He really does have weird sleeping patterns, Mike thought, staring at his out cold friend—who was still wearing his white coat. Dropping the bag of groceries, Mike lifted his friend up bridal style and carried him to the couch. Reaching out a hand, Mike shook his friend’s shoulder.
“Wake up, Tori. I’m making dinner.” Tori groaned, batting a hand like a lazy kitten. Resting his hands under his head, Tori mumbled something about being awake for 72 hours straight. “You need to eat,” Mike urged. “You’re skinny as a toothpick.”
“Let me starve,” Tori grunted, rolling on his other side. Mike smirked. Wiggling his fingers, Mike tickled Tori’s side. The doctor attacked with a kick, but Mike stepped over to the left. Sitting up, Tori shot Mike a stare that’d kill. “Fine, I’ll eat. Make me some coffee.”
“As you wish, doc,” Mike winked, tying an apron around his business suit. A few minutes later, Mike placed a plate of hot eggs and a cup of black coffee in front of Tori. Gulping down the disgusting brew, Tori stabbed his eggs with a fork. He seemed out of it. The bags under his eyes looked permanent. He wasn’t complaining anymore, but the coffee wasn’t perking his mood up. His eyes were dull, deep in thought.
Clearing his throat, Mike asked, “How’s Sadie? The last time I saw her, she knew about twenty words.”
“She’s fine.”
“She’s keeping you up all night, isn’t she?” Mike said, reaching his hand across the table to brush Tori’s bangs. Tori just drank his coffee. Looking down at his plate, Mike ate a few eggs. “It’s great that she’s getting better. She’ll be back with her family pretty soon.”
“No she won’t!” Tori snapped, shattering his coffee cup on the table. “Cut the sugar and rainbow act, Mike! She’s not coming back!” Tori slapped his hand over his mouth, eyes wide. Mike stared. His fork fell with a clatter. Tori knocked his chair back, losing his balance.
“S-Sadie…her parents entrusted her life on my hands. I can’t stop the disease from spreading…” Tori crumbled. Mike rushed to his side, giving a comforting hand. He’d never thought he’d see his tough friend like this. Then, Mike’s eyes twinkled.
Sadie…there’s one thing we can still do, he thought, hugging Tori. “We can take her to the carnival tomorrow.” Tori grunted and wiggled his way out of Mike’s huge arms. Then, his eyes twinkled too. Gripping Mike’s sleeve between his fingers, he whispered,
“We’ll fulfill her final wish, together.”761Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN97hXRxOD
761Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5HAZllPKM
Mike paced back and forth in front of the hospital’s entrance, plucking imaginary petals in his head. He’s going to get Sadie. He’s not going to get her. He is going to get her. He ran his hands through his hair. Someone, anyone, give me a sign!
The entrance door slid open, and Tori walked out with little Sadie holding his hand. Thank you, Mike sighed, looking up to the sky. He ran up to his white coat friend and gave Sadie a little wave. “They agreed to the idea?”
Tori shrugged, ripping his white coat off and shoving it to Mike. “They didn’t answer.” Getting onto his knees, he gestured Sadie to come to him. “Doctor Tori and his friend Mike are going to take you somewhere,” he chirped, smiling. “Guess where it is? It’s the carnival! You want to go there, don’t you Sadie?”
Little Sadie clapped her hands and twirled around in her little polka-dot dress. She tackled Tori, wrapping her arms around his neck. Hoisting her up, Tori nuzzled his nose against Sadie’s. “You’re a good girl, Sadie. A good, little girl.”
“Good,” Sadie chirped. “Goody good!” Sucking her thumb, she turned her head to look at Mike. “Mike is goody good?”
“Whatever you say,” Mike laughed, rubbing Sadie’s hair. He blushed. Her hair’s as soft as a baby’s. Snapping out of la-la land, he had to tug his orange tie out of her tiny hands. Well, she is a baby. Mike looked at Tori and saw the doctor glaring at him with utmost hate. ‘I bet this is illegal somewhere’, Tori mouthed before nudging his head to Sadie. ‘But, for her sake.’
Mike smiled, pulling Tori into a one-armed hug. Pointing his finger out to the horizon, he announced, “Alright, we better get to the carnival quick before they run out of cotton candy!”
“Candy!” Sadie squeaked.
“Not for you,” Tori said sternly, wagging a finger in front of her face. Sadie coughed, tears welling in her hazel eyes. Lip puckered and turning his head the other way, Tori sighed, “Fine. Only a little bit.”
“Yeah~”
Like the “parents” they pretended to be, Mike and Tori held one of Sadie’s hands as they walked down to the park for the carnival. Like the little daughter Mike always dreamed of, Sadie talked and talked about seeing clowns and the elephants. For Tori; however, little Sadie was like the daughter he wished he could trade away. Rummaging through his pockets, he gave Sadie a dollar bill to get her to be quiet.
