he stopped in mid-sentence and stared at imaginary beings in the room . my head fought for surface , fought for air , but every last strength in me was gone . sal remained where he was , wondering what the hell was happening . `` i was there , just in case things got too out of hand and i would need to protect him . '' i know why you left in such a hurry and i ca n't blame you . '' this time , i was n't really sure what else to say . 