She gathered Gail into the boneless cradle of her curved arms.
Regina took her sunglasses out of her purse and hid her eyes. "Mind your own damned business," she told Mrs. Baden and me.
"It is our damned business," I whispered to Mrs. Baden, and she held my arm as we followed Regina down the hall.
Mrs. His-tara threaded her way through a cordon of other Hisereans who must have been flown in for the occasion. I couldn't see the children, but I could hear them.
"Him cold!" said Gail. "Him scared!"
"He's scared of you," Regina said. "We're sorry, Gail. Tell him we're sorry. We didn't understand."
Gail laughed. A loud and healthy laugh.
"Gail sorry," she said. "Me thought you was to eat."
There was a small sound. I thought it was from Hi-nin and I held Mrs. Baden's hand as though it were my only link to a sane world.
"Dat a joke," Gail said. "Hi-nin 'posed to laugh!"