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He let h My arm flopped down, disconnected froet away from him

"Where’s Asher?" I fell to my knees and crawled away before he could think to kickhim to the fishes, one piece at a ti you’ve seen in the past two days, you’re only interested in one man One would think your nurse’s heart would bleed for the rest of the innocent souls that’ve been lost, and not thated, et ainst a wall, where I could kick out at him if he came for me, someplace where I could protect my belly "Where is he?" I asked, my voice shrill, as we heard the cabin door open

"If you want to see what’s left of hihtened his suit by way of exae called from the doorway "You okay?"

"She’s in here," Nathaniel said When Jorge got to the door, he added, "She fell"

Jorge sawarm "Oh, honey--" and then he looked at Nathaniel and his fists clenched

I’d let hiet the better of me--and worse yet, I’d have to support him in his lie

"I fell--I fell!" I said before Jorge could do anything I could feelred with pain and shaainly with a quarter of my body knocked out "I’one out before" I held e gave Nathaniel a look, and then leaned out of the roo ed him, only I couldn’t Marius came in and looked at me with a cluck

"Dislocated How did you--" More slowly than Jorge, he put together two and two

"I fell," I repeated as Nathaniel nodded, to encourage me "It happens sometimes Can you fix me?"

Marius frowned at us both But at least Marius’s h experience in what to do He shook a pillow on the bed out of its pillowcase, and cut it with a utility knife to fashion it into a sling "You know I have to pop it back in now, don’t you?"

"Yeah" I nodded and looked away

Marius took le, twisted it out, and pushed it in, like a kid forcing together unos It didn’t take the first tiony I didn’t want to give Nathaniel that too

The second ti over bone, and it was impossible not to cry out in a combination of pain and relief Marius wrapped the pillowcase aroundmy newly reattached arm in across my chest And over Marius’s shoulder, I could see Nathaniel’s eyes glittering with amusement at what he’d done He put his ar forcing e kept himself between me and Nathaniel in the hall "Say the word--" he muttered, and I shook e looked like he was going to argue with me, but the radio at Marius’s waist turned on and piped in Raluca’s voice "How is it going up there?"

Marius unhooked it and brought it to his mouth "We haven’t found anyone sick yet"

"Coe with us then--the rescue ship just radioed, it’s near"

Marius looked relieved He wasn’t going to call our "mission" off, but we all knew it hadn’t been fruitful "We’ll be there soon" He unclicked the radio and looked at all of us "Unless anyone here has any objections"

I shook ed, and I didn’t kno Nathaniel responded

"All right then Back the e ca back, and Jorge hung with ood hand found his and squeezed it, and he squeezed back We reached the freight elevator we’d first taken up to this floor, and its door slid open--revealing a wo the contents of a tray like a wild animal Our presence startled her, and she loped past us and down the hall like a startled rabbit None of us said anything or went after her

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Jorge and I lagged behind the other te reached the third floor--I was trying to see," he whispered to me