Let Him Live

by Lurlene McDaniel

  His discomfort angered her, and she looked about for another blanket with which to cover him. There wasn’t one. She could go to the nurses’ station and ask for one, but she couldn’t bear to leave him even for a minute. She had so little time as it was.

  The curtain in front of the glass partition was pulled back, and she could see a nurse bent over a chart, dutifully filling it in. A glass wall and twenty yards separated them. It may as well have been a chasm. Meg couldn’t catch her eye.

  “Cold,” Donovan mumbled through chattering teeth.

  Making up her mind what to do, Meg reached over and jerked the curtain across the glass window, sealing herself and Donovan off from the main desk. Very carefully, she moved aside wires and tubes, and gently, she crawled into the bed beside him so that his back was resting against the front of her body.

  She realized she was breaking all the rules, but it didn’t matter. He needed her. With great care, she slipped her arms around him and held him close.

  She willed the warmth of her body to seep into his, hoping he might somehow absorb a portion of her life into himself. She would gladly give a few of her years to him. “I’m here, Donovan,” she whispered against his neck. “Right here.”

  His trembling seemed to stop, and after a few minutes, his body seemed more relaxed. She hugged him tighter, filling her arms with the weight of him, and her memory with his smile. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  With one hand, she stoked his hair. “When you get where you’re going,” she said into his ear, “please don’t forget me. And once you’re there, look for a friend of mine. Her name is Cindy, and you’ll like her. Trust me.”

  She whispered his name like a prayer, “Oh, Donovan. Oh, Donovan. Oh, Donovan.”

  Twenty

  MEG STOOD AT the top of the staircase and looked down at the whirlwind of activity below. Carpenters were hammering boards, putting the finishing touches on a sun deck and a doorway that had been added on to the old Victorian house. Painters and decorators hurried from room to room behind her, dragging bolts of cloths and cans of touch-up paint. She heard her mother’s voice call out, “Hurry up! The reporters and TV people will be here in less than an hour.”

  “Where do you want this tray of hors d’oeuvres?” another voice yelled from the kitchen.

  “Put it in the fridge, and don’t forget to take the others out of the oven,” Mrs. Jacoby answered. She was standing on a ladder, held steady by Alana, and hanging a plaque above the mantel, next to an oversize rendering of the Wayfarer Inn.

  Meg knew the inscription on the plaque by heart, for it had been a gift to Mrs. Jacoby from all the candy stripers who’d worked together the previous summer. It was dedicated to Donovan’s memory. She still couldn’t believe it had been eight months since he’d died. At the time, she didn’t believe she’d ever get over it, but although she still missed him terribly, the sharp pain of loss gradually had turned into a dull ache over the months.

  She was positive that her involvement in the renovation of the house had made the time pass more quickly. She remembered with perfect clarity the day Mrs. Jacoby had come to her and her mother and asked, “May I talk to you about something?”

  Donovan’s mother had looked pale and borne the marks of her grief. His final days in ICU had still been fresh. “It’s about the house,” Mrs. Jacoby had said once Meg’s mother had served them tea by the pool.

  “Is something wrong with it?” Meg had asked.

  “I can’t live there.”

  Meg had been dumfounded. “Why not? Donovan wanted you to have it. It meant so much to him.”

  “I can’t live there knowing so many parents such as myself have no place to stay when their children are in Memorial waiting for transplants.”

  “We’re working as fast as we can to raise funds for the Wayfarer Inn,” Meg’s mother had said. “It’s going well, but these things take time.”

  “That’s just the point. So many of those kids don’t have time to wait. I have an idea—a way to help out.” That day, she had outlined a plan to renovate her house, add necessary rooms, and open the house up as a temporary inn until the other could be built. She’d said that she and Brett would live there and be a source of support for parents whose kids were facing transplantation. “It seems so logical,” she had added, after presenting her plan. “Donovan chose that house because of its proximity to the hospital. Volunteers can help me. We can cook and keep the rooms neat and baby-sit younger siblings. I’ve thought about it very carefully, and it’s what I want to do.”

  In the end, the board of the League had thought it an excellent idea. They had allocated money for the renovation and appointed Mrs. Jacoby coordinator of the Wayfarer Inn, with the offer of extending the job to the new house once it was built. Meg had been pleased for her. It was something Mrs. Jacoby obviously wanted to do, and it seemed to give her a new lease on life.

  Now, in less than an hour, journalists and TV anchors from Washington and Virginia would be showing up for the formal dedication of Wayfarer One. Meg stepped aside as a decorator hustled past, juggling rolls of wallpaper.

  “You must be very proud,” she heard a familiar voice say.

  Meg turned and saw Mrs. Vasquez standing next to her. “I didn’t have too much to do with all this. It was Mrs. Jacoby’s idea.”

  “I know how you’ve helped,” the nurse insisted. “And I’ve seen copies of the letter you and Alana helped Donovan write. It’s raising a lot of money for the cause.”

