Free The Legacy: Making Wishes Come True by Lurlene McDaniel Page A

“We
are
the Four Musketeers, you know.”
    “More like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” Mrs. Henry said with a wry smile.
    After she left, Elaine turned to the others. “Who are the Four Horsemen of the whatever-she-said?”
    “I’ve heard of them,” Noreen replied. “They’re in the Bible.”
    “I think they’re associated with major calamities,” Jenny said. “Like pestilence and famine.”
    “Who mentioned famine?” Elaine asked. “I’m so hungry, I could eat the paint off the walls.”
    “You’re
always
hungry,” Kimbra insisted.
    “How can you talk about food when I’m about to have my stomach amputated? Give me a break!”
    “You’re not thinking about the bright side—diets will be a thing of the past,” Jenny told her returning to what Elaine had said earlier.
    Noreen let out an exasperated screech, which started them giggling. An hour later, they turned off the lights for the night, but lay in the darkness and talked until one by one, they fell asleep.
    Jenny felt as if she’d scarcely closed her eyes when she heard the orderlies come to take Noreen down for surgery. In the semidarkness of the room, Jenny was instantly awake. “Keep the faith,” she told Noreen. “Make sure that surgeon gets all the bad stuff.”
    Jenny knew her friend had been given preop medication, which would make her groggy. As she was rolled past on the gurney, Noreen held up her thumb and offered a lopsided smile. Jenny felt her heart clutch.
“Be all right,”
she whispered to the darkness after Noreen had been wheeled from the room.
    Neither she, Kimbra, nor Elaine felt like doing anything that morning. They lounged around their room, reading and watching TV. Outside, it poured rain, the weather matching their glum moods.
    “I would have won ten thousand dollars if I’d been on that game show,” Elaine said halfheartedly during a particular program. “Maybe someday, I’ll go on one, and they’ll have a category on cancer. I’m sure I could answer every question.”
    “What would you do with ten thousand dollars if you won it?” Jenny asked.
    “She’d probably fritter it away on hamburgers,” Kimbra answered for Elaine.
    “A lot you know,” Elaine said with toss of her head. “I’d save it and go to college.”
    College
. The word pricked Jenny. Naturally, college had been in her plans. Her grandmother had spoken often about Wellesley as a fine place for “proper young women.” At the moment, Jenny couldn’t remember the last time she’d thought about school, much less college.
    “Why is it taking so long?” Kimbra blurted, irritated. “They should have finished by now.”
    “Maybe her doctor’s just slow,” Jenny offered.
    “This whole place is slow. We all should have been out of here ages ago.”
    “I wish—” Elaine began.
    “Well, stop wishing,” Kimbra snapped. “Wishingfor something is dumb and stupid. Wishes don’t ever come true, so why bother?”
    Jenny felt sorry for Elaine, who seemed more optimistic about life overall, but she certainly understood where Kimbra was coming from. Girls their age with cancer had to be practical. Pollyanna thinking led nowhere.
    As the day dragged on, their collective mood grew more gloomy. It was almost suppertime when Shannon, one of Noreen’s older, married sisters came into their room. She looked haggard and red-eyed from crying.
    “What’s wrong?” Kimbra jumped from her bed and rushed over to Shannon. “How’s Noreen?”
    “She’s out of surgery and in the recovery room,” Shannon said with a quivery voice.
    Jenny sagged with relief. “But that’s great news,” she said.
    “Yes and no.” Shannon wiped her eyes on a wadded tissue.
    “Explain.” Kimbra used her best no-nonsense voice.
    “Before her surgery, Noreen made me promise to come and tell you three everything.”
    “What’s everything?” Elaine wanted to know. “Didn’t they get all her tumor?”
    That possibility hadn’t crossed Jenny’s mind.