The next morning, the doctor tells the gang that Lance is getting better, and the gang is relieved. The doctor asks if Lance will be able to recover by the end of the year, and they all agree that he will. The gang then asks Lance if he'll be willing to "abandon" Lance if Lance doesn't come back. Lance says he's not sure, but he'd like to be prepared to "pursue" Lance even if Lance abandons him. He says that if he were to say that, he would be by Lance's side until he died of old age, and that he would "smile pat-grit" if Lance changed his mind later. Lance is skeptical, and he thinks that if Lance changes his mind, he will end up like the "scatper scamper run dash dash" who chases the chicken that is just "out of its reach" . He's glad Lance didn't try to run away from him, because if Lance attacks him, he might attack Lance for touching him, and Lance might even attack him for touching Lance. Lance, of course, wants to know why Lance is licking his finger, and why he is leaving. He wonders if Lance is going to eat, and wonders if he would attack him if Lance touched his finger. Lance wonders if the wind feels good,