Fourth Book:
The next afternoon

"It's a shame they don't let you into the movie theatre Dylan." A boy sitting across the patio table from Dylan said. "It was a good movie."

"The theatre across town lets me in on the off hours, I'll go up there this weekend and see it." Dylan shrugged off the boy's sentiment. "You all should come with me, that theatre's kind of creepy with no one in it."

"I'll go." Karen spoke up.

"Count me in." The boy grinned.

"I can't." Another girl said sadly. "I'm going to visit my grandmother."

"Is she doing better?" Dylan asked, looking concerned.

"She is, oh she loved the card Dylan." The girl responded. "She said you must be a really sweet reptile to be worried about her."

"I wouldn't say that, but thank her for me." Dylan shifted, looking very timid.

"I'll tell her you got all embarrassed about it." The girl teased.

"I'm out too." Another boy added. "My mom's got this thing about lizards. She really freaked out when you brought my homework to me that one time. She hates to drop me off here because she knows you're around, so I don't think she'd let me go."

"That's all right Guy." Dylan watched a bird light on the fence. "It's understandable, I've seen it before. It's a classic case of herpetophobia."

"Really? I didn't know there was a phobia of lizards." Guy was amused.

"Actually it's a fear of reptiles or creepy crawly things, like salamanders, newts and the like." Dylan corrected. "I'm pretty big, for a lizard, so I kind of expect to induce primal fear in some human beings. I won't force myself on them to make the fear go away, they have to be willing to try."

"I'll talk to mom." Guy stood up after checking his watch. "If I don't get out of here now, I'm going to be late." He hurried off around the house.

"Is your eye bothering you Dylan?" The girl asked directly.

"It's fine Marge, just a little swollen." Dylan looked away from the girl.

"I'm really sorry about that, I didn't know Tom was that kind of guy." Marge apologized. "If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, let me know."

"Don't apologize, you didn't punch me, that jerk did." Dylan rebutted.

"But I kind of feel it's my fault since I set Karen up with Tom." Marge argued.

"Don't blame yourself." Dylan reached over and set he hand on Marge's shoulder. "You had no way to know Tom was a wolf in sheep's clothing." He gave her a half hug. "Besides, the black eye makes me look tough."

"You didn't need any help there." The boy laughed.

"Zach!" Karen blurted.

"Probably not, but it still looks cool." Dylan chuckled.

"Boys, go figure." Karen said to Marge.

"Dylan, it's five o'clock." Karen's mother called out from the doorway.

"It is?" Dylan looked sad. "Sorry guys, I gotta go now too, got a doctor's appointment."

"All right, come by later if you can." Karen cheerfully requested.

"Don't expect me, the immunizations make me really tired." Dylan sighed. "See you tomorrow." He walked over to the fence and scrambled over it quickly.

"That's one strange dude." Zach shook his head.

"Yeah, but he's cute too." Marge put in.

Later

"You're in great health Dylan." The doctor spoke with a good natured tone. "You eye should be fine too, just give it a couple days and the swelling will go down."

"Thanks Doc." Dylan shifted on the exam table.

"So, you get in a fight or something?" The doctor asked.

"It was a sucker punch, I wasn't expecting it." Dylan shrugged. "You got the needle ready yet?"

"You really hate getting vaccinated don't you Dylan?" The doctor was amused.

"I just don't like the needle." Dylan grumbled. "It hurts."

"Close your eyes and think of something fun, it'll be over before you know it." The doctor assured.

"I'll try." Dylan drew a breath, then closed his eyes. After a moment he opened his eyes again. "Are you done?"

"Yep, bet you didn't feel a thing." The doctor cheerfully grinned.

"Thank you Doc, I didn't feel it." Dylan was astonished. "It always hurt when my former doctor gave me a shot."

"That doctor just didn't know how to handle a special patient like you." The doctor began to wrap up the visit. "I'm sure you know by now that booster's going to make you sleepy Dylan, when you get home, lay down and get some rest."

"I will." Dylan stood up. "You're a good doctor."

"I try son." The doctor opened the exam room door. "I'll see you in a few months."

"Sure." Dylan walked out and down the long corridor back to the waiting room.

"How'd it go?" Dylan's foster mother asked him.

"It went well." Dylan answered. "Could we just go home after this mom?"

"The shot making you tired?" Dylan's mom was asking even though she knew.

"Yeah." Dylan yawned.

"All right, I'll talk to the doctor and we'll go right home." Dylan's mom got up when the doctor entered the waiting room.

Dylan sat down and felt his eyes growing heavy. Before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep.

"Dylan, everything's all right." Dylan's mother held the trembling lizard boy, doing her best to console him. "I won't let them hurt you."

"No honey, it looks like it's just a graze." Dylan's mother explained. "I'm going to get a few things to bandage it, I'll be right back."

"Dylan we're home." Dylan's mother gently tapped his shoulder to wake him up.

Dylan reacted with a start, then looked around the car disoriented. "Huh, wha-?"

"You were dreaming about that night again, weren't you?" Dylan's mother patted his shoulder. "Dylan, if something's bothering you, please, tell me."

"Mom, the shot makes me tired, and it messes with my head." Dylan opened the car door. "I'm fine, I just need some sleep."