Page 18 of The Wish
Jesse grins. ‘Yep,we’redoing it.’
‘That’s wonderful, Jesse, however, I hate to break this meeting up, but . . .’
‘Can I come back tomorrow?’ Alex asks.
‘Tomorrow?’ Jesse says.
‘I’d like to, if you let me.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Jesse says teasingly. Inside she’s bursting with gratitude and excitement. ‘I think we can let you, just this time. What do you think, Sandy?’
‘Oh, I’m sure something can be arranged,’ Sandy replies with a wink. ‘But not too long – we don’t want to wear you out.’
Jesse and Alex stand up, Alex gathering up the papers from the table. Before she knows what she’s doing, before she can stop herself, Jesse gives him a quick, fierce hug. She’s surprised him, she knows, because when she lets go of him, he looks as if he doesn’t know quite what to do or where to look. For someone almost twice her age, it’s like he’s never been hugged before. Adults never fail to surprise her – it’s like they’re never as certain or as straightforward as they pretend to be, even to themselves.
Jesse follows Sandy, pushing her IV as she goes. She turns round to give Alex one last wave and sees him sitting back down on the bench, face turned up to the sunshine. She doesn’t know what he’s thinking, but in her mind she’s certain: he’s the one for the job. Alex is going to make her wish come true.
CHAPTER 10
That evening Alex sits in his home office surrounded by banks of computer monitors and equipment, totally focused on playing several games simultaneously through his PlayStation. Someone else toiled to make the games he has enjoyed and played for a long time. This is his time out, his relaxation. When he is forced to focus on the games, everything else disappears. A pizza box beside him is untouched. Max sleeps at his feet, a toy stuffed under his chin. Blindly Alex reaches for a piece of pizza, takes a bite and shivers, it is cold. Max opens one eye and licks his lips. As Alex goes to put it back in the box, he sees Jesse’s sketches and photos. Closing the pizza box and moving it aside, he replaces it with the sketches, wipes his hands and begins studying the images once again. Reaching down he scratches Max on the head.
‘What have I agreed to, Max?’
Back in her room, Jesse lies in bed, a dinner tray in front of her, her favourite pasta with a tub of ice cream. She can only stomach the ice cream. Amy’s family has taken her downstairs to the canteen, so Jesse’s on her own for now. She pushes the pasta around on her plate, lost in thoughts of project plans and proofs of concept and how they all tie in with her memories. Her mind is whirring with possibilities, but she’s also aware that she’s more tired than usual. She is brought back to the room when her mum and Sam appear at her door.
Sam jumps on Jesse’s bed hugging his sister tightly. Her mum joins in on the hug.
‘Well, sweetheart, you’re looking a bit brighter this evening.’
‘Mum, you missed him. He came back. Sam, he came back!’ she squeals with delight.
‘Who did we miss, honey?’ her mother asks.
‘Alex. He came—’
‘The person you sent away yesterday. The one who upset you?’
‘Yes, he came back and guess what, he’s going to help me with my wish.’ Jesse notes the concern in her mother’s eyes. ‘You don’t need to worry, Mum. His name’s Alex and he really gets what I want to do. He understands my vision in a way that no one else has before.’
Sam wriggles out of his hug looking at his sister with big eyes. ‘Your dream’s coming true?’ His voice is full of wonder.
‘It looks like it,’ she says, ruffling her brother’s hair.
Jesse hears the heavy footsteps that can only belong to her father. ‘How’s my baby girl?’ Dean asks as he kisses Jesse on the top of the head.
‘Dad, Alex came back, we’re going to make my wish.’
‘What?’ Dean says too firmly, looking from Jesse to his wife.
‘My game, well, my experience, my wish—’
‘Don’t you think you should be concentrating on getting better? Not some silly game!’
Jesse blinks, stunned.It’s not some silly game, she thinks. Her dad doesn’t realise how cutting his words can be. She looks to her mum for support, to find her already studying her face, taking in her hurt and disappointment.
‘Dean, that’s enough,’ Mandy says, taking one of Jesse’s hands in hers. ‘Jesse was just telling us about Alex’s visit.’
‘Who is this guy,Alex?’ Dean spits out. ‘What do we know about him?’
