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into Maybelline’s forehead!”
    Both relatives stopped struggling.  They stared in unison at the young girl.
    Grandmomma Edith asked, “What can we do to help?”
    “For starters, quit fighting!” He pointed at the skinny guy. “You go with my partner and help him lift our stretcher into this place.  Then stay outside.  We don’t need any more trouble!”
    “Hey now!” the skinny man started to protest. “This is my home!  You can’t be telling me when I can or can’t be coming out of my own home!”
    “You do as he says, Virgil, you useless piece of shit!  Now get!” snarled Grandmomma Edith.
    Drifts followed him out with a smirk. “I guess she told him.”
    “Who was that?” Ramirez asked.
    “That there’s Virgil Thompkins.  He’s Maybelline’s uncle.”
    “And is he . . .”
    “Curse me for a damned fool, but he’s probably the one who seeded her with child.  They were close up till seven or eight months ago when something changed.  After that, she didn’t want nothing to do with him.  I think we all suspected something but I guess we were afraid to ask.”
    Ramirez nodded then looked at Justin. “Go ahead and see if you can get another line before we load her up.”
    He took a few minutes to get some more logistical information.  By then, Drifts had returned.  Justin looked up from the girl’s arm. “I can’t get it!”
    “It’s okay.  Let me see.”   Ramirez reached over and felt the placement of the needle.  Grabbing it with two fingers, he angled it slightly and slid it forward.  He felt the familiar pop of the vein and blood oozed into the IV hub. “There you go.”
    “Whoa,” said Justin, “That was amazing.”
    Ramirez shrugged. “I’ve done it once or twice.  Go ahead and secure it for now; we’ll spike a second bag in the rig.”  He quickly felt her carotid.  It was weaker. “We need to get her going now.”
    “Where are you taking her?” asked Grandmomma Edith.
    “Memorial is the best place for her,” said Ramirez.
    “What about Children’s?” she asked.
    Ramirez shook his head. “They don’t do deliveries there, especially of this nature.”
    “Oh.  No, I’d imagine not.”
    The three of them used the sheets Maybelline was lying on like a hammock to carry her through the narrow hallway to their stretcher.   Drifts elevated her feet on the stretcher to promote higher blood pressure to her core.  Moments later, with Justin carrying their medical bags, the two partners swiftly carried her and the stretcher down the stairs and up the driveway to their ambulance.
    The crowd, which had amassed even more onlookers thanks to their rig, parted a respectable distance as they passed by.  Many of them called, “Get better girl!” or “We’ll be praying!”  They swiftly closed ranks behind them.
    Once inside Justin stowed the medical bags in their compartments and joined Ramirez in the back.  While spiking her second bag of saline Ramirez said, “Sam, do you think you can get out of here, okay?”
    Taking a moment to look over the map book he said, “I think so.  I was just about to-”
    His words ceased as the passenger side door opened and Virgil stepped up into Ramirez’s seat.  Drifts voice was artic. “And what do you think that you’re doing?”
    Virgil put on the seatbelt as he answered, “I’m riding to the hospital with you.”
    Drifts reached over and pressed the release button of Virgil’s seatbelt. “No, you aren’t.  I don’t take passengers.”
    “She’s my niece.  Her family should be there for her,” Virgil said as he re-clamped his seatbelt.
    Again Drifts pressed the button. “From what I heard, you did enough for her already.  Now get the fuck out of my truck!”
    Ramirez came forward and poked his head into the compartment. “What’s going on?  We need to go now!”
    Drifts pointed a thumb at the passenger seat’s occupant. “This goomba wants to ride to the fucking hospital with us.”
    Ramirez