Chapter 5
Suddenly alarmed when she saw tears in the girls’ eyes, Lauren gathered the three of them close to her and led them to the office.
“Please sit down.” She motioned to the sagging sofa.
They did as she asked.
“Charlotte’s mom is in a bad way,” said one girl. “You remember us, right? I’m Lacey, and this is Kiley.”
“Of course, I do,” she said, crossing her fingers behind her back to cover her little white lie. “What’s going on?” Lauren asked, genuinely concerned.
“It’s really bad,” Lacey said. “Charlotte’s mom, Lee—well, they don’t have very good insurance, and she’s really sick, but the hospital says she has to go home today.”
“What? I don’t understand. How can they send her home if she’s ill?” Surely the girls were mistaken?
Charlotte scooted to the edge of the sofa and wiped her eyes with her shirtsleeve. “Mom has leukemia.”
Oh dear Lord, Lauren thought. This is not a happy visit for sure. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Tell me exactly what happened. Who told you this?”
She knew it wasn’t her place, but these girls had come to her, and she wasn’t going to send them away with a few words of comfort and forget about them. That wasn’t her way.
“Mom told me. She needs a bone-marrow transplant. We’ve got insurance, but it’s not all that good—my mom says, cata-something. They say that her policy won’t cover the procedure. What’s even worse is I’m a match, and, well, they’re just sending her home to die because we don’t have the money.” Charlotte broke down then, and Lauren squeezed onto the shabby sofa beside her and wrapped her arms around her. The girl was bone-thin, and the coat she wore, if you could even call it a coat, wouldn’t keep the bitter temperatures at bay.
“Your mom probably means catastrophic insurance, which means it . . . only covers a certain amount.” She hoped she was right, but went on, nonetheless. “Is your mother still in the hospital now?” she asked.
Charlotte nodded.
“They’re sending her home this evening,” Kiley said, finally speaking up.
“Okay.” She would handle this. Some way. “I’m assuming her doctor and the hospital staff know you’re a donor match?” She held up her hand. “And you are willing to go through this procedure? You have your parents’ permission?” Where was Charlotte’s father? She racked her brain again, trying to remember if any of the three girls had even mentioned his name, but she was clueless.
“Yes, they tested me last year when she was first diagnosed, but Mom didn’t want me to do it. She got better for a while, and then she got sick again, which has happened a lot, but this time, well, I guess the insurance people are tired of her.” More tears from Charlotte, and Lauren’s eyes swam with tears.
“My dad always told me there is a solution to every problem, and I’m sure there is one for your mom. We just have to figure out what it is,” Lauren explained, her mind going a million miles a minute. “Your mom worked at the post office, right?”
Charlotte wiped her nose on the sleeve of her skimpy coat. “Yeah, she still has her job, but the thing with the insurance, well”—she sniffed—“I don’t understand it. I think she pays for it and all.”
Lauren grabbed a box of tissues from her desk and handed it to Charlotte. “Anyone for a cup of instant cocoa while I put my thinking cap on?” She took the teakettle she used in the microwave and filled it with bottled water. “I don’t have marshmallows or whipped cream,” she said, a sad smile on her face. She was simply borrowing time, but the girls didn’t need to know this.
“That’s awesome,” said Lacey. “You’re the coolest older woman I know . . . well, besides Charlotte’s mom.”
Lauren laughed. “Thanks, I think.”
Charlotte smiled and leaned back into the sofa. “She doesn’t mean to weird you out, it’s just her way.”
“It’s perfectly fine. I remember being your age. I thought someone my age, which, incidentally, is thirty-five, was ancient, and now that I’m ancient, it’s really not that bad.” She emptied three packets of instant cocoa mix into three mugs, then filled each with steaming water. She stirred the chocolate powder, then carefully handed each girl a cup. Lauren was stalling because she truly had no idea what her next move should be.
Think, Lauren, think, she said to herself.
“Aren’t you three supposed to be in school? Not that it’s any of my business if you’re skipping. I’m just curious.” She could have texted Madison and asked, but she didn’t.
“We just had a morning session today; there’s teachers’ meetings for the rest of the day,” Kiley offered. “That’s why we’re here, plus we wanted to tell you about Lee.”
