Page 139 (1/2)

She shrugged

"Oh well I'll do the best I can"

She turned ed, dragging s to the floor, nearly pulling her over, but she steadied herself and then straightened with surprising strength

I don't knohere I found the strength but I turned and twisted, trying to break out of her grip She held on firan slowly, but steadily to back up toward the bathrooed

"No," I cried

"No, you have to be cleaned up What ayou like this, do you?"

"Please, stop"

My panic grew frenzied e passed through the bathrooe of the sink and gasped it firmly, far more firmly and rapidly than she had ever anticipated Her rearward rip under my arms and I felt her fall backwards, away from me

My upper body, now unsupported, dropped to the floor hard and the back ofme unconscious I heard her short scream, which was more like a o over the edge of the tub, slap the side of her head sharply against the long, decorative brass faucet and then seeracefully into the water with barely the sound of a sle on the floor I couldn't tell what she was doing, but her legs lifted and then fell over the outside of the tub as the ree

I groaned and turned onas if they were falling back intoconsciousness and reached up for the toilet bowl I was running on pure deteruid body with its bones barely holding it together Yet I aze over the side of the bathtub and look down at her

I saw her floating just under the water, her eyes closed, s her nostrils and her lips like sailors fleeing a sinking ship There was a thin but steady flow of blood froht temple and I saw blood on the faucet as well Strands of hair rose toward the surface as if they wanted to pull the rest of her up The blow had obviously knocked her unconscious

Suddenly, htened and the tightening cli it almost impossible for rasped it and made a vain atteh energy to lift the ankle a few inches My fingers slipped off her skin and my arm dropped to my side

The struggle to prevent her fro me in and the effort it had taken to liftenergy I groaned and then sucked in a deep breath just before all went black

It see the way it would if the house was caught in an earthquake It continued for another moether My vision was cloudy, but slowly a silhouette took shape I could hear a muffled distorted voice and then the silhouette cleared and beca my shoulders

"Rain, wake up Rain, c'mon sweetheart Wake up baby Wake up"