Base Nature (122 page)

“
Ab
o
u
t
t
h
i
r
ty
-
s
i
x h
o
ur
s,” K
e
lly
s
aid
s
o
ftly.

“J
e
s
u
s!
W
e’
ll
b
e
l
u
cky
if
we
do
n
’
t
l
o
se
h
im.
Why
’
d
it
take so l
o
n
g?
W
hat
st
u
pi
d
ity
is this?”
he
a
sk
ed
,
a
lm
o
st to
h
ims
e
lf
bu
t
it
r
ipp
e
d
th
r
o
u
gh
L
iv
and
the
t
e
a
r
s
came
again.
T
h
i
s
was
h
e
r
fa
u
lt.
She
t
r
i
e
d
to
swal
l
o
w
h
e
r
anxi
e
ty
and manag
e
d to
g
e
t
h
er
s
e
lf
u
n
de
r c
o
nt
r
o
l.
B
a
re
ly.

“
Be
n!
Watch it,” Ch
e
st
e
r
sai
d
.

Be
n
’
s
e
y
e
s
s
h
o
t
to
L
iv
and he
gave
Ch
e
st
e
r
a
br
isk
n
o
d
.
“H
e’
ll
b
e
f
i
n
e
.
W
e’
ll
g
e
t
him tak
e
n
ca
r
e
o
f.
Bu
t
he
sh
o
u
ld
have
bee
n
h
er
e
imm
ed
iat
e
ly.”

“He
w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
c
o
m
e
,
Be
njamin,”
K
e
lly
sai
d
,
p
u
tting h
e
r
a
r
m a
r
o
u
nd
L
iv.
“
Y
o
u
k
n
o
w h
o
w he
is.”

“St
ubb
o
r
n
and
du
mb
as
a
b
o
x
o
f
r
o
cks,”
the man
answ
ered
.
He glanc
e
d
at
L
iv
e
v
e
n as
his
h
a
n
d
s
m
o
v
e
d
o
v
e
r
G
a
rre
t
t,
palpating.
“I
can
s
ay
that
be
ca
u
s
e
we
g
re
w
u
p

t
o
g
e
th
e
r
a
nd
w
e’
r
e
l
ike
br
o
th
er
s.
I
was
e
v
e
n
th
er
e
the
d
ay
he
h
o
o
k
e
d
h
is
th
u
mb
with
a fishi
n
g h
o
o
k.
A
ll the
w
a
y th
r
o
u
gh, the
b
a
b
y.
G
a
rre
tt
n
e
v
e
r
d
o
e
s a
n
ything halfway.”

L
iv
l
e
t
o
u
t
a
bur
st
o
f
la
u
ght
e
r
that
s
ur
p
r
is
e
d
e
v
e
n
h
er
.
Bu
t
she c
o
u
ld
pict
ur
e
it
a
nd
it st
ru
ck
h
e
r
as
odd
ly f
u
nny.
I
napp
r
o
p
r
iate
la
u
ght
e
r
was h
e
r
sp
e
cialty.

She
s
h
o
o
k
a little
and
K
e
lly
rubbe
d
h
e
r
t
o
wa
r
m
h
er
.
H
o
w
had
s
he
g
o
ne
f
r
o
m
E
ll
e
n t
e
lling
h
e
r
to
call
h
e
r
s
h
r
ink
a
b
o
u
t
h
e
r
b
ad
dre
ams
to
an
i
mp
r
o
mptu
s
ur
g
er
y
and a w
ere
w
o
lf
pack?
What
d
ay
was
it? Was
she
du
e
at
w
o
r
k? W
o
u
ld she
g
o
b
ack
to
w
o
r
k? W
o
u
ld
she
st
a
y h
ere
?

I
t
all swi
r
l
e
d
i
n
h
e
r
h
e
a
d
,
m
udd
ying
h
e
r
th
o
u
ghts,
bu
t
s
he
re
c
o
gniz
e
d
the
de
f
e
nse m
e
chanism
w
e
ll.
I
f
s
he
f
re
t
t
e
d
o
v
e
r
a
l
l
the
st
u
ff
that
d
i
d
n
’
t
matt
er
,
s
he
w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
g
e
t c
o
ns
u
m
e
d
b
y the
o
ne
b
ig thing that
d
i
d
.

G
a
rre
t
t
be
ing
o
k
a
y.

“I
th
i
nk
w
e’
ve
be
a
t
e
n
s
e
psis.
I
thi
n
k
if I
e
xcise
s
o
me
o
f
this and
t
re
at
the
i
nf
e
cti
o
n… p
u
mp
him
f
u
ll
o
f
anti
b
i
o
tics…”
Be
n
b
l
e
w
o
u
t
a
s
igh
and
r
an
his
rub
b
er
-
g
l
o
ve sh
e
ath
e
d hand
th
r
o
u
gh his h
a
i
r
.

“
T
h
e
n?”
L
iv p
r
actically
s
h
o
u
t
ed
.
She
d
i
d
n
’
t
m
e
an
t
o
bu
t
she
d
id
it.
“
T
h
e
n he
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
fin
e
.
Be
ca
u
se
h
e’
s
st
r
o
n
g and
st
ubb
o
r
n
a
s an ass.”

L
iv
f
e
lt
w
e
ak
with
re
li
e
f.
She sagg
e
d
a
gainst
K
e
lly
as
Be
n
m
o
v
e
d
to
the si
n
k
to
wash his
han
d
s.
“
T
hank
G
o
d
.
O
h
thank
G
o
d
,”
she sai
d
,
h
e
r
kn
ee
s
bu
ckling
a
b
it.
She
s
agg
ed
, h
e
r
h
e
ad
p
o
u
n
d
ing.

“
I’
ll
n
ee
d
e
v
er
y
o
ne
o
u
t
o
f
h
ere
.
I
h
ave
t
o
g
e
t
h
i
m
p
re
p
p
e
d
and
s
o
m
e
o
ne
s
e
nd
in

^{Me
lissa
t
o
assist.
T
e
ll h
e
r
t
o
sc
ru
b
u
p so
we
can c
u
t
o
u
t that tiss—
s
he
o
kay?”}

“
L
iv?”
K
e
lly
sai
d
.
She
s
h
o
o
k
h
e
r
a
little
a
nd
L
iv
ma
r
v
e
l
e
d
at
h
o
w
far
away
K
e
lly was.
H
o
w
was she
t
o
u
ching
h
e
r
that
way, that
du
ll
u
n
e
v
e
n
p
re
ss
u
r
e
o
f
K
e
lly
sq
uee
zing h
e
r
a
r
m, wh
e
n
s
he
was
s
o
far
away?
“
L
iv?”