Sad Story About Buster Baxter

Previously posted on Fanfiction.net but edited partially for errors.

Author’s Notes: I don’t own Arthur, Arthur belongs to Marc Brown

Also, you might want to have a hanky or cleanix available before reading this story, but please don’t read if you are that sensitive.

The Story
One morning, after breakfast, Arthur and Buster are playing with a red kick ball in the park. It is just the two of them and they are trying to kick the ball past each other and once one of them kicks the ball passed the other, he’d score.

“You’re really good Buster,” says Arthur, “but you better watch out because I’m going to catch up with you!”

“Don’t bet on it, Arthur,” replies Buster, “you’ll never beat me!”

“Oh I won’t, won’t I?” asks Arthur. “We’ll just see about that! You may have more points than me but I’m going to top you!”

“Bring it on!” replies Buster.

Buster and Arthur continue playing their game of kick ball, or whatever it’s called.

Finally Arthur and Buster have the same number of points. It’s anybody’s game now. Arthur is thinking he will get a point higher than Buster, but Buster thinks otherwise!

As Arthur prepares to start kicking the ball, Buster feels a little breathless and reaches for his inhaler. It’s not in one pocket so he reaches in all his other pockets. Meanwhile, Arthur is kicking the ball toward Buster, thinking he has an easy score.

“Hey Buster,” says Arthur, “quit your lollygagging and watch the ball! I’m coming at ya!”

“Hang on Arthur,” says Buster looking up at Arthur, “I need a moment.” Then he looks back down looking for his inhaler but Arthur doesn’t hear him and kicks the ball past Buster!

“Score!” Arthur says jumping up and down with his eyes closed and arms up.

Arthur then sees his friend moving his hands from one part of himself to another and stops jumping.

“Buster,” asks Arthur, approaching his rabbit friend, “are you feeling okay?”

“Oh no!” Buster says, “It can’t be! Tell me this isn’t true!”

“What?” asks a now concerned Arthur.

“I don’t have my inhaler!” Buster shouts in disbelief. “I think I accidentally left it at home!”

Arthur gasps!

“This is not good!” he says. “We need to get you out of here now! I’ll call an ambulance.”

“No, Arthur,” says Buster, “don’t do that. If we hurry and run back to my house, maybe I can find my inhaler and take it.”

“I don’t know,” Buster, “says Arthur, who interrupts getting his cell phone out of his pocket. “We may not have enough time. I really think I should call an ambulance out here.”

“Trust me, Arthur,” says Buster I think we can make it.

Before Arthur tries to stop him, Buster runs toward his house.

“Buster, wait!” Arthur shouts before running after him.

But Buster has trouble keeping himself up as he runs and gets slower and slower.

“Buster?!”Arthur shouts seeing his friend slow down.

Buster gets very weak and stops running and falls down to his knees and then lands on his hands.

“Buster!” Arthur exclaims.

The four-eyed aardvark catches up to his weak fallen friend who can not only no longer run but now cannot even stand up. He’s coughing and wheezing and making funny sounds.

“Buster, what’s the matter?” Arthur asks the rabbit, who can barely talk.

Buster then lays more horizontally and on his side still making weird sounds.

“Oh no!” Arthur says out loud to himself. Then to Buster, “That’s it, Buster, I’m calling an ambulance right now.”

Arthur pulls out his mobile device to call for help. Buster cannot even say anything to try to stop Arthur. He reaches his hand up and shakes his head no.

“Buster, stop!” orders Arthur. “You need help and I’m calling for it!”

Arthur calls 9-1-1.

The dispatcher on the other end answers “9-1-1, what is your emergency?”

Arthur answers, “Hi, this is Arthur Read. My friend Buster forgot his inhaler and is having trouble breathing and he’s making these weird sounds and is coughing badly and endlessly.”

The dispatcher on the other end asks, “Does your friend have asthma?”

“Yes,” Arthur answers.

“He’s having an asthma attack,” says the dispatcher. “Where are you located?”

Arthur tells the dispatcher where he and Buster are and gives the street they’re on and the cross street they’re nearest to. Arthur repeats his and Buster’s whereabouts to the dispatcher.

The dispatcher says, “We’re sending help right away.”

“Thank you,” says Arthur.

And he hangs up and then calls Bitzi, Buster’s mother. First he calls her at home but she’s not available and it goes to voice-mail. Arthur doesn’t bother leaving a message though he wonders if he should have and instead calls Bitzi’s cell phone. She answers.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Baxter,” says Arthur, “Buster forgot his inhaler and now he’s on the ground making funny sounds and can’t seem to talk.”

