Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 THREE DAYS LATER JANUARY 18, 1919 AROUND 7:00 A.M. BOSTON CITY HOSPITAL "Hello? Are you awake?" Carmen's eyes opened. A woman was holding her hand. Was it Mrs. Grasso?

No. This woman was very young, with red hair and freckles. She was wearing a white cap. A nurse, Carmen realized. "Hello, darling," the nurse said, her Irish accent tickling Carmen's ears. "I knew you were waking up." Carmen looked around. A pink curtain surrounded her bed. She was in a hospital. She tried to sit up, but her leg throbbed in pain. Carmen sucked in her breath. "Don't fuss too much, love," the young nurse said. "You have quite a wound on your leg. Lost yourself quite a lot of blood. Doctors stitched you up, though. You'll be running around soon enough." "How long have I been here?" Carmen asked. Her voice was scratchy. The nurse fluffed Carmen's pillow and straightened her blanket. "Three days."

Three days? How was that possible? Carmen lay back as the nurse took her pulse. "You're in good shape," the nurse said, "compared to some of the others. Who would have ever thought that a molasses tank could explode like that? The whole waterfront is gone, you know. They're going to be cleaning up for months." Carmen's mind was clearing; it was all slowly coming back to her. The shattered tank. The raging river of molasses. The bodies floating by. Carmen sat up and gasped. "Tony!" she blurted out. What had happened to Tony? "Who?" the nurse said. "My friend, my best friend." Just then, someone called from the other side of the room. "Nurse! We need you here!"

"Don't you worry, love," the nurse said to Carmen. "You rest now. I'll be back." And she disappeared through the curtains, leaving Carmen all alone. But she wasn't alone for long. Carmen heard them before she saw them. "I want to see her first!" "No, me!" "You pushed me!" "Did not!" A stampede of little footsteps clattered across the tile floor. The curtains flew open. And the three littlest Grasso kids swarmed around her bed. They all stared at her, six enormous brown eyes. Frankie broke out into a huge grin. He raised his hands up into the air. "She's alive!" he bellowed. Carmen laughed.

Mrs. Grasso came rushing after them, out of breath. She took one look at Carmen and started crying. But her face lit up with a smile even as the tears poured down. Carmen held her breath, afraid to hope. And then, seconds later, another face appeared. Battered. Scraped. Smiling. Tony.