tell him not to get his hopes up. “I’m not even positive I can persuade a real estate agent to talk to me. I mean, I don’t look old enough to have the kind of money it takes for a house. An agent will think I’m a fraud.”
“So tell her you’re a rock star.” He grinned. “Everybody knows rock stars are young, rich, and weird.”
“A rock star! Who would believe that?”
“You’ll think of something. I have complete confidence in you.”
Meg didn’t feel confident at all, but she knew she would try her best for his sake. “Listen, Mr. Moneybags, if I somehow manage to bamboozle some agent and get her to take me,
you
, on as a client, and I line up some houses for you to see, then you have to do your part, understand?”
“What’s that?”
“You have to stay well.”
He cupped her chin in his palm. “I’m doing my best. With my luck, I’ll find the perfect house and just before I close the deal, my beeper will go off and your father will want to give me a transplant.”
Meg gazed deeply into his eyes. “May you have such good luck,” she said. “May you have such good luck.”
The meal Donovan’s mother prepared for them that evening was simple, but tasty. “It’s terrific, Mom,” he told her.
Meg agreed, looking around the apartment at Mrs. Jacoby’s meager belongings and well-worn furniture. Through the walls, Meg could hear a baby crying and a television blaring in neighboring apartments.
Brett bounced enthusiastically in his chair. “We can spend the night together,” he said. His face fell when Donovan told him that he had to return to the hospital. “But that’s not fair. Why can’t you stay?”
“Because I’m still sick. I don’t want to go back, but I have to.”
“You’ve been gone a long time. I want you to come home.”
“I can’t, Brett.”
Brett pushed away from the table. “You could if you wanted. Me and Mom can take care of you.”
“I have to leave.”
“I hate you!” Brett shouted, his eyes filling withtears. “I don’t want you to come home. Stay at your stupid hospital forever.”
“Brett—” Mrs. Jacoby called as he ran down the hall and slammed into his bedroom. “I’ll go get him.”
Donovan stood. “No. Let me talk to him. It’s me he’s mad at.”
“He doesn’t mean it, you know.”
“I know.” Donovan disappeared down the hall.
Meg understood perfectly how Brett felt. Hadn’t she been angry—
furious
—about Cindy? In her pain, hadn’t she wanted to strike out at everybody? “He’ll get over it,” Meg said in the awkward silence that remained in the room. “He’ll feel sorry for being mean to Donovan and will want to see him as soon as possible, just to make sure his anger didn’t harm Donovan in some way.”
Mrs. Jacoby looked at Meg. “You’re right. It’s happened before. He cries and worries that his brother will get sicker. How did you know?”
Meg averted her eyes. “I’m a doctor’s daughter, remember? I could call him later, after I check Donovan back in to the hospital, and let him know that all’s well.”
“You’d do that?”
“Sure. Brett feels left out, and that makes him feel worse because he knows Donovan’s really sick and he can’t make it go away.”
“You’re a smart and tenderhearted girl, Meg. I appreciate all you’re doing. For both my sons.”
Meg shrugged. She liked Mrs. Jacoby and Brett. And she liked Donovan too. Liked him more thanshe knew she should, given his circumstances.
He’s going to beat the odds
, she told herself. The Network for Organ Sharing would find him a liver, and he’d have the transplant, recover, and be all right. He had to be.
Meg checked Donovan back in to the hospital that evening. “Don’t forget to help find my mother a house,” he said as he crawled into bed.
He looked awfully exhausted to Meg. “I won’t,” she promised. She drove home and went to bed, but couldn’t fall asleep. She was still tossing when she heard the phone
“So tell her you’re a rock star.” He grinned. “Everybody knows rock stars are young, rich, and weird.”
“A rock star! Who would believe that?”
“You’ll think of something. I have complete confidence in you.”
Meg didn’t feel confident at all, but she knew she would try her best for his sake. “Listen, Mr. Moneybags, if I somehow manage to bamboozle some agent and get her to take me,
you
, on as a client, and I line up some houses for you to see, then you have to do your part, understand?”
“What’s that?”
“You have to stay well.”
He cupped her chin in his palm. “I’m doing my best. With my luck, I’ll find the perfect house and just before I close the deal, my beeper will go off and your father will want to give me a transplant.”
Meg gazed deeply into his eyes. “May you have such good luck,” she said. “May you have such good luck.”
The meal Donovan’s mother prepared for them that evening was simple, but tasty. “It’s terrific, Mom,” he told her.
Meg agreed, looking around the apartment at Mrs. Jacoby’s meager belongings and well-worn furniture. Through the walls, Meg could hear a baby crying and a television blaring in neighboring apartments.
Brett bounced enthusiastically in his chair. “We can spend the night together,” he said. His face fell when Donovan told him that he had to return to the hospital. “But that’s not fair. Why can’t you stay?”
“Because I’m still sick. I don’t want to go back, but I have to.”
“You’ve been gone a long time. I want you to come home.”
“I can’t, Brett.”
Brett pushed away from the table. “You could if you wanted. Me and Mom can take care of you.”
“I have to leave.”
“I hate you!” Brett shouted, his eyes filling withtears. “I don’t want you to come home. Stay at your stupid hospital forever.”
“Brett—” Mrs. Jacoby called as he ran down the hall and slammed into his bedroom. “I’ll go get him.”
Donovan stood. “No. Let me talk to him. It’s me he’s mad at.”
“He doesn’t mean it, you know.”
“I know.” Donovan disappeared down the hall.
Meg understood perfectly how Brett felt. Hadn’t she been angry—
furious
—about Cindy? In her pain, hadn’t she wanted to strike out at everybody? “He’ll get over it,” Meg said in the awkward silence that remained in the room. “He’ll feel sorry for being mean to Donovan and will want to see him as soon as possible, just to make sure his anger didn’t harm Donovan in some way.”
Mrs. Jacoby looked at Meg. “You’re right. It’s happened before. He cries and worries that his brother will get sicker. How did you know?”
Meg averted her eyes. “I’m a doctor’s daughter, remember? I could call him later, after I check Donovan back in to the hospital, and let him know that all’s well.”
“You’d do that?”
“Sure. Brett feels left out, and that makes him feel worse because he knows Donovan’s really sick and he can’t make it go away.”
“You’re a smart and tenderhearted girl, Meg. I appreciate all you’re doing. For both my sons.”
Meg shrugged. She liked Mrs. Jacoby and Brett. And she liked Donovan too. Liked him more thanshe knew she should, given his circumstances.
He’s going to beat the odds
, she told herself. The Network for Organ Sharing would find him a liver, and he’d have the transplant, recover, and be all right. He had to be.
Meg checked Donovan back in to the hospital that evening. “Don’t forget to help find my mother a house,” he said as he crawled into bed.
He looked awfully exhausted to Meg. “I won’t,” she promised. She drove home and went to bed, but couldn’t fall asleep. She was still tossing when she heard the phone
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