When they got to the carnival, Sadie’s eyes lit up like fireworks. Grabbing Mike and Tori’s sleeve, she steered them to the big top where, for the next three hours, they watched the show again and again. The acrobats definitely caught her eyes and she spent half an hour telling Mike and Tori that it was her dream.
“Can I fly through the air too?” she asked, munching on cotton candy and waving Tori’s dollar bill around.
“When you’re older,” Mike said, reaching over Sadie to wake up Tori from la-la land (the bad version).
“Somebody, take my life now,” Tori drooled, lifting a shaking hand to the sky. The three were out of the big top now, and Mike was dragging the brain-dead doctor along. Fed up with his whining, Mike stuffed a caramel apple into Tori’s mouth and followed Sadie around the carnival.
They laughed at their reflections in the fun house, even Tori cracked a smile. They ventured through a maze—with the three getting separated ten minutes later, all in Sadie’s plan. Making a make-shift fire from twigs, Tori turned his caramel apple into a flaming mush on a stick, waving it around like it was a white flag.
“Mike! Sadie! Where are you?!”
In the middle of the maze, Sadie squeaked, “Not over there!” Mike, who was near the end of the maze, brought a hand to his forehead as he took another right corner, seeing the exit dead ahead. Hands in his pocket, he sighed and spun around, going back into the maze to find the two.761Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWpaCdUlxt
“Give me my coat,” Tori hissed, rubbing the bruise on his arm as they walked out the maze, twenty minutes later.761Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaxc4GR5rF
“Waving a flaming treat around is a safety hazard,” Mike said, handing Tori his coat. Tori just glared at Mike with hate as he threw his white coat on. Mumbling something about getting an ice pack, Tori stormed off.
“Did I make him mad?” Sadie asked, eyes watering. “I was only playing.” Mike shook his head, lifting Sadie onto his lap. Hugging her, he whispered into her ear,
“He’s always in a bad mood. Being a doctor stresses him a lot and he doesn’t get the sleep he wants.”
“It’s my fault,” Sadie sniffed, wiping her tears with her sleeve.
“It’s the opposite,” Mike smiled, rubbing Sadie’s head. “Wait here, okay?” Mike got up and rushed over to where a crowd of children were. Within the minute, he returned with a green balloon in his hand. Clapping, Sadie accepted it and gave Mike a hug. There was a cough behind them. Turning around, Mike and Sadie saw Tori with two cones of ice cream in his hands.
Looking away, he chirped, “Here’s some ice cream, Sadie. We have to go back to the hospital.” Walking up to Mike, Tori fitted the pink ice cream cone around Sadie’s tiny fingers. He nuzzled his nose against hers and brushed her bangs away. Little Sadie was fast asleep. Sighing, he wrapped the green balloon’s string around her wrist and stuffed the ice cream into her drooling mouth. Wrapping his white coat around Mike’s shoulders, Tori whispered, “Let’s go.”
Lifting little Sadie up, Tori tucked her underneath the white sheets, putting a hand on her wrist to check her pulse. His bangs were covering his eyes, so Mike couldn’t see his friend’s reaction, if there was any.
“Her pulse is slowing down,” Tori whispered, untying the green balloon from Sadie’s other wrist. Letting it go, the balloon rose and bounced when it hit the ceiling. Pulling a chair by her bed, Tori sat down, gesturing Mike to come closer. Mike tiptoed over to his friend. Tori then gestured Mike to listen, and he did.
Sadie’s soft breathing was getting slower and slower. Clearing his throat, Tori wrapped his hands around Sadie’s, trembling. Shifting her head side to side, Sadie asked, her voice fading, “Do you want…your dollar…back?”
“You keep it. Just…get some sleep,” Tori said, voice cracking. Sadie smiled and nodded.
“Tell…me…a story.”
Pursing his lips, he whispered, “Once upon a time, there was this little girl named Sadie Griffins. Her best friends, Doctor Tori and Mike, took her to the carnival for the day. They ate lots of sweets and saw many cool things. They had a lot of fun and got lost in a maze too. Tori…wanted to give Sadie something she’d remember, so he bought her ice cream. She never had it before, and she liked it. When the sun went down, Mike and Doctor Tori took her home and read her a…bedtime story.” Covering his mouth with his hand, Tori used his other to stroke Sadie’s face.
“When…mom and dad…come?”
“When you wake up, little Sadie,” Tori whispered, bringing his hands to himself. Mike’s eyes twinkled. He put a hand on Tori’s shoulder. Sniffing, Tori mumbled, “Out of all my patients, why her? She’s just a kid.”761Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSwYjHFL6A
