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Iona’s reaction to our new relationship hardly bore thinking about "Ah, I guess that’s a bridge we’ll have to cross e co," Tolliver said, with sudden fir to even attempt it"

That had a very nice permanent sound to it I’d been sure how I felt, but it’s always nice to know your partner is feeling the sa," I said

We ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch "Ted’s wife probably whipped up a four-course heart-healthy meal on a woodstove," I said

"Hey, you eat heart healthy one by the wayside while we stayed in Doraville, for one reason or another I’d have to resume them soon With variable health problems like I had, it paid to stave off as ?" Tolliver asked, following the saht leg and rubbing the quads "I can tell I haven’t been running in a few days, though"

"When do you get to leave off the cast?"

"Five weeks, the doctor said We’ll have to try to be in St Louis then, so I can check with our doctor there"

"Great" Tolliver ss that would be much easier whenon the floor in front of the fire, leaning back against a chair He patted the floor between his legs, and I eased ainst him He put his arms around me "I can’t believe I can do this now," he said If ed its tail, it would have "It’s okay to touch you I can touch you as much as I want I don’t have to think twice every tiht scare you off"

"Same here"

"Idiots"

"Yeah, but noe’re okay"

We sat there in contentured if ere ever going to try to go into town, the ti the trip into town, I was alotten Manfred’sexperience I’ve ever had Tolliver ed it, but he said every bad word in his vocabulary, even a few I didn’t quite understand We met one other car on our journey, and it was filled with teenage boys, who all have a built-in death wish As soon as I thought that, I reround, and I was sorry

There werelot Snow had covered the sodden yard around the little building, so it looked almost pretty When ent in, the reception lady was not at her desk, so andered back until we found a nurses’ station We inquired there about Xylda Bernardo

"Oh, the psychic lady," the nurse said, looking a bit irandson is in the ICU waiting area, if you want to see hi with his head in his hands He was in one of those waiting areas that’s just a little nook lined with chairs and littered with coffee cups and oldstaff hadn’t ood

"Manfred," I said "Tell us what’s happening with Xylda?"

He raised his head and we could see his eyes were red His face was tear-stained

"I don’t understand," he said "She was better She kind of collapsed last night, but thisshe was better The doctor had been in to see her Theto ular rooet some coffee and use the phone - and when I came back she was in a co you can say that’ll make the situation any better, is there?

"What does the doctor say?" Tolliver asked I sat beside Manfred and put les to us and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees I looked at his face, so serious, so focused, and I felt a wave of love that alet my mind back on Manfred and Xylda’s misfortune

"It’s the sauy hite hair He see to wake up He doesn’t knohy she took such a turn, but he says he’s not surprised It’s allit doesn’t see ht medicine was sharper than that now"

"Have you called your other relatives?"

"My mother is on her way But in the traffic conditions between Tennessee and here, there’s no way she’ll get here before Grand on you to make the decisions?"

"Yeah She says she knows I’ll do the right thing"

What a great thing for a ," Manfred said after a long iveat me when he said this, and he said it very seriously I understood what he meant, after a moment He wanted to know if her soul was still there

Okay I was cringing inside, but I nodded

He showed me the door to the ICU unit, which of course was quite sht Xylda would benefit froer with more machines - isn’t that what it boils down to? - but there was no way to get her there Nature had overthrown technology once again That see to me, as I looked at all the machines Xylda Bernardo was connected to They silently recorded everything that was going on inside her; and yet, when Manfred wanted to know sorandmother’s soul was still attached to her body, he had to ask me to do it

I held Xylda’s limp hand for a moment, but it wasn’t necessary for the task that had been set me Xylda’s soul was still there I was almost sorry It would have simplified the decisions ahead for her family if her soul had already departed

Barney Simpson stuck his head in the door and looked at ht we’d kicked you out," he said, keeping his voice low out of respect for the quiet figure on the bed

"You make visits to the patients in the ICU?"

"No, to the families of those patients I saw so in for her grandson for a ood friend This is the other lady, right?"

"Xylda Bernardo The psychic Yes"

"She told the law enforcement people about Chuck Almand"

After a second, I nodded That was more or less true

"Yes"

"What an extraordinary talent," Si to tame it, but he didn’t have any luck

"She’s definitely out of a different mold," I said I took a step toward the door I wanted to report back to Manfred Simpson stood back to let me pass A nurse went by us as she entered Xylda’s rooet rid of you today"

"Nope My car’s iced in," he said, s

"Oh, so your stay isn’t voluntary," she said

"I’d love to go home"

So would I