five feet away

Stella Grant likes to be in control, even though her completely out-of-control lungs have been in and out of the hospital for most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs more than anything that might transmit an infection and threaten a lung transplant. Almost two meters away. No exceptions. The one thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He doesn't care about his treatments, or a fancy new drug trial. Soon, he'll be 18, and then he'll be able to disconnect all those machines and go see the world, not just its hospitals. Will is exactly what Stella needs to get away from. If he breathes even a little on Stella, she could lose her place on the transplant list. One of them could die. The only way to survive is to stay away. But suddenly, almost two meters away doesn't feel safe anymore. It feels like a punishment. What if they could reclaim a little of the space their broken lungs took away? Would five feet away be so dangerous if it also prevented their hearts from collapsing?