How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I find myself staring at the goldfish. Bright as a penny, he swims in circles, happy to be going nowhere. (4.3.18)
This is a good metaphor for Kate's illness. They cannot cure her, not matter what they try, they just circle around and around the inevitable.
Quote #5
"It's only a little stick," the doctor promises, exactly the wrong words, and Anna starts thrashing. (4.3.80)
Kate isn't the only one suffering because of her illness—Anna has to suffer through pain and fear of pain when she donates blood.
Quote #6
This is the moment I would have had with [Kate] when she got her period; will she live long enough for that? (5.2.8)
Unless it's Carrie, the whole first period thing is a critical moment in a lot of coming of age stories. Unfortunately, in this book, it's not a period Kate's having—it's severe hemorrhaging. There's both pain and sorrow happening here, because the hemorrhaging could lead to death.