Blood From a Stone (150 page)

             
S
he
r
eached
out
and
g
r
abbed
h
i
s
hand.
“
NO
!
”
S
he
s
i
g
hed.
“
L
i
s
t
en.
A
s
m
uch
as
I
w
ou
l
d
w
ant
y
ou
t
o,
y
o
u
can
’t
. We
don
’
t
k
now
i
f
t
he
r
e
’
s
an
y
t
h
i
ng bad
t
hat
w
il
l
ha
p
pen do
w
n
t
he
r
oad
fr
om
t
h
i
s,
or
i
f
it’
s
sa
f
e.
We
j
ust
don
’
t
k
now
t
he
l
ong
t
e
r
m
e
ff
ec
t
s.”

S
he
had
h
i
m
t
he
r
e.
H
e
s
til
l
d
i
dn
’
t
k
now
f
or
su
r
e
i
f
she
w
ou
l
d
w
a
k
e
up
one
m
o
r
n
i
ng and
d
i
sco
v
er
C
i
sco had b
e
co
m
e a b
l
ock of
s
t
one
g
a
r
g
o
-m
u
tt
.
H
e
w
onde
r
ed
i
f
he
shou
l
d
j
ust
g
o ahead and
t
e
l
l
her about
H
a
r
o
l
d.
N
ot
t
hat
i
t
w
ou
l
d
m
a
k
e any d
iff
e
r
ence,
because
he
d
i
dn
’
t
k
now
w
hat
e
ff
ec
t
s h
i
s
‘
he
r
o
i
cs’
w
e
r
e
g
o
i
ng
t
o
ha
v
e
on
t
he
o
l
d
m
an
e
it
he
r
!
H
e
su
p
po
s
ed
he
’
d ha
v
e
t
o
s
w
i
ng
by
t
he
t
he
she
lt
er
t
o
check
on
h
i
m and
see
i
f an
y
t
h
i
ng
had happened. M
i
g
ht
be a n
i
ce
g
es
t
u
r
e an
y
w
a
y
.

H
e
s
i
g
hed.
“
O
k
a
y
.
S
o
y
ou
ha
v
e
m
e
on 
t
hat
one.
B
u
t
….” h
i
s
v
o
i
ce
tr
a
il
ed o
f
f
and he
j
ust
shook
h
i
s
head.

“
B
ut
no
t
h
i
n
g
,”
she
sa
i
d
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
act
l
y
.
“I can
’
t
l
et
y
ou
do
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
li
k
e
t
ha
t
.
N
ot
now
an
y
w
a
y
.
We
need
ti
m
e and
so
m
e
t
es
ti
n
g
.
We
can
ob
v
i
ous
l
y
j
ust
s
i
t
back and
w
a
i
t
t
o see
w
hat
happens
t
o
C
i
sco
…and
m
a
y
be
y
ou
can
l
et
m
e
t
a
k
e a coup
l
e
of
t
ubes
of
y
our
b
l
ood
and
I can
t
a
k
e
t
hem
i
n
t
o
t
he
l
ab
f
or
ana
l
y
s
i
s?” she o
ff
e
r
ed cau
ti
ous
l
y
.

“
NO
.
N
o b
l
ood
w
o
r
k
,” he sa
i
d
fir
m
l
y
.

S
h
it
.
T
hat
w
as
a
l
l
he
needed.
T
hem
l
o
o
k
i
ng
at
h
i
s b
l
ood and f
i
nd
i
ng so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
d
i
dn
’
t
r
ead
ri
g
h
t
.
O
r
t
hat
w
asn
’
t
hu
m
an.
T
he
y
’
d
ha
v
e
h
i
m
l
oc
k
ed
up
i
n
qua
r
an
ti
ne
so
m
e
w
he
r
e under
su
r
v
e
ill
ance
so
f
ast
he
w
ou
l
dn
’
t
be
ab
l
e
t
o
bli
n
k
!
A
nd
t
hen
w
hat
t
he
he
l
l
w
ou
l
d
happen
w
hen
t
he
chan
g
e
ca
m
e
and he
t
u
r
ned
i
n
t
o
a
b
l
ock
of
s
t
one
be
f
o
r
e
t
he
i
r
v
e
r
y
e
y
es
and
w
as at
t
he
i
r
m
e
r
cy
f
or
t
he
next
fift
y
y
ea
r
s?
P
o
k
i
n
g
.
P
r
odd
i
n
g
.
T
a
k
i
ng chun
k
s
out
of
h
i
m
t
hat
m
a
y
be
he cou
l
dn
’
t
g
et
bac
k
.
H
e d
i
dn
’
t
e
v
en
w
ant
t
o
t
h
i
nk
of
t
he
i
m
p
li
c
a
ti
ons
of
t
ha
t
.