Bitzi gasps and asks “WHAT?”

Arthur continues, “He’s having an asthma attack! But don’t worry, I called for an ambulance.”

“Where are you?” asks Bitzi.

Arthur tells Bitzi what he told the 9-1-1 dispatcher and adds, “We just left the park. I tried to call for help but Buster insisted on running home to get his inhaler and now he can’t even stand up.”

“Oh my baby!” says the worried Bitzi. “I’m coming over there right now!”

After hanging up, Arthur tells his friend “Hang in there Buster, help is on the way.”

Arthur stays by Buster’s side. Then sirens can be heard and get louder as they get closer and then two emergency vehicles can be seen, a fire truck and an ambulance. The fire fighters, the same ones seen in the episode “April 9th” come out of the truck and come to Arthur and the downed Buster. Two paramedics, including a brown long-snouted bear, also the same one from April 9th, come out of the ambulance. They all have Arthur back away so they can look at Buster.

“This little guy is on borrowed time,” says the white female animal fire fighter, the same one that kept Arthur from going back into the school building to get his father David.

“He needs to get to the hospital immediately!” says the brown male dog fire fighter with the single front tooth.

Both paramedics run to the back of the ambulance and get the patient carrier on wheels and bring it out to Buster. During this, Arthur tells the fire fighters and paramedics his name and Buster’s name so they know. Then the paramedics and fire fighters place Buster on it and roll him into the back of the ambulance.

“What should I do?” asks Arthur. “His mom is on his way here.”

“You have to wait here for his mother, Arthur,” says the white female fire fighter. “The paramedics have to take him right now, there’s not much time. But we’ll stay here with you until his mother comes or until we get another call.”

“Okay,” says Arthur.

The Ambulance lights flash and the siren starts to blare and then the ambulance pulls away to towards the hospital. Minutes later, Bitzi arrives and sees the fire truck, the fire fighters, and Arthur and parks behind the fire truck. She gets out and closes the door and runs onto the sidewalk.

“Where’s Buster?” asks Bitzi.

“The paramedics took him to the hospital,” says the brown male fire fighter.

“I must get over there,” says Bitzi. “Arthur, do you want to come with me?”

Without hesitation, Arthur answers, “Yes.”

Arthur, Bitzi, and the fire fighters greet each other and leave. As Bitzi is driving Arthur to the hospital, Arthur calls his parents, his mother, Jane, answers the phone and Arthur tells her Buster has gone to the hospital and told her what happened to him.

Buster is already in the hospital and in the E.R. and the doctors and nurses are rushing around to try and help Buster. Bitzi and Arthur arrive at the hospital and ask where Buster is. Bitzi also says that she’s Buster’s mother. They tell her he’s in the back but she cannot go back there. So she and Arthur sit in some seats near the entrance. The receptionist does tell the doctors and nurses that Buster’s mother has arrived. Soon Arthur’s family arrives and see Arthur and Bitzi and sit with them.

“I really hope Buster is going to make it,” says Arthur.

“I hope so to,” says the worried Bitzi, who’s a little teary. Jane hands Kate over to David and comes and comforts her.

Later a male doctor comes out into the foyer where Arthur, his family, and Bitzi are waiting and they all stand up in his presence waiting to hear what he has to say. He speaks directly to Bitzi.

“Are you Buster’s mother, ma’am?” he asks her.

“Yes,” she answers, “I am.”

“And who are the rest of you?” the doctor asks.

“I’m Arthur,” says Arthur, “and these are my parents and my sisters. I’m Buster’s friend.”

The doctor clears his throat and says “I don’t know how to tell you this, but…”

Everyone is bracing him or herself for what they’re about to hear.

“Buster didn’t make it,” says the doctor.

Arthur gasps, Bitzi screams a little, Jane just opens her mouth without making a word, David doesn’t open his mouth but opens his eyes wider and raises both of his eyebrows, and D.W., well, she doesn’t know how to react because she doesn’t yet know what the doctor meant when he said “Buster didn’t make it.”

“I’m sorry,” says the doctor, “we tried what we could, but Buster passed away.”

“NO!” say Arthur and Bitzi.

“My baby!” screams Bitzi, putting her palms on her cheeks toward the front of her face.

“My best friend!” says Arthur. “He’s gone!”

“No he’s not,” says D.W., “he’s in there!”

She says that as she’s pointing her finger toward the door the doctor came out of.

“D.W.,” says Arthur, “you don’t understand. Buster…”

Arthur stops but his mouth remains open. His parents, Bitzi, and the doctor look at him.”

“Buster what?” asks D.W.

Arthur starts to cry before saying “Buster has died.”

