Expecting to see Gordie when Chris rang the doorbell, Sam was unpleasantly surprised when a small, haggard-looking girl answered the door. In one hand, she held a Kleenex, and in the other she held the corner of a purple blanket which trailed behind her like a wedding dress train. Though the look on her face at first was pure annoyance, a different light immediately fell over her features, and her smile brightened her face entirely. "Chris!"

Chris grinned in response. "Toby!" he said back, but put up a hand to stop her when she moved as if to hug him. "Stay away and don't touch me."

She grumbled, "Bastard."

"Hey, I worked hard to get rid of that cold, I don't want it back, especially now that all those germs are covered in your cooties." He saw her scowl and shrugged, taking her hand. "Hell, I can wash my hands thoroughly later."

"Thank you for seeing it my way!" she exclaimed, her smile returning. "Hello, Chris' friend whom I do not know," she said, finally noticing Sam.

"Hello, Chris' girlfriend Toby."

She nudged Chris in the side and whispered, "Why does he know my name but I don't know his? Am I really that sick?"

"This is Sam McRoyan," he told her. "He just moved here from Portland. Don't get him sick."

"You're from Portland?" she asked, her voice raspy and nasally. "Me too! I moved here just about three years ago. Three years of living with Gordie. I don't know how I've survived."

Nodding, polite but reserved, he said, "We've been here for about two weeks."

"I win!" They gave her odd looks. She frowned. "You know…I have seniority over him?"

"What the hell are you doing out of bed?" Chris demanded. "You're being weird again, why aren't you lying down?"

Glaring at him, she said, "Um, maybe because you rang the doorbell."

"Why didn't you let Gordie get it?"

Suddenly Toby looked confused. "Heeey, what did you guys do with Gordie?"

"We didn't have Gordie to begin with!" Chris cried. "What did you do with Gordie?"

"I sent him to go look for you to make you come visit me! He didn't find you?"

"He agreed to just go find me? That seems un-Gordie-like. He hardly ever does anything you ask him to."

"Hey…" Toby's nose scrunched up as she thought deeply. "What the hell was he thinking doing what I told him to do?"

Sam grinned. "I bet we'd find him if we walked over to my house."

Favoring him with a sidelong glance, Chris smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Putting her hand up politely, Toby waited her turn to speak and then announced, "I don't understand."

Chris informed her, "Your cousin likes his sister. He probably just left you as an excuse to go over to Sam's so he could see her."

"The rat fink!" she said.

Squeezing her hand, he asked, "Are you feeling okay enough to walk over to Sam's house? It's just over on Asher."

"If I faint, will you carry me?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"No, but I'll drag you by your hair, how's that?"

"Works for me! Let's go, I've been cooped up in this house for way too long."