Gingerbread Man

they start in with the kids of strangers, you know."
    Vince lowered his head, wondering how the hell he was going to explain any of this to Amanda without sending her into hysterics. But there was no getting around it. It had to be done.

EIGHTEEN
----

    THEY'RE GOING TO be a while," Holly said, about the fourth time Amanda peeked out the door down the hall toward where they'd taken her uncle. "Sitting in here isn't doing you any good."
    "I can't leave."
    Holly took her hand. "We won't go far. My mother's upstairs. I'd like to check in on her."
    "Your mother?" Amanda met her eyes. She was still pale, still shaky, but she had control now.
    "Yeah. She... this has brought back some memories. Bad ones." Holly looked away. "I'm sure you've heard the story. Dr. Graycloud... thought Mom needed to rest."
    Blinking slowly, Amanda seemed to forget her panic for a moment. "I've only heard rumors. You... had a sister."
    Holly nodded, felt her eyes heating, welling up. "Yeah. She was taken—just like Bethany."
    "And you never got her back?"
    Holly gave a quick, sharp shake of her head. "It was a long, long time ago."
    "I’m sorry, Holly." Amanda touched her arm.
    "It won't be the same for Bethany. We'll find her."
    "We will," Amanda agreed with a nod. Holly started for the door, opened it, and Amanda hesitated. "What if Reggie needs me?"
    "We can leave a note for that nurse. We won't be gone long. I just... I don't really want to go by myself."
    Eyes lowering, Amanda rubbed her arms. "I know what you mean. All right. If we leave a note."
    Holly nodded, then rummaged in the room, finding a paper and pen, scribbling a note. She left it on the table, face up. "There. Okay?"
    She took Amanda's hand, opened the door, and they stepped into the hall. To the right, they could see through the window of the treatment room, where doctors and nurses still surrounded Reggie. To the left and across the hall was the waiting room, but Holly didn't see Vince there. To the immediate left, there were elevators. That was where she turned, only to be stopped by Nurse Sally, carrying a little tray by its center handle. Test tubes filled small square sections. "Can I bother you two for just a minute?"
    Amanda's eyes widened. "Is it Uncle Reggie? Is he—?"
    "No, no. It's related, though. There's a slim chance— but a possibility—that he may need a transfusion before this is over. We're short on blood so Dr. Graycloud asked me to get some samples typed and cross-matched, just to see if we have a donor on hand should we need one."
    "Oh." Amanda sighed, nodded. "I'm afraid I won't be much use," she said. "We're not really blood relatives."
    Holly glanced at her. "You're not? I didn't realize."
    "Oh, that doesn't matter," the nurse said. "Anyone might be a match, related or not. We can do it right in here. Come on." She walked back into the break room, and set Amanda in a chair. Amanda rolled up her sleeve, and Sally tied a large rubber band around her bicep. She flicked her finger against the crook of Amanda's elbow. "Ah, that's a nice one. You ready, hon?"
    Amanda nodded, and Sally stuck a needle into her arm. As the crimson liquid rushed into the glass tube, she untied the rubber band. When the tube was full, she drew the needle out, holding a gauze pad to the puncture wound, and adding a bandage. "There. All done. Told you it would only take a minute." Smiling she labeled the tube and dropped it into the tray, then turned as if to go.
    "Well, wait a minute," Holly said. "What about me?"
    Sally turned, looking puzzled.
    "You said the donor doesn't need to be a blood relative. So, why don't you take a sample from me, as well? I'd be glad to give blood if Reggie needs it."
    Amanda sent Holly a grateful look. The nurse blinked, but finally shrugged and came forward, repeated the entire procedure on Holly. As the blood surged into the tube, Holly asked, "How much longer, do you think, before we'll know something about Reggie's condition?"
    "It's liable to be a while, hon." Sally must have heard Amanda's sigh as she withdrew her needle and applied a bandage to Holly. She looked up, met Amanda's eyes. "Let me just tell you this much, child. It's looking good in the E.R. Now they won't call him stable yet, but I'd say it's close to that."
    Amanda's relief was palpable. Holly felt it, along with a sizable measure of her own. "My mother is on the third floor," Holly said. "We're going up to look in on her. Please make sure to come for us the second there's