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.She's got backbone.I'm afraid she'll need it."Luke nodded as he pulled out a business card."Would you mind keeping me informed? I want the best for Danny.Whatever it takes.""Of course." Dr.Lowenstein took the card."Tell me something.Haven't you ever wanted to practice medicine, the way you were trained -- hands-on with real people?"Luke shook his head."Not once.""Interesting.I can't imagine being a doctor and not treating patients.That's the part I enjoy the most.""Even when those patients are twelve-year-old boys in critical condition?" Luke shook his head."I don't think I could tell someone their child was critical.I couldn't find the words.""You rarely need words.They almost always know.Especially mothers."Luke leaned forward in his chair."I know you don't have any answers, but what does your gut tell you about Danny's prognosis?""Seventy to thirty.""For or against?""Against."The word struck Luke hard, leaving him breathless.He took a moment to regroup.Finally, he could breathe again."I hope your gut instinct is wrong.""So do I.""Thanks for your time."Dr.Lowenstein got up and walked Luke to the door."I hope they catch whoever did this to Danny.That little boy is facing the fight of his life.It's a shame, a damn shame."* * *It was almost five o'clock Saturday evening when Alan threw himself into the beat-up, half-torn leather chair behind his desk and relished the sound of the disapproving squeal.Familiarity.Comfort.At least something in his world was still right side up.There were three other desks in the room, but only one was occupied, and that individual was on the phone, saving Alan from having to explain to yet another person exactly what had happened the night before.He had already gone over the details of the accident scene with his supervisor and the other officers on duty.Unfortunately, they still had no leads.Sue Spencer entered the room with two cups of coffee and set one down in front of Alan."Thought you might need a shot of caffeine.You look like hell."Alan rubbed the day's growth of beard on his chin and frowned as he took a sip of coffee."Jesus, Armando made the coffee again?""He likes it strong.""Remind me to have him make a batch when we want to re-tar the roof."Sue perched her lithe, trim body on the corner of his desk and smiled, but her usually friendly eyes were filled with concern."I thought you were taking the night off.""I might as well be working.I'm not doing any good anywhere else.""How's Danny?"Alan shook his head, feeling his entire body tighten up at the familiar question.The words were beginning to echo like a maddening refrain that wouldn't leave his mind."Not good.""Damn.""You can say that again.I need answers, Spence, and I need them fast.Witnesses, skid marks, anything?""Broken glass, probably from a headlight.That's it.The road is narrow, and there is thick foliage on both sides.No businesses or houses within a hundred yards.Nearest store, Ida's Ice Cream.No one heard a thing.""I know.I drove by there a few minutes ago.Just to see if we missed anything.""So did I, and we didn't.There was nothing to be missed.Danny was struck by the car, apparently hurled at least twenty feet, judging by the position of his body and placement on the road.From the description of his injuries, it appears that the car hit him around the rib cage.His sweatshirt was torn and there were abrasions, possibly cuts from the glass, on his abdomen.He's lucky there wasn't another car coming in the opposite direction or he could have been hit twice.""Lucky," he echoed."What about Christopher?""When he turned around, he saw lights fading in the distance.He ran into the middle of the road, tried to rouse Danny, and flagged down the first car that came.Thank God he didn't panic and leave him in the road.It was too dark for anyone to see anything."Alan drummed his fingers restlessly against his desk.He felt frustrated and angry and wanted desperately to hit something or somebody, preferably the somebody who had driven their car into a little boy and left him for dead on the highway."Visibility was terrible last night," Sue reminded him."I did check with the bus driver.He said he dropped the boys off and warned them to be careful, but he didn't see them cross the road
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