Maggie rubbed her bloated belly. "He's at the apartment alone, but Juju will get home around ten o'clock. He's pretty independent for his age. Not that he has a choice. Juju and I both have to work if we want to live in that Dumpster of ours."

Colby leaned over and put his arm around the back of her chair. "You're a kind person, Maggie. Not many people would've taken on the burden of a child that wasn't theirs."

"Seth is mine. I've had him since he was four years old. He was just a baby. Poor little guy has been through a lot. We both have. But in the end, we have each other," Maggie said.

Colby kissed Maggie on the cheek. The intimate setting of the restaurant made her feel like she was someone other than herself, someone normal. For a moment, she got lost in the feeling that she was free to do as she pleased. But soon enough, the image of Rock popped into her head, bringing her back to her present circumstances, and she felt powerless. The realization that she didn't even have the freedom to love a man shattered her mood.

Maggie edged away from Colby to put some distance between them.

Sensing that something was wrong, Colby shifted away from her. "I'm sorry. Did I say something that upset you?"

"No, it's just that this whole spaghetti dinner was great and all, but at the end of the day, I still sell my body to other men. I mean, I know you would never be with someone like me, but sometimes I get the feeling that you want to be closer..." She let the words swirl in the air.

"You're right. I do want to get closer to you," Colby admitted.

"That isn't going to happen, Colby," Maggie informed him.

"Why? Why can't it happen?" he asked sadly.

"I just told you why. Because my life doesn't belong to me. Just imagine seeing other men coming or going when you come to visit me at Rock's apartment. How would you be able to handle that?"

"I don't know that I could," Colby confessed.

"Well, that's exactly why nothing can happen between us," she said firmly.

"You might be right. But this can't be your life forever, Maggie. At some point, you have to get away from all of this. You're a beautiful, smart woman. You deserve better, and the sooner you begin to break away, the quicker you'll have a life of your own," Colby said.

"Are you here to rescue me?" Maggie countered. She looked at him warmly. "No, you aren't, because we both know there's more to it than just walking away from all of it. I'd need protection, and so would Juju, Seth, and my family. For now, it's just too difficult. Someday, maybe, but not now."

Colby knew that she was right. Now was not the time. But soon, he hoped, the agency would bring Rock and his crew down, and Maggie would finally be free.

"You're right. Now isn't the right time. But that's what we're working to fix. You and I will bring these assholes to their knees, and then you'll have your chance to be and do whatever you want. I promise you that, and I-"

"Never break a promise," Maggie recited, finishing his sentence for him.

"That's right. I never break a promise," Colby said with certainty.

On the bus back to Kensington, Maggie realized that she'd fooled herself into believing that she was capable of having a relationship. Her desire to live a normal life and to be with Colby had muddied her judgment. During dinner, as Maggie observed the other "normal" couples sitting around them, she'd had a moment of clarity and knew she couldn't put Colby in danger with Rock. It was in that fleeting moment that Maggie decided to push Colby away until the day came when her life was her own. Then she wondered if that day would ever exist.

Chapter One Hundred Eighteen.

When Maggie walked into her apartment later that night, the scene was chaotic. Juju was crouched over Seth, who was hugging the toilet and barfing violently.

Maggie rushed into the small bathroom. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. When I got home, he was complaining that he felt sick to his stomach and was cold and achy. Then, all of a sudden, he got out of bed and ran in here," Juju explained.

Maggie took over and knelt beside Seth as he continued to throw up. She stayed with him until he felt well enough to get back into bed.

"I'm freezin' Aggie," Seth told her through chattering teeth.

Maggie knew he had a fever. She could tell by how hot he was when she helped him back to the mattress. "Does anything else bother you?" she asked as she layered shabby blankets and towels over him.

"My whole body hurts," he cried, "and my throat feels puffed up inside."

"Juju, can you get the aspirin out of the drawer?" Maggie asked.

It wasn't until two hours later that Seth finally settled down and went to sleep.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Juju finally asked.

"He's got the flu. I sure as hell hope the two of us don't get it. That jerk-off, Rock, would probably make us work even if we were on our deathbeds," Maggie remarked.

Juju giggled. "Yeah, he's such a dick. Hell, he made me work right after he cut off my fingers. I quickly became known as the eight-fingered dealer."

At that statement, Maggie stopped what she was doing and looked at Juju.

"You're so freakin' sick," Maggie bantered.

The two girls fell into laughter, and eventually Maggie told Juju about her dinner with Colby.

"So you really like him, don't you?" Juju asked.

"Yeah, I do. But there's no way I can get with somebody now. Colby admitted he wouldn't be able to handle knowing the stuff I have to do for a living. I can't blame him," Maggie said a bit defensively.

