Dani gazed intently at him. What a strange and different kind of life he’d led. “I guess it hasn’t been easy fitting in over here.”
“No joke.” His laugh held no humor. “When kids find out you’re an MK, they treat you as if you’re some kind of alien. As if you might burst into Bible verses. They don’t realize that you’re interested in the same things as every other kid your age.”
“Is that why you wear your hair long?”
“Maybe. I’d get an earring, but Dad would croak.”
“Are your parents thinking of leaving Cincinnati?”
“Would you miss me?” He flashed a grin at her.
“Not a bit,” she said, knowing it wasn’t true. She peeked up at him shyly. “Okay … maybe just a little. Who’d take me camping and help me make my sister’s dream come true?”
He stared at her in such a way, she turned her head. No boy had ever looked at her that way before. She swallowed hard, unable to sort out what she was experiencing.
With a sudden laugh, Austin tousled her hair and flopped back down. He rolled over and said, “Go to sleep. It’ll be nighttime before you know it.”
Dani puzzled over the sensations pouring through her. Austin was helping her accomplish one of her most important missions in life, and she felt grateful to him. What else could it be? This trip was for Cassie, not for herself. She’d better not forget what it was all about.
Dani awoke with a start. Beside her, Austin slept, looking as peaceful as a small child. She inched away and crept inside the van. Cassie was sitting with her legs crossed. The lamp was on, and she was staring at a magazine.
“Hey,” Dani said. “You feeling better?”
Cassie shrugged. “A little dopey. I think it’s the medicine.”
“Good magazine?”
Cassie shook her head. “I can’t read it, really. The type looks blurry, and sometimes I see double pages.”
Dani didn’t like the sound of her sister’s description.
“The medicine’s never done this before.”
“Well, I never had to glue it in your mouth before.”
Cassie snickered, and Dani felt relieved knowing her sister’s sense of humor was intact. “I guess it was pretty weird,” Cassie said. “I’ll bet we scared off half of those McDonald’s customers forever.”
“I hear Ronald McDonald himself is out to get us.”
Cassie laughed aloud.
“Did I miss a good joke?” Austin stepped inside the van, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
“We didn’t mean to wake you,” Dani apologized.
“No problem. We’ve got to start packing up. anyway.” He looked at his watch. “I’d like to be rolling in an hour.”
“I’m hungry,” Cassie said.
Dani flipped open the ice chest, glad to think about something as ordinary as eating. “Soup—coming up.”
“Gosh, I hope not!” Cassie replied in wide-eyed innocence. “I’m tired of having my food come up.”
The three of them looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Quickly, they set about fixing dinner as twilight fell over the Tennessee woods. An hour later, they pulled out onto the highway, heading south.
Thirteen
“WHY DON’T WE put on some music?” Cassie suggested.
“Cassette of your choice,” Austin said. He popped open the glove compartment, and Dani rummaged for a tape—any tape—knowing it was important to keep the radio off.
When the music was playing, Cassie sat forward on a stack of pillows, directly behind the console and between the two front seats. “Where are we?” she asked.
“About an hour from Atlanta. From there, it’s around five hours to the Florida state line.”
“And to the beach?”
“Another four hours to Melbourne.”
Dani made a quick mental calculation and figured they’d be hitting their destination around five A.M. She felt a stirring of excitement—they might make it after all, despite all the setbacks.
“I can’t wait,” Cassie said eagerly. “Where are we going to stay?”
“All arranged,” Dani announced. “I reserved rooms at a beachfront hotel—as we know, money is no object. Thanks to our wonderful, mysterious One Last Wish friend I reserved us two rooms.”
“You didn’t choose the same hotel my class stayed at?”
“Of course not.”
“Did you use your name to make the reservations?” Austin asked quickly.
“I have more sense than that. I used Smith.”
“Smith?” Austin and Cassie asked in unison.
“What’s wrong with Smith?”
“You could have been more original,” Austin teased. “Don’t you think so. Cassie?”
“Dani, anyone could have thought of something better than Smith.”
Dani glanced from one to the other. “Well, excuse me. The next time I plan a getaway weekend to Florida, I’ll be sure and consult with you two over an appropriate name for registration.”
“Touchy, isn’t she?” Austin asked Cassie.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with her,” Cassie said with an exaggerated sigh. “Kidnapping patients from hospitals, dragging people into the woods to camp by day, and choosing a name like Smith … She’s such an ordinary kind of sister.”
“That’s for sure,” Austin agreed.
Dani ignored him. “And what name would you have picked, Miss Originality?”
Cassie contemplated for a moment. “How about something exotic, like Madame Bovary, or mysterious, like Mr. Heathcliff.”
“Or something famous, like Washington,” Austin interjected.
“I still prefer Smith,” Dani insisted. “It’s the perfect name if you two think about it. And if you give me any more grief, I’ll call ahead and cancel the rooms.” She tried to keep a straight face to accompany her threat.
“Smith sounds okay to me,” Cassie said quickly.
“Works for me,” Austin said.
Dani gave them both a smug grin. “And you didn’t think I could be flexible.”
