Then the night air was whistling past me. I bounced off an awning,
crashed into the branches of a tree, struggled frantically for a hold,
and fell through. From the window above came a piercing scream....
* * * * *
The Doctor had a face like an owl, and he bent over me, making funny
clucking noises with his tongue. "There we are," he said, when he saw
my eyes open. "Not bad at all."
"What's good about it?" I said.
"Young man, you fell six stories, and all you have is a broken leg and
assorted bruises. You ask me what's good about it?"
"You wouldn't understand," I said. "Beat it." Stella's scream still
rang in my ears. I twisted, and felt the heavy cast on my left leg. My
mood merged and blended with the dull grey of the hospital room.
A nurse came tiptoing in, and smiled blandly when she saw I was awake.
"You have some visitors," she said. "Do you want to see them?"
I knew it was the Captain. I hated to face him, but I said, "Let's get
it over with."
The Captain loomed in the doorway, backed away, and came in again. And
ahead of him walked Stella.
A different Stella--face pale and distorted, eyes registering shock and
grief, but alive. But very much alive.
I started to get up, and the nurse placed a firm hand on each shoulder
and held me to the bed. "Not so fast, sonny boy," she said.
Captain Marks moved up a chair for Stella. "Jim," she said. Her voice
broke.
"I'll tell him," the Captain said. "It seems that Miss Emerson has a
sister living in Boston. She didn't know anything about our problem,
and she came down this evening for a visit. She had a key to Miss
Emerson's apartment, and she walked in just at the right time to play a
leading role in Cronus's drama."
"Was she--"
"No. Thankfully, no. Her condition is serious but she'll be all right
again. The knife missed a vital spot by a fraction."