Linda had been given a list of food and drink Kim should avoid until her blood tests came back and thus started the longest three days of Asuna’s life. When Kim read the list she became the very picture of sorrow. She wailed and moaned and cursed her fate.

“Chocolate is on this list!” she said in a shaken voice. “How am I supposed to live without chocolate?”

“It’s only for a few days,” Asuna said, trying to reassure Kim.

“You don’t know that!” Kim wailed. “That’s just when I get the test results back. I might never taste chocolate again!”

Over the next three days she pouted, whined, wheedled, even threatened dire consequences if she was not let have something with caffeine in it. While Linda was at work it all fell on Asuna. She resisted them all, if just barely sometimes. The worst was Wednesday afternoon, Gwen and the other girls left early and Kim started to add to her arsenal promises of a carnal nature that would have made the taller girl boggle even under better circumstances.

Then relief arrived Thursday morning when Linda called with the test results. “Hey, I’ve got good news,” Linda said.

“Oh thank god,” Asuna said. “Please tell me she can eat chocolate again.”

“She’s cleared for the whole shebang,” Linda replied. “Feel free to grab the credit card and restock the pantry before I get home and thank you. I realize it’s been the hardest on you since you’ve been listening to her whine all day long without a place in which to escape.”

“Well I won’t say I’m not ecstatic about the news but I still think your sister is having the hardest time,” Asuna said sighing in relief.

Linda snorted, “Hah! Three days without caffeine is probably good for her. If the tests hadn’t cleared her I might feel sorry for her then but everything up until now has just been a diva’s melodramatic performance. I know her too well to fall for it and you shouldn’t either.” She chuckled briefly, “You should get a medal for your patience but you’ll have to settle for retail therapy. By yourself something nice when you go out and don’t let her eat herself sick. I’ll see at the usual time tonight.”

After Asuna hung up she called out towards the pool, “Hey Kim? Good news! Get dressed to go out we’re going on a coffee and chocolate run. That was Linda calling to say it is okay.”

Kim was getting the hang of moving at high speeds because she managed to get from the pool all the way across the house to Asuna without damaging any doors or injuring herself although a baseline might have been injured by the collision if not the hug that followed it.

“We can? Wow! I wanna go to Starbucks first! Yesssss my preciousssss, soon we shall have tasty espresso!” With that she ran up, dressed, and was waiting by the door before Asuna even made it up the stairs once. “Well? I’m waiting! What are you moving so slow for?”

Asuna was back with her shoes on and all her necessities soon enough and they headed for the Starbucks. Fortunately it was within a reasonable jogging distance because Kim was in no shape to wait for a bus. She barely managed to keep herself to speeds a baseline could manage and only her lack of stamina kept her from running the whole way at a sprinter’s pace.

As they walked up to the coffee shop Asuna said, “You’re going to need to work on your stamina.”

“Sure! Anything! Just buy me my favorite drink and I’m yours forever and ever,” Kim replied.

Asuna shrugged, “I should have known better than to mention it now.” They went in and made the line and shortly Kim had a trenta caramel frappuccino with three extra shots and extra caramel syrup and three fudge brownies and Asuna drank a strawberries and cream with extra whip. She whispered to Kim, “Just remember that we have to spread the spree around so we don’t become too obvious. We’ll take a few of those to go and head off to the bus stop saying we’re bringing them for friends. Those should hold you until the bus gets us to the mall.”

Kim stopped eating and drinking long enough to sigh happily and respond quietly, “Then we can hit all the stores that sell chocolate or coffee?”

“If you need to,” Asuna replied warily. “But remember not to make yourself sick please?”

“Oh sure,” Kim replied blithely and continued eating.

Asuna called Gwen and her side of the conversation went like this, “Hey, it’s me. Nope! Thank all gods large and small she got the all clear. We’re in Starbucks now but heading to the mall soon, want to join us? A coffee and chocolate run mostly but we might grab a thing or two more and I’ll grill more burgers for lunch. Great, tell the others to meet us there if they want to come along. Thanks, bye.”

They met Gwen, Lindsay, and Maddie at the mall and came back with coffee, several different sorts of chocolate and five pounds of chopped meat to make burgers.

“These would be better if I’d let them marinate but I think I seasoned the meat well enough and we have plenty of fixings to add on top,” Asuna said as she brought the patties out to the grill.

Lindsay had volunteered to help and was carrying the utensils and the bottle of bbq sauce, “I’m sure they’ll taste fine.” She giggled, “If the rest of us get a chance to try one before Kim eats them all.”

“Hey!” Kim protests, “I heard that.”

“Aw, you know we love you Kim,” Lindsay replies.

Kim goes back to being her usually sunny self and doesn’t eat too much chocolate, or all the burgers. Asuna also makes sure dinner is ready by the time Linda gets home.

“Thank you for cooking Sue but I hope you don’t feel like you have to help,” Linda said.

“Nope,” Asuna replies. “I just seem to have lots of excess energy and these days and it feels good to be doing something useful. I just wish I could get in a good spar but any normal dojo is out obviously.”

Linda nods, “I know. If you can hold off another few days I’ll arrange something.”

“Thanks!” Asuna said.