Chapter 8
His voice trembled, his hands shaking along with it.
Elaine maintained her composure, though mentioning Kathy still stirred emotions she'd buried for years.
"I've never wanted to trade on my mother's reputation. Her death remains an open wound for me. But with this virus raging, one more researcher means one more chance at hope. I won't promise immediate results, but with my foundation, I won't lag behind anyone. Please give me a chance—I'll prove myself through my work."
Her tone was dignified yet determined, her entire being radiating resolve.
The researcher quickly regained his composure, bending to collect the papers from the floor, his expression returning to professional scrutiny. "Dr. Harris's daughter, it is quite unexpected. But this institute doesn't operate on reputation alone."
He handed the documents back to Elaine, his tone becoming clinical again, "We've just isolated the viral strain, and the third experiment is short-staffed. If you can complete viral RNA extraction within two hours, keeping the data error margin under 5%, I'll acknowledge your abilities."
He promptly turned and retrieved a new lab coat and gloves from the sterilization cabinet, "The procedure is basically the same as what you learned in college. Here's the operations manual—you can review it for ten minutes."
Elaine accepted the lab coat, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of a laboratory after so long.
The researcher led her down the corridor to the laboratory doors.
"Someone will record your procedure. It's now 1,10 PM—your time starts now."
Elaine nodded, carefully unfolding the lab coat and putting it on with deliberate precision.
She approached the workstation, scanning the protocol on the reagent kit for half a minute, as if awakening dormant memories.
Soon, Elaine began working.
She picked up the pipette and, under everyone's watchful eyes, precisely dispensed liquid into the centrifuge tubes.
Her movements showed no hesitation, her applied pressure perfectly calibrated.
Elaine's expression was one of intense focus, and everyone at the observation station was stunned by her fluid movements.
She quickly reached the nucleic acid extraction step, and though she wasn't watching the timer, she reached for the next step exactly five seconds before it was due.
She was like a walking timer herself.
As time ticked by, Elaine handed the printed data sheet to the researcher just as the wall clock marked one hour and forty minutes.
The researcher looked at the 3.2% error margin on the sheet, then at Elaine's brilliantly clear eyes, completely won over.
"Zero procedural errors, data within parameters."
His tone was filled with admiration, "As expected from Dr. Harris's daughter—truly impressive."
He placed the sheet on the table, his voice ringing clear, "Standardized operation, perfect timing! Elaine, right? From today on, you're part of the vaccine development team."
"That's amazing! I knew you could do it!"
Hearing the result, Hazel couldn't help but let out a quiet cheer.
This was the real Elaine! A hundred times more impressive than being stuck at home revolving around children!
Elaine smiled too.
Something inside her—a space that had been empty for so long—felt filled again.
The two followed the researcher into the office area, where other researchers were still discussing the latest viral genes.
"Everyone, let me introduce Hazel, who brings extensive experience, and Elaine, who just passed our practical assessment. Starting today, these two new members will be joining our virus research team."
After saying this, he paused, his gaze settling on Elaine with added gravity, "Also, some of you may not know, but Elaine is Professor Kathy's daughter."
"Professor Kathy?"
With those words, the discussion about data instantly ceased.
"The Professor Kathy who won the Nobel Prize at thirty and suddenly passed away fourteen years ago?"
Murmurs spread throughout the laboratory as people rushed forward, surrounding Elaine.
Standing at the center of the crowd, Elaine acknowledged everyone with graceful nods.
This time, she wasn't Mrs. Smith, but Elaine.
She was Kathy's daughter, a researcher who had earned her place through her abilities.
News traveled fast within the institute, reaching reporters outside by that afternoon.
That evening, the headline #Daughter of Nobel Laureate Kathy Appears at Vaccine Research Institute# quickly topped the news.
Online comment sections buzzed with activity, and the medical community exploded with reactions.
[Professor Kathy? My grandfather was a beneficiary of her cancer clinical trials! I had no idea she had a daughter!]
[Kathy's approach to viral receptors was so ahead of its time. If she were still here, we might avoid so many detours in developing this vaccine.]
Suddenly, more and more eyes turned toward Elaine.
But she simply smiled it all away.
She switched her phone to silent mode and, once inside the institute, immersed herself completely in her work with the culture dishes.
In the evening, as the institute announced closing time, Elaine followed the crowd out.
Back at her small apartment, she dug out a photo album from the bottom of her suitcase.
In the photo, Kathy stood on the award podium in a white lab coat, holding her Nobel Prize certificate, her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
Elaine wiped the dust from the frame, her gaze softening.
"Mom, I joined the research institute today."
She placed the frame on the windowsill, her voice catching, "You disappeared while researching a new virus vaccine, didn't you? They all said you died from illness, but I know that's not true."
"Everyone says now, 'If only you were here.' Sometimes I wonder too—if we could discuss viral sequences together, would you praise me for my steady hand in today's experiment?"
In the frame, Kathy continued smiling, as if responding.
Elaine's lips curved into a smile as her fingertips gently traced her mother's face.
Perhaps Kathy had never truly left—the professional rigor she had passed down had become the light guiding Elaine forward.
In the days that followed, Elaine practically moved her bedroll into the institute's rest area.
The laboratory lights would come on before sunrise.
She was always the first to arrive, donning her lab coat and diving into her work.
Her notebook was filled with dense data, and even the margins were covered with sketches of viral structures.
She barely had time to eat. Other staff would return from meals to find Elaine still motionless at her microscope.
Sometimes she worked until the early hours, taking brief naps at the lab bench when exhausted, never sleeping more than four hours a day.
Everyone at the institute noticed.
They often urged Elaine to take care of herself, but she seemed driven by an unstoppable force, her eyes fixed only on viruses and culture dishes, as if trying to make up for years of lost time through relentless work.
Elaine didn't dare stop.
In the quiet of the night, she would dream of returning to that Smith family mansion she'd lived in for four years.
Visions of her husband's infidelity and her children's crying haunted her, stealing her confidence and turning her sleep into nightmares.
Now standing in the laboratory, she had found her value again and clung to this lifeline, running forward with all her might.
Several days passed. That afternoon, the laboratory was, as usual, immersed in an atmosphere of intense concentration.
The newly isolated mutant virus strain was unstable, and Elaine had been monitoring it for over thirty consecutive hours.
She stood at the safety cabinet, recording viral data.
Suddenly, her fingertips went numb, and the lab bench before her began to sway.
Elaine quickly grabbed the workstation to steady herself, but as she raised her arm, everything went black.
The dull sound of her body hitting the floor made the nearest researcher turn sharply, "Elaine!"
When others gathered around, they were shocked by the sight.
Elaine lay on the floor, her face as white as paper, even her lips drained of color.
"Quick, call an ambulance!"
The sound of the emergency vehicle soon arrived, and Elaine was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and transported to the hospital.
...
The next morning, Elaine woke with a start.
Her eyes flew open to see a white ceiling, her mind foggy for several seconds before reality set in.
She was in a hospital!
"Oh no!"
Elaine's heart dropped as she bolted upright, her brow furrowed with worry, "Yesterday's data isn't organized yet, and the new reagents should have arrived..."
She pushed back the covers, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, her vision darkened.
She stumbled, and in the next moment, a hand reached out to steady her arm.
Elaine blinked and looked up.
Supporting her was a man in a white shirt, looking at her with eyes full of tenderness.
"Don't rush to move."