Good Intentions

Chapter four

     Dee blinked in surprise for a moment. Couldn't the others hear the herd talking to them? Couldn't they see the majestic and powerful beast Standing and protecting constantly?
     "You know! The herd...the one that follows me around. They're my family! Can't you see them? They're bison and buffalo and they protect me and talk to me always!"
     She stroked one of their furry heads beside her, smiling at the snort of approval she got in response. Dee looked at the group.
     "See? They're happy! But they want me to return home to the wild plains with them. We are family after all."
     Dee glanced at Eloise but was disappointed to find her nose stuck in a book. Eloise saw them didn't she? She hadn't asked before when Dee talked about the herd, or...had she?
It was a complete surprise to Dee that they hadn't seen or heard the herd, even though she had asked many people before, she couldn't remember. They were so real to her.
     She was only briefly distracted from the banging noise echoing through the room before she looked to Westlyn with sparkling, begging eyes.
     "You see and hear them, don't you?" You think it's a good idea to leave with the herd, right? "
     She asked hopefully, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips.
     "L-leave? F-family sticks together!"
     He laughed, shrugging his shoulders and even jumping a touch.
     Raina cocked an eyebrow, observing Westlyn's sudden burst of energy.
     "Yeah...um...I'm gonna head to the game room. Lillian, you down?"
     "Yeah. You coming Eloise?"
     "I suppose I can leave my station and exit with you all to the so called game room instead of waiting for Sophie to arrive."
     "Yeah yeah we get it. Daily chess match that your life depends on. Got it."
     "That was surly not my intention I was trying to pass along."
     Eloise lifted her head slightly and furrowed her eyebrows together.
     ""I was joking, chill out Eloise."
Raina laughed.
    "I am actually quite warm at the moment."
Lillian sighed and quietly facepalmed herself as Eloise slid out of her seat.
     "Would you like to come w-with? You c-can tell me about your herd-herd..."
     Westlyn coughed, making an attempt to shoo away his stutter even though in the back of his mind he knew it was no use.
     He honestly hoped that she didn't mind, but he truly couldn't help it.
     "Wait, where's daxton?"
Raina asked, giving her pants a tug at the belt loops to pull them up.
     "Work, probably."
Lillian answered, pushing open the game room door and taking a look around.
     Dee rubbed her left arm and looked around at her herd wondering what they were thinking about at the moment. They weren't speaking to her at the moment and she hoped they weren't mad.
     She was grateful for Westlyn's kindness and calm nature at the moment though. She likes him so far and hoped to get to know him better! A small part of her felt lighter and happier hearing his laugh and...even his stutter. She found quite adorable!
     Dee smiled at the thought of the game room. A whole room just for games?! Had she been in a game room...had she played games? Of course she had! Duh! She just...couldn't remember which ones or how...
     "Of course I'll come!"
She replied enthusiastically to Westlyn's request. She could remember games if she didn't remember and she could talk to westlyn!
     "And I can tell you about the her too! They'd be more than happy to share as well...I think?"
Dee hopped up and shuffled quickly over next to her new friend smiling. She gave herself a quick squeeze before listening to What Raina smirked Lillian were saying.
      "Who's Daxton?"
She asked excitedly, staring at the two.
     "Is he another one of your friends? Is he nice? Have...I met him? Or have I just met you guys? I don't think I've met him, maybe I have? Maybe you guys have met him?"
     She looked around seriously, not realizing that they would have had to have met him in order to know who he was and wonder why he wasn't there.
     A part of her hoped she hadn't met him since she enjoyed meeting new people most of all and she'd met so many today, and she didn't want it to end quite yet. She didn't remember meeting new people when she was younger. She just remembered...Dee shuddered quickly unknowing the reason.
     "No I doubt it. Daxton is kinda a loner but I guess you can consider him nice."
     Raina sniffed her nose to the dusty scent of the game room. The only electronic game was an old air hockey table, the rest being board games or a ripped twister set. The monopoly game was missing cards and characters so only a maximum of three could play at a time.
     Eloise blamed maverick for that one, because he had threatened to swallow the shoe- otherwise known as Eloise's favorite piece- if she didn't give him what he wanted. Of course the request was denied, the piece was swallowed, and maverick ended up in critical care with a broken rib, a shoe monopoly piece lodged in his throat, and a black eye. Only one, of which, wasn't given to him strictly by Eloise herself.
     Madelyn was unfortunate enough to not have been able to get the piece out, nor did Eloise want it back after it came out the other end, so she blames the incident on why she refuses to play monopoly anymore. Luckily, maverick learned his lesson and hasn't tried to blackmail his way into swallowing one of Eloise's chess pieces.
     Anyways, the group made their way inside and westlyn coughed as a dust bunny gently floated down from the ceiling fan and rested atop of his nose. Raina fires up the air hockey machine and snatched a puck out of its container.
     "Who's up for a match?"
She grinned wildly and bit her bottom lip, glancing around the room. Eloise obviously sat down at one of her chess tables, opening her book to the correct page, and slowly beginning to drag her finger across the paper to find her place. There was already a couple patients inside, but two were building a train set with missing pieces and the other was chewing on a corner to a puzzle he hadn't finished yet.
     "I'm gonna try and dust or something. I can already feel my sinuses acting up."
     Lillian frowned, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she eyed the room.