Blood From a Stone (246 page)

S
he
s
i
g
hed.
“
N
ow
of
cou
r
se
t
hey
a
r
e
na
gg
i
ng
m
e
t
o
m
eet
y
ou.
A
nd
I  can
’
t
he
l
p
but
hope
t
hat
m
a
y
be so
m
eday
y
ou
w
ill
.”

H
i
s
             
exp
r
ess
i
on
con
v
e
y
ed
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
he
d
i
dn
’
t sa
y
….such as
‘
don
’
t
count
on
it
.’

“
O
k
a
y
…so,
             
he
r
e
’
s
             
a
             
co
m
p
l
e
t
e
l
y
             
non
-
se
r
ious ques
ti
on,”
he
s
m
il
ed.
“What
do
y
ou
w
ant
t
o do
w
it
h
y
our
lif
e?
A
r
e
y
ou
p
l
ann
i
ng
t
o
g
o
t
o
school
a
g
a
i
n,
or
do
y
ou
w
ant
t
o
tr
a
v
e
l
?
I
f
y
ou
m
eet
t
he
ri
g
ht
g
u
y
…
m
a
y
be
g
et
m
a
rri
ed
and ha
v
e so
m
e
k
i
ds
of
y
our
o
w
n?”

S
he
g
asped.
“
H
ow
can
y
ou
ask
m
e
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
li
k
e
t
hat
w
hen
I
’
m s
itti
ng
he
r
e
w
it
h
y
ou?
When
w
e
’r
e
supposed
t
o
be he
r
e en
j
o
y
i
ng
t
h
i
s
tri
p as
a coup
l
e.”

H
e
sh
r
u
gg
ed.
“
I
’
m
j
ust
be
i
ng
sens
i
b
l
e.
I
t
doesn
’
t chan
g
e
an
y
t
h
i
n
g
.
N
ot
t
he
w
ay
I
f
eel
f
or
y
ou, or
a
l
l
t
hat
I
w
i
sh I cou
l
d
be
t
he
r
e
t
o
sha
r
e
w
it
h
y
ou.
B
ut
i
t
does
b
ri
ng
m
e
c
l
oser
t
o
y
ou,
k
no
w
i
ng
t
he
t
h
i
n
g
s
y
ou
w
ant
out
of
lif
e.”
H
e
r
eached o
v
er
and
tr
aced
t
he cu
r
v
e of
her
cheek
w
it
h h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
r
.

S
he
s
w
a
ll
o
w
ed
ha
r
d,
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
accept
h
i
s
w
o
r
ds,
k
no
w
i
ng
t
hat
t
hey
w
e
r
e
tr
ue.
“We
ll
,”
she
paused.
“I
w
ou
l
d
m
a
y
be
g
o
back
t
o school
so
m
eda
y
. I
don
’
t
k
no
w
. I
li
k
e be
i
ng
a nu
r
se,
but
w
ho
k
no
w
s…
m
a
y
be
I
w
ou
l
d
put
m
y
se
l
f
a
l
l
t
he
w
ay
t
h
r
ou
g
h
m
ed
school
i
f
I
had
t
he
m
one
y
.
B
eco
m
e
a
do
c
t
o
r
.
A
nd
y
es,
I
cou
l
d
see
m
y
se
l
f
m
a
rri
ed
so
m
eda
y
.
W
it
h
a
coup
l
e
of
k
i
ds
of
m
y
o
w
n.
I
l
o
v
e
ch
il
d
r
en.”
S
he
s
m
il
ed.
“
A
nd
of
cou
r
se
m
y
m
o
t
her
w
ou
l
d  be
t
h
rill
ed. 
S
he
’
s
a
l
w
a
y
s
na
gg
i
ng
a
bout
w
an
ti
ng
g
r
and
k
i
ds.
A
nd
I
‘
d
li
k
e
t
o
ha
v
e
m
y house
p
ai
d o
ff
, or
m
a
y
be
se
l
l
i
t
and
buy
a
b
i
gg
er
one
so
I
cou
l
d
r
a
i
se
a
f
a
m
il
y
i
n
i
t
so
m
eda
y
.
B
es
i
des,
C
i
sco
i
s
g
o
i
ng
t
o need a b
i
g
g
er
y
a
r
d.”

S
he
t
ook a
s
i
p
of
her
a
l
e
and
g
r
abbed
h
i
s
hand.
“What about
y
ou?
What
i
f 
y
ou….”  her 
v
o
i
ce 
tr
a
il
ed  o
ff
.  “Ne
v
er
m
i
nd. I
k
now
it’
s p
r
obab
l
y
pa
i
n
f
ul
t
o
t
h
i
nk
about
it
.”