Whippet Tales May 2013 Edition 1 VOL.1, Issue 1, May 2013 | Page 21

“You can visit me.”
“Before or after your heart stops working,” she asked with a harsh laugh.
“Don't think like that.”
“I'll talk to my father. He's a heart surgeon; he'll know what to do.”
Joel grinned. “Your dad's a heart surgeon and you went to thrift stores for your prom
dresses?”
Lila gave him a tearful smile. “You're ridiculous. The thrift stores just happen to have
some of the greatest dresses – one year I found a flamenco dress that I proudly wore to my
junior year of prom. My senior year I wore an 1800s styled dress I found – surprise, surprise – at
a thrift store. And I've gotta be honest, it felt pretty good being able to say that I found a knockout dress for $8.9 9.”
Joel laughed and Lila was sure she hadn't ever heard anything more beautiful. “I'd better
get back in that wheelchair before my mother sees me. She'll kill me if she knows that I got out
of it.”
As she struggled against the pain near her liver, she closed her eyes and counted to ten,
telling herself that she would not be humiliated by being left on the floor beside Joel's bed. She
opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Joel! What are you doing out of bed?”
“Saving the damsel in distress.”
Lila was sure she would die of embarrassment if she was still alive after her mom found
out that she had left her wheelchair. Joel bent down and picked her up, carrying her to her
abandoned wheelchair. “What are you doing? The doctors said no heavy lifting after the
surgery!”
“I'm tough. Besides, you don't weigh much. Just slightly less than a small car,” he said
with a wink.
Lila sighed and shook her head. “Now I know what Buzz meant when he told Woody 'You
are a sad, strange little man and you have my pity.'”
“Are you hinting at something?”
“Of course not, Sir Lancelot. By all means, get yourself killed by trying to carry the
princess around in that armor. Well, then again, it would be kind of funny to see you trip on
your hospital gown.”
“It's hospital garb not gown.”
“What are you afraid of sounding less manly?”
“I do have a reputation to uphold.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Getting back into his hospital bed, he seemed in pain, yet much happier than before. He
gave her a smile but said sternly, “Take care of yourself and make sure you come back to see
21

Whippet Tales 2.0

May 2013