All the Days of Her Life by Lurlene McDaniel Page A

If only Terri knew
how
active her kidneys were these days. Lacey felt as if she spent half her life in the bathroom.
    After rehearsal, Lacey headed for her car, looking forward to going home and diving into her bed. Todd caught up with her in the parking lot, looping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. “What’s the hurry?”
    “I’m wiped out and I still have a test to study for,” she explained.
    “But I need a kiss.”
    She turned her mouth upward and felt his lips press hard against hers. She only wished she didn’t feel so drained so that she could have enjoyed it more. But then, she never had enjoyed Todd’s kisses as much as Jeff’s—Lacey put the brakes on the turn her thoughts had taken and slid her arms aroundTodd’s neck.
Enjoy!
she told herself. Hadn’t this been what she wanted since September?
    Driving home that night, Lacey noticed that her vision was blurring. “Oh, great. I’ll probably have to get glasses,” she complained aloud to her reflection in the rearview mirror. She blinked and rubbed her tired eyes. “A little sleep. All I need is a little sleep.”
    She stepped inside the front door, only to be confronted by her mother. “I’ve been waiting to talk to you,” her mother said.
    “Can it wait until tomorrow, Mom? I’m really tired.”
    “No, it cannot wait.”
    Lacey gritted her teeth and tossed her books and purse onto the catch-all bench along one wall of the foyer. “What wrong?”
    “Uncle Nelson’s office called today and left a message on the answering machine. The nurse said that you’d missed your appointment—
again.”
Her mother looked angry.
    Lacey groaned. She’d rescheduled her appointment twice and had totally forgotten to do it again. “I forgot,” she explained. “I’ll call and make another one tomorrow.”
    “I talked to Nelson tonight. He said he hasn’t seen you for over six months. I asked him if it was important, and he almost bit my head off. He said, ‘You bet it’s important.’ He fussed at me, Lacey. My own brother criticized
me
. As if it were my fault you weren’t going in for your checkups. I’ve always letyou handle your diabetes. You said you could. But now I discover that you’re not managing it at all.”
    Lacey was in no mood to argue. “The play is over this weekend. Two more rehearsals and four performances. I think I can put off my doctor’s appointment for a few more days. Cut me some slack, Mom. I’ve got a million things on my mind and I don’t need to be nagged about some stupid appointment.” Lacey was breathing hard when she finished her speech, but it worked, because her mother muttered something about “being responsible” and “get it done,” then stalked off.
    Lacey went into her bedroom and sprawled across her bed. Both her head and stomach hurt. Maybe Terri was right. Perhaps she was coming down with the flu. The high-tech buzz of her telephone pulled her out of a groggy stupor. Lacey fumbled with the receiver.
    “You sound fuzzy. Did I wake you?” It was Katie’s voice.
    Lacey glanced at the clock. It was only ten-thirty, too early to feel so wiped out. “I just got in from play practice. How are you doing? What’s up?”
    “My frustration level is topped out.” Lacey waited patiently for Katie to explain, willing herself to focus on her friend’s words. Katie was too good a friend to put off, especially since they didn’t talk on the phone very often. “I want to go away to college, but my folks and Josh are really putting the pressure on me to stay home and go to Michigan in the fall.”
    “It’s a top-ten school. Would that be so horrible?”
    “But I want to go away. I’ve lived here all my life, and except for going on a few vacations and spending the summer at Jenny House, I never get out of Ann Arbor!”
    “But your heart—”
    Katie let out a little shriek. “Not you too? You’re the one person I expected to support me. My transplant’s doing great. Why shouldn’t