As soon as they leave, Carol closes the door for privacy. This clues Gramps and Sam in that something is up. They both look at me, and I admit, “We ...need to talk.”“What is this about,” Gramps asks.“Dr. Nowak came to see me today. He said he found something in my blood that he had never seen before.”Sam asks, “What is it?”“You aren’t going to believe me. How about I let Carol tell you the story of how I told her?”Everybody looks at Carol, and she blushes but composes herself and begins, “I was. Cathy and I never actually made love before. We would cuddle and coo, fondle and touch but we never had intercourse. I don’t know if it was that I wanted to be invited or I didn’t want to risk Kristy getting upset or jealous or if we wanted to maintain the relationship just the way it was, but it seemed to work for us and I wasn’t about to upset the apple cart. As she slid into my one armed embrace, she snuggled her cheek on my chest and let out a contented sigh. She stayed like that as I. ”“Ten grand for a year of room and board doesn’t sound so bad,” Sarah Lynn said. “And there are janitors. You only have to clean your own room, not the bathroom and kitchen.”“Not like the former tenants in our house ever cleaned,” I jabbed.“I agree that ten thousand dollars a year isn’t a bad rate for the services, but it isn’t for a year,” Charmaine continued. “It’s for the school year, September through May. And not even all of that. You can’t stay in the dorm over winter break. There’s a. . the attendant heard the obligatory beep from the heart monitor."David," she whispered as she shook him gently ... and not so gently. "I know you're awake, the monitor beeped."His eyes popped open ... how about that ... he was awake. That didn't stop the squeak she let out when David looked at her."I'll run get the doctor." Putting action to her words she ran ... except ... there wasn't a door to run out ... and there wasn't a charge nurse ... Hell's Bells ... there wasn't a ICU desk ... no.