Heart Like Mine (22 page)

“Maybe? I don't know.” Charlotte looked a little scared. “Why?”

“Because a lot of people don't know what goes on inside hospitals when they're not the ones unlucky enough to have to be here. We'd love to show people the kind of kids who stay here, and I think you are the perfect person to do it.”

Charlotte stared down at her hands, where Delaney could see her fingernails curving over the ends of her fingers, typical of someone whose tissues got consistently less oxygen than they needed. To her credit, Amanda stayed silent, waiting for her answer.

Then Charlotte looked up, a small smile gaining traction on her face. “Okay. I'll do it. If Delaney can be here with me.”

“It's a deal.” Amanda stood up, shaking her hand in mock formality. She looked at her phone, then at Delaney. “I'm going to go talk to some other patients, but I'll be back in about an hour with my friend. His name's Matt, and he's super awesome. You'll like him.”

“Okay.”

Delaney followed Amanda out of the room, and once they were in the hallway, Amanda's fingers typed madly on her phone while a grin took over her face.

“She's perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Delaney crossed her arms, feeling a strange sense of protectiveness. “Amanda?”

“Isn't this great?” She didn't even look up.

“What are you doing? We didn't talk about TV.”

Amanda looked up from the phone. “You want donors, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“But nothing. Charlotte will get you donors. You called that one right on the nose. She's adorable, she's sweet, and her story will break people's hearts.” Amanda leaned close. “And crack their wallets. It's brilliant.”

“But this isn't what we discussed.”

Delaney scrambled for traction. Amanda was taking the bull by the proverbial horns, but Delaney wasn't at all sure where she was dragging the damn bull.

Amanda sighed. “Does the release cover television?”

“Yes. She's legally okay. But she doesn't have parents here, and I don't want to freak her out.”

“Did I freak her out just now?”

“No, but—”

“Then I promise not to freak her out in an hour. Matt's a sweetheart. Charlotte will love him. Delaney, this is good. This is better than we were hoping. If we get that girl on television, combined with weekend
Globe
coverage, I think you'll be very, very happy with the results.”

As Amanda returned her attention to her phone, tapping out texts like machine-gun fire, Delaney watched color rise in her cheeks. Something about this story was touching more than the usual nerves for Amanda—Delaney could sense it. Before she let the woman have at Charlotte on-camera, she had to ask.

“I can't help but feel like this is more than just an assignment to you, Amanda.”

Amanda nodded slowly, pausing her fingers. “It is.”

The protective instinct kicked into high gear. Did Amanda smell a story? One that they
wouldn't
want on the air?

“Why? What's your angle here?”

Amanda paused. “My angle is to help you. I'm a huge fan of Ethan and Josie, and by extension, Joshua. I just … want to help.” Amanda paused, gazing down the hallway. Then she took a deep breath, looking straight at Delaney. “I have a little sister who's alive today because of this hospital.
That
is my angle.”

*   *   *

That afternoon, Delaney was crammed into Charlotte's room along with Amanda, Matt, and a cameraman. Once they were all set up and poor Charlotte had adjusted to the bright lights, Amanda started feeding her easy questions to get her comfortable. As she talked with her in that soft, inviting voice that could probably work on the Italian mob, Charlotte visibly relaxed and seemed to forget a camera was rolling, recording her every word and gesture.

After getting a half hour of film, the cameraman turned off his camera and lights, and Amanda leaned forward.

“So Charlotte, when we were talking before, you mentioned that someday you'd love to go to a horse camp.”

“That would be awesome.” Charlotte smiled sadly. “But it's probably not going to happen.”

“Well, I'm not so sure.”

“What do you mean?”

Amanda stood up and slid a manila envelope across Charlotte's bed. “Open that up and let me know what's inside.”

Charlotte looked at the envelope like it was rigged with explosives, but then finally picked it up and opened the flap. She slid out a small sheaf of papers, and her eyes widened as she fingered a bank check.

“Is this an April Fool's joke?”

