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"Look, she knows," I said, tapping the brakes and then flattening the accelerator again "I got her a card"

"A card?" Michael asked

"A Hallhed "Let me hear you say the words"

"What?"

"Say the words," he demanded "If you love the woman, why can&039;t you say so?"

"I don&039;t just go around saying that to people, Michael Stars and sky, that&039;sI just couldn&039;t, all right?"

"You don&039;t love her," Michael said "I see"

"You know that&039;s not - "

"Say it, Harry"

"If it will get you off as that I could I could see the police in traffic soht" I flashed Michael a ferocious, wizardly scowl and snarled, "I love her There, how&039;s that?"

Michael bea that stands between you two You&039;re not the kind of person who says what they feel Or who is very introspective, Harry Sometimes, you just need to look into the mirror and see what&039;s there"

"I don&039;t like ardless, you needed to realize that you do love the woht isolate yourself too er and vehemence "I don&039;t talk about Elaine, Michael Ever If you can&039;t live with that, get the hell out of my car and let me work on my own"

Michael frowned atelse "I&039; about Susan, Harry If you love her, you should marry her"

"I&039;m a wizard I don&039;t have tiht," Michael responded "And I have the time It&039;s worth it You&039;re alone tooto show"

I scowled at hiain "What does that mean?"

"You&039;re tense Gru yourself more all the time You need to keep up human contact, Harry It would be so easy for you to start down a darker path"

"Michael," I snapped, "I don&039;t need a lecture I don&039;t need the conversion speech again I don&039;t need the &039;cast aside your evil powers before they consuain What I need is for you to back "

Cook County Hospital looet the Blue Beetle up into the Eency entrance lane

Michael unbuckled his seat belt, even before the car had come to a stop, and reached into the back seat to draw an enor in its black scabbard, from the backseat He exited the car and buckled on the sword Then he reached back in for a white cloak with a red cross upon the left breast, which he tossed over his shoulders in a practiced motion He clasped it with another cross, this one of silver, at his throat It clashed with his flannel workman&039;s shirt, blue jeans, and steel-toed work boots

"Can&039;t you leave the cloak off, at least?" I complained I opened the door and unfoldeds, and reached into the backseat to recoverrod, each of thees

Michael looked up at me, wounded "The cloak is as much a part of what I do as the sword, Harry Besides, it&039;s no more ridiculous than that coat you wear"

I looked down at e mantle that fell around my shoulders and spread out as it billowed in a s My own black jeans and dark Western shirt were a ton and a halfwith it?"

"It belongs on the set of El Dorado," Michael said "Are you ready?"

I shot hilance, to which he turned the other cheek with a smile, and we headed toward the door I could hear police sirens closing in behind us,to be close"

"Then we best hurry" He cast the white cloak back froreat broadsword Then he bowed his head, crossed hiuide us and protect us as we go to do battle with the darkness" Once y around hih a thick wall

I shook my head, and fetched a leather sack, about the size of le staff, blasting rod, and sack for a moment, and wound up with the staff in ht, and the sack dangling frorated out "Let&039;s ht and wizard, through the eency entrance of Cook County Hospital We drew no s out in a black cloud behind s of the avenging angel whose namesake he was We pelted inside, and slid to a halt at the first intersection of cool, sterile, bustling hallways

I grabbed the arawked at me, from the tips of lanced at my staff and rod rather nervously, and at the silver pentacle aulped Then he looked at Michael, tall and broad, his expression utterly serene, at odds with the white cloak and the broadsword at his hip He took a nervous step back "M-m-may I help you?"

I speared him into place with my most ferocious, dark-eyed smile and said, between teeth clenched on the leather sack, "Hi Could you tell us where the nursery is?"