She saw his chest moving with respirations, small bubbles of saliva fluttering at the corner of his bloodied lips as air flowed in and out.

Pulse and respiration okay. Good. But he did seem to be in shock.

"All right, ' she announced to the onlookers. "His heart's beating and he's breathing. No need for CPR. But n.o.body move him. He may have a spinal injury." She looked around. "Is somebody calling an ambulance?

' One of the Capitol cops pointed to his partner who was babbling into his radio. We're on it, " he said.

Gin returned her attention to Allard. She couldn't do a neurological evaluation here, but if she had to bet she'd put her money on a stroke.

Maybe he'd flipped an embolus to his brain.

She glanced up and saw someone standing at the railing along the edge of the west portico, looking down. She blinked. It was Duncan. She couldn't read his expression. He stood there staring for a moment, then turned and disappeared from view.

Duncan? she thought. Aren't you going to help?

COFFEE GINA DIDN'T GET BACK TO THE SURGICENTER until shortly before noon. She'd hovered by Congressman Allard's side until the E.M.Ts arrived. She watched them bandage his face, strap him to a back board, load him into their rig, and howl away toward G. W. Medical Center.

She stopped back at Allard's office to let them know what had happened, and after that she'd been at loose ends, wandering around the Capitol area, thinking, wondering . . .

Duncan had acted so strange this morning, and he hadn't shown the slightest concern for the fate of the congressman, who wasn't just some strangerhe was one of Duncan's patients.And who was this Lisa he'd been talking about to Allard? It had seemed like such a non sequitur.

She took the Metro Red Line up to Friendship Heights and walked the rest of the way, still thinking, still wondering.

By the time she reached the surgicenter she still didn-t have an answer.

"He wanted to see me, ' she told Barbara as she paused at her reception desk.

"He mentioned it, but right now he's conferencing with another doctor.

Strict orders not to disturb." "Really? Anybody we know? " Barbara shrugged. "All he tells me is to block out half an hour for Dr. V.

Now you know as much as I do. But he's very good-looking." Barbara's eyebrows oscillated as her voice took on a Mae West tone. "This is his second visit, and I hope it's not the last." Why so mysterious about the name? A doctor who wanted cosmetic surgery maybe?

Gin shrugged. Not her business.

"Let him know I'm here."

"Will do." A few minutes later she was sitting in the bas.e.m.e.nt lab across the workbench from Oliver, diffidently watching him fill the next batch of a dozen or so implants for tomorrow's surgery. She already had a headache, and the residual olfactory tang of solvents was conspiring with the bright overhead fluorescents to make it worse. She should have been working with Oliver, learning the technique, but she couldn't muster the concentration.

Her chin rested on her hands and her elbows were propped on the marred black counter. She felt leaden, as if someone had siphoned off all her energy . . . the aftermath of. the morning's events, and the certainty that Duncan was going to fire her.

'"He's not going to fire you, " Oliver said.

She glanced up at him. He sat calmly in his white coat, his pudgy hands folded in front of him. But she read genuine sympathy in the round, pale face and in the blue eyes behind the thick horn-rimmed lenses. Hard to believe he and Duncan shared the same gene pool.

"How can you be so sure? ' "He tends to fly off the handle lately.

Ever since they reconvened that darn committee. ' "What is it with himand that committee? " '"Well, years ago he had a bit of trouble . .

' His voice trailed off.

"What sort of trouble? " '"Nothing. Forget I said anything." Gin wasn't forgetting anything. Especially after this morning. Another question was burning through her brainpan.

"All right then. Tell me this, Who's Lisa? " "Lisa? " "Yes. I heard Duncan mention something about a Lisa this . , .

morning.

The implant Oliver was filling suddenly burst. "I . . . I don't know.

He had a daughter named Lisa."

"Had? " "Yes, well" The phone rang.

Oliver picked it up and listened. "She's right here, " he said, then handed it across to her. Duncan's voice, "Gin, please come to my office." Her mouth went dry. "Okay. Sure." The other end clicked dead. That in itself was not indicative of anythingDuncan rarely said h.e.l.lo or good-bye on the phonebut she could feel her insides coiling into knots. She handed the receiver back to Oliver. "He wants to see me." Oliver smiled. "See?

He's cooled down already."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"I'll talk to him if you want."

