Joey had little reason to doubt that Lance would indeed stand by him should JC ever confront him again. Nevertheless, Joey refused to let any opportunity for such an exchange present itself. As the days crawled, not only did Joey not speak to JC, Chris or Justin at all, but he avoided their very presence whenever he could for as long as humanly possible.

When the day came for him to resume chemo, only Lance chauffeured him to the clinic in their rented van. They never told the others about their plans, aside from leaving a handwritten note at the breakfast bar that just read, Gone to the clinic. Chemo business. Back whenever.

Joey had meant it when he said he wasn’t giving up his own treatments on Sheri’s account. But that didn’t mean he looked forward to taking that stuff again. He would have thought he’d be used to it by now, but more than once, that horrible nausea proved too strong to resist. Whenever he got green about the gills, he forced himself to think good thoughts; thoughts about Sheri, about the zoo and all the fun they’d shared that day, pulled him through.

Lance stuck to Joey like glue the whole time, even when the process dragged over an hour. When it was finally over, Lance helped Joey to his feet, patted his back and asked him, “Feel like grabbing a soda?”

“Sure,” said Joey as he wiped his mouth. “Food’s the last thing I want right now, but a soda should be okay.”

Over the next three weeks, some chemo sessions went smoother than others. Some days, Joey got so queasy and lightheaded that he couldn’t tell the difference between ceilings and floors. One time, when he leaped from his seat a little too soon, Lance and Dr. Delaney both had to catch him and lower him very gently to the floor, and Lance knelt by his head while a nurse propped up his legs. Joey recovered from his dizzy spell soon enough, but then he felt extremely embarrassed; he could only recall blacking out like that two or three other times in his life.

Other days, the session was a piece of cake, and Joey not only felt great afterward but insisted on a burger or slice of pizza. Once, he was brave enough to opt for full-scale Chinese; Lance spared no expense on the meal.

Every week, regardless of how he felt, Joey remained adamant about visiting Sheri. Due to the hospice program, they couldn’t drop in on her at any old time, but they still got to see her at least a few days each week, their staying times varying from twenty minutes to three hours. However long or short the visit, Joey made the most of it. Sheri was always thrilled to see him and Lance, and her mother assured them that their visits marked the highlight of Sheri and Tami’s whole week.

“It really gives both girls something to look forward to,” Ann said with a smile. “And I’ll admit, it’s wonderful to have some males around the house for a change.”

About twice or so in the week, Ann invited Joey and Lance to stay for dinner. Joey accepted, not only because it gave him an excuse to stay with Sheri (and avoid the guys) longer, but Ann proved a superb cook, too. No matter how sick the chemo made him, no matter how much his stomach rebelled at the mere mention of food, Joey could always abide Ann’s cooking.

Sitting there at the worn table, surrounded by friendly faces and pleasant talk, he began to feel like part of the family, and every now and then he would almost forget about Sheri’s plight.

Even when no one mentioned it aloud, the evidence was plain enough. Sheri was looking increasingly bloated despite her paltry appetite, and her skin developed a distinct yellowy hue. Joey sensed she must be hurting plenty, too; while she had some strong pills at hand, they didn’t always do their job. She never once complained, but Joey still feared for her, ached for her, and reinforced his pledge to stay with her and help her mark off her bucket list.

On one of Joey’s better days, he took Sheri out to get her nails designed, something else she had always longed to do and would have done sooner if she could. Lance insisted on bringing Tami along and having her nails done, too; Tami would never admit it, but Joey could tell how much she wanted to come and how happy it made her to include her in the adventure. Of course, Joey didn’t have the heart to refuse her anyway.

At the salon, Joey announced to both girls, “No expense spared, ladies. You pick out any design you like, and I mean any kind. If you want your nails to show off the American flag, Mickey Mouse, Mona Lisa, or Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk step by step, be my guest.”

After much deliberation, Sheri settled for cute animal faces, with a different animal for every fingernail, while Tami chose a tropical island motif. It took a fair bit of time, but the girls didn’t mind in the least, and their stylists made each nail bed an impeccable work of art.

Afterward, Lance treated everybody to hoagie sandwiches and root beer floats. Even at their table, Sheri couldn’t stop admiring her nails and she handled her cold glass with exceptional care. “Thank you, Joey,” she gushed. “Thank you, Lance. Thank you so much! This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“You’re welcome,” Joey smiled. “It’s our pleasure.”

“You ladies have chosen well,” Lance said as he held up Tami’s hand as if they were in an old-fashioned movie. “You have excellent taste.”

“Thanks,” said Tami while her face rivaled the red of the shirt she wore that day.

“I really like your nails, Tami,” Sheri said. “That little dolphin silhouette is a nice touch.”

“Your nails look awesome too, Sher. I’m not surprised you started with a giraffe’s mug.”

The next minute, out of the pure blue, Tami’s hazel eyes overflowed and she quickly excused herself. Bewildered and worried, Lance started to go after her, but Joey said, “You stay with Sheri, Lance. I’ll handle Tami.”

So Lance complied. Sheri said nothing, but she watched Joey leave the table with an expression of sad understanding.

Joey tracked Tami down in a narrow corner by the restrooms. Though she was mostly silent, the way her hands covered her face and the way her whole body shook didn’t fool him. Approaching with caution and care, placing his hand on the girl’s quivering shoulder with a feather’s lightness, he whispered, “Tami?”

She gave only a slight start. Without looking up, she brushed her sleeve furiously across her face. Her voice sounded almost mouselike when she said, “J-Joey.”

“Tami, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said in a tone that insisted otherwise. 

“What is it?” He sensed the answer before she gave it to him.

“I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to lose it back there. It’s just—” She faltered for a minute, and then lifted her tear-glossed face to his as she blurted, “I wish this wasn’t happening, Joey. Sometimes I forget how sick Sheri is, that this is the real end for her. Having her home with us feels like old times…and then I look at her, really look at her, and see how bad she is and how much worse she’s getting every day. Every day means one day less.” A fresh tear made a new diamond trail down her cheek. “A-and I feel like I shouldn’t be happy and healthy, like I don’t deserve to have a good time when she’s—when she’s—”

Joey felt his heart split down the middle. He yearned to say something to comfort Tami, but found nothing.

It dawned on him, most unpleasantly, that Sheri’s impending death was taking a much harder toll on her family than he realized. With how they acted so loving and playful toward one another…what true pain lurked behind those smiling masks?

He already hurt like crazy; how much more must Tami be hurting?

And what of Ann? How had she endured her daughter’s implacable suffering all this time?

These questions, with so many more, formed a massive whirlpool in Joey’s mind, and he had no answers. 

Tears pricked his eyes like white-hot needles as he put his arms around Tami and drew her closer. She made no resistance; she even flung her own arms about his torso and squeezed him like she had no intention of letting go. He could barely make out her words as she sobbed into his chest, “I’m going to miss my sister so much.”

All Joey could do was stand there and cradle the poor girl, and all he could tell her was, “I’m here for you, Tami. I’m here.”