Page 56 of Right in Front of You

“Because she’s my cousin as well, but on Father’s side. Sarah’s dad and Father were brothers, but they were never close. Our families were sort of estranged. Father wasn’t exactly a nice brother, I’m told. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know that his brother had a child. Joanne, Sarah’s mom, never liked father, which isn’t much of a surprise, I guess. Anyway, Daisy’s mom has been helping out her sister the past few years.”

“I feel like such a jerk. I haven’t been in touch with Daisy’s family since her death. I tried, but they moved away.”

“They moved to her sister’s in the city six months after the funeral without telling a soul. You heard the rumors they couldn’t deal with their daughter’s death. Daisy’s mom has been determined to find a donor for her niece.”

“What are her chances?” It broke my heart that someone so young and innocent, someone who was supposed to have her entire life ahead of her, was forced to deal with such an illness.

“Usually pretty high, but Sarah’s case is aggressive. We thought she beat it after the first round of chemo and radiation. She was doing very well, in fact. But then she relapsed. They’re waiting for her to get a little stronger before the next treatment, but that can’t happen until they find a match for a bone marrow donor. She’s definitely a fighter, though, just like Daisy was.”

At the mention of Daisy’s name, I felt a light breeze sweep through the room, followed by goosebumps over my arms. I looked around to see where it was coming from, but both the window and the door were closed. I looked over at Carter, who seemed not to have noticed the change in temperature.

“Sarah’s the only other girl in the family, and if they lose her, there will be no future generations.”

“Is there any hope?” he asked.

“There’s always hope, Carter.”

His brows scrunched as he looked at Sarah and then he let go of a breath, as if he’d found a resolve. I said goodbye to Carter and rolled Sarah to her room, making a note to check in on her tomorrow. Of all people, Carter wanted me to be the one to pick him up when he was released in the morning.

How had we gone from not talking to one another to having one of the most thoughtful conversations I could have ever expected, without stupid one-liners or drowning in the past? Never mind that he was moving into my apartment. I was afraid I’d have a hard time figuring that one out for a while. What happened? Had the passing time healed parts of our hearts? The comfort level between us was out of this world. Could this friendship really be as good as I always believed it was years ago, and as good as I wanted it to be? I wasn’t sure, but I knew that as of tomorrow, living with Carter Clark would be one heck of an adventure.

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