He was awake but listless.“Hey, Buddy.” Steven stopped and grinned down at the boy. “I’ve come to make a deal with you.” “No pills,” the small voice said. Steven smiled. “No pills. I want you to sleep and rest as much as you can today and if... if you can eat as much of your lunch as possible, I think we’ll be able to sneak you to the park later on.” The eyes widened. “With Rach?” Steven nodded. “Yep with Rachel. Marie and Connie will be there as well as a few of my friends.” Ricky smiled. “Okay. I’ll eat it all, if I can.” “Excellent! I’ll come see you later to see how you did.” The child nodded and closed his eyes. * Rachel rushed to Steven’s car at the park and helped him get the chair out. She smiled as he picked Ricky up and placed him in the chair, then watched silently as he hung the IV bag on the short pole. “Ready to go Buddy?” Ricky nodded and grinned at her. “I ate and napped all day, Doc said I had to so I could come.”
