Wish Upon a Star Read Online Free PDF Page A

on my shoulder. "I am so ready for
a drink or five."
    Her phone buzzed before I could respond. She looked at it
and typed in a few key strokes. "We're having dinner at Randi and
Ryan's. She wants an update, and promised me fried plantains in
return. We can pick up a bottle on the way."
    When we arrived, Miranda gave me a hug and a smile. She
greeted Annie with what seemed like a special code they used when
speaking to each other. I got the sense from the way Ryan kept
looking at the floor and merely offered to take our coats that he
didn't know what to say, so he'd chosen not to say anything.
    Annie stuck out her bottom lip when she handed her coat
over. "Don't I get a hug from you, too? I need all the hugs I can get
these days."
    "Oh well, yeah, sure." Ryan's cheeks had turned fire engine
red by the time he wrapped an arm around Annie. "Sorry, I just
didn't know... Let me go stash these."
    He turned, but Annie placed her hand on his wrist before he
could escape. "It's okay Ryan. You can say it. I have cancer. But I'm
not going to die. Unless Randi lied to me about the plantains, that
is."
    Miranda snorted. "How dare you impugn my character? I'd
lie about a lot of things, but never about plantains."
    That broke the awkwardness, brought a smile to Ryan's face
and pulled a laugh from me. As was always the case with a
Miranda-prepared meal, dinner was amazing. The Caribbean flair was a
welcome escape from sub-freezing February weather outside. Ryan
and I cleaned up while Annie followed Miranda into her home office
and closed the door.
    When we were finished in the kitchen, Ryan pulled a couple
of beers from the fridge. We wound our way to the living room and
found a college basketball game to watch. During a TV timeout, Ryan
cleared his throat.
    "So, Annie has cancer, huh?"
    "Yeah." I took a drink. "They call it bi-lateral invasive ductile
carcinoma."
    "What's that mean?"
    "Hell, I don't know—"
    "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry." Ryan put up a hand like he
was surrendering.
    "No, it's okay man. I'm still trying to figure out the
terminology. It seems like every time we turn around there's another
test she needs to take before we can do anything. It's been constant
react mode."
    "My grandma had breast cancer when I was ten. Mom totally
freaked out. It was bad around the house for a while, since my mom's
always been a panicker. You should have seen her the morning of
our wedding." He chuckled. "Grandma made it through, but I don't
know many of the details."
    "You were a kid. You were probably busy playing ball."
    "Actually, busy with Legos. I was always building something
with those blocks. Grandma said I was born to be an architect."
    "So how old was she, when she, you know..."
    Ryan scratched his head. "Don't know exactly. Early sixties, I
think."
    "Annie's in her early thirties." The implication hung in the
air between us, unsaid but understood.
    "How about another beer? Second half ought to be starting
in a minute." Ryan was out of his seat and headed for the kitchen
before I had a chance to say yes.
    We kept the conversation focused on the ball game until
Miranda and Annie joined us. Annie's eyes were red and a little puffy,
so I knew there'd been some tears shed behind that door. I didn't
press, just took her hand in mine when she sat next to me on the
couch. When the game ended, Annie bumped my arm with her
shoulder. It was time to go.
    On the way home, she told me her pow-wow with Miranda
had been fruitful. Miranda had confirmed our positive feelings about
Dr. Furman. Within the medical community, she was regarded as
both highly skilled and very compassionate.
    Among the names of the hematology oncologists the
Navigator had given Annie, a Dr. Mary Hill had landed on the top of
the list. Dr. Hill was in her mid-thirties, which Annie said was
important to her. She thought someone that age would be able to
relate to the challenges she was facing in having breast cancer at
such a young age.
    The last member of the medical team