When Ethan Shaw walked out of the consultation room, he felt at ease. He knew that, from now on, he wouldn’t be led by the nose by Maya Turner. If his condition really couldn’t be managed, Vivienne Brooks had told him he could switch doctors.

As he went to the nurse's desk to check in for his pulmonary function test, a middle-aged nurse politely struck up a conversation.

"Is Vivienne Brooks a relative of yours?"

"No, just a ...