My Sister's Keeper

Judge DeSalvo explains the process of the petition to Anna, telling her that there will be a trial unless her parents agree to medical emancipation. He asks her if she told her mother that she was going to drop the case, and she says she did; he decides he needs to assign a guardian ad litem. Judge DeSalvo calls Sara and Campbell back in to inform them. When he suggests setting a date two weeks in the future for the case, Sara objects that Kate doesn’t have that long; he changes the date to one week. Campbell suggests that it is a conflict of interest for Sara to live in the same home as Anna, but Sara refuses to remove Anna from home, so she promises not to speak to Anna about the case. Back home, Sara accuses Anna of signing her sister’s death sentence.

Jesse pays a homeless man, Duracell Dan, in food to keep his arson tools for him. He picks up his tools and drives to an empty warehouse. He sets a fire inside the building and sticks around long enough to see firemen arrive, including his father. Jesse arrives home to find his mother in a panic, as Kate is throwing up blood. He carries Kate out to his Jeep, and drives her and his mother to the hospital. The doctor says that Kate is experiencing end-stage renal failure. Sara asks if they can still do the kidney transplant. Before the doctor can answer, Jesse asks if he can donate, but the doctor says the kidney has to be an exact match.

The novel cuts to the past. Sara and Brian are interviewed on television because they consulted a geneticist to ensure their child would be an allogeneic donor for Kate. Some people believe what they’ve done is wrong, but ultimately believe their motives are pure because the match is for Kate’s benefit. Sara gives birth to Anna on New Year’s Eve, and is on her feet within hours to watch the doctors transfuse the cord blood into Kate.

Julia Romano is assigned as Anna’s guardian ad litem. She takes Anna to the zoo where she hopes to discuss the details of the case. Anna is quiet and only answers direct questions. She tells Julia that her parents never asked her for permission for donations in a way in which she felt she could refuse. When Julia takes Anna home, she finds Sara there. She goes inside to speak to her, but Sara is distracted and annoyed, telling Julia that her presence is unnecessary because the case will be dropped. Concerned, Julia decides to speak to Campbell.

Julia and Campbell discuss the case, and Julia expresses concern that Sara might negatively influence Anna. Campbell promises to file a restraining order that will force Anna out of the house, then quickly leaves the room because his dog Judge is alerting.

It is revealed that Campbell and Julia met when she transferred to his private high school during their senior year. Julia was an outsider who made herself more so when she dyed her hair pink. Campbell, however, found her fascinating; one day, he followed her to the cemetery where she was doing homework. He asked her to tutor him, and they quickly became intimate.

Campbell visits Anna, and they have an awkward conversation. He then goes to Julia’s apartment where he once again tells the doorman a bizarre story about why he has a service dog. He briefly converses with Julia, their conversation mostly touching on personal issues, though he does promise that Anna will be protected from her mother.

Anna is alone at home while her father is at work and her mother is at the hospital with Kate. She is used to being forgotten by her family, but also reflects on how she has always been treated as special by people outside of the family because of her frequent hospitalizations for her sister’s sake. She wonders what her life would have been like if she’d been “normal” with a “normal” family. Anna asks Jesse to take her to the hospital to see Kate. Jesse pretends to be drunk so Sara will leave Kate’s room, allowing Anna to sneak in. Anna crawls into bed with Kate and reflects on how she might forget who she is without Kate.