She looks up from her book to find a stranger standing overher in the patient lounge, an expectant look plastered on his face. Behind his nose tube that matches hers, hehad a very attractive, and this vainly placates her a bit from having to forceconversation with him.
“I’m dying,” she states bluntly. He doesn’t flinch, and she likes that.
He motions around the room with his hand.
“Tasteful, um…what’s your name?”
“What?” he asks, settling down in the chair next toher. “No ‘Nice to meet you’?”
“Not really looking to make new friends when I only havemonths to live.”
“Months? Isn’t that alittle pessimistic…”
“Meryl,” she finishes. “And no, it isn’t. The doctorsaid to hope for four. I have T-Cell,asshole.”
She nods. He inhalessharply.
“If you say ‘I’m sorry’, I’m going to punch you in theface.”
He doesn’t say anything. She tries to go back to reading, but he’s sufficiently distracted her.
“What are you infor?” she questions instead.
“ALL,” he explains quickly. “Fifth round of treatment. It’sjust won’t stay in remission, pesky little thing cancer is.”
She nods slightly, running her eyes over the pages of herbook, absorbing not a word of it.
“Do you believe in miracles, Meryl?”
“I went to my doctor’s for a routine checkup two weeks agobefore I left to go to Europe for three weeks, and got told my death wasimminent. And you’re asking me if Ibelieve in miracles?”
“I’ll take that as a no,” he determines, shrugging. “Me either. Not really. But the doctors andnurses always tell you to hope for one, like that will help you get better morequickly or something.”
“My doctor didn’t tell me that. He told me to wish for months, not miracles.”
A silence falls over them, but she feels his eyes onher. When she looks up finally, his gazeis so earnest that it makes her pause, gulp.
“Will you wish for one?” he whispers. “A miracle? Not for you doctor, or anyone else, or maybe not ever for yourself rightnow. But for me? As one of my dying wishes?”
Her eyes rake over his face, and something about his essencecompels her. She nods.