Five Feet Apart(63)

I laugh, nudging Mya. “Hey, make sure you send it to my parents; they’ve already been asking nonstop for pictures of . . .”

My voice trails off as I see that her mouth is open in shock, and she’s staring at Camila.

“What? Did I do that thing with my face again?” Camila asks, sighing loudly. “I don’t know why I keep smiling like that—”

Mya holds up her hand to cut her off, her eyes flicking urgently to a big group of people waiting to board their plane, finally focusing on something behind me. Camila inhales sharply.

I turn around, following her gaze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as my eyes travel down the long line of people.

My heart begins to beat faster when my eyes land on Jason.

And then I know. I know he’s there even before I see him.

Will.

I stand, frozen in place as he looks up and our eyes lock, the familiar blue that I’ve dreamed about for so long almost knocking me off my feet. He’s still sick, portable oxygen slung over his shoulder, his face gaunt and tired. It’s almost a physical pain to see him like this, to feel my lungs filling anew when his can’t.

But then his mouth turns up into that lopsided smile and the world melts away. It’s Will. It’s really him. He’s sick, but alive. We both are.

I take a deep, unhindered breath and walk over to him, stopping exactly six feet away from him. His eyes are warm as he takes me in. No portable oxygen, no difficulty breathing, no nose cannula.

I’m practically a different Stella.

Except for one thing.

I smile at him, and take just that one more stolen step, until we’re five feet apart.





AUTHORS’ NOTE


The drug Cevaflomalin that Will participates in a trial for is a fictional creation. We hope that one day such a treatment is found.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


Rachael

First and foremost, this book is for the thousands of individuals around the world with cystic fibrosis. I hope with all my heart that it will raise awareness for CF and will help each and every one of you feel heard.

Thank you to Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis for trusting me with your beautiful screenplay and the story of Will and Stella. It was an honor to be able to work with the two of you.

I am extremely grateful to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity, and my amazing editor, Alexa Pastor, who is absolutely brilliant at what she does.

Huge thanks to my agent, Rachel Ekstrom Courage, at Folio Literary Management for all her help.

Also to the most wonderful of mentors, Siobhan Vivian.

To my best friend, Lianna Rana, the Monday Night Trivia Crew of Larry Law, Alyssa Zolkiewicz, Kyle Richter, and Kat Loh, and to Judy Derrick: Your abundance of support and love has been overwhelming. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Special thanks to my mom, who has believed in me since the day I was born. You simply redefine what it means to be a single parent, and I am eternally grateful for your strength and bravery and care through the years.

And, finally, to my love, Alyson Derrick. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being exactly who you are. You are light itself.

Mikki & Tobias

This story is dedicated to Claire Wineland and to all the CFers who still bravely fight the battle against cystic fibrosis. Claire’s courage and perseverance in the face of her lifelong illness should be a lesson to us all. Keep fighting, keep smiling, keep calm. We knew her for but a short time, yet her influence on our lives will continue for the rest of our days. Her contributions to this story were immense. Her contributions to the story of humanity were, and will forever be, endless.

To Justin Baldoni, who never takes “no” for an answer. Justin’s dedication, drive, and compassion have inspired us in every way. His unwavering vision for this project taught us that with talent, focus, and ambition, great things can happen. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts.

To Cathy Schulman, whose twenty-four-hour on-call presence was never more needed than at three a.m. Cathy’s knowledge, experience, and creative wisdom elevated every page, every scene. It was an honor and a joy to watch her work. And she let us hold her Oscar. Now THAT was a thrill!

To Terry Press, Mark Ross, Sean Ursani, and the entire CBS Films team. We count ourselves so very fortunate for their guiding hands at every turn. None of this would have been possible without their faith in this project. We got to work with a true dream team and each day we felt blessed beyond belief.

And to Rachael Lippincott, whose Herculean efforts to novelize this story were amazing to watch and even more amazing to read. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Without the tireless efforts of everyone involved, there would be no screenplay. There would be no movie. There would be no book. For all of this, we are forever grateful.