[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
nose, bounced off the ceiling, landed on the very edge of the mattress, fell
onto the floor, and finally rolled across the carpet. It came to rest at
Danyl's feet. He looted down at it lying there. Coincidence. He shrugged and
turned his attention back to the dragon. "It's
just a stupid ring."
Page 55
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Birkwelch sighed smoke swirled from his nose and mouth, and Darryl thought he
might have seen just the slightest flicker of flame. "Fine. Ifs all fake. So
where are
your children? Why is your wife in the mirror instead of here?"
"I don't have all the answers," Darryl said. T can't explain why I think I'm
seeing the things I am. Guilt probably "
He ran his fingers back through his hair. "I don't know."
He ground the words out with as much force as he could muster. "But I do know
there is a sensible explanation some-
where. In the meantime, I want you gone. As long as you're here, I'm going to
keep thinking I've lost my mind."
72 Holly Lisle
The wedding band floated up from the floor, hovered for a moment in front of
his face, then slipped itself back on his
finger.
Darryl would have reacted in exactly the same manner
if a snake had materialized out of thin air and slithered into his jockey
shorts. He jumped straight up, screamed, and immediately began a wild attempt
to remove the
offending item.
No dice. It was stuck on his finger as if it had been
welded there. He yelled. He swore. He pled. He tugged at the ring until the
finger swelled and turned a nasty shade of red. He slammed his fist against
the doorframe, then howled
with pain.
Downstairs, the phone began to ring.
"Got it," the dragon yelled, and leapt for stairs.
"It's my phone!" Darryl snarled, and tried to shove him
out of the way.
Birkwelch grabbed Darryl by his shirtfront and lifted him off the floor.
"Yes," the dragon said, suddenly menacing.
"But I've got it."
Birkwelch dropped him and ran like hell. Darryl fol-
lowed. He got to the kitchen half a step behind the dragon fast enough to see
the bright blue apparition pick
up the phone
Fast enough to see die explosion that occurred when he did. Smoke billowed out
all around Birkwelch, and black lightning crackled, and the air suddenly
Page 56
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
reeked of ozone.
The dragon cocked an eye-ridge at him. The expression said, See, asshole.
Aren't you glad you didn't get that? He smiled and handed the smoking receiver
to Darryl. "It's for you." he said. The hospital."
Oh, Cod she's at work, Darryl thought, and felt sudden relief. Other
explanations couid come later
He let out a deep breath, and shouted into the receiver, "Minerva, what are
you doing at the hospital? Are the kids at the sitters? I've been worried out
of my mind "
"Mr. Kiakra (his is Ilene McDougald in the emergency room. There's been an
accident. We need you to come to the hospital."
MINERVA WAKES 73
Darryl knew Ilene's voice. She was an ER nurse, and one of Minerva's friends.
She sounded rushed and frantic.
"What kind of accident?" he asked.
"We don't know what happened. The ambulance just came in Please call your
family though " Someone in the background yelled for liene to hurry, that they
were calling a code.
"It's bad, isn't it?" He could feel that it was from her voice, but he wanted
confirmation.
"I don't know " The voice in the background shouted for her again. 'Tve got to
run, Darryl. Be careful driving."
she added. The roads are awful."
He hung up, feeling suddenly very sober- He stared at the telephone, then
quickly dialed his folks' number. He passed the little information he had on
to them, and then to Min-
erva's family. Then he ran for the door.
He stopped on the way to grab the station wagon keys
the LTD was a heavier vehicle and it had new tires on it but the keys were
gone. He didn't know where the spare set was. Odd. Minerva always hangs her
keys on the board.
She hadn't though. He took his car.
One of the boys must have been hurt when the window blew out, he thought.
Minerva must have called an ambulance to come to the house to get them. It had
to have been pretty bad she hadn't been able to break away to call him But
what could have taken them so long to arrive?
It only registered with Darryl halfway to the hospital that the dragon had
disappeared after the phone call. So now I'm sane again, huh? he thought.
Damned good thing. He
wished he hadn't drunk so much beer. It was the sort of thing his father would
notice at eight-thirty on a Tuesday morning.
Page 57
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
He got to the ER before any of the relatives and ran through the automatic
doors reserved for ambulances- He caught a glimpse of Ilene as she ran from
one cubicle into another. The ER was packed, and people kept running past him.
He didn't see anyone else he recognized.
He stood there in the doorway for a moment, and Ilene
74 Holly Lisle
hurried past her face pale and drawn. Behind her, some-
one yelled, "Another amp of epi, goddammit and push it!"
"I'm going to let you wait in the nurses' lounge." flene rested her hand on
his arm. "I'll send your famuy in when they get here we'll be with you as soon
as we can. We're still working on her."
"Ilene I need you in here!" the voice yelled. Then
"That did nothing! Fuck it! Detibrillate at three-sixty!"
Ilene pointed to a doorway. "Go in there. I'll be with you as soon as I can."
Her voice shook slightly her eyes were red-rimmed and bright with unshed
tears.
He nodded, and walked slowly to die door she'd indi-
cated. He felt queasy and helpless, and lost. The noises of the ER the beeps
and rattles and high-pitched whines, the shouting voices, the cries of babies
in some of the cubicles and die groans of adults in others were overwhelming.
The smells were awful disinfectant, urine, sweat and feces and fear. Patients
in blue gowns sat propped in wheelchairs.
Somewhere, someone was vomiting noisiiy. Out of sight, a woman wept hopeless,
grieving sobs.
