"I guess," said Charlotte. "Do we look like we"ve been crying?"
"A little/" I answered. "Why don"t you wash your faces first?"
The girls washed their faces and returned to Mr. Katz"s room.
That night I talked to my mother. "Mama?" I said. Dinner was over. I was trying to do my homework, but I couldn"t keep my mind on it. Mama had come into my room and was sitting on the end of the bed.
"You"re thinking about Danielle, aren"t you?"
I nodded. "I really want to know what"s going on. I need to know. So do Becca and Charlotte. Do you think it would be okay to call Danielle in the hospital? I"d only talk to her for a few minutes."
"I know you would, honey," said Mama. "But I think maybe you shouldn"t call. Not yet. How about writing her a letter? Did you write one this afternoon with the kids?"
"No. I just helped the kids. With spelling and stuff."
"Then why don"t you write? You"re pretty special to Danielle. I"m sure she"d want to hear from you. I also think she"d want to answer you. Let you know what"s going on."
I nodded. "Thanks, Mama," I said. "I"ll write her this very minute. Then I"ll do my homework. I promise I can finish it."
"Okay." Mama smoothed back my hair. She stood up to leave.
"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I just got an idea. Could I call the Robertses at home?"
Mama looked thoughtful. "I don"t see why not/" she said after a moment.
I ran to my parents" room and dialed Dan-ielle"s number.
Greg answered the phone.
"Hi!" I cried. "It"s Jessi!" Greg didn"t say anything, so I continued, "Um, I heard Dan-ielle is - is back in the hospital."
"Yeah."
"Well . . . what happened?"
"She wasn"t feeling well. The doctors wanted to do some tests."
"She"s in just for tests?" I repeated. That didn"t sound so bad.
"Yeah," said Greg again.
He did not want to talk, that was clear. So I ended the conversation. I was feeling better, though. I returned to my room and wrote a cheerful note to Danielle. I ended by saying: Four days later I came home from school and found a letter addressed to me lying on the kitchen table. The handwriting looked familiar, but I couldn"t quite place it. I turned over the envelope. It was from Danielle! (She was still in the hospital.) I tore open the envelope, and read the letter quickly: was n?*//y Wed/ me CQWr away. X dje in -^ Kbfe c( 0H.
me do J. [r>o^e Vxa news ^nd oad is not ^r tfi (it-He is -#?
ou COIT& -rwe. So i, -la?, ^f""*
*3d .
I folded Danielle"s letter and replaced it in the envelope.
Wishes do come true, I told myself. So I wished my wish again.
Please get better, Danielle.
Dear Reader-.
With money donated from senerous, carins people around the world, the Make-a-Wish Foundation srants wishes to kids who have serious illnesses such as cancer and leukemia. In Jessi"s Wish, Danielle is a kid with cancer. While doing volunteer work, Jessi meets Danielle and helps make Danielle"s wish come true.
Now you are helpins to make wishes come true-just by buying this book. Scholastic and Baby-sitters Club author Ann M. Martin, will donate four cents to the Make-a-Wish Foundation for each Jessi"s Wish book sold.
In fact, we"ve already granted a wish to 10-year-old Joyce P. of New York. Joyce has leukemia. With money donated in advance, she will be soins to Walt Disney World with her parents and 4-year-old sister.
We hope to make more wishes come true. Thank you for your part in our donation.
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About the Author.
ANN M. MARTIN did a lot of baby-sitting when she was growing up in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a former editor of books for children, and was graduated from Smith College.
Ms. Martin lives in New York City with her cats, Mouse and Rosie. She likes ice cream and I Love Lucy; and she hates to cook.
Ann Martin"s Apple Paperbacks include Yours Turly, Shirley; Ten Kids, No Pets; With You and Without You; b.u.mmer Summer; and all the other books in the Baby-sitters Club series.