But he recalled the spleen PR, and realized he had only himself to blame. The famous PR about Kevetrin- remember that drug. Can you? From so long ago-despite the bogus recent PR he chuckled. Because he still knew how to work the crowd, how to raise hopes.
He hoped that no one remembered how he released the info about one patient with metastatic ovarian CA whose spleen had cleared up. That patient was not mentioned further- left the trial with a rising CA 25, so what did that say? Pathetic. Embarrassing .
What did it say about the CEO and his big foolish mouth? It spoke volumes and it was coming back to haunt him again as the September deadline for prepublication came and went and he could feel the q4 trial start promise fading too.
But was it his fault really? after all the RBL has told him what to say. It's not like I am a scientist, thought the CEO. If those science guys say it will be September, should I never tell the shareholders? Those poor suckers- I kept telling them how excited they were at the RBL and all about the grant and those other viruses and on and on and now look where it has gotten me and the company.
Absolutely nowhere and stuck at 20 cents with nothing happening at all. Despite what those company men are saying to the crowd.
"Any day now- what a laugh!" he thought. "Four months gone since bringing up that grant- ugh. I should've known better. I don't even know a filo from an alpha virus. Such a mess.Hmm... Filo- it's a dough, right? Baclava and puff pastry. I'd like to study them "
What to do? How to salvage anything from the swamp? Time now maybe finally to go on the road to the RBL. If he could only remember where the lab was, anyway. Was it the same place they did the B UP trial? No, no, that was another secret location. Why all the secrets? Why all the disappointment? Where had his employees gone? Why was the company worth nothing? Why was financing impossible to obtain? Who was paying for Beverly? How could he just keep printing all those shares? They were worth less and less as time went by and it all seemed so wrong. Why? How?
Question after question, the relentless questions facing him every long night.
The crowd had the same bad dreams and the same relentless questions.
At least he was not outside in the rain, like that crowd, that would not go away.
