Blood From a Stone (157 page)

“
Y
ou do
t
ha
t
.”
H
e
w
i
n
k
ed.

H
er
ce
l
l
phone
bu
zz
ed
and
her
f
ace
t
o
o
k on
a
pa
i
ned exp
r
ess
i
on as
she
r
ead
t
he
m
essa
g
e.

“What
i
s
it
?” he as
k
ed. “Wha
t’
s
t
he
m
a
tt
e
r
?”

S
he
shook her
head
and
put
her
f
ace
i
n her
hands
f
or
a
m
o
m
ent
be
f
o
r
e co
m
pos
i
ng
he
r
se
lf
.

“
T
he
littl
e
boy
I
t
o
l
d
y
ou
abou
t
…he
’
s
not
do
i
ng
w
e
ll
. I
as
k
ed
K
a
t
y
…
t
he
nu
r
se
on
du
t
y
t
o
l
et
m
e
k
now
how
h
e
’
s do
i
ng
e
v
en
w
hen
m
y
sh
if
t
w
as
o
v
e
r
.
T
hey
m
ay end
up
m
o
v
i
ng h
i
m
t
o
I
C
U
l
a
t
er
on.
H
e
’
s
b
l
eed
i
ng
a
g
a
i
n
and
t
he
y
’r
e
g
o
i
ng
t
o ha
v
e
t
o
t
a
k
e
h
i
m back
i
n
t
o
su
r
g
e
r
y
i
n
t
he
m
o
r
n
i
n
g
.
I
t‘
s
a
v
e
r
y s
l
ow
l
eak and
i
t
m
ay s
til
l
c
l
ose up by
i
t
se
lf
, but
t
he
y
’
r
e not
t
oo op
ti
m
i
s
ti
c.”

S
a
m
son
put
h
i
s
a
r
m a
r
ound
he
r
.
“
I
’
m s
o
rr
y
.
A
r
e
y
ou ce
rt
a
i
n
t
he
r
e
’
s
no
t
h
i
ng
I
….”

“
N
o.
Y
ou
can
’t
.
A
s
m
uch
as
I
w
ant
y
ou
t
o…
y
ou
j
ust can
’t
.
We
j
ust
ha
v
e
t
o
l
et
t
h
i
s
g
o
and
put
i
t
i
n
G
o
d
‘
s and
t
he su
r
g
eon
’
s
hands.”

“
B
u
t
…”

“
N
O
bu
t
s.
T
he
sub
j
ect
i
s
c
l
osed.
A
nd
y
es,
I
’
m su
r
e
I
l
ook
li
k
e
t
he
o
l
d
school
m
a
r
m
ri
g
ht
no
w
.”
S
he
s
m
ile
d
li
g
h
tl
y
. “
S
o
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
s…
w
e
ll
,
y
ou
ha
v
e
t
o ha
v
e
f
a
it
h.
Y
ou
k
no
w
?
S
o
m
e
ti
m
es
t
ha
t’
s
a
l
l
w
e ha
v
e
t
o ho
l
d on
t
o.”

H
e
nodded
v
a
g
ue
l
y
.
F
a
it
h
see
m
ed
t
o
be so
m
e
v
a
g
ue
t
e
r
m
w
it
h
littl
e
m
ean
i
ng
o
t
her
t
han
t
o
p
l
ace
one
’
s
tr
ust
i
n
t
he
r
andom
m
o
ti
on
of
t
he
un
i
v
e
r
se
i
ns
t
ead
of
i
n
one
’
s
o
w
n
w
it
s, ab
iliti
es
and
ac
ti
ons.
I
t
w
as
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
he
’
d
l
et
g
o
of
a
l
ong
ti
m
e
a
g
o. 
P
e
r
haps
because
i
t
i
n
v
o
l
v
ed
tr
us
t
…and
t
h
a
t
w
as so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
he d
i
dn
’
t
ha
v
e
m
uch o
f
.

T
he
i
r
f
ood
a
rri
v
ed
and
a
ft
er
sp
r
ead
i
ng her
nap
k
i
n nea
tl
y
i
n
her
l
ap
she
dec
i
ded
t
o
b
r
oach
so
m
e
o
t
her
su
b
j
ec
t
s.
H
i
s
f
a
m
il
y
, h
i
s
upb
ri
n
g
i
n
g
…
w
he
r
e
he
w
ent
t
o schoo
l
.
S
he
w
an
t
ed
t
o
k
now
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng she
poss
i
b
l
y cou
l
d
about
t
h
i
s
m
an she
w
as
f
ast
f
a
lli
ng
i
n
l
o
v
e
w
it
h.