“Oh,” says D.W. Then she says, “Wait, What?”

Arthur drops to his knees and breaks down and cries.

“Arthur,” says D.W., “Did you say ‘Buster died.’”

Arthur raises his head toward D.W. and nods and then covers his face and cries again. Bitzi also starts to cry. Jane goes and hugs the distraught Bitzi and tries to console her. David kneels down and and holding Kate in one arm, he puts his other arm around his now bereaved son. The doctor stands and looks helplessly at the grieving mother and the now dead little rabbit’s best friend and his family.

“I want to see my son,” says Bitzi to the doctor.

The doctor thinks for a moment and then says to Bitzi, wait here, let me go tell my collegues in the back that you want to see him.”

And the doctor goes back through the doors he came out of to get permission for Bitzi to see his son. Then he comes back out and allows her to come in.

“Can I come too?” asks Arthur. “Buster’s my best friend.

“No,” says the doctor, “You can’t, only the boy’s mother can come in and see him. Sorry.”

Bitzi and the doctor go through the door and the door closes. Seconds later a loud scream can be heard from the foyer and a loud wailing follows.

“What was that?” asks D.W.

“I think Bitzi just saw her son,” says Jane, who would have said that even if D.W. hadn’t asked that question.

“I would say so too, honey” says David.

Bitzi is seen being taken by two doctors, including the one that walked her in, back out through the door more upset than she was before she went in and is crying loudly.

“Buster, my baby,” she says crying, “is really gone.”

And she continues to sob. Arthur, seeing and hearing her, cries harder than earlier. Then Arthur and Bitzi hug each other. David and Jane, who is holding Kate now stand next to each other. David holds his arm around her as he and his wife and D.W. watch Arthur and Bitzi. David and Jane then turn toward each other and tears fill in their eyes too.

Then Arthur goes to his parents and hugs them both, still crying. D.W. then gets closer to Arthur and tugs on his sweater twice. Arthur looks down at her.

D.W. tells him, “It’s gonna be all right, Arthur.”
Believe it or not, D.W. has tears fall out of her eyes too and she hugs Arthur but from the side. Arthur puts one of his arms around D.W. too.

Days later, at a cemetery, Arthur is sitting with his family, all dressed in black. Bitzi is sitting next to Arthur. Grandma Throra is also there. In addition, Arthur’s surviving friends are there: Francine, Muffy, Alan, George, Sue Ellen, Fern, Jenna, Alex, Maria, Ladonna, their immediate family members, parents and siblings, Mr. Ratburn, Mr. Haney, Mrs. Tingley, Mrs. MacGrady and Mr. Fritz are there. Even Binky, Molly, Rattles, Slink, and others associated with the Tough Customers are there as are their immediate family members. James is also there as are Timmy, Tommy, and Grandma Tibble, and so is Emily and parents and her nanny Marie Helene. Mrs. Morgan is also there and so is Harry Mills. Even Buster’s father, Bo Baxter is there. Most of the attendees are wearing black but some have worn casual clothing. It’s raining and thundering and flashing lightning.

A man in a white gown addresses the attendees.

“Dearly beloved,” he says, “We are gathered here together to celebrate the life of Buster Baxter.”

After he gives his speech, the people responsible prepare to lower the casket that Buster’s body is in six feet into the ground. But Arthur cannot take that his Buster is going underground, never to be seen or heard from again.

“BUSTER, NO!” Arthur says as he gets out of his seat and runs toward his friend’s casket as he breaks down, but Jane and David quickly go and grab him and bring him back to his seat. David and Jane try to hold Arthur in place as he watches Buster’s casket disappear into the ground and the dirt gets shoveled back in the fill the hole.

“BUS-TERRRRRRRRR!” Arthur yells one more time reaching out his hand toward Buster’s final resting place.

Inside Arthur’s room, Arthur Read wakes up, sitting up quickly and screaming and then starts panting. Pal, who is laying in Arthurs bed with him, wakes up and sees his owner, making a concerned sound. Pal walks to Arthur, stands on his hind legs and puts his forepaws on Arthur, who turns and looks at him.

“Pal,” says Arthur, “you wouldn’t believe what just happened to me!”

“Arthur,” says Jane’s voice as a knock on Arthur’s door occurs followed by the opening of the door.
Jane and David step in and see Arthur. D.W. is also there.

“Arthur are you okay?” asks Jane.

Arthur looks up at his parents and tears fall out of his eyes and he bows down a little and cries.

“Arthrur,” asks David as he and Jane and D.W. approach him, “what’s the matter?”