  “We’re still a long way from building the main house.”

  “I’ve heard about a year. That’s not so long.”

  Meg shrugged. “I’ll be a senior by then.”

  “Will you work at the hospital next summer?” Mrs. Vasquez asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Meg wasn’t sure she could go through another summer like the last one. How did long-time nurses like Mrs. Vasquez manage it year after year, caring for people who sometimes didn’t get well?

  “You want to know something?” Mrs. Vasquez asked.

  “What?”

  “You’ve really got a knack for medicine.”

  Meg stared at her in amazement. “Who, me?”

  “I didn’t always think that,” the nurse continued. “When you first appeared on the floor I thought, ‘This one will be gone by the end of the week.’ But you fooled me. You not only stayed, you exhibited a real gift for doctoring.”

  “A gift? Me?”

  Mrs. Vasquez laughed. “Don’t sound so shocked. I’ve been in this business for over twenty years, so I’ve seen plenty of professionals—and believe me, not all of them should be in the business. No, true medicine requires the gift of caring. Your father has it. And from what I’ve seen, you do too.” The nurse patted her arm. “For what it’s worth, you might think about becoming a doctor. I know you’d make a good one.”

  Meg let Mrs. Vasquez give her a quick hug, then watched her hurry away. She mulled over the conversation. A doctor? Impossible!

  “Are you going to stand there gawking all day, or are you going to come down here and give us a hand?” Alana called up to Meg from below.

  “I’m coming,” Meg called back. She took one final look at the upstairs area and at the stained-glass window set in the stairwell. The beautiful colors spilled over the landing and brought back the memory of the first day she and Donovan had toured the house. She felt his presence. Certainly, he was with them this day. As was the secretive JWC, whose identity remained a mystery despite her mother’s efforts to ferret out information.

  Meg knew that Donovan would be proud of what was going on in his house. She bounded down the stairs, dodging a man tacking down new carpet. Meg knew she’d never be able to give large sums of money to people in need, but she did have other things to offer. “Hey, Alana,” Meg shouted as she reached the floor. “I’ve been thinking … maybe we could go to med school together? What do you think about a career in pediatrics?”

  Dear Reader,

  Fo
r those of you who have been longtime readers, I hope you have enjoyed this One Last Wish volume. For those of you discovering One Last Wish for the first time, I hope you will want to read the other books that are listed in detail in the next few pages. From Lacey to Katie to Morgan and the rest, you’ll discover the lives of the characters I hope you’ve come to care about just as I have.

  Since the series began, I have received numerous letters from teens wishing to volunteer at Jenny House. That is not possible because Jenny House exists only in my imagination, but there are many fine organizations and camps for sick kids that would welcome volunteers. If you are interested in becoming such a volunteer, contact your local hospitals about their volunteer programs or try calling service organizations in your area to find out how you can help. Your own school might have a list of community service programs.

  Extending yourself is one of the best ways of expanding your world … and of enlarging your heart. Turning good intentions into actions is consistently one of the most rewarding experiences in life. My wish is that the ideals of Jenny House will be carried on by you, my reader. I hope that now that we share the Jenny House attitude, you will believe as I do that the end is often only the beginning.

  Thank you for caring

  YOU’LL WANT TO READ ALL THE ONE LAST WISH

  BOOKS BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  Lurlene McDaniel

  Let Him Live

  Someone Dies, Someone Lives

  Mother, Help Me Live

  A Time to Die

  Sixteen and Dying

  Mourning Song

  The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True

  Please Don’t Die

  She Died Too Young

  All the Days of Her Life

  A Season for Goodbye

  Reach for Tomorrow

  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MEGAN, BE SURE TO READ

  ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS 0-553-56067-0

  Excerpt from Let Him Live by Lurlene McDaniel Copyright © 1993 by Lurlene McDaniel

  Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers a division of Random House, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

  All rights reserved

  Being a candy striper isn’t Megan Charnell’s idea of an exciting summer, but she volunteered and can’t get out of it. Megan has her own problems to deal with. Still, when she meets Donovan Jacoby, she find herself getting involved in his life.

  Donovan shares with Megan his secret: An anonymous benefactor has granted him one last wish, and he needs Megan’s help. The money can’t buy a compatible transplant, but it can allow Donovan to give his mother and little brother something he feels he owes them. Can Megan help make his dream come true?

  “When I first got sick in high school, kids were pretty sympathetic, but the sicker I got and the more school I missed, the harder it was to keep up with the old crowd,” Donovan explained. “Some of them tried to understand what I was going through, but unless you’ve been really sick …” He didn’t finish the sentence.

  “I’ve never been sick, ”Meg said, “but I really do know what you’re talking about.”

  He tipped his head and looked into her eyes. “I believe you do.”

