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Show Fair Forever 7 . / ,63 heading first for the phone. I raced her, but the phone was so far away, ringing and ringing. I wanted to stop her, keep her from answering^ I woke up after the dream," exhausted and sweating. I listened, but I couldn 't hear any crying. The next day, I volunteered to give Amanda rowing lessons. 'Don 'tyou think we should wait?' she asked. Wait.. . until you 're better?' 'That could be a long wait, 'I said. 7 don't think I'll be better before Monday.' Amanda looked at her feet. One of the toes on her left foot bends in a funny way. She covered that foot with the other and asked, 'Bradley, what if I stayed longer at your house ? Do you think I could stay past Sunday?' I was surprised by the question. I asked her about school and her job at the hospital. , , , . 7 quit the hospital,' she confessed, uncrossing her arms. 'And I'm pretty much finished with school. I passed out of my classes before Christmas. 'Me too,'I said with a grin. 'Only, Ididn't pass. '•' Amanda laughed. Would your mom stay, too?' I asked. ; She hesitated.. 'What if she couldn't? Could I stay anyway?' I wqsn 't sure how to answer. My stomach was flopping around inside. 'Stay!' I wanted to beg. 'Stay for a week! Stay for a month! Stay until I get a new heart! 'Of course, I didn 'i say any of those things. Instead, I told her she could pretend to be sick. I said that Mom's a softy for anyone who's sick. 'Like me,' Jsaid. 'I'm just pretending.' |