the stairs when he saw a small
puddle of water lying in the stair well. He looked up and saw a
raindrop fall from the cupola and splash into the puddle. "All we
need," he muttered, going to fetch a bucket from glassware
preparation room. He placed the bucket under the drip before
calling in to the chief technician's room. "The roof's leaking
Alex."
    "Again?" said Alex Ross with a
shake of the head. "It's only two months since they repaired it."
He made a note on his desk pad and said he would inform the works
department.
    When he got back to his own lab
Fenton found Ian Ferguson, one of the two basic grade biochemists
on the staff, hard at work. He looked up as Fenton entered and
said, "Dr Tyson asked me to cover for you."
    "He told me. Thanks. How's
business?"
    "Brisk," smiled Ferguson. "But
I think everything's under control. There are a couple of things I
think you better look at but apart from that it's been largely
routine."
    Fenton picked up the two
request forms that Ferguson had put to one side and nodded. "I'll
deal with them," he said. “You can go back to your own work now if
you like. I can manage now."
    Ferguson got up and tidied the
bench before leaving. As he turned to go Fenton said to him, "Did
Neil mention anything to you about requesting blood from the
Transfusion Service?"
    Ferguson turned and shook his
head. "No, nothing,"
    Fenton made his third attempt
at phoning Dr Ian Michaelson. This time he was successful. He asked
about the special blood monitoring that had been requested and
Michaelson explained what he had in mind. "We could postpone the
tests for a week or two if you can't cope after what's happened,"
said Michaelson.
    "But it would be better for the
patient if they were done this week?" asked Fenton
    "Yes."
    Fenton did some calculations in
his head, equating the required tests to man hours. "We'll manage,"
he said. Next he contacted the cardiac unit about the proposed
by-pass operations and learned that there were now three on the
schedules instead of two. "This is not good news,"