Amanda laughed. “No, it's July. I just happen to know an anonymous donor who sent me on a mission to find a deserving kid who could use a reason to smile.”

“And you picked—me? Seriously?” Charlotte pointed out the doorway of her room. “There are kids here who are way worse off than me. Why didn't you pick them?”

“Because.” Amanda nodded, her jaw set. “You remind me of someone, and everybody here who knows you thinks
you
are a young lady who deserves this.”

“I'm going to—camp?” Charlotte tested the word on her tongue, like she was afraid saying it out loud might make it go away.

“Two weeks. Horseback riding every day, a nice cabin at night.”

“What about—” She pointed at her chest, and Delaney felt crushed as she watched Charlotte realize maybe this
was
too good to be true.

“This camp employs two full-time nurses, and they're both trained in CF care.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Charlotte jumped off the bed, forgetting her IV lines for a moment. Amanda noticed before she went too far, and leaned in to hug her.

“Thank you!”

“You're very, very welcome.” Amanda ruffled her hair where it had poked out of the braids. “You'll have to send us pictures. All of your new fans will want an update, once they see you on television.”

As Delaney watched the two of them, she felt eyes on her, and she looked up to see Joshua smiling softly at her. He nodded, and she felt heat travel from her throat right to her toes. She followed him out to the hallway, where he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

He raised his eyebrows, and she couldn't tell whether he was amused or mad. “TV cameras?”

“I know. Not exactly what we discussed.”

“Not at
all
what we discussed.”

“I'm sorry. Amanda suggested it, and then I couldn't find you, and then Matt was here, and then cameras were rolling, and—” Delaney's hands flailed nervously.
Crap
. She'd just stepped way over the line here.

“Delaney.” He put his hand gently on her shoulder. “It's okay.”

She looked up, not sure whether to trust the words. “It is?”

“Yeah. Amanda's pretty hard to say no to, once she gets rolling.”

Delaney smiled in relief. “Pretty much. How much did you hear of the interview?”

“Enough to feel like I want to kiss you right here, right now, in this hallway.”

“Joshua!” Delaney whispered, feeling heat flame up her cheeks.

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “Can't help it. You fed Amanda exactly the kind of information to make for one hell of a story. And Charlotte was the perfect choice for her to interview. Well done.”

“So … you're not mad about the cameras?”

“A little surprised, that's all. Didn't exactly expect an entire crew to descend on the floor this afternoon.”

“I'm sorry. Again.”

“You can stop apologizing.” He pushed away from the wall. “It's going to be great.”

“Agreed.” Delaney couldn't help the grin that took over her face. “Charlotte was awesome. I'm dying to know who Amanda's secret donor is.”

“So you can go after the same donor for more than camp fees?”

“Am I really that transparent?”

He smiled. “While I appreciate your drive, I'll save you some trouble. I have a feeling I know exactly who her secret donor is.”

“Who?”

“It's her, Delaney.”

“Really? You think so?”

“I do. And unfortunately, her pockets probably aren't deep enough to help us out of the hole we're in. But her story might find us someone whose pockets are.”

Delaney sighed. “We can only hope.”

 

Chapter 19

“Hey, Delaney.” Millie poked her head into Kaya's room on Tuesday afternoon. “I've got a job for you.”

“Okay?” Delaney set the little girl back into her bed, straightening out her IV tubes and tucking the blanket around her. Four more days of chemo and hopefully she'd get to go home, the poor little thing.

She pulled the door partially closed, joining Millie in the hallway. “What's up?”

“You remember Ian, right?”

Delaney swallowed. She'd stopped in to see him every day, but still had to take a deep breath and brace herself before she entered his room. He reminded her—way too much—of Parker.

“Yes. Of course. I know him.”

“I need some eyes on him this afternoon.”

“His mom's not here?”

“Yes, she's here.” Millie looked to the left, toward the wall, and Delaney felt her own eyebrows pull together.

“Does she need a break?”

