Blood From a Stone (99 page)

A
m
o
m
ent
l
a
t
er
,
t
he
ca
t’
s
b
r
ea
t
h
i
ng
s
l
ow
ed
and
he p
r
a
y
ed
i
t
w
asn
’
t
d
y
i
ng a
ft
er
a
ll
.
B
ut
i
ns
t
ead
t
he
r
aspy sound co
m
i
ng
fr
om
it
s
l
un
g
s
see
m
ed
t
o
d
i
sappea
r
,
and
t
he
li
g
ht
of
lif
e be
g
an
t
o co
m
e back
i
n
t
o
it
s
y
e
ll
ow
e
y
e
s
.

T
he 
b
l
ood 
d
ri
pp
i
ng 
fr
om  
it
s 
m
ou
t
h 
and 
nose s
t
aunched
it
se
l
f
and
d
ri
ed
up
and
seconds
l
a
t
er
i
t
lift
ed
it
s head
and
l
oo
k
ed
up
at
h
i
m
w
it
h
g
r
a
tit
ude
and
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se.
I
t
see
m
ed
t
o
be
l
oo
k
i
ng
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
soul
as
w
e
ll
.
I
t
li
c
k
ed
t
he
r
est
of
t
he
b
l
ood
o
f
f
h
i
s
pa
l
m
be
f
o
r
e
h
i
s
w
ound
hea
l
ed
it
se
l
f
o
v
er and d
i
sappea
r
ed.

N
o
w
,
t
he
r
e
w
as
no
m
i
s
t
a
k
e.
H
e
k
new
w
i
th
u
tt
er ce
r
t
a
i
n
t
y
t
hat
h
i
s
b
l
ood
had
t
he
po
w
er
t
o
hea
l
….
t
o
g
i
v
e
lif
e and
r
e
g
ene
r
a
ti
on.

W
ill
ow
app
r
oached
h
i
m
w
it
h
a
hand
f
ul
o
f
nap
k
i
ns. “
T
h
i
s
i
sn
’
t
g
o
i
ng
t
o
be
enou
g
h
t
o
w
r
ap
h
i
s
body
i
n,
bu
t
….” her
v
o
i
ce
tr
a
il
ed  o
f
f
and  she
g
asped,  as
t
he
cat
s
a
t
up
i
n
S
a
m
son
’
s
hands,
r
ubbed
a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
s
f
ace
and
be
g
an
t
o
pu
rr
.
H
er
m
ou
t
h d
r
opped open.

“
H
o
w
?
What
d
i
d
y
ou
do?”
S
he
d
r
opped
t
h
e
na
p
k
i
ns on
t
he pa
v
e
m
ent
and bac
k
ed up s
li
g
h
tl
y
.

S
a
m
son
s
t
a
r
ed
at
her
qu
i
e
tl
y
,
not
su
r
e
how he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
exp
l
a
i
n
t
h
i
s
one
a
w
a
y
.
H
e
’
d
m
ana
g
ed
w
it
h
t
he
do
g
, but
t
h
i
s
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
be
a
l
ot
t
ou
g
he
r
.
S
he
w
as
a
nu
r
se
and e
v
en
had
she
not
been,
any
i
d
i
ot
cou
l
d
see
t
he
ca
t’
s
body had been
b
r
o
k
en
i
n
se
v
e
r
al
p
l
aces
as
i
t
l
ay
t
he
r
e
li
m
p
i
n
h
i
s
hands
m
o
m
en
t
s
a
g
o.

H
e
s
w
a
ll
o
w
ed
ha
r
d,
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
r
e
m
a
i
n
c
a
l
m
.
What
w
as he
g
o
i
ng
t
o sa
y
?
S
he
ca
m
e
o
v
er
and
k
ne
l
t
bes
i
de
h
i
m
and
be
g
an
t
o
pet
t
he
ca
t
.
S
he
g
r
abbed
her
s
t
e
t
hoscope
fr
om
t
he
poc
k
et
of
her sc
r
ubs
and
g
en
tl
y
p
l
aced
i
t
a
g
a
i
nst
t
he
ca
t
’
s
chest
and
li
s
t
ened. H
ea
r
t
beat
w
as
s
t
eady
and
l
un
g
s
soun
d
ed
c
l
ea
r
.