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Sally turned without another word and walked slowly upstairs She was leaving now She didn’t care if she had to walk and hitchhike She knew all the stories about the dangers of a woer she felt bearing down on her noto be her father, and nooht of that nurse She’d hated that nurse so much Sally couldn’t even remember her name now She didn’t want to Could it have been that nurse?

She stuffed her clothes in her duffel bag and then realized she had to wait She didn’t want to fight with Ae She heard her walk up the stairs, her step brisk and solid Sally got quickly into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin

"Sally?"

"Yes, Aht"

"Yes, good night, baby Sleep well"

"All right"

"Sally, about that phone call--"

She waited, not saying a word

"Martha could have been ood anyuising his voice like a woine that it could have been Thelma Baby, nobody knoho you are, nobody"

Amabel paused Sally could see her silhouetted in the doorway froht in the corridor "You know, baby, you’ve been through a lot, too htened I would be too Your htened You know that, don’t you?"

"Yes, I understand that, Amabel" She wasn’t about to tell Amabel that Thelma kneho she was

"Good You try to sleep, baby" She didn’t corateful She lay there, waiting, waiting

Finally, she slipped out of bed, pulled on her sneakers, picked up her duffel bag, and tiptoed to theIt slid up easily She poked her head out and scanned the ground as she’d done earlier This was the way out It wasn’t far to the ground, and she knew there was no way she could get down those stairs without A her