"Metz, Melinda - Roswell 01 - The Outsiders_v1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Metz Melinda)

*** 2 ***

Liz couldn't stop staring at Max. He gave her a tiny smile, a private
smile meant only for her. What did you do to me? she thought. How...

Her brain felt like it was humming, vibrating at a really low frequency.
It was hard to think.

The paramedic knelt down in front of Liz, blocking her view of Max. No!
Liz thought, struggling to stand up. She needed to keep Max in sight right
now. It made her feel... safer.

Lying on the floor, she'd had the feeling of rushing away, being forced
away from the cafe, from her father and Maria -- from everything and
everyone familiar. And somehow Max had brought her back.

"Don't try to move yet." The paramedic grasped Liz firmly by the
shoulders.

Liz tried to focus on the story she was supposed to tell. She brushed her
fingers across the front of her uniform, then held her hand up so the
woman could see it. "It's ketchup, just like I told you. I know it looks
like blood, like a lot of blood...."

And there is blood under the ketchup, a lot of blood, she thought. I was
bleeding to death. I was dying. A shiver rippled through Liz. She wrapped
her arms around herself, but it didn't help. She still felt cold.

"I know it's ketchup -- I can smell it. I'm getting the urge for a big
plate of fries," the woman joked. She pulled out a tiny flashlight and
shone it into Liz's eyes. Then she took Liz's wrist in her hand and
checked her pulse.

"Is she okay?" Mr. Ortecho asked. He was blinking superfast, the way he
always did when he was about to lose it.

Liz felt a rush of protectiveness for her father. He had been devastated
when Rosa overdosed. For days after the funeral he had lain on the sofa
covered by a red afghan -- even though it was the middle of summer. And no
matter how many times Liz had gone into the room, she'd always found him
in exactly the same position.

He must be terrified, she thought. I'm the only child he has left. She
wished this had happened on his day off.

"I'm fine, Papi," she answered. She heard a tiny tremor in her voice, but
she thought she'd done a good job of sounding normal. Except for the fact
that she had called her father Papi. She hadn't used that name since she
was a little girl.