Between Sisters

Back in the condo, Meghann helped Claire change into her flannel pajamas and climb into bed.

“It’s just hair,” Claire said as she leaned back against a pile of pillows.

Meghann set the Hope file on the nightstand. “It’ll grow back. ”

“Yeah. ” Claire sighed and closed her eyes.

Meghann backed out of the room. At the doorway, she stopped.

Her sister lay there, barely breathing it seemed, with her eyes closed. Strands of hair decorated her pillow. Very slowly, still not opening her eyes, Claire brought her hands up and started touching her wedding ring. Tears leaked down the sides of her face, leaving tiny gray splotches on the pillow.

And Meghann knew what she had to do.

She closed the door and went to the phone. All of Claire’s emergency numbers were on a notepad beside it. Including Bobby’s.

Meghann dialed Bobby’s number and waited impatiently for him to answer.

In the past twenty-four hours, Claire had lost almost half of her hair. The bare skin that showed through was an angry, scaly red. This morning, as she got ready for her appointment, she spent nearly thirty minutes wrapping a silk scarf around her head.

“Quit fussing with it,” Meghann said when they arrived at the Nuclear Medicine waiting room. “You look fine. ”

“I look like a Gypsy fortune-teller. And I don’t know why you made me wear makeup. My skin is so red I look like Martha Phillips. ”

“Who is that?”

“In the eighth grade. She fell asleep under a sunlamp. We called her Tomato Face for two weeks. ”

“Kids are so kind. ”

Claire left for her treatment and was back in the waiting room thirty minutes later. She didn’t bother putting the scarf back on. Her scalp was tender.

“Let’s go out for coffee,” she said when Meghann stood up to greet her.

“Coffee makes you puke. ”

“What doesn’t? Let’s go anyway. ”

“I have to go into the office today. I’ve got a deposition scheduled. ”

“Oh. ” Claire followed Meghann down the hospital corridor, trying to keep up. Lately, she was so tired it was hard not to shuffle like an old woman. She practically fell asleep in the car.

At the condo door, Meghann paused, key in hand, and looked at her. “I’m trying to do what’s right for you. What’s best. ”

“I know that. ”

“Sometimes I screw up. I tend to think I know everything. ”

Claire smiled. “Are you waiting for an argument?”

“I just want you to remember that. I’m trying to do the right thing. ”

“Okay, Meg. I’ll remember. Now go to work. I don’t want to miss Judge Judy. She reminds me of you. ”

“Smart-ass. ” Meg looked at her a moment longer, then opened the condo door. “Bye. ”

“This is the longest farewell in history. Bye, Meg. Go to work. ”

Meghann nodded and walked away.