"Thanks, but I'd better handle this myself.

" With the knots inside pulling even tighter, she rose and headed for Duncan's office. This was it. She'd been in his office before, many times, but usually just a quick stop before surgery to discuss some potential problem with one of his patients. This was the first time he'd actually called and asked her to his office.

He's going to fire me.

Financially, that would not be a catastrophe. She wasn't getting paid all that much here and she could take an extra shift as house doctor at Lynnbrook. But still . . .Her throat constricted.

Fired . . . being fired by anyone from any job would hurt. But to be kicked out by Duncan Lathram . . .

Devastating.

She wasn't going to back down, though. Not when she was doing the right thing. But how to explain it to him? From what she could see, the days when doctors could focus solely on their patients and ignore what Washington was up to were gone. Dead as the Jura.s.sic age.

For their patients' sake as well as their own, doctors had to get involved in the process. And any doctor who thought otherwise was a dinosaur, already extinct but simply unaware of the fact.

Sure, she thought. That's it. Tell Duncan he's the best surgeon alive, but he's a dinosaur. He'll definitely want to keep me on then.

Gin forced a smile as she approached Barbara's desk.

"He's expecting me."

"I know, " Barbara said. "He told me to hold his calls." Oh, great.

Gin hesitated at the door, then pushed through.

Duncan's officer was a s.p.a.cious quadrangle with floor-to ceiling gla.s.s along most of the far wall. The last of the morning sun was slipping from the room but still shining brightly on the oriental rock garden and koi pond outside.

Very little of the off-white walls was visible, the few sections not obscured by mahogany bookcases filled with medical texts and surgical journals were studded with plaques, degrees, diplomas, and certificates from licensing and specialty boards. An oversized antique partners desk stretched before the window-wall. A glorious Persian rug covered most of the hardwood floor.

The wall on the far right angled to a large cabinet cus...o...b..ilt for the narrow corner. Duncan had the cabinet open and stood before it now, his back to her, engrossed in whatever he was doing.

He half turned as she closed the door behind her.

'"Good. You're just in TIME" He motioned her closer. "Come watch this." A little off balance from the casual greetinghe seemed a changed man since this morningand more than a little unsure of herself, she complied. As she approached she heard a whirring noise,like an electric drill. When she reached his side she was startled to see what he was up to.

Grinding coffee.

'"Just got these in, ' he said. "Costa Rican La Minita Tarrazu. A superb batch of beans." He dumped the ground coffee into the open end of a chrome funnel set in the top of an insulated carafe.

Gin didn't see any white inside the funnel. "You forgot the filter.

" '"Don't worry. It's in there. I use a gold mesh filter. Paper soaks up too many of the oils that give a coffee its character.

Remember that.

Always use a gold filter. And here's something else to remember." He reached into the little microwave to his left and removed a half-quart Pyrex cup full of steaming water. He took two tablespoons of water and added them to the cone.

"Always wet your grounds first. Give them about thirty seconds to swell, then add the rest of the water. But not boiling water.

You don't want scalded coffee. Bring the water to a boil and let it sit for about a minute, then pour it over the damp grounds. But not just any water. Use spring water. Don't use that chemical-laden junk from the tap." He emptied the Pyrex cup into the cone, then rubbed his . . . . . .

hands in antic.i.p.ation.

"You're about to have a real experience, Gin. Just possibly the best cup of coffee in the world." He turned to her. "Any news from Marsden's office yet? " "No. I'm not terribly sanguine about my chances. ' Sanguine? She never used that word. Must be Duncan's influence. "My interview wasn't with Senator Marsden, you know. It was with his chief of staff. We didn't exactly hit it off."

"Shot down by the senator's staff, eh? And I guess you didn't get your chance to impress Allard either."

"Hardly. That was some fall he had. Lucky to be In one piece after the way he hit the sidewalk."

"Right in front of the TV cameras.

They've been replaying it all morning on CNN. Too bad." Too bad?

He'd been there, watching, and hadn't helped. Or didn't he want toadmit that?

"Had some nasty facial lacerations. Chances are he'll be calling you to fix him up." '"He can save his dime, " Duncan said. "You ought to know by now I don't operate on people who need surgery only those who want it. By the way, sorry about my outburst yesterday morning. You didn't deserve that." Just like that, Oh, by the way, sorry I d.a.m.n near gave you a heart attack.

