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"I didn’tblack cassock of his order, but today he was in his version of street clothes, a plain black suit He wore clothes well, too; if not for the priest’s choke collar, he would have looked like just another don business to check the books Alex traded sour a the many portable monitors that surrounded it
Luisa Lopez’s face turned slowly to follow Alex’s movements A layer of cadaver skin covered her jaw and neck, not to replace the derma she had lost, but to protect the exposed in the surface grafts during the cosmetic phase of her treatment
If we make it that far Alex still wasn’t sure; if Luisa didn’t do the job herself, one , Lu?"
"She Dee" Heat dale syllables, delivered on strangled puffs of air
"Not my best day, either" She checked Luisa’s lines, and then carefully applied drops of corneal lubricant to the glaring eyes "Michigan Avenue was backed up all the way to the pier I probably could have gotten here faster if I’d jumped in the lake and swam"
The muscles around Luisa’s eyes contracted in ould have been a blink if she’d still had eyelids "Drik"
Alex brought her water cup and straw to her ruined mouth, but after the first sip Luisa turned away "S a little more You can use the fluid"
"Real Drik," she rasped out "Whis Key"
"On top of all the drugs you got for ripping out your lines?" She tsked "I do that, babe, you’ll float right out of this rooed a snarl, which displayed the jagged reer across her forehead, one of the few places on Luisa’s upper body where she hadn’t been beaten, stabbed, mutilated, or burned "I’lanced at John, who sat with his head bowed over the rosary in his hand Explaining multiracial blood was a lot easier when you knehat color your parents had been, which she didn’t John probably did, but he refused to talk about it--another door he had shut in her face
It really didn’t matter; Luisa would probably never see the color of anyone’s skin again "Yeah, I’m a sister"
John didn’t look at her, but she could feel waves of disapproval rolling from him Both Kellers passed easily as Caucasians, and had been raised by white foster parents who had presented them as such John used to punch out kids who taunted them about their skin color He’d never adht of as white
Alex hadn’t cared about the snobbery until she had made friends with an African-Arade Audra, their adopted mother, had put a quick end to that--We keep to our own, Alexandra--but Alex had been color-blind ever since
"Hell Me" One of her bandaged ar at Alex’s Heat had fused all of Luisa’s fingers together, but she ed to rest the twisted, flipper-shaped o Yes, she had, there and back a few times
"She said that to ave him a "Shut up" look before she answered her patient "We need you here, Lu You gotta stay with us"
The tortured girl didn’t like that, and began choking out abbreviated, wordless screeches and fighting the foarabbed the IV pole to prevent it fro Luisa medicated and hydrated "John, wait outside for me, will you? Lu, I need you to calm do" Quickly she secured padded restraint straps over the girl’s limbs "Come on, sweetie, don’t do this to nored Alex’s atteainst the straps Scarlet-tinged suppuration fros, and her vitals spiked, setting off three e nurse and a resuss cart
"Luisa, you’ve got to chill now I’ to help you relax" Alex quickly prepared a syringe and injected her through the IV, then watched the monitors "This will help That’s it, babe Let the led to take a deep breath "Gi sounds came from her chest She couldn’t cry tears anyet soainst her side as she watched her patient sink into unconsciousness "I’ll see you tomorrow"
She left the nurse with Luisa and stepped outside John stood waiting for her, the rosary still wrapped around his right hand like a godly good-luck charm Maybe for him, it was
"Is she always that bad?" he asked
He had on his deeply concerned priest face, the one that ut
Can’t punch out a priest She relaxed her fists "No Bad days are when she tries to tear open a vein or bite through her tongue" Alexelse you wanted? A donation?"
"I wanted to talk to you I ondering…" He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully "When was the last time you attendedworks both ways "Not since you went to South Anorant Indians’ souls" She lifted her eyebrows "Anything else?"
"I’d like you to come to St Luke’s on Sunday" He tucked his rosary into his jacket pocket "I’ the eleven o’clock mass"
"I’ve heard all your serery Thanks for dropping by" She headed toward the elevator
"Alexandra, wait" He caught up with her "Things have to change, but I… I understand why you’re upset withit mildly