Blood From a Stone (178 page)

“
N
ow
can I
ha
v
e so
m
e
i
ce c
r
ea
m
?”
D
a
v
i
d
s
m
il
ed.

“
Y
ep.
I
’
m
g
o
i
ng
t
o
l
ea
v
e
no
w
.
I
need
y
ou
t
o
w
a
i
t
u
n
ti
l
I
’
m
g
one
be
f
o
r
e
y
ou
push
t
he
nu
r
se
’
s
bu
tt
on
ri
g
ht
t
he
r
e
on
t
he s
i
de
of
t
he
bed.
When
she
co
m
es
i
n
y
ou
can
t
e
l
l
her
t
hat
y
ou
w
o
k
e
up
and
t
hat
y
ou 
f
eel
be
tt
er
and 
y
ou 
w
ant
so
m
e
i
ce c
r
ea
m
.
G
et
up
s
l
o
w
l
y and
w
a
l
k
f
or
he
r
.
R
e
m
e
m
ber
she
can
‘
t
k
now
about
w
hat
happened he
r
e, o
k
a
y
?”

D
a
v
i
d
nodded
and
t
h
r
ew
h
i
s
a
r
m
s
a
r
ound
S
a
m
son
’
s neck
and hu
gg
ed h
i
m
. “
T
hank
y
ou
f
or
m
a
k
i
ng
m
e be
t
t
e
r
.”

S
a
m
son
bas
k
ed
i
n
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h
of
t
he
f
ee
li
ng
t
hat
b
l
osso
m
ed
w
it
h
i
n
h
i
s
chest
k
no
w
i
ng he
’
d
he
l
ped
t
he
bo
y
, hu
gg
i
ng
h
i
m back
w
it
h
a
g
enu
i
ne
l
o
v
e
t
hat
up
un
ti
l
no
w
,
he hadn
’
t
k
no
w
n he possessed.

H
e
pu
ll
ed back
fr
om
D
a
v
i
d
’
s
g
r
asp and
g
en
tl
y
put
h
i
m back
on
t
he
bed.
H
e
k
no
tt
ed
t
he
I
V
t
ube
and
d
r
opped
t
he need
l
e
i
n
t
he
con
t
a
i
ner
han
g
i
ng
on
t
he
w
a
ll
. 
S
ha
r
p
ob
j
ec
t
s and
cu
ri
ous
s
i
x
y
ear
o
l
ds
don
’
t
m
a
k
e
a
g
ood co
m
b
i
n
ati
on.
H
e
t
u
r
ned back
t
o
D
a
v
i
d.

“
S
hhh!
I
’
m
g
o
i
ng
t
o
g
o
no
w
.
Y
ou
be
g
o
o
d
f
or
y
our
m
om
and dad.”

D
a
v
i
d nodded. “I
w
ill
. I
p
r
o
m
i
se.”

“
A
nd
one
m
o
r
e
t
h
i
n
g
.
Y
ou
ha
v
e
f
un.”
H
e
w
i
n
k
ed
as he
w
a
l
k
ed out
t
he doo
r
, c
l
os
i
ng
i
t
so
ftl
y
beh
i
nd h
i
m
.

F
rom
t
he
corner
of
t
he
roo
m
,
A
dr
i
e
ll
e s
m
il
ed.
M
ax
i
u
m
us
had been busy
v
i
s
iti
ng ano
t
her
of
t
he
i
r
c
h
arges
w
hen
she
’
d
s
li
pped
out
w
it
hout
h
i
m no
ti
c
i
ng
t
o
che
c
k
on
t
he hu
m
an
gargoy
l
e
na
m
ed
Sa
m
son.
F
or
he
’
d had
m
ade a
v
ery
i
m
por
t
ant
cho
i
ce
j
ust
no
w
,
and
he
w
as
i
ndeed
fi
na
ll
y
ready
f
or
t
he next
l
eve
l
.

H
e
’
d
been
w
illi
ng
t
o
r
i
sk
t
he
w
o
m
an
’
s a
ff
ec
ti
ons
and poss
i
b
l
y
l
ose
her
f
orever
as
a
consequence
of
h
i
s dec
i
s
i
on
t
o save
t
he
lif
e
of
ano
t
her.
A
nd
she
knew
t
hat
as
he
’
d
m
ade
t
hat a
l
l
i
m
por
t
ant
cho
i
ce,
h
i
s
cen
t
ur
i
es
l
ong
days
of
l
y
i
ng
as
co
l
d as
s
t
one
w
ou
l
d
soon
be
over.
F
or
t
he
heart
t
hat
now
beat
w
it
h
i
n
h
i
s
chest
w
as
as
w
arm as
a
su
mm
er
day,
and
t
he
li
ves he
’
d
t
ouched
w
it
h
h
i
s
g
if
t
of
hea
li
ng,
as
r
e
ne
w
ed
a
s
f
resh grass
t
hat
sprou
t
s
f
or
t
h
i
n
t
he spr
i
ng.
A
nd
j
ust
as
t
hose
w
ho
’
d rece
i
ved
h
i
s
g
if
t
w
ere
rene
w
ed,
so
w
as
he
a
l
so.
A
s
i
f
t
he c
l
ock had been
t
urned back
w
ards.