  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KATIE AND JOSH, BE SURE TO READ

  ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS 0-553-29842-9

  Excerpt from Someone Dies, Someone Lives by Lurlene McDaniel Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel

  Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers a division of Random House, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

  All rights reserved

  Katie O’Roark feels miserable, though she knows she’s incredibly lucky to have received an anonymous gift of money. The money can’t buy the new heart she needs or bring back her days as a track star.

  A donor is found with a compatible heart, and Katie undergoes transplant surgery. While recuperating, she meets Josh Martel and senses an immediate connection. When Katie decides to start training to realize her dream of running again, Josh helps her meet the difficult challenge.

  Will Katie find the strength physically and emotionally to live and become a winner again?

  From the corner of her eye, Katie saw a boy with red hair who was about her age. He stood near the doorway, looking nervous. With a start, she realized he was watching her because he kept averting his gaze when she glanced his way. Odd, Katie told herself. Katie had a nagging sense she couldn’t place him. As nonchalantly as possible, she rolled her wheelchair closer, picking up a magazine as she passed a table.

  She flipped through the magazine, pretending to be interested, all the while glancing discreetly toward the boy. Even though he also picked up a magazine, Katie could tell that he was preoccupied with studying her. Suddenly, she grew self-conscious. Was something wrong with the way she looked? She’d thought she looked better than she had in months when she’d left her hospital room that afternoon. Why was he watching her?

  Katie is also featured in the novels Please Don’t Die, She Died Too Young, and A Season for Goodbye.

  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SARAH, BE SURE TO READ

  ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS 0-553-29811-9

  Excerpt from Mother, Help Me Live by Lurlene McDaniel Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel

  Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers a division of Random House, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

  All rights reserved

  Sarah McGreggor is distraught when she learns she will need a bone marrow transplant to live. And she is shocked to find out that her parents and siblings can’t be donors because they aren’t her blood relatives. Sarah never knew she was adopted.

  As Sarah faces this devastating news, she is granted one last wish by an anonymous benefactor. With hope in her heart, she begins a search for her birth mother, who gave her up fifteen years ago. Sarah’s life depends on her finding this woman. But what will Sarah discover about the true meaning of family?

  Didn’t the letter from JWC say she could spend it on anything she wanted? What could be more important than finding her birth mother? What could be more important than discovering if she had siblings with compatible bone marrow? Her very life could depend on finding these people. Sarah practically jumped up from the sofa. “I’ve got to go,” she said.

  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ERIC, BE SURE TO READ

  ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS 0-553-29809-7

  Excerpt from A Time to Die by Lurlene McDaniel Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel

  Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers a division of Random House, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

  All rights reserved

  Sixteen-year-old Kara Fischer has never considered herself lucky. She doesn’t understand why she was born with cystic fibrosis. Despite her daily treatments, each day poses the threat of a lung infection that could put her in the hospital for weeks. But her close friendship with her fellow CF patient Vince and the new feelings she is quickly developing for Eric give her the hope to live one day at a time.

  When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant a single wish with no strings attached, Kara finds a way to let the people who have loved and supported her throughout her illness know how much they mean to her. But will there be time for Kara to see her dying wish fulfilled?

  “What am I going to do about you, Kara?”

  Eric’s tone was subdued and so sincere that his question caught her by surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t stay away from you.”

  “You seem to be doing a fine job of it,” she said quietly, but without malice.

  “I know it seems that way, but you don’t know how hard it’s been.”

  She was skeptical. “We just danced together, but after tonight, how will it be between us? Will you still ignore me in the halls? Will you duck into the nearest open door whenever you see me coming?”

  He turned his head and she saw his jaw clench. She thou
ght he might walk away, but instead he asked, “What’s between you and Vince?”

  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MORGAN, BE SURE TO READ

  ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS 0-553-29932-8

  Excerpt from Sixteen and Dying by Lurlene McDaniel Copyright © 1992 by Lurlene McDaniel

  Published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers a division of Random House, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036

  All rights reserved

  It’s hard for Anne Wingate and her father to accept the doctors’ diagnosis: Anne is HIV-positive. Seven years ago, before blood screening was required, Anne received a transfusion. It saved her life then, but now the harsh reality can’t be changed—the blood was tainted. Anne must deal with the inevitable progression of her condition.

  When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant Anne a single wish with no strings attached, she decides to spend the summer on a ranch out west. She wants to live as normally as she possibly can. The summer seems even better than she dreamed, especially after she meets Morgan. Anne doesn’t confide in Morgan about her condition and doesn’t plan to. Then her health begins to deteriorate and she returns home. Is there time for Anne and Morgan to meet again?

  Fearfully, Anne stared at her bleeding hand.

  Morgan reached beneath her, lifted her, and placed her safely away from the hay and its invisible weapon. “Let me see how bad you’re cut.”

  “It’s nothing,” Anne said, keeping her hand close to her body. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine. You’re bleeding. You may need stitches. Let me wipe it off and examine it.”

  Her eyes widened, reminding him of a deer trapped in headlights. “No! Don’t touch it!”