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interrupted.
    â€œI don’t know, girl. Angel didn’t move, except for the movements we made as we worked on her. I was so scared we were going to lose her. She was blue and clammy, and so thin and frail. Pretty soon we heard the sirens from the life squad. I just prayed they’d get there in time.”
    â€œOh my goodness! What happened when they got there? Did she come to?”
    â€œHold on. I’m trying to tell you. When the life squad burst in the door, Gerald was right behind them, screaming her name. He’d been waiting in the parking lot, and when he saw the ambulance, he told me later that somehow he just knew it was Angel they had come for. That dude really loves his baby sister!”
    â€œYou got that right! So tell me, what happened then?”
    â€œGerald ran to the front, pushing the paramedics aside, screaming, ‘That’s my sister!’ They got him out of the way by explaining that he was stopping them from helping her, so he just stood there helplessly, not ashamed to cry or pray.”
    â€œPoor Gerald,” I murmured. “I feel for him.”
    â€œWhile they worked on her, setting up oxygen and starting an IV and stuff, I walked over to Gerald and took his hand. It was as natural and easy as breathing. He was so scared. He grabbed my hand, forgot about how scared he was of me, and didn’t turn it loose until they took Angel out of there. I don’t think he was even aware of it. He was only thinking about Angel.”
    â€œSo when they took her out, was she breathing?”
    â€œYeah, her color had returned just a little and her eyelids had flickered a little. The paramedics told Gerald they had her stabilized and for him to follow them to the hospital. He was too shaky to drive, so we ended up going in my car.”
    â€œIt’s funny how things happen,” I told her. “Gerald has been dying to talk to you and ride in your BMW, and all of a sudden, because of a crisis, it falls in his lap.”
    â€œI know. If both of us hadn’t been so scared of what might happen to Angel, it might have taken the whole school year before he got around to talkin’ to me.” Jalani chuckled. “The paramedics said before they pulled out, ‘Angel is in good hands now. You two drive carefully. I don’t want you and your girlfriend getting hurt.’ Gerald and I both giggled a little over that,” Jalani admitted.
    I still sat on the floor among the bags I had brought in with me. I had taken off my coat and shoes and listened like no tomorrow. “I feel you, girlfriend.”
    â€œIt was cold out there, and all I had on was my leotard, so Gerald gave me his jacket. It smelled like him—kinda warm and leathery.” Jalani stopped for a moment, remembering.
    â€œWhat happened when you got to the hospital?” I asked softly.
    â€œOh, Gerald tried to reach his mother, but she wasn’t home and not at work, so he dealt with the questions and the paperwork by himself. There was nothing else to do but wait. So he paced. He bit his fingernails. He prayed. I wasn’t sure what to do. Finally he told me, ‘I don’t like this place.’”
    I told Jalani, “There’s a good reason for that. That’s the hospital where they took Robbie after the accident, and where they took Angel after the fire in their apartment. Also, I think an aunt he used to live with was taken there when she died. It’s no wonder the place freaks him out.”
    â€œHe told me a lot of that while we waited. I took his handand asked him to tell me all about Angel. That helped—he enjoys talking about her. I had no idea what troubles they’ve lived through. He told me about how he first found out he had a sister, how he loved her and protected her. He told me about how he found out that she was being abused by their stepfather, and about the fire that had saved them both. When he had finished, I think he felt