Dancing Tides (154 page)

“
B
ut no tumo
r
s,”
K
e
e
g
a
n
su
r
mis
e
d
a
s she
studi
e
d the
bl
ac
k-
a
nd
-
w
hite
im
a
g
e
w
ith h
e
r h
a
nds on h
e
r
hips.
“A
nd
no int
er
n
a
l bl
ee
di
n
g
e
ith
e
r
.
He’
s
r
e
l
a
tiv
e
l
y
h
e
a
lt
h
y
e
x
ce
pt
f
or
the
e
x
t
r
a b
a
gg
a
g
e
.
”

B
ut just
a
s
w
ith
a
n
y
s
u
r
g
e
r
y
, th
e
r
e
wa
s
a
l
w
a
y
s
a
n
e
l
e
m
e
nt of
r
isk to the
p
a
t
i
e
nt,
e
v
e
n if the
p
a
ti
e
nt in this
ca
se
w
a
s a
hund
re
d
-
a
nd-
f
o
r
t
y
-
p
o
und tu
r
tl
e
.
A
n
e
sth
e
sia
c
o
uld p
r
ove
a
s d
e
a
d
l
y
to the
re
ptile
a
s the
f
o
re
i
g
n
m
a
t
er
i
a
l.

O
n
c
e
B
ra
n
c
ut into the
int
e
stin
e
s thou
g
h, it
wa
sn
’
t
di
ff
i
c
ult to spot the
obst
r
u
c
tion.
“T
h
e
r
e
must be
f
ou
r
t
e
e
n
in
c
h
e
s of
pl
a
stic
h
e
re
,”
B
ra
n
re
l
a
y
e
d.

“
Mi
g
ht be
ea
si
e
r
to
g
e
t to if
it
were
n
’
t
f
o
r
a
ll his b
ackw
a
r
d spik
e
s th
a
t h
e
lp
him s
wa
llow
f
ood.
W
h
a
t
’r
e
y
ou
g
oi
n
g to do
a
bout the
pl
a
stic
stu
c
k in thos
e
?
”

“
I
’
ll h
a
ve
to m
a
n
e
uv
e
r
o
ve
r
one
spine
a
t a
tim
e
.”

A
nd b
eca
u
s
e
of
th
a
t the
p
r
o
ce
du
r
e
took
a
lmost th
re
e
hou
r
s d
i
g
g
i
n
g
the
f
o
re
i
g
n subst
a
n
c
e out of
e
v
e
r
y
cre
vi
c
e
.
B
ut the
g
ood
n
ew
s, B
ra
n
w
a
s
a
ble
to
re
move
the
e
nti
r
e
l
e
n
g
th
f
r
om his di
g
e
stive
t
r
ac
t.

L
a
t
er
,
a
f
t
e
r
the
v
e
t h
a
d
gone
hom
e
,
K
ee
g
a
n
a
nd
C
o
r
d s
a
t on the
f
loor
of
the
e
x
a
m
r
oom, sipping
on a
c
a
n of
sod
a
,
both of
th
e
m
e
x
h
a
ust
e
d.

“Y
ou
ca
n
’
t s
a
y
I
don
’
t k
n
ow
how
to show
a
m
a
n a
g
ood tim
e
,”
K
e
e
g
a
n tossed out
a
s she l
ea
n
e
d b
a
c
k
a
g
a
inst the
wa
ll.

Cord
bust
e
d out l
a
u
g
hin
g
.
H
is l
e
g
s d
r
aw
n up, his h
a
nds pois
e
d
a
bove
his kn
e
e
s.
“Y
ou h
a
v
e a
unique
id
e
a
of
f
un th
e
n.
B
ut
I
’
ll
g
o
y
ou one
b
e
tt
e
r
.
Y
ou
r
e
a
l
l
y
took
m
y
b
r
e
a
th
aw
a
y
,
w
a
t
c
hi
n
g
y
o
u in
a
c
tion toni
g
ht.”
C
o
r
d tu
c
k
e
d a
st
r
a
nd of
l
o
ose
h
a
ir
b
e
hind h
e
r
e
a
r
,
a
nd
g
r
e
w
s
e
r
ious,
c
onsid
ere
d the
still
-
sl
ee
p
i
ng
p
a
ti
e
nt.

“
W
ill
y
ou
r
e
l
ea
s
e
him b
a
c
k
into
the
o
cea
n
?
”

“
P
r
ob
a
b
l
y
.
Y
ou s
a
w
the
X-r
a
y
s. It took some
time
but
B
ra
n
g
ot it
a
ll out
e
v
e
n thou
g
h it
c
logg
e
d up his th
r
o
a
t
a
nd
s
y
st
e
m.
B
e
c
a
use
of
th
a
t,
H
a
g
g
er
t
y
w
ill be
a
b
l
e
to
ea
t
a
ll the
j
e
l
l
y
f
ish th
a
t s
w
ims his
w
a
y
.”