Free The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True by Lurlene McDaniel

her nose and mouth that filtered out germs from the air. The drug made her sick, she dropped six pounds in a week, but her blood work began to show improvement. Fewer leukemia cells—
blasts
—showed up in her bone marrow.
    “After two weeks, we’ll take you off this stuff and put you back on more conventional therapy,” Dr. Gallagher told her. “So keep the faith.” He used his familiar words of encouragement and squeezed her hand.
    At the same time Jenny was being pumped full of the potent new chemical, Noreen’s doctor scheduled her for surgery to remove the tumor in her stomach. The night before she was to be taken down for the operation, the four roommates huddled together in their room. “I hope this guy knows what he’s doingand doesn’t take out my whole stomach,” Noreen grumbled.
    Jenny could tell Noreen was trying to keep up a brave front for them as well as her family, who had just left amid promises to be back at the crack of dawn.
    “Think of the bright side,” Elaine offered. “You would never have to worry about dieting again.”
    “Plus, what they’re taking out of you won’t show up on your outside,” Kimbra said, waving her stump of an arm. “That should count for something.”
    Noreen pulled her covers up to her chin. “Do you have any books to take my mind off tomorrow, Jenny?”
    “All I can think of is some of the psalms in the Bible.”
    Noreen made the sign of the cross. “Ma told me our parish priest is coming with them tomorrow to wait through my surgery. I guess if things don’t go right, he can give me last rites.”
    “Stop talking like that,” Jenny’s voice sounded muffled because of the mask, but her tone was sharp enough to make Noreen look startled. “You’re going to come through this just fine. In fact, after it’s all over and you’re back down here with us, I’ll throw you a party.”
    Noreen perked up. “What kind of party?”
    “What kind do you want?”
    “Something with a gigantic cake. And ice cream.”
    “You’ll have a vat of the stuff.”
    “And a rock band.”
    “The loudest.”
    “Can I have my brothers and sisters come too? And some of my old friends from school and the neighborhood?”
    Just then, the medications nurse, Mrs. Henry, entered the room carrying a tray of assorted pills and cups of liquid medicines. “Teatime,” she announced. Then, glancing at their faces, she asked, “What are you four cooking up?”
    “Us? Why nothing,” Kimbra replied innocently.
    “Then why do you all look as if you’re up to something?”
    “Jenny’s going to throw me a party after my surgery,” Noreen explained. “Something small and private.”
    Nurse Henry still looked suspicious. “Since when have any of you done anything small and private? I mean, who started the war during last week’s art therapy session?”
    “Oh, that.” Jenny said, recalling how during the session, Noreen and Kimbra had decided to decorate each other, in addition to their crafts projects, with gold and silver glitter. Soon, the entire room had erupted into chaos, and glitter had fallen like rain.
    “Yes, that.” The nurse tried to keep a straight face. “I hear that the janitors are still picking glitter out of the carpet.”
    “I’m still finding it embedded in my head,” Elaine said, rubbing the top of her bald head with her hand.
    “And you expect me to believe that you’re going to have a sedate little party?”
    All of the girls exchanged glances. “Let’s just say it won’t be boring,” Jenny replied.
    “Well, I think all of you should take your medicine and turn out the lights. Noreen has a big day ahead of her tomorrow.”
    “I’d almost forgotten. Why did you have to remind me?”
    “Will you make sure someone keeps us informed, since we can’t go into the recovery room and check on her ourselves?” Elaine asked.
    “Someone will keep you posted,” the nurse assured them.
    “We have to stick together,” Kimbra told her.