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Devi,at Nathan, she asked, "How bad is the outbreak?"

"I don’t know yet Apparently, they started getting reports almost as soon as Sal and I saw it happen, but I was the first person who’d actually come in with a report of the process, so they wanted to talk to ot at least thirty people incoet Sal home I’ll see you tomorrow"

"I can drive her," said Devi We both blinked at her Devi smiled a little "I live in San Bruno, she lives in Colma It’s a carpool , so it’s not like I need to worry about my upholstery"

"If you’re sure--" Nathan turned tointo a car with so history I didn’t know ain Sure, I did exactly that every tily solid about buses Even after hearing about the bus driver with the sleeping sickness, buses felt safer to me than cars

Still, Nathan was needed, and Devi was already heading ho every inch of calm I could find, I nodded "Sure," I said "That’ll be fine Devi’s always been really nice to et down to the ER now, not after dealing with there-and-back traffic?" To punctuateon Beverly’s leash so she’d co toward Devi

"Don’t et up to when the office door is closed"

Nathan cleared his throat "Regardless It’s unprofessional to subject you…"

I tapped his nose with one finger He stopped "I’o to the ER and do your job You’re going to help people I’est soup bone I can find at the Safeway And I’ll talk to you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," said Nathan, looking relieved and guilty at the sa siuilty to be leaving hi into his eyes, I suspected that I wasn’t the only one as scared All that did was frighten e, with no worrisons that she’d been in a major accident I relaxed a little I relaxedher keys in her pocket and pressing the button to start the engine She glancedto be sure she wasn’t the only one as buckled in I offered a wan smile

"I don’t do cars when I can help it," I said "I really do appreciate your giving h I know Nathan’s needed here"

"It’s no problelanced at her rearviewdidn’t answer I think both of us found that a little reassuring

"Good," said Devi, looking satisfied She was still paler than she should have been, with a worried look in her eyes, but at least she was coain?"

I recited the address for the benefit of her onboard GPS, which beeped politely before it announced, "Route calculated"

Devi pressed the button to turn off the voice instructions and activate the LED readout on the windshield That made me relax a little more Drivers who see their directions are less likely to take their eyes off the road, and reading without the voice coht percent

"Let’s get you ho and reet me at the door, whereas Katherine is probably still at work She just gets annoyed when I forget that I have a hu, to come home to"

I’d met Katherine once, at a hospital cocktail party that Nathan dragged me to She worked at the Lawrence Hall of Science and always looked a little distracted, like she was listening to conversation and running some complicated equation in her head at the same time She stood almost a full foot taller than Devi, with a pale Scandinavian co I could tell, the two of the’s name?" I asked

"Minnie It’s short for ‘Minneapolis’ She’s an Aood girl She just gets a little destructive when she feels like she’s being left alone for no good reason"

"If you both work, how do you handle that?"

"We vacuum up a lot of feathers and buy a lot of throw pillows" Devi’s car rode sh that I barely even noticed when she turned onto the freeway--not until a less safe driver went rocketing by on our left, going easily twenty miles above the speed lirabbed the handle aboveto tell rip on the bus, and that I wasn’t on the freeway I was anywhere but there