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nodded. They'd all stood at the
windows watching it whir down at the heliport behind the medical
center.
    The image of an article
from The Wall Street Journal flashed before Tim's eyes with a photo. He'd come
across it while researching an economics paper on the inflationary
recession of the 1970's. He saw the header now:
    Sen. Whitney cancels
campaign.
    Accepts new foundation
post.
    "He was a hot-shot, young-turk senator
in the seventies," Tim said. "Made lots of waves in trying to
revamp the FDA. Wasn't popular nationally but people in Wisconsin
loved him. Looked like he was going to be right up there for a long
time, but when it came time for re-election, he opted out and took
a position with the Kleederman Foundation. He's been on its Board
ever since."
    "That explains why he's here," Quinn
said.
    "Right. The Kleederman Foundation is
paying for this breakfast we're eating—"
    "That two of us are eating," Matt said
pointedly as he eyed Quinn's barely-touched shredded
wheat.
    "—and all the rest of The Ingraham's
bills."
    Dr. Alston and the former senator had
mounted the stairway to the landing at the halfway mark and stopped
to face the cafeteria. Tim noticed that a microphone and stand had
been rigged on the landing.
    "Good morning, everyone," Dr. Alston
said. "I trust you all slept well and are enjoying the breakfast
that The Ingraham's staff has prepared for you."
    Polite scattered applause.
    "We are privileged this morning to
have a surprise visit from former United States Senator Jefferson
Whitney, a director of the Kleederman Foundation, the magnanimous
organization responsible for the founding and funding of The
Ingraham College of Medicine. Senator?"
    Tim noted that this round of applause
was less scattered and more vigorous. Even he joined in. After all,
this guy represented the deep pockets that supported this
place.
    "Good morning," Whitney said, flashing
an easy-going smile that gleamed even through Tim's shades. "I know
you're all on tenter hooks and anxious to get to the test, and I
know I won't have your rapt and undivided attention, so I'll be
brief." Whitney paused, then: "You see today as an all-important
day for your future."
    Tim glanced at Quinn and saw her blond
head nod once, almost imperceptibly.
    "But you should not lose
sight of the fact that this is an important day for The Ingraham as
well. You are the cream of the crop. Your college careers are
testimonies to your desire to strive for and your ability to
achieve excellence. You are the people we want as Ingraham
students, as Ingraham graduates. This is not a situation of you,
the individual, against us, the institution. We're not trying to
keep any of you out. We want you here. We'd love to take you all. We wish we
could afford to
take you all. Unfortunately, the Kleederman Foundation's funds are
finite.
    "But for those of you who are
accepted, what a world will be opened to you! Not only will you
receive the gift of the finest medical education in the world, but
you will have a chance to go out and shape the future of American
medicine, to make it the model and envy of every country on
Earth.
    "So I wish you all well in today's
examination. And please remember that no matter what happens in the
coming months, each and every one of you is already a winner. I
know I speak for The Ingraham College of Medicine and the
Kleederman Foundation when I say that we are proud of all of
you."
    More applause. Tim clapped
mechanically.
    "Amazing," he said.
"Platitudes trip off his tongue as if they'd sprung into his
mind de novo ."
    Quinn looked at him sharply. "I think
it was very nice of him to take the time and come speak to us. I
mean we're just applicants. None of us has even been accepted yet.
Give him a break, will you?"
    Tim winced. He was not scoring points with
Quinn.
    Why was he attracted to
this twitchy, type-A ingenue anyway? She was sweet-looking, bright,
and she had a nice butt. So what? The same could be said of plenty
of other girls he