Part of the time I was thinking about Doc and Buff, part about the different things that had happened, and part about me. I forced myself to calm down all I could. I still had the dizziness, the cold skin, the shortness of breath, but it seemed to remain fairly constant; at least I was still alive. The thin panic was the worst thing; I couldn't fight it completely down, much less get rid of it. But I'd had all the symptoms for more than two hours now and the first shock was gone. Captain Emilio still sat in his chair. Every once in a while he pushed a wide thumb up against the space where his teeth used to be. My mind wasn't as clear or sharp as usual, but I knew he was my last chance, the last thread. If I lost him, I lost it all. But I knew damned well I wasn't going to lose him. I went outside. I knew where he'd parked his car and I walked to a spot fifteen feet from it where I'd be partially hidden behind a tree. I waited. The skies were getting murky and it seemed unusually cold, even for September.