"Hey," Juju said, holding up her hands, "I'm not judging anyone. I'm a gay, eight-fingered, drug dealer. Need I say more? Judging ain't my thing," she teased.

"Yeah, speaking of gay, how's that girl you met? Are you still into her?"

Juju's face brightened. "Oh, I'm into her, all right. I think I'm falling in love, actually. She's smokin' hot. She's knows I ain't ever gotten with anyone yet, and she's not pressuring me or nothing. We hook up, but I'm proud to say we haven't done it yet," Juju offered.

"So, when do I get to meet her?" Maggie asked.

"Not until I know it's serious. Plus, it feels kind of weird, like I'm bringin' her home to meet 'mom' or something," Juju joked.

"Whatever, you smelly brat. You're so nasty. I would love to meet her when you're ready. I'm not trying to rush you, and it doesn't bother me a bit that you have another life that Seth and I know nothing about. Or that you're out with some strange woman who could be a rapist or a serial killer. Nope, doesn't bother me one little bit," Maggie sang.

"Ugh. OK, well, I'll see how it goes," Juju said.

Maggie turned serious. "Did she say anything about your hands?"

"Oh, you mean the fact that one day I showed up and only had eight fingers left? She sorta freaked the fuck out the first time she saw it. But she knows I deal, and she knows all about Rock. So, I think she's cool with it now; probably cooler with it than I am," she said regretfully.

That night, as Maggie lay on the mattress next to Seth, she thought about Colby. She hoped to be in love someday and even have a family. Then her thoughts floated to Rock, and the peaceful feeling washed away in a wave of anger. She had a chance at love with Colby, and in her mind, Rock was forcing her to pass it up. She boiled over with hatred toward Rock for the things he'd done to all of them. Then her eagerness to help Colby shut Rock down swelled inside of her, and it made her feel powerful. Maggie was getting her first little taste of sweet revenge.

To Maggie's disappointment, Seth was still burning up with fever the next morning. He was no longer vomiting, mainly because there was nothing left in him to vomit. He continued to complain about nausea, though. Over the years, Maggie had read several medical books. She knew that if Seth had the flu, his body would eventually heal itself. However, his suffering was unbearable for her, and she decided to make him as comfortable as possible.

"Juju?" Maggie said loudly to wake her up.

"Wha...what? What time is it?" Juju grumbled.

"It doesn't matter what time it is. Seth feels like crap, and I need you to run down to the store and buy a couple of things. Come on, hurry and get dressed," Maggie said.

By the time Juju left the apartment, Maggie was holding Seth up in a hot shower. He was complaining of body pain and a terrible headache. "I feel like there's a rat in my head sticking his teeth into my brain," Seth said.

"I know baby. We're gonna make you feel better," Maggie consoled him.

Just then, Juju walked through the apartment door, "I got all the shit on your list. Now can I go back to sleep?"

"No, I need your help."

Juju warmed a cup of water and mixed in the salt and baking soda, just as Maggie had instructed. When Maggie filled the bulb syringe with the liquid, Juju's eyes grew wide. "Ew, what are you going to do with that?"

"We're going to irrigate his nose," Maggie said nonchalantly.

"I'm not doing squat with that thing," Juju said, taking a step away from the syringe as if it had cooties.

Maggie gave her a scolding look. "I need you to help him sit up and hold him still for me. Jesus, Juju, don't be such a freak," she added.

Seth cried and struggled as Maggie shot the lukewarm solution up his nose, but he was too weak to fight both girls, and he finally gave in. When they were finished, Maggie applied a warm, damp towel to his head and continued to do so throughout the day. She had hoped that he would improve by the next morning and was surprised when he said that he felt the same as he had the night before.

Each morning during Seth's illness, Maggie left Juju at the apartment and she walked to his school. First, she'd meet Joey for a few minutes and then she'd let the school administrator know that Seth was ill. She was trying to prevent the school from calling Rock to report Seth's absence. To her disappointment, the administrator showed no sign of caring that Seth wasn't well and that he would miss school.

Six long days later, Seth still couldn't get out of bed. That's when Maggie lost her cool. Her stomach was in knots, and she couldn't get Seth out of her mind for a minute. She felt utterly helpless, just as she had so many years ago whenever John William would take Seth away from her for several hours. Quickly, her concern turned to unchecked worrying, which was driving Juju and her crazy.

