After a few hours...
After a while, Boss woke up again. This time, he was in another one of those cells like back at the other place. But his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw something. There, standing in front of him, was Caitlin.
"What the heck are you doing here, Caitlin?" Boss shouted. "What?" she replied. "You came to save my life?" he cried. "Oh, Caitlin! I love you so much!" "What the he-" she started, but Boss was hugging her. And pretty soon, that hug turned into him burying his face in her fur on her stomach and started crying with tears of joy.
But that stopped fairly soon. Caitlin was a hallucination. It was one of the worst things he could probably imagine: it was actually Mike. Boss took this by surprise and jumped to the other side of the room in a heart beat. The tears that came down earlier turned into tears of fear. "What the he-" he muttered but was interrupted. "You had a hallucination, I guess. Uh..." There was that thought again that he had outside. There was only one thing that he could do. This kid is more scared of me than a hundred cats, Mike thought. He's not gonna do anything but look at me like that if I don't do something. He's just gonna have hatred every time he sees me and it was obvious of that. The only thing bigger than hatred is that fear of his. Look at the kid! He's tougher than a rock and it hurts him just to see me come up to him! Maybe I should try to do what Stella told me to do. Heh, and if it doesn't work, he'll have to suck it up, even if he doesn't like it!
He gulped and walked toward him. Boss cringed when he grabbed his wrist. Mike found the pulse and noticed it was racing. He sighed and said, "Kid, you're gonna die of a heart attack." He gave Mike a look and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to get into a conversation with Mike. He didn't want anything to happen.
Mike stared for a while. He sighed and mumbled, "Kid, you're gonna have to get over this. You're friends aren't coming." Boss looked up and muttered, "You're not serious, are you?" "I am serious," he replied. "They can't get away from their humans. They don't want to come all the way for one like you. They think it's not important enough." Mike knew he was lying, but he didn't seem to know. Boss looked down and realized the same thing even though Mike wasn't for sure they were coming. He knew he was going to get the conversation he wanted out of Boss. But it so turned out he wasn't going to get anything out. He demanded, "Leave me alone for a while. You can talk to me later."
Mike didn't want to leave, but he did. But he waited in front of the door. He could hear the moans of Boss as he tried to stop from realizing what Mike had said. Pretty soon, he was practically screaming at how unfair the world was. "It's not fair!" he cried over and over. It hurt to hear something like what Mike had said. "They're not coming! They're not coming! They are not COMING!!!"
Mike tried to stay in place. The truth was Mike hadn't noticed the saying was true. Stella said it over and over to him for the past week and one day saying, "There is at least a little good in all evil, and I mean it, Mike. Some things I just can't stand to hear. You haven't heard it, but I've heard the cries before. It would make you sick." Stella was really correct about the cries. It was making him sick.
After a while, Mike got tired of it. There was no sympathy. Stella was coming down the hallway. She heard the loud moans and checked with Mike what it was. "Oh," Stella murmured. "Ya know, I have to ask and I've an idea what you're gonna say. But do you feel at least a little sympathy? And my answer is yes. I can't stand it. I dunno if it's because I'm a girl and you're not." "No, I don't feel anything," Mike replied. "I guess it is because you're a girl. Girls are more emotional about that stuff than guys are."
Stella still didn't understand Mike. She didn't know what to say about him. It was as if the only thing he watched and tried to keep in place was Boss. She almost thought she was forgotten. But, in Mike's mind, Stella was just as important as anyone else that ever walked on the face of the earth. Actually, in no one else's mind except Stella's, she was a little jealous of Mike's new soon-to-be ASSistant.
Stella asked Mike, "Hey, you wanna forget about him and play some pool? We'll have a better time." He looked around and knew there was no excuse. "I guess so," Mike replied. "Who's gonna play?" "You and me," Stella remarked, knowing that was the only way to get peace. "We can play on the pool table in my room." "Sure," Mike remarked and the two started on their way.