Darryl stepped through the door into the nurses' lounge and closed it behind [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
nose, bounced off the ceiling, landed on the very edge of the mattress, fell
onto the floor, and finally rolled across the carpet. It came to rest at
Danyl's feet. He looted down at it lying there. Coincidence. He shrugged and
turned his attention back to the dragon. "It's
just a stupid ring."
Page 55
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Birkwelch sighed smoke swirled from his nose and mouth, and Darryl thought he
might have seen just the slightest flicker of flame. "Fine. Ifs all fake. So
where are
your children? Why is your wife in the mirror instead of here?"
"I don't have all the answers," Darryl said. T can't explain why I think I'm
seeing the things I am. Guilt probably "
He ran his fingers back through his hair. "I don't know."
He ground the words out with as much force as he could muster. "But I do know
there is a sensible explanation some-
where. In the meantime, I want you gone. As long as you're here, I'm going to
keep thinking I've lost my mind."
72 Holly Lisle
The wedding band floated up from the floor, hovered for a moment in front of
his face, then slipped itself back on his
finger.
Darryl would have reacted in exactly the same manner
if a snake had materialized out of thin air and slithered into his jockey
shorts. He jumped straight up, screamed, and immediately began a wild attempt
to remove the
offending item.
No dice. It was stuck on his finger as if it had been
welded there. He yelled. He swore. He pled. He tugged at the ring until the
finger swelled and turned a nasty shade of red. He slammed his fist against
the doorframe, then howled
with pain.
Downstairs, the phone began to ring.
"Got it," the dragon yelled, and leapt for stairs.
"It's my phone!" Darryl snarled, and tried to shove him
out of the way.
Birkwelch grabbed Darryl by his shirtfront and lifted him off the floor.
"Yes," the dragon said, suddenly menacing.
"But I've got it."
Birkwelch dropped him and ran like hell. Darryl fol-
lowed. He got to the kitchen half a step behind the dragon fast enough to see
the bright blue apparition pick
up the phone
Fast enough to see die explosion that occurred when he did. Smoke billowed out
all around Birkwelch, and black lightning crackled, and the air suddenly
Page 56
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
reeked of ozone.
The dragon cocked an eye-ridge at him. The expression said, See, asshole.
Aren't you glad you didn't get that? He smiled and handed the smoking receiver
to Darryl. "It's for you." he said. The hospital."
Oh, Cod she's at work, Darryl thought, and felt sudden relief. Other
explanations couid come later
He let out a deep breath, and shouted into the receiver, "Minerva, what are
you doing at the hospital? Are the kids at the sitters? I've been worried out
of my mind "
"Mr. Kiakra (his is Ilene McDougald in the emergency room. There's been an
accident. We need you to come to the hospital."
MINERVA WAKES 73
Darryl knew Ilene's voice. She was an ER nurse, and one of Minerva's friends.
She sounded rushed and frantic.
"What kind of accident?" he asked.
"We don't know what happened. The ambulance just came in Please call your
family though " Someone in the background yelled for liene to hurry, that they
were calling a code.
"It's bad, isn't it?" He could feel that it was from her voice, but he wanted
confirmation.
"I don't know " The voice in the background shouted for her again. 'Tve got to
run, Darryl. Be careful driving."
she added. The roads are awful."
He hung up, feeling suddenly very sober- He stared at the telephone, then
quickly dialed his folks' number. He passed the little information he had on
to them, and then to Min-
erva's family. Then he ran for the door.
He stopped on the way to grab the station wagon keys
the LTD was a heavier vehicle and it had new tires on it but the keys were
gone. He didn't know where the spare set was. Odd. Minerva always hangs her
keys on the board.
She hadn't though. He took his car.
One of the boys must have been hurt when the window blew out, he thought.
Minerva must have called an ambulance to come to the house to get them. It had
to have been pretty bad she hadn't been able to break away to call him But
what could have taken them so long to arrive?
It only registered with Darryl halfway to the hospital that the dragon had
disappeared after the phone call. So now I'm sane again, huh? he thought.
Damned good thing. He
wished he hadn't drunk so much beer. It was the sort of thing his father would
notice at eight-thirty on a Tuesday morning.
Page 57
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
He got to the ER before any of the relatives and ran through the automatic
doors reserved for ambulances- He caught a glimpse of Ilene as she ran from
one cubicle into another. The ER was packed, and people kept running past him.
He didn't see anyone else he recognized.
He stood there in the doorway for a moment, and Ilene
74 Holly Lisle
hurried past her face pale and drawn. Behind her, some-
one yelled, "Another amp of epi, goddammit and push it!"
"I'm going to let you wait in the nurses' lounge." flene rested her hand on
his arm. "I'll send your famuy in when they get here we'll be with you as soon
as we can. We're still working on her."
"Ilene I need you in here!" the voice yelled. Then
"That did nothing! Fuck it! Detibrillate at three-sixty!"
Ilene pointed to a doorway. "Go in there. I'll be with you as soon as I can."
Her voice shook slightly her eyes were red-rimmed and bright with unshed
tears.
He nodded, and walked slowly to die door she'd indi-
cated. He felt queasy and helpless, and lost. The noises of the ER the beeps
and rattles and high-pitched whines, the shouting voices, the cries of babies
in some of the cubicles and die groans of adults in others were overwhelming.
The smells were awful disinfectant, urine, sweat and feces and fear. Patients
in blue gowns sat propped in wheelchairs.
Somewhere, someone was vomiting noisiiy. Out of sight, a woman wept hopeless,
grieving sobs.
Darryl stepped through the door into the nurses' lounge and closed it behind [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]