the most important meeting of her life.
She refused to leave until she heard: “Yes. We will help your daughter.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“I THINK WE can help your daughter but—”
Kate’s heart soared. She’d been waiting so long to hear those words. It took all her self-restraint not to jump for joy. She wasn’t sure what the surgeon said after that as the excitement clouded her mind.
For months now, they’d traveled to one hospital after the other. Every time she located a place that offered a possibility of hope, they were there. Now at long last they had come to the right place. The weight of anxiety slipped from her shoulders and left her lighter than she’d been in recent memory.
When a stack of papers was shoved in front of her, she glanced down, spotting her name and a very large dollar figure. Her excitement stuttered.
“What is this?” She couldn’t move her gaze from the staggering dollar figure.
“That is the amount you’ll need to pay up front if we are to perform the operation.”
This couldn’t be right. She had health coverage and it wasn’t cheap. “But my insurance—”
“Won’t cover this procedure.” Dr. Hawthorne steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair. “It doesn’t cover experimental procedures. I’m willing to donate my time, but in order for the hospital to book the O.R. and the necessary staff, you’ll need to settle this bill with Accounts Receivable.” He paused and eyed her up as though checking to see if she fully understood. “You also need to be aware that this is an estimate. A conservative one at that. If there are complications, the bill will escalate quickly.”
Kate nodded, but inside her stomach was churning and her head was pounding. Her gaze skimmed over the long list of charges from the anesthesiologist to medications. How in the world was she going to raise this staggering amount of money?
Her daughter’s smiling face came to mind. She couldn’t...no, she wouldn’t let her down. There had to be an answer, because this operation was going to happen no matter what she had to do to make it a reality.
“You should also know that we normally like to treat children on an outpatient basis until surgery but with this tumor’s aggressive growth rate and with it already affecting her mobility, I feel it’s best to keep her admitted under close observation.”
Kate nodded in understanding even though her head was spinning with information. “I understand.”
Dr. Hawthorne cleared his throat. “Will you be able to come up with the funding?”
Without hesitation, Kate spoke in a determined voice. “Yes, I will.”
The surgeon with graying temples gave her a long, serious stare. She didn’t glance away, blink or so much as breathe. She sat there ready to do battle to get her daughter the necessary surgery.
“I believe you will,” Dr. Hawthorne said. “I need you to sign these forms and then my team will start working to reduce the tumor’s size before surgery.”
Kate’s lungs burned as she blew out a pent-up breath. She accepted the papers and started to read. Her stomach quivered as she realized the overwhelming challenge set before her.
A half an hour later, with her life signed away to East Riverview Hospital, Kate took comfort in knowing she’d done the right thing. This surgeon had performed miracles before. He could do it again. Kate was spurred on by the thought of Molly healthy once again. She could do this—somehow. She just needed time to think.
The elevator pinged and the doors opened. Kate stepped inside. A man stood in front of the control panel.
“Five, please.” She moved to the other side of the elevator and stared down at the paperwork in her hand, wondering how she’d pull off this miracle.
“Kate?” a male voice spoke.
The door slid shut as Kate lifted her head. When her gaze latched on to the man, her breath caught. This couldn’t be happening. Not here. Not now.
“Chad, what are you doing here?”
His dark brows scrunched together beneath the brim of a blue baseball cap. “Now, is that the way to greet your husband?”
“Ex-husband.” She pressed her hands to her hips. “I tried to reach you months ago. You didn’t have time for us then. Why have you suddenly shown up now?”
“My daughter’s sick. My family needs me—”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” There was no way she was letting him walk in here and act as if he was their saving grace. “We don’t need you. We’ve been fine all of this time without you.”
His gaze hardened. “I’ve been busy.”
After he’d refused to settle down in one place and create a nurturing environment for their daughter, he’d left Kate on her own to have their baby. He’d succeeded in confirming her mistrust of men.
The elevator dinged and the door slipped open. Kate stepped out first and left Chad to follow. They stopped outside Molly’s door. Kate didn’t want anything to upset her little girl, not after everything she’d been through in the past several months. And certainly not now that she was scheduled for a very delicate procedure.
“How is she?”
“The tumor is causing her some mobility problems.”
“Is she in pain?”
Kate shook her head. “Thankfully she feels fine...for now. If they don’t do the surgery soon that will change. But...”
“But what?”
“Money has to be raised to cover the surgery. Lots of money.” Kate stood between Chad and the doorway to Molly’s room. “You should go before she sees you.”
He crossed his arms. “I’m not going anywhere.” His voice rose. “My Molly girl will be excited to see her daddy.”
Before she could utter a word, Molly called out. “Daddy, is that you?”
“Yes, sweetie. I’m here.” He leaned over and whispered, “I always was her favorite.”
Kate bit back a few unkind words as she followed her ex into the room. She hated how he dropped into their lives whenever it suited him and disappeared just as quickly.
Maybe that was why she’d been initially drawn to him—he was so much like her family, always chasing happiness in the next town. Having a child had been too much for her father, who’d split when she was ten. But her mother had stuck it out until Kate’s eighteenth birthday, before skipping town with the current flavor of the month.
But when Kate became pregnant, her priorities changed. She wanted her child to have a real home. She promised herself that her little one would have something she never had—stability.
The same town.
