“Oh my god" Meg ranted. "Her water just broke!" Margaret" Eve said, "get a grip - and a towel. I'll be there in five minutes." (After her sister is off to the hospital and Meg comes close to hyperventalating) Shouldn't we have called an ambulance or something?" Meg fretted. Oh for heavens sakes," Eve replied. "You don't need an ambulance!" Not for me, Mother for Sierra.”

“Oh, for heaven's sake, Harper, I didn't just pee on the floor. My water broke.''What water?' He blinked, then went pale as a corpse. 'That water. Oh, God. Oh, Jesus. Oh, shit. Sit. Sit, or... I'll get-'An ambulance. The marines.'My mother.”

“The other package has pieces of dried stag stick. The pups like chewing on those.""What's a stag stick?" Meg asked, taking the packages.He stared at her for a moment. Then he put a fist below his belt and popped out a thumb."Oh," Meg said. "Oh.”

“The Last Words of My English GrandmotherThere were some dirty platesand a glass of milkbeside her on a small tablenear the rank, disheveled bed--Wrinkled and nearly blindshe lay and snoredrousing with anger in her tonesto cry for food,Gimme something to eat--They're starving me--I'm all right--I won't goto the hospital. No, no, noGive me something to eat!Let me take youto the hospital, I saidand after you are wellyou can do as you please.She smiled, Yesyou do what you please firstthen I can do what I please--Oh, oh, oh! she criedas the ambulance men liftedher to the stretcher--Is this what you callmaking me comfortable?By now her mind was clear--Oh you think you're smartyou young people,she said, but I'll tell youyou don't know anything.Then we started.On the waywe passed a long rowof elms. She looked at themawhile out ofthe ambulance window and said,What are all thosefuzzy looking things out there?Trees? Well, I'm tiredof them and rolled her head away.”

“Hey, Mikey? You get her hurt and I'll end you.""You let anything happen to Eve and I'll do the same," Michael said. He'd just finished kissing Eve, too. "While you're at it, don't get yourself killed, either, bro.""Ditto. And don't kiss me.”

“Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, "You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don't," and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.”