“Talk to Dr. McGee. He’s always been a fan of yours. He’ll help you, because I’ve asked him to. Kids with CF need people like you. Maybe one day you’ll help rid the world of CF. That thought makes me so happy.”
Kara’s mother stopped reading and wiped her eyes on a tissue. Kara’s father reached over and took her hand.
Seeing them look at one another with such complete understanding brought Eric a sharp, instant image of his own parents. He saw his father—working thirty years in a hardware store to take care of his family. He saw his mother-thirty years by his father’s side.
They were good, solid, caring parents who’d cared enough about him to challenge him, and keep him out of harm’s way. Suddenly, Eric missed them. He wished he could find words to comfort Kara’s parents. He wished he’d attended the funeral. He saw his desire to make peace with his parents as another unexpected gift from Kara.
He turned back to Mrs. Fischer’s voice as she resumed reading Kara’s letter to them.
“We come into this world with nothing, and when we leave, we can’t take anything with us. I guess all we can do is leave behind our memories of what we shared. Love is more than a warm, fuzzy feeling. I think it’s being totally committed to something that the heart finds precious. Each one of you was precious to me. Remember, friends are friends forever. Please stay in touch with each other if you can. Never forget me.”
Kara’s mother lowered her head and wiped her eyes. No one spoke. No one moved. She rose and smiled, in spite of the tears. “This gathering together was Kara’s final wish. We’ve made out checks to you, and we want you to use the money on the things she wanted you to have.”
Eric stood stiffly. The others followed. He felt numb, overwhelmed. He watched Vince embrace Kara’s mother, and shake Mr. Fischer’s hand. He saw Christy and Kara’s mother huddle in a corner talking. Then Elyse ran over and hugged Kara’s father. He wished he could reach out, the way the others could, but he didn’t know how to. He was afraid if he stayed much longer, he’d lose control in front of everyone. He knew they’d understand, but he didn’t want to cry.
Eric went over to the Fischers and thanked them.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Mrs. Fischer told him. “Please come over and visit with us. Vince and Elyse have been Kara’s friends forever and always stopped by. You were obviously very dear to her. Maybe we could talk, get to know you better. Please feel that we’re here for you.”
“I’d like that,” Eric said, almost surprised that he really did want to see them again.
“I have to go back to work,” Christy told him, “but I’ll see you at home tonight.”
Once he was outside, Eric gulped air in an attempt to regain control of his raging emotions. He carefully laid the sketch of himself across the backseat of his Chevy. At the end of the driveway, he saw Vince standing beside his car, staring up at the sky. Eric stopped, unsure of what to do. He wanted to leave, but something inside made him hesitate. “Kara was something else, wasn’t she?” Eric asked, coming up alongside Vince.
“She was one of a kind,” Vince answered. “Have you read the note?”
Eric still clutched it in his hand. “Not yet.” He wasn’t sure he had the emotional strength to read it just yet. He missed her terribly. Suddenly, Eric wanted to talk about Kara, about what was happening inside him. He wished he were better at sharing his feelings. Vince was good at talking about such things. Vince had plenty of problems. Yet, in some ways, he was lucky. “I was wondering,” Eric said, just as Vince was opening the door of his car. “Would you like to go somewhere and talk?”
“Why?”
“Kara always wanted us to be friends. The three of us. She cared about both of us—in different ways, but she cared. Remember how she told us to go have a soda together and pretend she was with us?”
“I remember.” Vince’s eyes regarded Eric sadly. “But she’s gone, Eric. What do you want from me?”
Eric knew, then, that he wanted a friend—needed a friend. Someone with whom to share memories of this special girl and her generous spirit. Someone who understood what he was going through because she was gone forever. “I want to talk,” he said. “If you want to. If you’ve got the time. For your sake, for mine, for Kara’s memory.”
Vince opened wide the door of his car. “Come on and get in. I’ve got plenty of time. You’re right—Kara would want us to be friends. We can’t let ourselves ever forget her. Let’s go to the mall, like old times.”
Dear Reader,
For 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
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 thought 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!”
“But—”
“Please—you don’t understand. I—I can’t explain. Just don’t touch it.” Wild-eyed, panicked, she spun, and clutching her hand to her side, she bolted from the barn.
Dumbfounded, Morgan watched her run back toward the cabin.
YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ
ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS
0-553-29810-0
Excerpt from Mourning Song 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 been months since Dani Vanoy’s older sister, Cassie, was diagnosed as having a brain tumor. And now the treatments aren’t helping. Dani is furious that she is powerless to help her sister. She can’t even convince their mother to take the girls on the trip to Florida Cassie has always longed for.
Then Cassie receives an anonymous letter offering her a single wish. Dani knows she can never make Cassie well, but she is determined to see Cassie’s dream come true, with or without their mother’s approval.
Dani had rehearsed the speech so many times that even she was beginning to believe it. “It’s as if you’re supposed to do this. While we don’t know who gave you the money for a wish, I think you should use it to get something you’ve always wanted. Listen, even a trillion dollars can’t make you wel
l, but the money you’ve gotten can help you have some fun. I say let’s go for it! You deserve to see the ocean, whether Mom agrees or not. I’m going to help you make your wish come true.”
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RICHARD HOLLOWAY AND JENNY CRAWFORD, BE SURE TO READ
ON SALE NOW FROM BANTAM BOOKS
0-553-56134-0
Excerpt from The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True 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
Who is JWC, and how was the One Last Wish Foundation created? Follow JWC’s struggle for survival against impossible odds and the intertwining stories of love and friendship that developed into a legacy of giving. And discover the power that one individual’s determination can have, in this extraordinary novel of hope.
“I had my physician call the ER doctor and afterward, when we discussed their conversation, he suggested that I get her to a specialist as quickly as possible.”
“A specialist at Boston Children’s,” Richard said with a nod. “What kind of specialist?”
“A pediatric oncologist.”
Before Richard could say another word, Jenny’s grandmother spoke. “A cancer specialist,” Marian said, her voice catching. “They believe Jenny has leukemia.”
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT KATIE, CHELSEA, AND LACEY, BE SURE TO READ