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Chapters 3–5

Summary: Chapter 3

Back in Stella’s room, Stella asks Barb about Will, and Barb explains that Will is in a clinical trial for treatment of B. cepacia. Barb warns Stella to stay away from Will, as Stella would be taken off the transplant list if she contracted B. cepacia. Stella replies that she plans on staying away and thinks that despite his good looks, Will is too arrogant to be her type. Stella feels sympathy for Will’s situation but also isn’t surprised that his carelessness led to a complication. Stella receives a text from her father and reminds herself of the importance of not making her parents worry before falling asleep.

The next morning, Stella wakes to find that the skin where her feeding tube is inserted is burning and inflamed. Stella treats it herself and then has breakfast while talking to Poe over Skype. While Stella and Poe catch up, Poe reveals that he has broken up with his boyfriend, Michael. Stella is disappointed as she thought Poe and Michael were committed to each other. While taking a drink of a milk shake, Poe begins to choke, and Stella hears his monitors beeping. Stella jumps out of bed and runs into the hallway as the nurses go into Poe’s room, where he is completely fine. The nurses explain that his oxygen sensor came unplugged. Stella is relieved but notices that Will did not even come out of his room to see what the commotion was.

Summary: Chapter 4

Will has been awake all night watching Stella’s videos. He watches one video where Stella is filming her father and her sister, Abby, performing onstage. In the video, Abby invites Stella to come up and sing with her. Stella appears nervous but calms down when Abby whispers to her, “A bushel and a peck.” Will wonders what that means and then admires Stella’s singing voice as well as how pretty she is. Later, Will’s mother and Dr. Hamid come into his room to discuss his progress. Dr. Hamid urges Will to take precautions to avoid cross-contamination. While Will agrees, he thinks it is a waste of time as B. cepacia is essentially a death sentence. Will’s mother, angry at Will’s fatalistic attitude, goes to leave and tries to bribe Barb to make sure Will stays in line. Barb refuses the money but assures Will’s mother that her son is in good hands.

Will decides to get some fresh air and goes up to the hospital’s roof, where he looks at the snow falling and thinks of the views he has seen from roofs of hospitals all over the world. When he looks down, Will sees Stella in her room working on her computer. As they make eye contact, Will has a coughing fit and stumbles, nearly falling off the roof.

Summary: Chapter 5

Stella, seeing how frightened Will is after he almost falls off the roof, runs out of her room. Will is still on the roof and has moved away from the edge. Stella questions why someone with weak lungs would go outside in the cold, and Will says he knows he is going to die and so will take risks and enjoy life while he can. Stella feels incensed that Will is taking his spot in the clinical trial for granted and leaves. Back in her room, Stella attempts to focus on different tasks but finds she is distracted by thoughts of Will and his fear at nearly falling off the roof. Stella wonders if Will is doing his treatments, and the thought that he might not be angers her as she realizes she does not want Will to die.

Analysis: Chapters 3–5

These chapters reinforce the fear of death that pervades the lives of people with cystic fibrosis. Stella immediately fears that Poe is dying when his monitors begin beeping. Will, during a coughing fit after exerting himself, almost falls off the roof. Although Will has talked about the inevitability of his death with nonchalance, Stella sees through his veneer when he almost falls, and she understands that he is just as afraid of death as anyone else.

Both Will’s and Stella’s families are further developed in these chapters. By watching Stella’s videos, Will understands that Stella has a close relationship with Abby and her parents, and he sees that Stella derives confidence from Abby. However, the version of Stella’s family in her video is different from the current reality. Whenever Stella hears from her parents, rather than relying on them for comfort or support, she reminds herself of the importance of not upsetting them any further. On the other hand, Will sees his mother and her concern for him as a burden. He feels horrified that his mother tries to throw money at the problem of his illness, as if he is just another transaction instead of her son.

The difference between Will’s and Stella’s points of view about their illness is solidified more as they talk on the roof, developing the theme of surviving versus living. While Stella is determined to survive in order to eventually get a lung transplant, Will thinks that being in and out of hospitals and constantly on medication is not truly living, and due to the limited time he has left, he wants to live life to the fullest. Stella’s disgust at Will taking a spot in a clinical trial when he won’t even fight to survive, along with her reaction to learning he has B. cepacia, shows that she feels Will’s condition is his own fault. However, the fact that Stella is developing an infection foreshadows the idea that even following all the rules does not guarantee nothing will go wrong.

The theme of the inevitability of love is introduced here, as Stella begins to have feelings for Will despite knowing she shouldn’t. Not only is Stella infuriated by Will’s refusal to follow rules or fight to survive, but she also knows that getting physically close to Will could literally kill her. However, she can’t get him out of her mind, and the thought of him dying upsets her.

Snow begins to emerge as a symbol in these chapters. As part of his habit of breaking the rules, Will sneaks up to the roof to enjoy the fresh air. He admires the snow and reflects on the fun he had as a kid playing in the snow as well as the views he has seen from other hospitals. However, he is knocked off his feet by a gust of cold air and then slips in the snow, nearly sending him off the roof to his death. This episode shows that the snow may not be as pure and innocent as it appears, and it is ultimately a catalyst for recognizing the preciousness of life.

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