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polished good looks of someone who doesn t think hairstylists, fashion magazines and skin cream are
only for women, but who draws the line at manicures and facials.
Normally, Nick would have swept me off my feet and kissed me in a way that wasn t exactly fraternal.
Today, though, he stopped short, and settled for a hug and a smack on the lips.
Am I getting too big to pick up? I said.
He smiled. No, I m just being careful what I do to a pregnant lady in public. He leaned down to my
ear. Wait until later, and I ll make up for it.
I heard that, Clay said.
Nick grinned. Of course you did. And you can see it too, if you want. Maybe learn something.
Clay made a comment, and Nick turned to answer, but his gaze snagged on my stomach. A look passed
through his eyes as if he still wasn t quite sure what it was, how it got there or, most important, what it
would mean.
I grabbed Nick s hand and squeezed it. Our eyes met, and I smiled. He leaned down to kiss me again. I
put my hands on his stubble-covered cheeks.
Couldn t find time to shave? I teased.
I m growing a beard. He tilted his head and posed. What do you think?
Sexy. The gray adds a nice touch of sophistication.
Gray? His hand shot to his cheek.
Behind me, Antonio laughed, then caught me up in a hug thatdid lift me off the ground. You realize he s
going to spend the rest of the day in front of the mirror looking for that gray?
I think it s sexy, I said.
Nick turned to Clay.
No, Clay said. You re not borrowing my razor. You grew it, you get rid of it.
Troublemaker, Antonio murmured to me.
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He kissed my cheek, then leaned back for a better look. The shortest member of the Pack, a couple of
inches under my five feet ten, Antonio was also still the brawniest and most powerful. He and Nick had
passed themselves off as brothers for as long as I d known them. Nick had been born when Antonio was
a teen, so combined with a werewolf s slow aging, and Antonio s zeal for healthy living it had been
decades since theycould have passed for father and son.
You look more beautiful every time I see you, Antonio said. Pregnancy suits you.
I made a face. I m huge. Getting bigger by the hour.
You re pregnant. You re not supposed to be getting smaller. One arm still around me, Antonio turned
to the others. So, I hear you have a little adventure for us.
Theories
I SLID INTO THE BACKSEAT BESIDE NICK.CLAY SQUEEZED IN on my other side.
Hey, Jer? I said as we shifted around and fished for our seat belts. Remember when you replaced the
Explorer and I suggested buying the model with the third-row seat? Really would have been a good
idea.
That s why I offered to sit back there, Jeremy said from the passenger seat.
And how would that help? I m not any wider than you. All my extra load is up front. I bumped Nick s
hip. You ve got another couple more inches. Shove over.
This is fine. Nick put his arm around me. Nice and cozy.
I swatted him away. Move.
Settle down and buckle up, kids, so I can drive, Antonio said, looking in the rearview mirror. He
glanced over at Jeremy. Maybe we should finish raising this generation before we start another one.
Jeremy shook his head.
I didn t want to bring this up in the terminal, Antonio said as he turned out of the parking building. But
doesthis have something to do with your problem?
He handed Jeremy a folded sheet of paper. Jeremy read it, face expressionless. When he lowered and
refolded it, I undid my belt and reached through the opening between the front seats. Jeremy hesitated,
then handed it to me.
They gave us that when we got off the plane, Antonio said.
Clay looked over my shoulder as I read: it was a public health announcement, warning of cholera in the
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municipal water supply.
Cholera? I said. I thought it was E. coli.
So did they, at first, I suspect, Jeremy said. That would be the natural assumption, given the source
and the symptoms.
What s cholera? Nick asked.
It s a bacterium that gets into the water. Overcrowding and poor sanitation are the usual culprits. It s
almost unknown in the Western world now, but it was a serious problem in the nineteenth century.
Victorian England, I said.
Jeremy nodded.
Cholera is an intestinal infection, not unlike E. coli. The main symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting, which
can lead to dehydration and eventual death, but only if left untreated. With treatment and fluid
replacement, the fatality rate is less than 1 percent.
Cholera is transmitted through feces, primarily by food and water becoming contaminated with raw
sewage. Jeremy was pretty sure London s cholera problem had been resolved shortly before the time of
Jack the Ripper, but sporadic cases had continued, as the problems of overcrowding and poor hygiene
continued.
As for how cholera got into Toronto s water supply& according to Jeremy it was well-nigh impossible.
It shouldn t happen with modern sewage and water systems. Not by any natural means. But by now we
were pretty sure natural means had nothing to do with the problems Toronto was experiencing.
Opening that portal had let out more than a couple of Victorian zombies. Jaime had warned us about
smallpox leaking through that other portal. Somehow these zombies had brought a little of their home
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zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkwiatpolny.htw.pl
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| Cytat |
Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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