"Hello," Brent said.

"Hi," Amy said. "It's nice to have you around. Whatever Kirk's been telling you, it's not that bad around here."

"Bullshit," Kirk said.

"And the nice thing about Kirk is his refinement. He reminds me of my grandmother, who was always such a gentle soul." Amy gave Kirk a smile.

"Anyway," she continued, "everybody's friends here. We have a good time. As good as we can, anyway. Except Kirk's last roommate. What was his name, Kirk?"

"I don't remember. Call him Toad."

"Well, anyway, this kid did nothing for a week and a half but watch daytime television."

"He was heavy on General Hospital," Kirk said. "He said it was so realistic. That shows you how far his head was wedged. He's the only person I've ever met around here who actually liked Nurse Rush. I think he was suffering from terminal ingrown toe-nail."

"So we're glad you're here," Amy said. "Maybe when you feel a little better in a few days, we'll see more of each other."

Brent decided that he would look forward to that. It would be nice to have a few friends here.

Amy reached down and grabbed Brent's big toe. She gave it a twist.

"Ow!" he yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking. Glad you're still all there. You just can't tell about broken backs, you know." She smiled at him and turned in a whirl of blue bathrobe, and left the room humming a nameless tune.

"You'll like her," Kirk said. "She's all right."

"What's the matter with her? I mean, why's she here?"

"I don't know for sure. I don't think she does either. Her parents told her that it's a bad case of mono, but I think she figures it's a little more complicated than that. Some days she seems better and other days worse. She doesn't look real good today, although she never tries to show it. This is her third week in."