Zeech: Awwww... you poor darling! *sends a big bucket of ice cream and the sexiest Kiefer she can find over to Zeech* ;-)

Lea: You're impossible not to miss :-) We wantssss a LiveJournal, preciousssssss... I love reading yours and Becky's, they are hilarious and wonderful and great!

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Isn't it funny? You hear a phone ring, and it could be anybody. But a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn't it?

Doesn't it?

The doors to the ambulance slam shut and it veers away, the siren wailing. In this crowd, nobody will notice a tall, slight man as he disappears from sight. I fade into the background and retreat into the cool, darkened lobby of my apartment building.

"Hey... shome guy... he got shot," one of my neighbours, Terry, slurs as he slumps drunkenly against the railing to the stairs. "Y'saw it?"

I shove past him and clump up the stairs, kicking my shoes against each step. At first Stu was amusing, but now... I need to get away somewhere quiet where I can put my head down. I feel bruised inside, as if I swallowed some sort of heavy stone and it jolted and bounced its way around before settling in my stomach.

A gaggle of gabbling officers are flocking through the stairs, comparing notes and hauling out garbage from the hallway two floors above mine. I ignore them and push past the door onto my floor, briefly unable to repress the smallest of smiles.

At my apartment, I dump the rifle and my jacket in the closet before collapsing on the couch. The dim light flickers faintly in the room; one of the shades is loose, and fluttering in the wind. A cold draft scuttles across the floor and shivers along my bare arms.

I get up and wander over to the window. The paint is peeling on the sill as I lean my elbows against the edge, peering down into the dispersing crowd. The old phone booth, its cracked windows shattered and its stone floor spattered with blood, stands empty amid all the chaos. Some phone company's going to tear it down tomorrow--another part of my life, gone. How much more can I stand to lose?

One police officer is scraping up shards of glass from the booth, another is hearing out a couple of witnesses. Someone in a dark coat is photographing the scene. Captain Rhamey is talking to this girl with dark hair--

--and my heart suddenly stops.

I snatch up my jacket and hurry through the hallway, clattering down the stairs. Terry lurches at me as I barge past the lobby doors and emerge onto the street. Captain Rhamey is climbing into the police car, and she's walking slowly towards 8th Avenue.

"Kate," I shout hoarsely, "Kate, stop!"

She turns her head and stares blankly, then suddenly sways and stumbles. She leans heavily against me, burrowing her head into my shoulder, as I steady her on her feet. As I put my arms around her and hold her close, it feels like she's lighter than air, and she'll float upwards and soar away if I let her go.

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Two more chapters to go, and we're done... It's almost over! *cries* :-(