Millie nodded. “We need her to talk … to Josh. But she doesn't want to leave Ian alone. She seems to have connected with you, so I thought maybe she'd be okay if you offered to stay with him for a little bit.”

“Okay. Sure. I can do that.”

As Delaney followed Millie down the hallway, she noticed that most of the patient room doors were closed. Unusual, but it was crazy hot outside. Maybe they did it to keep the rooms cooler? It was also strangely quiet, but again, maybe it was the heat keeping everybody suppressed.

When they got to the nurses' station, Millie reached out an arm to stop Delaney. “You just tell her Dr. Mackenzie needs to speak with her for a minute, and you're happy to sit with Ian while she does, okay?”

Delaney tipped her head, a strange feeling gnawing in her gut. “What's going on, Millie?”

“Nothing.” Millie looked at her watch, then down the hallway, like she was expecting someone. Then she pointed toward Ian's room. “Just go sit for a few minutes.”

When Delaney knocked on Ian's open door, Fiona looked up from the chair beside his bed, where she was nervously holding his hand.

“Hey, Fiona. How are you doing?”

Fiona shrugged. “I don't know. Not great.”

Delaney stepped closer. The woman's hair looked like she'd slept in her chair, and she had the same clothes on as yesterday.

“Can I get you a coffee or anything?”

“No. Thank you, though. I don't need anything right now.”

“I think Dr. Mackenzie is hoping to have a minute to talk with you. Do you mind if I hang out with Ian while you go speak to him?”

“I don't want to talk to him.” Her voice was quiet, but strong, and this time, alarm bells rang in Delaney's stomach.

She tried to keep her voice soft and inviting as she responded. “Why not?”

“Because—because he's going to tell me bad news. I just know it.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because if it was good news, he'd just tell me right here.”

Delaney started to argue, but instead, she bit her lip. Fiona had a point. Delaney wondered what Joshua needed to talk to her about that he couldn't do right here with Ian present. She shivered, thinking Fiona was right. It probably
was
bad news, but Joshua didn't want to scare the poor boy by sharing it in front of him.

She put her hand tentatively on Fiona's shoulder, and to her surprise, Fiona reached up with her free hand and gripped it hard.

“I just want him better, you know? He has to get better. He was never supposed to get this sick.”

Delaney nodded slowly, while running the woman's words around her head. What did she mean, he was never supposed to get this sick? Was she one of the millions who Googled symptoms and latched on to the one positive piece of news they could find? Had she convinced herself that Ian was going to beat something that he—wasn't?

She took a deep breath, trying not to draw parallels with Parker as she looked at the tiny freckles dotting Ian's nose. He slept quietly, and if you didn't know better, you'd think he was just peacefully snoozing off his morning antics.

“Listen”—she squeezed Fiona's hand—“I promise I'll sit right here in your chair while you're gone. I'll even hold his hand. I won't go anywhere.”

Fiona shook her head. “I wish Dan was here. He's better at bad news than I am.”

“Maybe it's not bad news. I see Dr. Mackenzie having conferences with people all the time to tell them good news, too.” Did she? Was a white lie permissible in this sort of situation? Or just unduly cruel? “Maybe he has some information on a new medicine or something. You never know.”

Fiona looked up at her, eyes watery. “Do you think so?”

“I don't know. But I think you should go find out.”

Fiona looked at Ian, wiping her eyes quickly. She stood up slowly, but didn't take her eyes from the sleeping boy.

“You promise you won't leave him alone?”

“Promise.” Delaney sat down in the chair she'd just vacated, sliding her hand over Parker's tiny one. “I will be sitting right here when you get done with your meeting.”

Delaney could see Millie waiting outside the door, and as Fiona looked back one last time, Millie gently took her arm and steered her toward the other hallway, where Joshua's office was.

“Hey, buddy. It's Delaney.” She kept her voice soft as she held Ian's little hand and looked at the monitors over his head. “I'm just going to sit here with you until your mom comes back.”