Blood From a Stone (172 page)

A
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
er
t
he
doo
r
s
opened
a
nd he
s
t
epped out
i
n
t
o
t
he
fl
oo
r
,
s
m
oo
t
h
i
ng
back
h
i
s
l
ong
ha
ir
,
h
op
i
ng
t
o
t
a
m
e  so
m
e 
of 
t
he 
sun  
k
i
ssed  
l
oc
k
s 
i
n
t
o   a 
‘
doc
t
o
rl
y
’ sub
m
i
ss
i
on.
H
e
l
oo
k
ed
t
o
t
he
l
e
f
t
of
h
i
m and
t
he
r
e
w
as
a
s
i
g
n
t
hat
sa
i
d,
‘
A
R
oo
m
s
500
-
530’
.
W
r
ong
w
i
n
g
…he
needed
B
.
H
e
l
oo
k
ed
s
tr
a
i
g
ht
ahead
past
t
he
nu
r
s
e
s’
s
t
a
ti
on
a
n
d
saw
t
he s
i
g
n
t
hat
sa
i
d ‘
B
R
oo
m
s
531
–
560’
.

S
h
it
.
H
e
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
ha
v
e
t
o
w
a
l
k
ri
g
ht
by
t
he
nu
r
s
es
i
n
o
r
der
t
o
g
et
t
he
r
e.
H
ope
f
u
ll
y
none
of
t
hem
w
ou
l
d
l
ook
up and
pay
m
uch
a
tt
en
ti
on
t
o
h
i
m
i
f
he
k
ept
h
i
s
head
d
o
w
n
and appea
r
ed
i
nconsp
i
cuous.
S
hou
l
dn
’
t
be a p
r
ob
l
e
m
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed do
w
n at
t
he
fl
oor
and headed
past
t
he
des
k
.
N
o
one
s
t
opped
h
i
m or
see
m
ed
t
o
pay
m
uch
a
tt
en
ti
on
as
he headed do
w
n
t
he ha
ll
w
ay
t
o
w
a
r
d 556.

B
ut
he hadn
’
t
g
one as
unno
ti
ced as
he’d hoped.

“
W
ho
w
as
t
ha
t
?”
sa
i
d
t
he
t
a
ll
,
w
ill
o
w
y b
r
une
tt
e
nu
r
se s
t
and
i
ng beh
i
nd
he
des
k
,
r
a
i
s
i
ng
an e
y
eb
r
ow
w
it
h
t
he
l
ook
of
a cat
on
t
he
hun
t
.
“
O
h,
m
y
G
od.
D
i
d
y
ou
see
h
i
s
ha
ir
?
A
nd
he
’
s bu
il
t
li
k
e….ne
v
er
m
i
nd.
I
’
m so
rr
y
,
but
w
hen
he
co
m
es
back do
w
n
he
r
e,
he
’
s
m
i
ne
,”
she
sa
i
d
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
t
o
t
he
a
i
de s
t
and
i
ng  at
t
he
co
m
pu
t
e
r
,
as
she
s
m
oo
t
hed
her
ha
i
r
and
t
ouched
up her
li
p
g
l
oss.
T
he a
i
de, s
m
il
ed, sha
k
i
ng
her
head as she con
ti
nued bus
il
y
t
y
p
i
n
g
.

S
a
m
son,
ob
li
v
i
ous
t
o
t
he
scene
beh
i
nd h
i
m
,
k
ept
a s
t
eady pace
t
o
w
a
r
d
h
i
s
des
ti
na
ti
on,
h
i
s
m
i
nd
r
ac
i
ng
a
m
illi
on
m
il
es per
hou
r
.

What
w
ou
l
d
he
do
or
say
i
f ano
t
her doc
t
or
w
as
i
n
t
he
r
oo
m
…or
a
nu
r
se?
O
r
t
he
bo
y
’
s
pa
r
en
t
s.
H
e
t
ook  a
d
e
ep b
r
ea
t
h
as
he
r
ounded
t
he
co
r
ner
and
en
t
e
r
ed 
t
he 
r
o
o
m
.
L
oo
k
i
ng a
r
ound,
he
saw
no
one
e
l
se
t
he
r
e,
and
s
i
g
h
e
d
w
it
h
r
e
li
ef
as
he
qu
i
e
tl
y
c
l
osed
t
he
door
beh
i
nd
h
i
m
i
n
t
he
d
i
m
l
y
li
t
r
oo
m
.