Chapter 6-7 Summary

In Chapter 6, it is revealed that Ludmila Dontsova has had far more exposure to radiation than is healthy, but there is no tracking mechanism. She is assisting with Oleg's treatment today and asking about his medical history. When he was first diagnosed he was in a field hospital and the orderlies kept being transported out to other areas, so he never was told of the results of the biopsies on his primary tumor. Dontsova has trouble believing conditions were so haphazard. Oleg explains that he came to the hospital to be relieved of pain, he feels better, and now he wants to go home. Dontsova argues that she wants to cure him. They agree to continue treatment for a while longer.

As Chapter 7 begins, Dontsova is thinking about her thesis, but there is no time to work on it. Her life...