About one A.M., as they crossed the Florida state line, they cheered. Looking at the gas gauge, Austin said, “We’d better stop and fill up.” He pulled into a service station, where the neon brightness made Dani squint.
She and Cassie went to the ladies’ room while Austin pumped gas. Dani couldn’t help noticing how slowly Cassie moved. She was dragging her left foot more than usual.
“I’m just stiff,” Cassie explained apologetically. “From sitting so long.”
“I know what you mean,” Dani assured her. “So am I.”
Cassie glanced up and around. “You’d think they’d light these places better at night.”
“Are you serious? It’s bright as—” She checked herself and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Everything looks sort of dim. Don’t you think so?”
Was something happening to Cassie’s eyesight? Dani wondered. “I can see well enough to get us to the bathroom and back,” Dani said.
“Good. I wouldn’t want to trip.”
In the bathroom, Dani splashed cold water on her face, hoping to settle the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She recalled Dr. Phillips’s warning that as the tumor grew, so would Cassie’s physical symptoms. Her sister had to be all right. In less than a day, they’d be at the beach.
Dani opened the bathroom door and stepped outside. She stopped in her tracks as she noticed the Florida highway patrol car parked by the gas pumps. Fear squeezed her pounding heart. By reflex, she stepped back inside the bathroom.
“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked.
“Uh … Austin’s not ready yet.”
“So, can’t we go sit in the van and wait for him?”
Dani scrambled for a reasonable excuse, but came up empty. Haltingly, she said, “Look … Cassie … there’s a cop outside … and I think … it would be best … if we waited until he left.”
Cassie stared at her, one eyelid a
nd one side of her mouth drooping noticeably. “Are the police searching for us?”
“It’s possible.” Dani tried to sound unconcerned.
“I want to go to the beach,” Cassie said. Tears shimmered in her eyes, making Dani’s heart ache.
“We’ll go,” she assured her. “But I think we should wait until the cop leaves—just to be safe.”
Cassie leaned against the wall, covered her face with her hands, and slid to the floor. Dani didn’t know how to console her.
“I don’t want to g-go h-home,” Cassie repeated, sobbing.
“It’ll be all right,” Dani said gently. “Let me take a peek outside.”
She cracked the door, but could still see the patrol car. Why didn’t it go away? She saw Austin, too. He was leisurely washing the van’s windshield. She also saw that he’d put on a baseball cap and tucked his long, blond ponytail under it. She admired his ingenuity.
Dani continued to watch through the opening. She couldn’t see the patrolman, and assumed he was inside the convenience store of the gas station. She saw Austin complete his window-cleaning chore, then climb inside the van. She heard him start the engine and for a moment felt confused. What did he want her and Cassie to do? Run and jump in the van? Surely, that would cause an uproar. And he knew that Cassie couldn’t run.
As she continued to watch, unsure of what to do, the van started moving. Dani saw it make a slow, wide arc and turn back in the opposite direction, pull out onto the road, and head off. She blinked, incredulous and uncomprehending as its taillights disappeared in the darkness.
She clutched the door handle until her hand hurt, but she didn’t move. From the floor beside her, she heard Cassie’s soft sobs. Dani felt trapped. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves and get a grip on her emotions. Austin couldn’t leave them stranded. He just couldn’t!
Moments later, Dani saw the highway patrolman come out to his car, get inside, and start off. She had to open the door wider and crane her neck to see him driving away, because he was headed in the other direction from the van, but once he was out of sight, she opened the door completely and urged Cassie to her feet. The bath room had grown hot and stuffy, and sweat was pouring off her face.
“It’ll be cooler outside,” she told her sister, who followed like a docile child.
“Did the policeman go away?” Cassie asked.
“Yes.” And so did Austin, Dani thought.
Suddenly, the van appeared in front of them. Austin leapt out and hurried up to them. “Are you two all right?” His face was as white as a sheet.
Dani was so relieved to see him that she almost hugged him. “We’re fine, and the cop’s gone.”
“I saw him leave. I pulled off to the side of the road up ahead”—he nodded in the direction he’d come from—“and turned off my lights and waited until he left.” Austin helped Cassie inside, and once he and Dani were in with the doors locked, he backed the van out and continued on their original route.
Cassie curled up on the floor with a blanket and fell asleep. Neither Dani nor Austin said a word for several miles. Dani folded her hands in her lap to conceal their trembling. She felt drained and shaky. Staring straight ahead, she mumbled, “When I heard your engine start, I didn’t know what to do.”
“It was the only thing I could think to do.” Austin sounded subdued. “I didn’t want to make him suspicious. I kept praying that you’d stay in side the bathroom. That you’d trust me enough to wait for me.”
Dani looked at him. “At first, I thought you’d left us.”
He glanced at her sharply, a look of hurt on his face. “Don’t you know, Dani? I’m in this all the way with you. I won’t leave you. Not even when it’s all over.”
She kept silent. When it was over, she might need him more than ever.
Fourteen
DANI SAT QUIETLY as miles and miles of highway slid past the window of the van. Dawn began to break in cool gray strips, and stars blinked out, as if some hand were turning them off, one by one. Her eyes felt gritty, and there was a stale, unpleasant taste in her mouth, left over from doughnuts and colas at three A.M.
