Marigold by Heather Manheim (best books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

“Yes. I was a young doctor specializing in obstetrics. I worked at a center with several doctors and OB/GYNs tasked with safely delivering and administering care to pregnant Lombardi Plague patients. To be honest, I had already delivered four babies and successfully administered the Everett Cure, as it was known then. That’s not what they told people, though. You’re recognized as the first, as you know. President Everett wasn’t willing to risk your health, though, so there were tests before you were born.”

“Why was I so important to President Everett?” asked Davis in confusion.

“No offense, but it wasn’t you, specifically. It was your mom. He was quite infatuated with her; I think in love with her. Or more accurately, he confused his obsession with love. She was a medical assistant—and newly married to your father—when he met her. Your mom made friends with him, but there was nothing more than that for her. He wouldn’t stop until he got her, though.”

“Are you saying this whole plague, all these people gone, murdered and manipulated was because President Everett loved my mom?”

“I believe so. Well, not completely, only partly. Everett also wanted power and influence too. He wanted to be president and be respected by all. So, Everett hatched a plan. He needed one plan that all at once would eliminate your father, save you and your mom, and make him a hero to the world. Some of this is just speculation based on things I saw and heard over time. That’s part of the problem, though. Everett is so dangerous because nothing seems crazy at the time that he’s doing it. It’s just this buildup over time, and finally, you look back, and you realize the whole thing it’s all shams, deceptions, and sleight of hand trickery.”

“Yes, I know he’s evil. I got it. What I really want to know about is my mom.”

Duffy looked startled at being snapped at, and Davis quickly remembered her manners. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m exhausted and overwhelmed. And anxious to know more about my mom.”

Softening her look, Duffy said she understood. She then continued with her story. “It’s okay. As I mentioned, I think a lot of the plan was to get your mom as well as have ultimate control and power. I made friends with your mom when I became her doctor at the birthing center when she was getting ready to go into labor with you. I suppose she trusted me, and we had many conversations. She never told me she didn’t trust Everett straight out but one day mentioned a conversation she overheard outside her room. That’s what prompted her to write the letter, but your mom never shared with me the details of what she heard. She only made me promise to hold it for you in case something happened. Naturally, she could not foresee all that would unfold, but I guess she saw enough to write the letter as a precaution. After they took you away and your mom and I were told you had died, she never mentioned the letter again.”

Davis got a puzzled look on her face. “You know, just a question. If Everett was so smitten with my mom, but she still got extremely sick with the Lombardi Plague, right? Why didn’t he save her from that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know exactly. But I assume Everett couldn’t control the virus as well as he thought he could. There are some theories that he had some control at first, targeting not only more men than women but also targeting women he found less attractive. But, as it is with viruses, they are not easily controlled. A lot of our people think Everett had the cure, all ready to go. That is why he never got it. Once he got the plague under control, he started working on the brain control element. Maybe he was just waiting for your mom to get it to start trials. That way, he could ‘save’ her. Her being pregnant wasn’t likely a part of his original plan, but it made his savior story all the better.” After a moment of thought, she added, “This is all just speculation. But, I do know for a fact that after your mom got pregnant and, then a few months later, got the Lombardi Plague, they admitted her to the top hospital, and she was taken care of when a lot of people could not get any help at all for their illness, pregnant or not. Then the trials started and, well, it was quick to the cure after they admitted her.”

“Okay, you said you read the letter. So, you know, my mom called me her ‘Little Marigold.’ And the vaccination is called the Marigold Inoculation. I can’t believe that is just a coincidence, right?”

“Well, no, probably not. More speculation, but we think that President Everett also saw that part of the letter; there were probably surveillance cameras in the hospital room. Or, it’s possible he got her to confess after they were married and she was fully under the brain control drugs. He must have decided to use the word ‘marigold’ for the injection to make it more commonly used, less unique. That if, for some reason, you found out everything, ‘marigold’ wouldn’t be as much of a password as it would be a very commonly used word by many, many people.”

Davis didn’t answer; she just slowly nodded her head in agreement and thanked Duffy for coming by. Her eyes were drooping and felt heavy. She almost felt as if she could fall asleep standing up. Davis asked Duffy to please let Ringo know she would be out later to discuss plans after she got some rest.

As Duffy was about to leave, she turned back around and faced Davis, walking up to her. She lightly placed her hand on her shoulder. “I want you to know the most important thing. Your mom is a good person. She is funny,