Five Feet Apart

Relieved, Will relaxes on his gurney until, suddenly, he remembers that he gave Stella mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He calls out to Dr. Hamid and informs her that, in his quest to save Stella’s life, he gave her CPR and most likely infected her with B. cepacia. Dr. Hamid reassures Will and then proclaims to the room, “But if we don’t use those lungs, they’re wasted. We’re doing the surgery” (251).

Four hours later, Will anxiously waits for news about Stella. Her mother approaches Will and thanks him for convincing Stella to get the transplant. After imagining all the memories of Stella he wishes he could draw, Will is surprised by Barb, who brings him his drawing supplies to help pass the time. Will draws throughout the day, with “each page filled with another picture of our story” (254). Dr. Hamid soon emerges from the surgery room and shares the good news that “Stella made it” (254).

Later, back in his hospital bed, Will is sitting with his mother when Barb enters to share the results of Stella’s swab: She has not contracted B. cepacia so far. Will’s mother asks Barb about the results of Will’s drug trial. The drug is not working for Will. He comforts his mother “while she cries, knowing she did all she could do. It’s no one’s fault” (256). In the middle of the night, Will escapes to Stella’s recovery room and watches her from the open doorway.

The next day Will gathers his and Stella’s family and friends to collaborate on the detailed plan he dedicated his morning to. The group separates to work on their assigned tasks while Will continues working on a “drawing of Stella, spinning around on that icy pond, moments before [he] told her [he] loved her” (259). Later, Will stands in Stella’s doorway as she awakens from sedation. Her mother thanks Will once again. He hands Stella’s mother a wrapped gift and asks, “Give this to her when she wakes up?” (259). Will then leaves for the last time.

Stella wakes up from surgery and searches for Will in her recovery room. Her mother hands her Will’s gift. Stella opens it and finds “a black sketchbook inside, the words on the front reading ‘FIVE FEET APART’” (261). She reviews every page of the sketchbook, each of which features a cartoon depicting a memory of her and Will. She comes to the last page with “the words ‘Will’s Master List’ written on it” (262). Julie enters with an iPad and plays a video of Will, who begins by stating that his “only regret is that you never got to see your lights” (262). Julie turns off the lights in Stella’s room; Stella looks out the window to see the courtyard “filled with the twinkling holiday lights from the park, twisting around the lampposts and the trees” (263). Stella spots Will right outside her window and realizes that he is saying goodbye. Restricted by her ventilator, Stella struggles to protest. Will explains that he is leaving so that Stella can live. Heartbroken and unable to speak, Stella “lift[s] a shaking finger, drawing a heart” on the fogged glass that separates them (264). Will asks Stella to close her eyes so that he can walk away. Although defiant at first, Stella acquiesces “as sobs rack [her] body, fighting with the ventilator” (266).