After a while, Boss woke up again. This time, he was in another one of those cells like back at the other place. But his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw something. There, standing in front of him, was Caitlin.
"What the heck are you doing here, Caitlin?" Boss shouted. "What?" she replied. "You came to save my life?" he cried. "Oh, Caitlin! I love you so much!" "What the he-" she started, but Boss was hugging her. And pretty soon, that hug turned into him burying his face in her fur on her stomach and started crying with tears of joy.
But that stopped fairly soon. Caitlin was a hallucination. It was one of the worst things he could probably imagine: it was actually Mike. Boss took this by surprise and jumped to the other side of the room in a heart beat. The tears that came down earlier turned into tears of fear. "What the he-" he muttered but was interrupted. "You had a hallucination, I guess. Uh..." There was that thought again that he had outside. There was only one thing that he could do. This kid is more scared of me than a hundred cats, Mike thought. He's not gonna do anything but look at me like that if I don't do something. He's just gonna have hatred every time he sees me and it was obvious of that. The only thing bigger than hatred is that fear of his. Look at the kid! He's tougher than a rock and it hurts him just to see me come up to him! Maybe I should try to do what Stella told me to do. Heh, and if it doesn't work, he'll have to suck it up, even if he doesn't like it!
He gulped and walked toward him. Boss cringed when he grabbed his wrist. Mike found the pulse and noticed it was racing. He sighed and said, "Kid, you're gonna die of a heart attack." He gave Mike a look and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to get into a conversation with Mike. He didn't want anything to happen.
Mike stared for a while. He sighed and mumbled, "Kid, you're gonna have to get over this. You're friends aren't coming." Boss looked up and muttered, "You're not serious, are you?" "I am serious," he replied. "They can't get away from their humans. They don't want to come all the way for one like you. They think it's not important enough." Mike knew he was lying, but he didn't seem to know. Boss looked down and realized the same thing even though Mike wasn't for sure they were coming. He knew he was going to get the conversation he wanted out of Boss. But it so turned out he wasn't going to get anything out. He demanded, "Leave me alone for a while. You can talk to me later."
Mike didn't want to leave, but he did. But he waited in front of the door. He could hear the moans of Boss as he tried to stop from realizing what Mike had said. Pretty soon, he was practically screaming at how unfair the world was. "It's not fair!" he cried over and over. It hurt to hear something like what Mike had said. "They're not coming! They're not coming! They are not COMING!!!"
Mike tried to stay in place. The truth was Mike hadn't noticed the saying was true. Stella said it over and over to him for the past week and one day saying, "There is at least a little good in all evil, and I mean it, Mike. Some things I just can't stand to hear. You haven't heard it, but I've heard the cries before. It would make you sick." Stella was really correct about the cries. It was making him sick.
After a while, Mike got tired of it. There was no sympathy. Stella was coming down the hallway. She heard the loud moans and checked with Mike what it was. "Oh," Stella murmured. "Ya know, I have to ask and I've an idea what you're gonna say. But do you feel at least a little sympathy? And my answer is yes. I can't stand it. I dunno if it's because I'm a girl and you're not." "No, I don't feel anything," Mike replied. "I guess it is because you're a girl. Girls are more emotional about that stuff than guys are."
Stella still didn't understand Mike. She didn't know what to say about him. It was as if the only thing he watched and tried to keep in place was Boss. She almost thought she was forgotten. But, in Mike's mind, Stella was just as important as anyone else that ever walked on the face of the earth. Actually, in no one else's mind except Stella's, she was a little jealous of Mike's new soon-to-be ASSistant.
Stella asked Mike, "Hey, you wanna forget about him and play some pool? We'll have a better time." He looked around and knew there was no excuse. "I guess so," Mike replied. "Who's gonna play?" "You and me," Stella remarked, knowing that was the only way to get peace. "We can play on the pool table in my room." "Sure," Mike remarked and the two started on their way.