Blood From a Stone (98 page)

“
H
e
or
she
’
s
hu
r
t
and
b
l
eed
i
n
g
. It’s….bad
.
I think I may have some tissues or a couple of napkins
in the truck
.
T
hen
I
’l
l
t
u
r
n
h
i
m
o
v
er
t
o
y
ou s
i
nce
y
ou
’r
e
t
he
m
ed
i
cal
p
r
o
f
ess
i
o
n
a
l”
.

“
I
’
m a
nu
r
se,
not
a
v
e
t
e
ri
na
ri
an,”
s
i
g
hed
W
ill
o
w
.
S
he
m
o
v
ed
i
n
c
l
oser
and
cou
l
d
see
t
he
ca
t’
s
littl
e
t
an
and b
r
o
w
n body
w
as
li
m
p and b
r
o
k
en.

“I
can
t
e
l
l
by
l
oo
k
i
ng
at
it
,
t
hat
he
or
she
’
s
not
g
o
i
ng
t
o
m
a
k
e
it
,”
she
sa
i
d
so
ftl
y sha
k
i
ng her
head.
She reached forward and stroked the side of the little cat’s face. The
w
ay
it
s
body
w
as
bent
at
a
fri
g
h
t
en
i
ng
an
g
l
e
and
t
he
b
l
ood
pou
r
i
ng
fr
om
its
nose and
m
ou
t
h sa
i
d
i
t
a
ll
.

“Y
ou don’t happen to hav
e anything more substantial than
tissues do you? Maybe
an o
l
d
t
o
w
el
or
a t-shirt
w
e
can
w
r
ap
h
i
m
i
n?
O
nce
w
e
w
i
pe
o
f
f
so
m
e
of
t
he
b
l
ood
and
l
ay
i
t
do
w
n
on
a flat
su
rf
ace,
I
can
check
it
s
hea
r
t
and
l
un
g
s.
L
i
k
e
I sa
i
d,
I
’
m
n
o
v
e
t
,
but
I
‘l
l
g
i
v
e
i
t
a
li
s
t
en
and
see
i
f
t
he
r
e
‘
s
any hope.
I
f
so,
w
e
can
take
h
i
m
t
o
t
he
e
m
e
r
g
ency
v
e
t
e
ri
na
r
y c
li
n
i
c.
T
he
r
e
’
s
a
2
4
hour
one on
B
a
lf
our
A
v
e
nue.”

He nodded toward the truck.
“
C
heck
m
y
g
l
o
v
e
box.
We
’l
l
ha
v
e
t
o
m
a
k
e
do
w
it
h
w
ha
t
e
v
er
I
ha
v
e.”

W
ill
ow
t
u
r
ned
and
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
vehicle
.
H
e
had
t
o
t
h
i
nk
f
as
t
.
H
ow
w
as
he
g
o
i
ng
t
o
s
li
ce
h
i
s
s
k
i
n?
H
e
g
r
abbed
t
he ca
t’
s
fr
ont
paw
and
us
i
ng one
of
it
s
l
on
g
,
sha
r
p c
l
a
w
s, he
t
o
r
e deep
l
y
i
n
t
o
t
he
fl
esh
of
h
i
s
pa
l
m and
squee
z
ed
as
h
a
r
d
as
he cou
l
d.
A
n
i
ce
g
ush of
b
l
ood sp
ill
ed out
and he d
ri
pped
i
t
i
n
t
o
t
he ca
t’
s
m
ou
t
h.

H
e
he
l
d
on
l
y a
s
m
a
l
l
sh
r
ed
of
hope
t
o c
li
ng
t
o
t
hat
t
h
i
s
m
i
g
ht
w
o
r
k
,
a
ft
er
t
he
r
at
expe
ri
m
ent
t
h
i
s
m
o
r
n
i
ng
b
ut
i
t
w
as a
l
l
he had
ri
g
ht
no
w
.

T
w
en
t
y or
so
seconds
passed
and
i
t
f
elt
li
k
e
t
w
en
t
y
y
ea
r
s, as
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
m
o
v
ed
             
i
n
s
l
ow
m
o
ti
on.

A
nd
t
hen
he
f
e
l
t
it
.
T
he
bu
z
z s
t
a
rt
ed
i
n
h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
rti
ps and
be
g
an
t
o
sp
r
ead
up
h
i
s
f
o
r
ea
r
m
and
i
n
t
o
t
he
shou
l
der
li
k
e a
j
o
l
t
of
s
t
a
ti
c
e
l
ec
tri
c
it
y a
l
ong
w
it
h
a
s
li
g
ht
c
hill
.
T
he
f
ee
li
ng sp
r
ead
t
h
r
ou
g
h
h
i
s
en
tir
e
body
and
f
or
a
sp
li
t
s
e
c
o
nd
he
f
e
l
t
t
he
an
i
m
a
l’
s
soul
w
it
h
i
n h
i
s
o
w
n.
H
e
a
l
m
ost
s
m
il
ed
j
ust
fr
om
t
he
sheer
j
oy
of
k
no
w
i
ng
t
hat
he
had
been
ri
g
ht
about
h
i
s b
l
ood,
but
d
i
dn
’
t
w
ant
t
o
fi
nd
any  so
l
ace
or
hope
i
n
t
he e
m
o
ti
on p
r
e
m
a
t
u
r
e
l
y
.
H
e needed
t
o be su
r
e.