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"Mr displace! A piu tardi!" the maid assured hiain

Stephanie, raven’s wing hair cascading in a wild tangle over her shoulders, was standing at the top of the stairs

"The maid," he told her, but she already knew

They both burst into laughter He tore up the stairs, and swept her back up into his arh as they crashed down on the bed

Not too terribly much later, they actually fell asleep

"Drew?"

Drew had dozed in the chair The sound of his naht him instantly and fully awake He felt a startled sense of panic, but he ake

"Doug?" he said anxiously

"Yeah,up in the bed He didn’t look pale, haggard--hell, he didn’t even look sick!

"Hey… you look great"

"Yeah? I feel… weird"

"You should We nearly lost you last night," Drew told hiriry"

"I’ll get you so ht? I don’t want any hospital food"

"All right I’ll go out and get you so it back"

"A steak Really rare"

"Hey! Don’t get too picky on ot to see what I can find soh," Drew assured hi into his aret out of here!" he said

"You’ve got to sit tight, and deal with it," Drew said fir he may want you to stay a few et one of the nurses to check with him--just make sure he doesn’t want you on a special diet or anything"

"I’rinned "Honestly"

"And you still don’t re shook his head "Just… co in froly "I really need so that’s like real, live food You all ht, and I really appreciate it, but… ht I’ told him

Out in the hallway, he ran into one of the nurses He sin to kno to ask her if it was okay for hilish He tried "My friend… iare Posso… io "

"What does he desire?" the nurse asked, s She was an attractive woman in her late twenties or early thirties who apparently knew English just fine

"He’s very hungry, but he wants a steak Is it all right if I go out and find him one?"

"Come," she said

He followed her to the nurses’ station, and she leafed through the charts

"He is on no special diet There are no instructions Dr Antinella will be around to see hiht, and this , yes?"

"You’ve checked in on him?"

"But of course," she assured hi her lips "A good friend you are, though Trying to stay awake"

"Yeah, well…" He flushed Damn, but he hated it when he flushed He turned really red "I’ll be back

I’ to try and find my buddy a steak"

" Ciao!" she said cheerfully

" Ciao" He waved aardly Da swept through hiood

No, it wasn’t, he remembered

There had been a huht And he was supposed to find his way to the mortuary and see… see if he could identify it as Ge the steak for Doug, and not himself

Antoinette smiled and hummed as she worked, her notepad in her hand She had received a proo, and she was still very proud and pleased She wasn’t just head nurse for her shift now, but supervisor of her area

That reater responsibility, and that she was required to know the extent of their supplies at all times, knohen they were lohat must be ordered Naturally, she was responsible as well to ht with any drugs

There wereDrugs that saved life could also be exceptionally entertaining in the recreational area

She took her responsibilities very seriously, but not fretfully This was a shtly run

The e now and then, well… he or she didn’t usually last very long

When she first heard the sound at the door, she didn’t even look up