Chapter 27

Stella wakes up in the hospital with her parents and Dr. Hamid surrounding her. A nurse is drawing blood from Stella’s arm. Stella realizes she is being prepped for the lung transplant. However, Stella insists she does not want the transplant. Her overriding concern is about Will’s whereabouts. She hears Will’s weak voice tell her to take the lungs. To her relief, Will is alive and being treated in the emergency room, ten feet away from her. Stella imagines Abby’s voice telling her to live and agrees to the transplant.

Chapter 28

As Stella undergoes the transplant, Will tells Dr. Hamid that he was forced to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save her life, thus potentially infecting her. Dr. Hamid and Barb tell Will that he did the right thing. Even if Stella has contracted B. cepacia, they will treat her when the time comes. An exhausted Will sinks into sleep. Later, as he waits for Stella’s transplant surgery to conclude, he meets Diane in the waiting room. Diane thanks Will for saving Stella’s life. She clarifies that she is not referring to the CPR, but to Will convincing Stella to agree to the transplant. While Will waits for the surgery to end, Barb brings him his art supplies. Will sketches his memories of Stella to pass the time. Camile and Mya visit. The wait seems endless until Dr. Hamid walks in at last with good news: the transplant has been successful. Later in Will’s room, Barb tells Will that Stella has not yet contracted B. cepacia. But Will’s treatment is not working. Will holds his mother’s hand to comfort her and falls asleep. He wakes up at midnight to sneak off to the recovery room and watch Stella. He is struck by a plan which requires careful execution. He enlists the help of his mother, Stella’s parents, his and Stella’s friends, and the hospital staff to carry out the plan. He hands Stella’s mother a sketchbook, takes one last look at Stella, and walks away.