Page 23 of Life’s Too Short

“I’m a criminal defender.”

“Huh. Why?” She tilted her head.

I looked back at the Banksy. “I like the challenge of it.”

“Are a lot of your clients guilty?”

I scoffed. “Most of my clients are guilty.”

“And that doesn’t bother you, trying to get people off when you know they deserve to go to prison?”

“Everyone deserves a defense,” I said.

She went quiet next to me for a moment. “You know, somebody like you could really change the world if you wanted to.”

I turned back to her. “And do what?”

“Fight for something that needs fighting for. Like disability rights.”

“Disability rights. That’s specific.”

“My sister was a wheelchair user before she died. You wouldn’t believe what it’s like for the disabled.” She ticked off on her fingers. “Discrimination, lack of resources, lack of basic accessibility. I mean, housing alone. Do you know how hard it is to find accessible, affordable housing for the disabled? It’s why so many disabled people end up in institutions or living in substandard or unsafe living conditions.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “And you think the cause could use another good lawyer?”

“Oh yeah.” Her lips twisted into a grin. “Especially one who likes a challenge.”

I gave her a small smile and looked at my watch. “I should probably let you get to sleep. It’s almost midnight.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I saw a flicker of disappointment on her face. She handed me Harry. “Thanks for hanging out.”

“Thanks for having me over.”

Half an hour later, I was lying in bed and Vanessa knocked on the wall of my bedroom over my headboard.

I smiled and knocked back.

CHAPTER 6

IF YOU HAVE THIS SYMPTOM, YOU MIGHT BE DYING!

VANESSA

The numbness was back in my right hand.

I’d woken up this morning and fumbled my phone with fingers that felt dead.

It was 6:34 a.m. Saturday morning. I was sitting in the dark in my room wrapped in a blanket, my legs crossed on my bed, trying to do the in-through-the-nose, out-through-the-mouth breathing Yoga Lady had taught me to calm myself down. But the terror rolled through me like waves. It got bigger and bigger until it burst from my lips in a choking sob.

I didn’t want to wake Grace, so I stumbled to the bathroom with a hand over my mouth. I put the lid to the toilet down to sit and swiped open my phone to read the article on WebMD again, squeezing my right hand into a fist, feeling certain that I’d lost grip strength.

ALS can start off with something as simple as a weak feeling in your hands or feet. It’s a disease that attacks the brain cells that control a lot of your muscle movement.

ALS Association:

Gradual onset, generally painless, progressive muscle weakness is the most common initial symptom in ALS. Other early symptoms vary but can include tripping, dropping things, abnormal fatigue of the arms and/or legs, slurred speech, muscle cramps and twitches.

Mayo Clinic: