Stand By Me.

Chapter 4: Poker Night part 1.

        "Please Dr. DiMargot, I'm begging you." I plead with Dr. DiMargot. She leans against the counter and sighs.

        "I'm not sure Henri. I really think you should get your rest for tomorrow. Their games can run pretty late sometimes." She says.

        "I'll be back in bed, asleep by 10:30. Please." I say. I'm begging her like she's my mother. She hangs her head in defeat.

        "Fine. Fine. But if you're exausted tomorrow, don't blame me." She says, wheeling my wheelchair over to me. I grab my bag of bets off of the side table. She lifts me up and into it. I'm telling you, those two legs probably weighed like 20 pounds each or something. I'm light as a feather now. She starts pushing me down the hall but I stop the wheels with my hands. "Henri, be more careful! You could skin your hands that way!" She scolds.

        "I can do it. If I can't wheel my own damn wheelchair, then what the hell can I do?" I ask angrily. She sighs again.

        "Turn left out of the door, go all the way down the hall, then make a right. They should be right there. Remember, back my 10:30." She says. I nod, and start wheeling myself down with one hand, pulling my IV along with the other. I get stopped abruptly. I turn around to see Milo holding the handles of my chair.

        "I see you're going to poker night." He says smugly.

       "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." I say as flirtaciously as I can. I sound like a pedophile.

        "I think it's a safe bet that you are." He says leaning over the side of my chair, looking at me.

        "Yes, I am. Now let me go, I can wheel myself." I say sternly. He starts running with the wheel chair in front, making it do wheelies. I shriek like a toddler. "MILOOOO! STOP OH MY GOD!" I say while scream laughing. He's laughing too.

        "NOT A SHOT IN HELL HENRIETTA!!!" He scream laughs back. He slows down to a stop in front of a table occupied by 3 other cancerous teenagers. Two boys and a girl. We are laughing, out of breath. All the other patients give us weird looks. There's a girl who looks Columbian, very tall, very curvy, very pretty. Dark skin, long black hair, big brown eyes, eye lashes that stretch on forever. You wouldn't even guess she was a cancer kid if it wasn't for the dark bags under her eyes, tangled hair, and IV sticking out of her wrist. She's wearing some black sweatpants and a pink hoodie, with the hood over her head and right sleeve rolled up so her IV will stay in. She's wearing some purple fluffy socks. One boy is completely bald, although it's a safe bet he was blonde before. He has pretty blue eyes, and buck teeth. He's pretty tall, and aside from the teeth, isn't bad looking. He's wearing some plaid, flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt, as well as some slippers that look like they belong to an old man. Again, an IV, which is no longer a big shock to me.The other boy has just small sprout of black hair, clear tan skin, and narrow brown eyes. I'm guessing he's of some kind of Pacific Island decent. He's probably the cutest out of the group, not counting Milo. He's wearing some blue sweat pants, a darker blue hoodie (both sleeves rolled up, IV in right arm) and plain white socks. I look over at Milo. He's still wearing a hospital gown, but with some red sweatpants underneath. He's barefoot, but wearing his Hakuna Matata beanie. I'm only in my night gown. No slippers or socks, or feet for that matter. I feel like a fish out of water.

        "My lovely Henrietta, this is my wonderful group of poker buddies and fellow awesome people. The most awesome in all of Reggie, besides me, of course." He says.

        "Reggie?" I ask.

        "Short for Reginald Jones. Kinda a mouthful. And don't listen to Milo, he's an idiot. I'm Sabrina, you are, Henrietta?" The pretty Columbian girl, now known as Sabrina asks.

        "No, just Henri. It's not even short for Henrietta, he just added that on because he's an odd duck." I say.

        "A very odd duck indeed. I'm Freddy." The blonde boy says, out reaching a hand. I slowly shake it.

        "And in case you're interested, I'm Ernie." The cute boy says, shaking my hand.

        "Like Burt and Ernie, from Seasame Street?" I laugh out, feeling exceptionally socially awkward.

        "No, more like Ernie, short for Ernest, like Ernest Hemmingway?" He laughs out.

        "Oh, that makes more sense." I say.

        "Don't worry, you're not the first person to make the Burt and Ernie comparison. I find it strange how this day in age, people find it more believable that my parents are just super mega-fans of Seasame Street than lovers of fine literature." He laughs. He's charming, but I don't know, I'm not feeling anything romantic there, which is a shame, because that boy is smokin'.

        "Hi, I'm Milo, you look familiar. Have we met?" Milo says shaking my hand. I laugh, and small trickles of giggling come from Sabrina, Freddy, and Ernie.

        "You know, you do look a little familiar, come to think of it. I think I saw this guy once, he had a totally sweet ass, who kinda looked like you. Small world." I fire back. That gets some uncontrollable laughter.

        Milo laughs as well. "Alright, alright, enough giggling, time to play. Freddy, your turn to shuffle. Let's get this party started."