But relief blotted out his offhandedness. The bunched muscles in her shoulders and the back of her neck began to uncoil.

'"You mean I'm not fired? " He laughed. "h.e.l.l, no! But I do want to talk to you." His smile faded.

"I want to know why a bright, talented young woman like you wants to get involved with the Harold Vincents and Kenneth Allards of the world.

" Oh, G.o.d, she thought as she took a deep breath. Here we go.

'"Somebody's got to, Duncan. They're calling all the shots. But when they want to know what's going on with doctors and medical care, look who they ask, insurance companies, A.M.A officers, public service doctors, VA doctors, whoever's handy." Duncan grimaced with distaste.

"Or even worse, Samuel Fox." Gin nodded. She remembered sitting around with her fellow residents and laughing at Fox's asinine statements during a Donahue appearance a couple of years ago. But he had a knack for PR and had parlayed his alarmist books and press releases into a position of credibility with Congress.

"Exactly. Congress gets its input from doctors who aren't physicians.

" "Stands to reason, ' Duncan said. "Real doctors are out in the trenches practicing medicine. They've got too many sick people on their hands to hang around Capitol Hill."

"Too true. But that's got to change." Duncan's jaw jutted at her.

"Why? " "Because the government's got its sights on health care. The big reform package didn't fly, but that doesn't mean the government's going to go away.

It's going to keep inching in, the old salami-slicing method.

Nothing's going to stop it." Duncan sighed. "Yeah, I know. Don't get me wrong. I'm not opposed to everyone having some sort of coverage. Ihate the thought of anyone, especially a child, going untreated. But I loathe the idea of the kakistocracy designing and administering the program, imposing guidelines for medical decisions that should be a matter solely between doctor and patient." His voice took on a TV announcer's tone, " And now, from the people who brought you the House Post Office scandal and the debatable, Health care!

" He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Doesn't it make sense to standardize medical care and costs across the country? " His gaze was hard as steel. "Don't you think we've got enough guidelines already?

" She thought of old Mrs. Thompson at Lynnbrook Hospital. "Well .

. " "What this bill will do is enforce cookbook medicine. The real thrust of all this legislation isn't quality a.s.suranceit's cost control.

They'll save a few bucks but the human costs will be huge."

"It doesn't have to be that way. We" Duncan glanced at the carafe and held up a hand. "Coffee's ready." He lifted the cone from the carafe and placed it in the small chrome sink next to the microwave. Then he filled two thick white diner-style mugs with the fresh, steaming coffee. He handed one to Gin.

"Now this is coffee. Taste." Gin sniffedthe aroma was fabulousthen sipped. Usually she drank her coffee black with a little sugar. This didn't need sugar. The tSavor was so deep, so rich . .

"It's . . . " She struggled for words. "It's like I've never had real coffee before. This is amazing." Duncan beamed. "It's worth the trouble, isn't it? An anodyne for weltschmerz. I'll grind you up some beans to take home. But use them soon. And if you use a regular drip machine, neverneverleave the pot on a heater. Always decant the coffee immediately into a carafe. Even the best coffee gets bitter when it's overheated."

"Thanks. I'll remember that." Gin had had no idea Duncan was such a coffee connoisseur. The rituals, the rules .

. . it was like a religion. But the result was awfully good.

They sipped in silence for a moment. Gin wandered along the gla.s.s wall and admired the koi pool, the rock garden, and the dwarf shrubs thatlined it. She continued on, pa.s.sing his desk. The top right drawer was open. Inside was a gla.s.s injection vial filled with a clear amber fluid.

Something else too. Something metallic, almost like a large trocar .

Suddenly Duncan was beside her, sliding the drawer closed.

"You were saying? " "Where was I? Well, the point I was trying to make is that if I can get on a committee member's staff, I can see to it that he gets some straight dope on how these guidelines will affect patient care. And if I can influence him even a little, won't it be worth it? " Duncan stared at her, slowly shaking his head. "For some time now I've been worrying that you had no direction. I was afraid you were just going to drift, make a career of moonlighting and loc.u.m tenens work. Now I almost wish that were the case." Had he actually been thinking about her? "Maybe I'll simply devote myself to lexiphania." Duncan appeared taken aback. Had she stumped him?