"I don't understand it, Juju," Maggie whispered in the bathroom behind the closed door. "He should be getting better. He still has a fever. I think he needs to see a doctor, but the only one we know who can see him without asking a bunch of questions is Dr. Purse. But you know what that means, right?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, we have to ask that dipshit, Rock, to help us out. I think we should wait a little. I mean, at least Seth can eat a tiny bit of food now. He stopped throwing up, and his nausea is a lot less. I think we should give it a couple more days. If he still has a fever, then maybe we can talk to Rock about taking Seth to Dr. Purse," Juju said.

Maggie gave it careful thought before she responded. "OK, we'll give it two more days. If his fever doesn't start to go down, I'm going to talk to Rock."

"He's such a dick," Juju commented.

"I know he is, but we have to do whatever it takes to make sure Seth gets better," Maggie mumbled, more to herself than to Juju.

Maggie worried about the price they'd have to pay for asking Rock for another favor. Then she lay on the mattress next to Seth and stroked his hair while she hummed "Rock-a-Bye Baby" softly in his ear as he drifted deeper into sleep.

Chapter One Hundred Nineteen.

Two days later, Seth was sitting upright and joking with Maggie and Juju. After nine days, his high fever had finally broken that morning. The girls were relieved to see him feeling better. He looked weak and frail, but Maggie knew that with food and rest, he'd feel better within days.

"Fuck, man, I'm glad Seth feels better. I was really worried about him," Juju finally admitted.

"I know. These past nine days have really sucked. Between work and taking care of Seth, I'm totally beat. All I want to do is sleep," Maggie commented.

Slowly, Seth was beginning to feel himself again. He went back to school, and he even surprised the girls one evening by heating up frozen pizza for dinner. He'd been getter stronger, and on the third day after his recovery, Joey showed up at the apartment in the late morning.

Maggie answered the door. "Joey? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?"

The young girl looked pale and nervous. "Seth is sick. He fell down in the hall on his way to math class. I couldn't wake him up. The nurse came and got him, and he's in her office. You need to come now 'cause they don't have a phone number to call you. The nurse asked me to come and get you."

Maggie shot out the door, still in her pajamas, and ran to the school with Joey. In the nurse's office, Seth was lying on a small cot. Maggie rushed over to him.

"Are you OK? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Aggie. I just got really tired, and then I was asleep in the hallway," Seth reported.

"He passed out," the nurse, Mrs. Booker, interjected. "Went completely unconscious, but he tells me that he was pretty sick the last week or so," she stated as she did a quick assessment of Maggie. Exceptionally exquisite was what ran through Mrs. Booker's thoughts as she gave Maggie the once-over.

"Yeah, he had the flu for over a week. He wasn't able to eat or drink much. He's been feeling better over the last three days," Maggie explained.

Mrs. Booker considered the information. "Maybe he's just dehydrated. I think you should take him home and make sure he eats and drinks lots and lots of fluids. I want you to buy Gatorade on the way home. That will work well for him."

Mrs. Booker paused. She watched Maggie stroking Seth's hair. The nurse had seen a lot over the last twenty years...broken families, abusive parents, unruly children. But she was intrigued by the genuine love and adoration Seth and Maggie seemed to have for one another. It's refreshing to see a brother and sister so close, Mrs. Booker thought. There were so many unhappy people in Kensington-many born into the hardness of poverty. Hopelessness and joblessness were the mantras in this town, and those two factors often brought out the worst in people.

Mrs. Booker had seen Maggie on the streets about a year ago, hooking. Maggie had a look and grace about her that was hard to miss and impossible to forget. The nurse figured that Maggie was prostituting to keep a roof over Seth's head. With that, Mrs. Booker knew very well, came heartache and pain.

Mrs. Booker watched as Maggie mothered the sick child. How lucky the boy is to have a sister with so much compassion, she decided. The nurse cleared her throat, and Maggie looked over at her. Mrs. Booker motioned with her index finger for Maggie to follow her into a tiny office. She closed the door behind them and turned to Maggie.

"I want you to take this," Mrs. Booker said, handing Maggie ten dollars.

Maggie's eyes revealed her embarrassment and relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I want you to buy him Gatorade and make sure he eats, too. I can see that the two of you are very close. He's lucky to have a big sister like you," Mrs. Booker commented.

"Seth's the most important person in my life. I'd do anything for him," Maggie said.

Mrs. Booker softly patted Maggie on the shoulder. "You're a sweet girl. You listen to me: if Seth has any more problems, I want you to come back and see me. Keep a close eye on him. I took his temperature, and he doesn't have fever, so I really think he is just dehydrated. If there's anything I can do to help, you come and see me, hear?"

Maggie nodded. Before leaving the nurse's office with Seth, Maggie said, "Mrs. Booker?"

"Yes, dear?"