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Weinstock shot hi? Now?"

Val interrupted, "Are we sure Boyd’s actually dead?"

"Baby," Crow said with a smile, "you blew most of his head off"

Her eye was icy and she spaced each word out "Are We Sure Boyd’s Actually Dead?"

Crow and Weinstock looked at each other The doctor cleared his throat "I guess we could go and check?"

"Yeah," Val said coldly "Maybe you ought to"

Neither of the et up

"What about Mark?" Val asked and her voice cracked on his name They looked at her "If Boyd is e think he is--or was--then what about Mark? And Connie, too, for that matter"

"Oh shit," Weinstock said Crow just closed his eyes and sighed

"Crow…Saul…listen to me," Val said, her tone cool but reasonable, "I know you’re both as freaked out about this as I aht by a monster An actual htest chance thatin the air like a bright flare and no one could bear to look at it "If there is even the slightest chance that he and Connie could become like Boyd…then I want to know about it, and I want to know right now"

Crow struggled to his feet and looked down at her He was filthy and exhausted, his eyes were glassy with fear and shock, and his face was the color of old milk He licked his lips "Okay," he said "Okay…I think we’d better go check Saul?"

The doctor nodded tiredly and stood, but suddenly swayed and sat down hard again on the bed The jolt rabbed the htened to be ashamed Tears broke from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks and when he raised his hands to touch the wetness his fingers quivered with palsy

"God…" he breathed and his voice broke into a sob "I don’t know if I can do this…"

Crow stood by wretchedly and watched, but Val reached up with one hand and touched Weinstock’s chest, her palm flat The doctor looked down at her slender tan hand, his lips treesture "Val…I--"

Then Val’s hand closed into fist around a knotted wad of his lab coat and with a grunt she jerked hihast, Cro her mouth twist into a harsh mask Her voice was a whisper filled with razor wire "Don’t you fucking dare! My brother is dead! My sister-in-law is dead! Friends ofout on me now, you son of a bitch"

Weinstock stared at her in total shocked horror That one blue eye seeed and his et your ass down to the ue and you do whatever you have to do to make sure that bastard Boyd is dead…and you see to my brother, or so help me God, Saul, I’ll--"

"Val…" Crow said it softly, but it was enough Val cut a hard look at hilare softened, just a bit She pulled Weinstock two inches closer

"Please," she said, and this tient need "Please"

Weinstock could feel his face change in that moment Shock drained away and the buttery lines of his chin and er warred in his chest Val pulled him one last inch closer, then leaned her head up and kissed his cheek Weinstock closed his eyes for one long moment then nodded "Yes," he said, and kissed her; then he straightened and went into the bathroom to throater on his face When he was done, he stood in the doorway, patting his face dry with a wad of paper towels "Crow…I’ll wait for you in the hall" He shambled out

When the door closed, Val looked at Crow and even ot yourself into when you proposed to me?"

He sucked his teeth "Yep It’s all clear to me now--you’re a corinned "Crazy or not I really do love you, Valerie Guthrie"

"You’d better," Val said and somewhere behind the stern lines of her face there was a tremble, a flutter in her voice that he could only just hear "I don’t have anyone else left"

Crow kissed her and went out to where Weinstock stood, hands deep in his lab-coat pockets, giving the hallway the thousand-yard stare Without another word the two of theue

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