it was just the four of us now , and we were all an emotional wreck . i actually liked you kids , he said . she said , and i could hear her smile over the line . her breathing was growing labored , each breath coming out as a gasp . no , theyre locked up on the weekends . up until yesterday there had been a steady rush of activity to distract pearl from the long wait . we 're going to make this relationship work . '' 