Streams of Babel Read Online Free Page B

time because her dad was chronically taking the keys from her for breaking curfew. She didn't do much wrong while she was out, but she just couldn't stand to leave a party until it had fizzled down to the loadies, herself, and whomever she drove.
    Fortunately, she knew about my moods and never busted my stones. I think she was so popular because she didn't know how to pass judgment.
    "Owen?" she shouted in the door. "Please let me in. I won't touch you, I promise. It's an emergency, and this time I really mean it!"
    "Emergency" meant she still didn't have a date to the prom, and it was nearly March.
    "At your own risk," Scott muttered, and she came barreling in as Mom put the video in the machine.
    "Hey, Mrs. E, sorry to bust in when you're sick, but I didn't know where else to come." She threw off her ski jacket and flopped down beside me. Her hair was still wet from swimming, and her cheeks were all red like she'd lost her car keys again and walked it from school.
    "You're going to catch pneumonia," I lectured. "You got individual championships tomorrow, right?"
    "Right."
    "You gonna do us proud?" I asked as she put a hand on her chest, out of breath.
    "It's in the bag. Fifty yard, at any rate. I was losing air on the butterfly, which is a truly frightening experience if your nickname happens to be Iron Lung. Listen to this wheeze."
    She breathed in, and I stuck my head closer to her neck. Definitely a wheeze. "How'd you get sick at a time like this? Danny Hall keeping you up all night?"
    "We had a fight on Monday. He told me I'm domineering, which is so not true. I haven't talked to him since. Can't blame this on him."
    "Well, this time you kept a boyfriend for ... three weeks?
Maybe you're getting a little handle on that domineering thing, Rain." I cracked up.
    She balled up her fist at my humor. "Mrs. E, I said I wouldn't touch your son, so don't let me hit him!"
    I put an arm up, just in case she came through.
    "You probably caught it from me," Mom said, and Rain dropped her fist, distracted.
    "This is bad, Mrs. E. Dad won't let me swim if he hears my death rattle. He's got those FBI detective ears, you know? I know I can talk in front of you. You've covered for us before, right?"
    Mom groaned and dropped into the chair with her hand over her eyes.
    Rain turned to Scott. "Dude, I need a miracle drug and a place to lay low until it kicks in. Can you guys help me out?"
    He laughed, cracking the cold pack and holding it up as he moved toward Mom.
    "Does this look like a miracle drug?" He laid it on Mom's forehead and held up his hands, waggling his fingers. "These are just ... normal hands, darling. Take two aspirins and go to bed."
    "I can't go home! All the lights are on, which means my dad's over there. I'll never get past his eagle eyes. And I know I said I wouldn't touch you, Owen, but check this out."
    She took my hand and laid it on her forehead. That's when I realized her red face wasn't from walking home. She was burning up. I made the hatchet sign on my neck and raised my hands helplessly at Scott.
    "We're looking at two medals down the toilet, bro," I pleaded with him. He felt her forehead and then let out a laugh.
    "How well do you know the pope? Know any television evangelists?" But he pointed to Mom's chair at the dinette table while griping about how many people in the neighborhood do this to him. "And it's not like people around here don't have money to go to the doctor. They're all rolling in bucks except us. It's
time
they can't spare. Nobody has the time to go to the doctor, so they impose on
my
time."
    "You don't look so busy to me," Rain argued as he pulled his white backpack with the red Saint Ann's Hospital insignia on it from behind the door. He listened to her back through a stethoscope and continued to gripe. "Tell that to the DOA we picked up tonight and the baby I delivered in the ambulance this afternoon."
    She spun to look at him. "Wow, you can deliver a baby already?"
    "Shut up and