Blood From a Stone (269 page)

H
e
w
as
a
chan
g
ed
m
an.
N
ot
on
l
y one
w
h
o
’
d
m
ade a
m
ends,
but
one
w
illi
ng
t
o
l
o
v
e
and
t
o
g
i
v
e
w
it
hout bound
a
ri
es…not
w
it
h
se
lf
-
se
r
v
i
ng
i
n
t
en
ti
on…not
w
it
h
m
o
ti
v
e
t
o
b
r
eak
a
cu
r
se….not
w
it
h
any cond
iti
ons
at
a
ll
.
B
u
t
,
s
i
m
p
l
y
b
e
cause.
A
nd
i
n
t
hat
m
o
m
en
t
,
f
or
t
he
fir
st
ti
m
e
i
n
a
l
l
of
h
i
s
l
ong ex
i
s
t
ence,
he
k
new
i
n
h
i
s
hea
r
t
t
hat
he
w
as
a
g
ood and decent
m
an
t
hat
had
pushed
t
hat
pa
r
t
of
h
i
m
se
l
f
a
w
a
y
i
n
t
o
t
he da
r
k
est
r
eaches
of
h
i
s
sou
l
.
T
he
cu
r
se
had
s
i
m
p
l
y
been
t
he
li
g
ht
he
needed
t
o
fi
nd
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng he
’
d
bu
ri
ed.
F
u
n
n
y
…but
he a
l
so
now
r
ea
li
z
ed
t
hat
i
t
w
as
a
lri
g
ht
t
o
l
o
v
e and
a
ccept
h
i
m
se
l
f desp
it
e
a
l
l
he
’
d
done….and
t
o
a
ll
ow
h
i
m
se
l
f
t
o be
l
o
v
ed by ano
t
he
r
.
T
he
r
e
w
as
and
i
s
no
tr
uer
fr
e
e
dom
t
han
t
ha
t
.

A
sudden
peace
en
v
e
l
oped
h
i
m and
he
f
e
l
t
a
w
a
r
m
t
h
r
ush
i
ng
t
o
t
he
cen
t
er
of
h
i
s
chest
as
h
i
s
hea
r
t
be
g
an
t
o
beat s
tr
on
g
er
and
h
i
s
b
l
ood
be
g
an
m
o
v
i
ng
t
h
r
ou
g
h
h
i
s
li
m
bs
at
a
m
o
r
e
no
r
m
al
r
a
t
e,
and
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
a
r
ound
h
i
m be
g
an
t
o
m
o
v
e a
g
a
i
n…s
l
o
w
l
y at
fir
s
t
,
and
t
hen
speed
i
ng up
m
o
r
e
and
m
o
r
e un
ti
l
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
l
oo
k
ed no
r
m
al
a
g
a
i
n.

H
e sat
up sudden
l
y
, d
r
a
gg
i
ng
W
ill
ow
w
i
t
h h
i
m
.

“What
j
ust
happened?”
she
sa
i
d,
her
e
y
es
w
i
de
w
it
h
w
onde
r
. “My
g
od.
Y
ou
’
r
e up.”

H
e s
m
il
ed.

H
er
e
y
es
w
e
ll
ed
w
it
h
t
ea
r
s.
“
D
i
d
y
ou…
.
fi
x
t
h
i
s so
m
eho
w
?”

“
Yeah. I did.”
H
e
s
li
d
f
o
r
w
a
r
d and
sat
on
t
he ed
g
e of
t
he bed as
he
r
eached up and
f
e
l
t
h
i
s pu
l
se,
bea
ti
ng no
r
m
a
ll
y at
t
he
s
i
de
of
h
i
s
nec
k
.
H
i
s
s
k
i
n
f
e
l
t
w
a
r
m
t
o
t
he
t
ouch,
and
t
he
s
l
u
gg
i
s
h
ness
t
hat
w
as
d
r
a
gg
i
ng
t
he
v
e
r
y
b
r
ea
t
h
fr
om
h
i
s
l
un
g
s,
w
as
g
one.

S
he
s
li
d
o
v
er
next
t
o
h
i
m as
he
pu
ll
ed her
c
l
ose
t
o
h
i
s bod
y
. “What
happened?”

“
I
t
w
as
m
e
a
l
l
a
l
on
g
,”
he
sa
i
d
qu
i
e
tl
y
.
“I
w
as
m
y
o
w
n des
tr
uc
ti
on,
m
y
o
w
n
cu
r
se….
m
y o
w
n
j
a
il
e
r
.
T
he
cu
r
se
w
as s
i
m
p
l
y
t
he ca
t
a
l
y
st
f
or
m
e
t
o
fi
nd out
a
l
l
of
t
ha
t
.
A
s
soon as
I
r
ea
li
z
ed
t
hat
m
y
b
l
ood
cou
l
d
hea
l
,
and
t
hat
i
t
w
as
not
a
cu
r
se at
a
ll
…but
a
g
if
t
i
ns
t
ead,
i
t
opened
t
he door
t
o e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se.
T
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he b
l
ood of
t
hy
w
ill
…”