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"Oh my God, are you sure? What does that mean? Jesus, what am I supposed to tell her?"

I pokedto interrupt her but not wanting her to think I was eavesdropping either "Should I come back?" I whispered She looked at me, and when my eyes met hers the hairs on the back of my neck stood up Her eyes ide, and panicked, and filling with tears The roo her face and that phone "What’s going on?" I asked,Because I knew, you see

"Caroline, sweetie, it’s Benjamin," she started, and my blood turned to an icy burn It was only later that I realized I’d dropped everything I was carrying Including the wine, which dropped squarely ontoe I had a bruise under the nail foron?" I heard someone say, and the someone was me

"I don’t know, he just called and--"

"Giveto her in an instant and grabbing the phone out of her hand "Where is he? What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know anything yet, Caroline I--"

"If you didn’t know anything you wouldn’t be calling Jillian, and she wouldn’t be gray right now What’s happened to Siher I sounded shrill, I sounded desperate I sounded scared to death

"I don’t know uys he ith called ency contact still with National Geographic I guess There was an accident in one of the caves today It’s so hard to understand what happened; the guy doesn’t exactly speak fluent English and the reception was so spotty and--"

"Godda my hand down on Jillian’s desk

"He fell He was on so, and the wire he was attached to wasn’t secure, and he fell I don’t kno far Enough to maybe break some bones"

"Broken bones Okay,the desk now as my knees wobbled "Okay, okay," I repeated

"Not just that, Caroline, he was knocked out by the fall There’s been soe to his skull They airlifted him to a hospital, but as far as I can tell he’s still unconscious I don’t knowto reach one of the doctors treating hiht now!"

"Caroline, what are you doing?" Jillian asked, and I held up a finger