Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 118459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
The door presses open and Dr. Perkins comes inside. I’ve been expecting him.
“Hi,” I say, setting the monkey on my lap.
“Hello.” He walks around the bed and takes the seat next to Ever’s bed. “How are you holding up?”
I laugh. “Let’s just move the questioning along, shall we?”
He smiles. “Well, I just wanted to keep you up to date on what’s going on. We’ve arranged for her to be transferred on July 15th for the therapy. She’ll be in Dr. Morrison’s hands once she’s there. I can honestly say that it’s the best place she can be. All of the arrangements have been made.” He pauses. “Except payment. And I hate even saying this because it sounds so harsh and cold.”
“Of course it does. Because it is.”
“Mrs. Gentry, if I could have gotten her in there any sooner . . .”
“No, I know that. You’ve done everything you can. I believe that.”
“This isn’t my favorite part of the medical field. I want to heal people, not have to do that within the constraints of red tape.”
“I understand. We’ll have the money to them on the fourteenth.”
He leans back and studies me. I’m not sure what he’s thinking or if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.
“I don’t know how you’ve managed to get the money and it’s none of my business. But I want you to know that, quite possibly, you’ve just saved her life. As professionals, we normally keep guarded about a lot of things. We tell patients what they need to know and don’t reveal everything. This field is a lot of speculation, we try many things and don’t know whether they’ll work or not. But I’m going to be frank with you, Mrs. Gentry. I’ve been worried about Ever.”
His words hit me hard, causing my head to spin. I pick up the monkey and squeeze it to my chest.
“Whatever sacrifices you’ve made to get her into this therapy are worth it. I can’t guarantee anything with that, either, but I do give you my word that it is her best chance. If it was my child and I was in your shoes, I would have sold my soul to the devil if I had to.”
A sinking feeling takes over me as I realize, not for the first time but for the first real time, that maybe, just maybe, that’s what Crew’s done.
JULIA
Exhaustion would be a relief right now because I’m so far past it that I can’t even remember what just being tired feels like. My entire being aches. My body can’t rest on this hospital sofa and my mind can’t zone out, either. Not that it could if we were home and not at the hospital, but my chances would be better.
In. Out. In. Out.
I watch her chest rise and fall, listen to her breath move softly through her lungs.
In. Out. In. Out.
My stomach rumbles. I glance at the clock and it’s mid-afternoon. I think I’m hungry. I try to remember the last thing I’ve eaten but can’t recall it.
A banana at breakfast? No, that was yesterday.
Ever moves in her sleep and I jump up, untangling her cords. I don’t want her pulling them out when she’s sleeping.
We’re supposed to be released again today and are just waiting on the paperwork to be done. Sometimes I think that takes longer than anything. We know the procedure by this point. We know the instructions, know when to be back, know who to call, know what she’s supposed to eat, drink, and take and when. It’s routine, just like breathing at this point.
A loud knock hits the door, making me jump. Ever’s eyes flutter open. “Come in?” I say, more of a question than an offer. I’m not sure who it is or why they’re so inconsiderate.
It opens swiftly and two men come in. One is a shorter, dark-haired man. The other is taller with blond hair shaped into a mohawk. They’re smiling wide, like we are old friends, but I have no idea who in the hell they are or why they are here.
“Can I help you? You just woke my daughter up.”
Ever tries to sit up. I grab her under the arm and help her get situated, keeping an eye on the two strange men that I’m sure I don’t know.
“My apologies, Mrs. Gentry,” the dark-headed one says. “My name is Jason Drake. I’m with the NAFL.”
This makes no sense. “Crew isn’t here.”
The larger of the two men laughs and the shorter one shakes his head. “Oh, we know that, Mrs. Gentry.”
“Then why in the world would you be here?”
“Please, relax. If you want us to leave, we’ll be on our way. But I’d appreciate you hearing what we have to say first.”
The blond one crosses his arms in front of his large chest and smiles. I don’t like him. He sets off something inside of me that tells me to keep my distance.