Spliced by Jon McGoran

Author:Jon McGoran
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 2017-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

FORTY-FOUR

Pell!” I cried feebly.

She did a double take, then sprinted over.

“Jesus, is that Ryan?” she said as she got behind him. She put her hands under his arms so Claudia and I could take his legs. “What happened? Where’s he been? Where’s Ruth?”

I shook my head, not yet able to speak.

The front door of the coffee shop opened, and Pell’s boss came out scowling, probably coming to tell Pell to get back to work. When he saw us carrying Ryan, his face turned even darker.

“No,” he said, slicing his hand through the air for emphasis.

Pell kept right on going, so we went along with her.

“Come on, Jerry,” she said, “don’t be a jerk. He’s hurt.”

Jerry trembled for a second, like he was exerting a great force of will. Then he sagged and sighed and said, “Okay, whatever. Take him around the back.”

He stepped out of the way as we hustled down a narrow alley. Pell yanked open the wooden screen door and we carried Ryan inside, through a utility room and down a short hallway. Just before the kitchen, Pell steered us into a cramped office.

Jerry was already there, clearing off his desk. He threw a stained tablecloth over it and we laid Ryan down on it.

“Is that Ryan?” he said, looking closer. “What happened?”

I dropped into a chair against the wall, unable to speak. Purple and yellow splotches danced in my vision.

Before Pell could say anything, Jerry peeled back Ryan’s jacket and looked at the bloody hole in his shirt. “For Christ’s sake, he’s been shot.” He looked over at us. “Why the hell did you bring him here?”

“Didn’t know where else,” I said, closing my eyes, still catching my breath.

Pell darted out of the room.

“Was this from the Broad Street riot?” Jerry asked.

I shook my head. “He said no. We found him at Doctor Guzman’s house.”

“You were at Guzman’s house?”

I nodded, glancing at Claudia, who had shrunk back into the corner of the room, looking tiny. “Do you know where he is?”

He stared at me, squinting, like he was trying to place me. “Who are you?”

“Jimi,” I said. “I’m friends with Pell. And Rex.”

He looked at Claudia. “Who’s she?”

“She needs a fixer. I met her while looking for Guzman. She helped me carry Ryan.”

He nodded and left the room without a word. For several minutes Claudia and I sat there, watching Ryan’s chest slowly rise and fall. Each time, I felt a tiny rush of anxiety, hoping he would take another breath, feeling each second tick by, seconds we had tried so hard to save.

In those quiet moments of inactivity, I could feel the exhaustion seeping into my bones.

My eyes were drifting closed when the door burst open. Pell and Jerry came through and stepped to the side, out of the way. Guzman came in after them.

“Doctor Guzman,” I said, and Claudia shot to her feet, her eyes round.

Guzman placed an old-fashioned black doctor’s bag on a cabinet behind the desk and pulled out a stethoscope, a pair of scissors, and a bundle of other instruments wrapped in white cloth.

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