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Sinclair and I alking up Hennepin Avenue The cops had done a great job lately in cleaning up the neighborhood; but you could still find trouble if you knehere to look Minneapolis wasn&039;t Cannon Falls, after all It was still an Ahtlife

"I knohat you&039;re thinking," he said at last

"Prob&039;ly," I said, staring at the surprisingly clean gutter I was profoundly bummed out Myeloma-technically cancer of the bone marrow, and the blood plasma cells there-was serious My research had been a total downer

It could infect everything, and it carried with it fun syue, pain, dehydration, constipation, susceptibility to infection, and even-ding, ding, ding!-kidney daood neas, Jessica&039;s cancer was slohich gave her and her doctor-and ht now, I could only co her"

"I&039; out she&039;s sick How co?"

"It wasn&039;t my secret to tell," he replied simply

"I really hate you so

"I just-I can&039;t lose her My best friend! I mean, I always knew, since I&039;m immortal and she&039;s not, that it was a problem I&039;d have to face But not now She&039;s only thirty, for God&039;s sake!"

"Young," he agreed

"I&039;m not ready to have this happen now And I don&039;t want her to be sick at all Maybe-maybe I can fix it"

"And maybe you do your friend a disservice," he said quietly "Maybe you should let her solve her own proble what to wear on a date is a proble disaster"

"This week has certainly had its twists and turns"

"Oh, boy, don&039;t get , headed toward burned-out streetlights "Hoould I even do it?" I asked "I&039;ve never et off the whole blood-drinking thing entirely"

"Which is e&039;re walking down Hennepin at two AM," Sinclair pointed out "As opposed to being hofatal illness, I&039;d told him about my zero blood diet He&039;d taken it pretty well, but I knehy

He didn&039;t think I could do it

He couldn&039;t do it, which e were out prowling in the wee hours

The scene when I&039;d told Sinclair about ative running down my chin make me look fat?) had been, like all the dramatic scenes inin the shower and he&039;d moved in for a bite and I&039;d avoided him so deftly I nearly went ass over teakettle He&039;d had to grab h the shower curtain like Janet Leigh

"What in the world ?"

"Don&039;t do that"

"As you wish" He&039;d let go Then grabbed ain

"I think we&039;d better rinse off before I killwater out of his eyes and staring down at ! Uh Nothing"

He hu to be in the shower until I spill it, aren&039;t you?"

"In a "

If I&039;d been alive, I would have taken a deep, steadying breath Instead, I counted backward from five, but by the tier Besides, the water was going to get cold any second "I&039; up"

"Yeah"

"For your birthday"

"Yeah"