Chapter 40 Summary

On Tuesday night, it's time for the Coopers to leave the hospital. Manny holds the elevator for Rachel, but she can't force herself to get on. An invisible force keeps pulling her back to Grandpa Izzy's hospital room. Finally, she tells her parents to go home without her. She wants to scream Don't leave Izzy alone tonight. Rachel's parents look like big, tired animals to her. She tries to get Shirley to stay with her. Finally, her parents reluctantly agree that Rachel can stay at the hospital overnight.

Around midnight, Grandpa wakes up. Rachel gives him a sip of water. He asks her to hold his hand, hold on tight. She does. He goes back to sleep. When she wakes up, it is nearly dawn. Grandpa is delirious, murmuring about tickets and boats. He's covered with icy sweat. Suddenly, his head falls to...