He's fully conscious. You can thinkof it like a one-way window. He's seeing and hearing everything, but wejust get the new Mason. He has a new name, b...y the way. Lucile Froufrou.Very subtle, I know. We let him pick it out himself. Well, actually it washis second choice. He wanted 'Lucile Lovescox' but the county clerk wasn'tgoing for that name change."Despite herself Carla-Jean laughed, her giggles turning to a snort at thethought of this bizarre drag queen version of her ex-husband prancing. With hisfinancial state at the time, he couldn't afford to lose a penny.Incredibly, a week or so later, the same young man accosted him again.This time it was in broad daylight while Louis was walking to the subway.Louis got a better look at the young man, saw he wasn't that big andfigured he had a better chance of resisting him in broad daylight. Butfirst he tried to get the young man to leave him alone. He told him thatif he was going to keep picking on him, he wasn't afraid of dying. Derek stuck out his hand. "Hi," he said. "I'm Derek."Joe took his hand and shook it shyly, forcing himself to look Derek in the eye."Hi Derek. I'm Joe."Derek felt a strange sensation in his stomach as he shook Joe's hand.Was he nervous? No, that was ridiculous. He was a full foot taller than this boy, and the k** hardly seemed like a threat.Was it butterflies? Why would he feel butterflies for another guy?Derek continued shaking Joe's hand, looking him in the eye as he tried to figure him. Bastard.Her eyes were so heavy. He was beside her now and he kept forcing her lids open. That wasn’t very nice. Time lurched forward.It felt much better when the car seat leaned back. Also the open window felt good, but now she was cold. At one point he was asking her questions and she heard enough of his words to emphatically reject the idea of a hospital. She didn’t have insurance, what the hell?The car eased to a stop, and for what felt like forever she didn’t hear anything. The urge to.