Austin had taken a chance on a more direct route. He’d picked up the Florida Turnpike, then a state road going east. Every muscle in Dani’s body ached, and all she wanted to do was stretch out in a soft, clean bed and sleep. She thought of home and her bedroom. She’d been gone two nights, but it seemed so much longer.
“Once we get through town, we’ll pick up the beachfront highway and go to the hotel,” Austin said, breaking the monotonous droning sound of the engine and tires that filled the van.
“We can’t check in till noon,” Dani replied with a tired sigh.
“Then we’ll just wait on the beach. I’m guessing that people will start showing up early, so we won’t be noticed among the crowds.” He glanced back at Cassie. “She sleeps a lot.”
“It’s part of her symptoms. But it’s better that she does. It’s making the trip shorter for her.”
The day continued to brighten, and Cassie stirred. She sat up and gazed out the window. “Are we at the beach yet?”
“Almost,” Austin answered cheerfully. “Do you want to stop for a minute?”
“No. Please, let’s go to the water.” There was a sense of urgency in her voice.
Austin continued to drive until he found a deserted parking lot designated for public beach access. He rolled to a stop. The moment the doors opened, Dani caught the sharp, tangy scent of the sea air and heard the muffled rhythmic beat of water hitting the shore. A morning breeze blew soft and balmy, stirring her hair and reviving her spirits.
They walked along a short wooden boardwalk, over a crest of sand, and saw the sea stretching calmly before them. “May I present the Atlantic Ocean,” Austin said with a flourish.
Dani watched Cassie. She wondered if her sister felt the way she did—overwhelmed, almost giddy. No movie, no TV image, no photograph had been equal to what lay in front of them. The shoreline stretched endlessly in either direction, and in the distance, the sky appeared to meet the water at the horizon. The sight left her speechless.
Cassie’s eyes were bright and she was smiling. She slipped off her shoes and touched her toes to the sand. “I want to feel the water.” She started to walk across the thick, heavy sand with her lurching gait.
Dani followed, then Austin. At the edge of the water, Cassie stopped, took a deep, long breath, flung her arms wide open, and raised her face to the brightening sky. “I made it! My wish has been granted.” She reached over to hug Dani and then Austin. “This is a view I could never have from my hospital bed!” And she laughed.
They walked along the shore and saw the sunrise. Rays glistened on the water like jewels. Dani’s eyes darted everywhere. As she stood still, the water sucked the sand away from her feet, leaving indentations that slowly vanished as every passing wave swept over it.
When Cassie grew tired of walking, they sat in the sand and gazed out at a sea that had changed from gray to green with the rising of the sun. The sky turned blue, and small, puffy white clouds appeared. Dani sifted white sand through her fingers.
“It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined,” Cassie said. “Coming here was worth it all. I hope Mom understands.”
The sun was growing warmer, and Dani felt its heat on her head and back.
“I think we should go have a healthy breakfast and then check in to our rooms,” Austin said.
Dani’s stomach growled at the suggestion, causing the three of them to laugh.
“We can come back to the beach, can’t we?” Cassie asked, her expression eager.
“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Austin helped her to her feet, and they all walked back to the van.
At the restaurant, Dani and Austin ordered big meals. Cassie said she wasn’t very hungry.
Dani ate ravenously when the food arrived. Austin bought a newspaper and flipped through it, handing it over to Dani, and pointing discreetly to a
small story on an inside page. The headline read: “Teens Flee Hospital.” She stopped eating and read the story. According to the account, a teenage boy and girl from Ohio had taken the girl’s sister, who was a cancer patient, from a Cincinnati hospital. No trace of them had been found thus far, but police were searching. A reward was offered. Dani was grateful that their names weren’t printed.
Dani continued to skim the paper. “Cassie,” she said, “this article says that a bunch of loggerhead turtles will be released from one of the beaches around here. Didn’t we just see a TV show about that?”
Cassie brightened. “Yes. I remember. I’d really like to see that.”
“A turtle release?” Austin commented, as if both of them had lost their wits. “Sounds like a yawn to me.”
Cassie became more animated as she explained, “Austin, this is an endangered species. The mother turtles crawl up on the beach and lay their eggs and cover them, then about two months later, the baby turtles hatch and head toward the sea. But between the development of the beachfront and natural enemies, not many of the little turtles make it. Sometimes, rangers dig up the eggs, and as the eggs start to hatch, they bring them back to the beach and release them. That way, the turtles have a better chance of surviving.”
Austin still didn’t look impressed.
“If I could,” Cassie continued, “I’d be a marine biologist and help protect all the animals facing extinction in the ocean. Wouldn’t it be a terrible world without whales, or dolphins, or turtles?”
“Yes, it would. But I think we should go check in to our rooms now, and talk about sea creatures later,” Dani said with a tired yawn.
Austin agreed. Dani picked up the check, and they went to find their hotel.
Their rooms adjoined on the ground floor and faced the ocean. Sliding glass doors opened out onto a small patio set in the sand. Austin took one room and helped the girls unload their suitcases in the other.