Arthur grabs a framed picture of himself and Buster from off his nightstand and looks at it for a moment.
Then he looks up at his parents and D.W. and tells them what happened.

“I just had a bad dream,” says Arthur, who stops for a moment. Then he continues but not without crying, “That Buster died!”

“Oh,” says Jane, “I’m sorry.”

“That’s it?” asks D.W. “All this over Arthur having a bad dream that Buster died?”

“D.W.,” says Jane, “please be nice to your bother. Can’t you see he’s very sad right now?”

“D.W.” says David, “please be try to think about your brother.

Then David says to Arthur, “I’m sorry to hear that, son.”

Arthur tells his family more about the dream.

Later Arthur is dressed and ready to go to school, but despite not having an appetite, not without his parents making him eat. Arthur then grabs his backpack and walks to Lakewood Elementary. Next he’s in Mr. Ratburn’s room and all the students, except Buster are there.

“Arthur,” asks Francine, “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Muffy, sitting next to Francine, looks at Arthur and notices his disposition on his face.

“Why so glum, Arthur?” Muffy asks.

Arthur sighs as he’s sitting next to the empty seat Buster is supposed to be sitting in.

Just then, Mr. Ratburn walks into the classroom.

“Good morning class,” he says, “Let’s take attendance and we’ll get started with class.”

And Mr. Ratburn calls out the names of all his students, and everyone present answers “Here.”

Arthur still doesn’t see Buster anywhere and is so worried he almost cries but tries to hold back his tears. Francine and Muffy notice him and then look at each other and look at him again. Mr. Ratburn then begins class.

Just then, the door pops open and in comes Buster, panting and saying “I’m sorry I’m late, Mr. Ratburn. I oversle…”

“Please sit down, Buster,” says Mr. Ratburn.

But just then, Arthur emerges from his seat and runs toward Buster and shouts “BUSTER, YOU’RE HERE!”

Next thing Buster knows, he’s in Arthur’s arms and Arthur is holding him really hard!

“Uh, Arthur,” says Buster, “I’m glad to see you too, buddy, but you’re squeezing me!”

“Oh,” says Arthur, letting go. “Sorry.”

Everyone in Mr. Ratburn’s class watch Arthur and Buster and even Mr. Ratburn is amazed.

“Arthur,” then says Mr. Ratburn, “please go back to your seat and let Buster go to his.”

Arthur complies and does so and Buster goes to his seat too. Arthur feels a bit embarrassed but is happy to see Buster, not just in the flesh, but alive and well.

Later, at recess, Mr. Ratburn asks Arthur and Buster to stay behind.

“Arthur,” says Mr. Ratburn, “I saw that you were embracing Buster when he came into the door. Is there something you’d like to share with us?”

Arthur thinks about it but is hesitant to speak.

“Arthur,” asks Ratburn, “did you hear me?”

“No, Mr. Ratburn,” answers Arthur. “I mean, yes I heard you, but I’d rather not talk about it.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to,” says Mr. Ratburn, “but please remember that it’s not very appropriate to hug another student, that is, unless the student is having a very hard time and needs emotional support.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ratburn,” says Arthur. “I was just worried about Buster and when I saw him, I guess it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing. But I didn’t mean to disrupt class. I’m just happy to see Buster.”

“That’s fine,” says Mr. Ratburn, “but please see to it that it doesn’t happen again.”

“Okay, Mr. Ratburn,” says Arthur.

“And Buster,” says Mr. Ratburn, “You need to come to class on time. Next time, I’m taking away your recess.”

“Okay, Mr. Ratburn, “says Buster.

And Mr. Ratburn lets Arthur and Buster go.

After Arthur and Buster go to the playground, they are approached by their classmates, Francine, Muffy,
Alan, and all of Ratburn’s other students.

“Arthur,” says Francine, “you haven’t been yourself this morning. What happened?”

“Yeah,” says Buster, “Why did you run up and embrace me like that?”

Arthur finally releases his secret.

“Guys,” he says, “the reason I acted the way I did, I had the worst dream ever.”

“Dream?” asks Sue Ellen. “Worst?”

“About what?” asks George?

“I dreamt I lost Buster,” answers Arthur. “Well, we lost Buster.”

“How did we lose him?” asks Maria.

Arthur then breaks down and cries again, in front of everyone.

“It’s okay Arthur,” says Buster, holding on to Arthur. Francine holds on to him too.

“I dreamt that Buster died,” Arthur finally admits.

“That’s terrible,” says Fern.

“No wonder you were the way you were,” says Francine.

“It was only a dream, Arthur,” says Buster.

“I know,” says Arthur, “but still, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Buster. You are my best friend and nobody can replace you.”

“Oh, Arthur,” says Buster. “You’re my best friend too, and I guess I would feel the same way about you too. But I’m still here.”

“Yeah, Arthur,” says Alex.

“If y’all want,” says Arthur, “go ahead and laugh at me.”

“Why would we do that?” asks Brain.

“Yeah,” says Binky, “what kind of kids do you think we are?”

“Thanks for being there for me guys,” says Arthur. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to be alone with Buster for now.”

“Okay,” says Francine, who then says to all her other classmates, “let’s go everyone. Arthur and Buster need each other right now.”

And everyone disperses.

“Buster,” says Arthur, “will it be all right if I spent the night with you tonight? Or can you spend the night at mine?”

“I don’t know,” Buster answers. “I’d have to ask my mom first. And you should ask your parents too. And I don’t know if tonight will work.”

“It’s just,” says Arthur, “after that nightmare I had, I really want to spend more time with you. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“Well,” says Buster, “If I dreamt of losing you, I probably would have done the same thing.”

“And Buster,” asks Arthur.

“Yes, Arthur?”

“Did you bring your inhaler?” asks Arthur.

“I sure did,” answers Buster, pulling it out.

Arthur pleaded, “Please always remember to bring your inhaler with you.”

“Is that what this was about?” asks Buster.

“Yes,” says Arthur, “I dreamt you died because you didn’t have your inhaler with you.”

“I see,” says Buster, “I will try to always bring my inhaler with me wherever I go, buddy.”

“Please do,” says Arthur.

“I will,” says Buster. “Hey, after school, let’s ask our parents if we could spend the night with each other.
If not tonight, maybe another night.”

And that’s what Arthur and Buster do after school. They get their parents okay to do so and spend two nights with each other, one at Arthur’s house and one at Buster’s.

The End

(A/N) This was meant to be a sad fanfic and I didn’t want any of you to know yet that this was a dream Arthur was having. I wanted you to think this really was happening and I’m also hoping some of you cried when you read this. I kind of did too, well I made myself cry, I even pretended Buster was alive and my best friend and he all of a sudden fell down right in front of me. Then I rushed to Buster’s side, as if he really was there, and he died right near me.

It really saddens me when rabbits die. I mean natural causes is one thing, but when a rabbit gets killed, whether by a coyote, snake, hawk, or other predatory animal, or even by a human for any reason, that bothers me a lot as rabbits are my most favorite animals in the world. And Buster is my most favorite rabbit in the world, and there was a time or so, I felt like killing, and let’s not forget eating, a rabbit, was like doing either of those things to Buster.

I love Buster so much, I thought Arthur was my most favorite character in the show, turns out Buster is and Arthur is second but one small step below Buster. And if anything were to happen to Buster, I wouldn’t feel so good about that. And I know Arthur, and Bitzi, and Bo, would be devastated. And since Buster had asthma, I decided to have that be his downfall.

I know I’m the one who killed off a rabbit, but at least in my story and not for real. And I would never hurt or kill a rabbit, especially if it was unnecessary. And let me tell you something, one time last year, I dreamt I shot and killed Buster. Well, I absent-mindedly killed Buster, among a few other things. I was playing Faceball 2000 for Super Nintendo in my dream and the next thing I knew I was inside the game shooting at objects, like a live shopping cart, and then at Buster and I shot him until he died. Thankfully I ran out of ammunition and thankfully I started to realize what I was doing and felt very bad. I walked away, thinking I’d killed my most favorite rabbit in the world and one of my most favorite cartoon characters. But then, I saw another Buster Baxter, alive, walk out of the men’s bathroom. Was that the real Buster and I killed a clone? Or did I really kill Buster and see one of his clones? Or did Buster die and come back to life? I felt bad about what I did but was happy to see Buster. Binky was also there too and he came up and talked to me but wasn’t upset with me, and neither was the Buster I saw that came out of the restroom.

But that was a horrible dream. I didn’t want to play Faceball 2000 anymore after that. But I got over it and can play that game again. But I would never kill Buster or any other rabbit.

Well, Buster, and Arthur, were fortunate this time but next time the two might not be so fortunate. I had another story about Buster forgetting his inhaler planned and I kind of still plan to write it, despite this one. This was supposed to be a quick impromptu fanfic.

It was kind of hard to look at Buster now after what I wrote about him.

Thanks for reading. If you didn’t cry, or if none of you cried, that means I didn’t write this story well enough. If you have any suggestions as to how I could have made this story sadder and more heart-lending and tear-jerking, please let me know and I'll consider rewriting this, but please keep it appropriate.