“Okay, well that’s a big relief. I didn’t think you three were skipping, truly, but since I’m old, I had to ask.” She was saying whatever came to mind, anything to give her a few minutes to come up with a substantive answer, anything that might help Charlotte and Lee. “I think I might have skipped a couple of times in my senior year, but I was lucky; I didn’t get caught.” At that moment, her cell phone rang.
Crap!
“Excuse me for a sec,” she said, then answered the phone.
“He said ‘no,’ ” Angela said into the phone. “ ‘No’ as in no deal. Take it or leave it.”
“What?” Lauren shouted, then, remembering the girls, lowered her voice. “Are you serious? If you’re teasing me, I don’t think it’s funny. I have a very”—she turned her back to the girls and walked toward the back of the office—“delicate situation here, and I’d appreciate it if you’d cut the crap.” Lauren didn’t need this. Not now, when she had a life-altering problem on her hands.
“I’m not kidding, Lauren. He said no. Take it or leave it, his exact words. He’ll give you until six o’clock tonight, which is three in the afternoon Pacific Time, for you to change your mind. If not, he said he’d forget the entire project.”
Lauren took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Okay, so this isn’t a joke?”
“No, it’s not. How many times do I need to repeat myself?”
“None,” she said. “Call him back and tell him I’m sorry to be so pushy, and that I would be honored to write his biography. Do it, and call me back.” Lauren pushed the END button on her phone. She cleared her throat. “Sorry, girls, that was a personal call. Now, your mom, Lee. We need to figure out a way to keep her in the hospital, at least for another day or two.”
Expecting three teenage girls to brainstorm a solution with her was an invitation to disaster. They’d come to her, maybe not to solve her mother’s health-care issues, but they’d trusted her enough to confide in her, and for that reason alone, she had to do something. “Charlotte, is your mother at Appalachian Regional Hospital?”
Charlotte nodded. “But they would have to transfer her to Chapel Hill for the transplant. It’s a special hospital for bone marrow and stuff.”
Of course, Fallen Springs wasn’t without good hospitals, but larger cities would be more equipped to deal with this. “I think I may have a plan.”
Lauren took the old-fashioned phone book from her desk. All three girls stared at it as though they’d never laid eyes on one. Maybe they hadn’t. Quickly, she found the main number for Appalachian Regional. As soon as they answered, she asked to be connected to the nurses’ station on the second floor; she knew that that was the floor for cancer patients.
“Second floor. How may I help you?” a pleasant female voice asked.
Good question, Lauren thought. She was going to wing it and hope for the best. “I’m calling about my friend, Lee Hessinger.” She paused. “She’s supposed to be released this evening. ”
“Hold, please,” said the woman on the other end.
While Lauren was on hold, she tried to recall what little she knew about leukemia, and it wasn’t much, but she knew the immune system was in play, and you had to avoid infections, people with colds or flu.
“May I have your name?” the pleasant woman asked when she returned to the phone.
“Lauren Montgomery.”
“One moment, please.” Lauren was placed on hold again.
“Hello,” a soft voice said, and it wasn’t the nurse. “Charlotte?”
“Lee, this is Lauren. From Razzle Dazzle,” she said. “Charlotte and her friends are here at the store.”
“Oh, yes, she said she’d personally tell you thank you for the afghan and scarf. It’s lovely, Lauren. Charlotte told me that you gave this to her, and I’m so appreciative. They keep the hospital so cold. It seems I’m cold all the time now.”
Lauren could tell that Lee was short of breath. “Charlotte told me about the leukemia, and I’m so sorry. I can’t begin to imagine how you must feel.”
“I’ve had better days,” Lee said, a defeated note in her tone, one Lauren identified as hopelessness.
“You’re leaving the hospital today?” Lauren asked.
“I am,” Lee replied. “I need to be home for Charlotte. She’s been staying with Kiley and Lacey off and on. I know it’s hard on her, especially this time of year.”
This was terrible. The girls forgot to mention this. “What about Charlotte’s father? Is he unable to care for her?” She knew this wasn’t her business, but she needed to know in order to help Charlotte and Lee.
“He was never in the picture much. We divorced when Charlotte was a baby,” Lee explained. “It’s been just the two of us ever since.”
Lauren glanced at the girls, who remained on the sofa sipping their cocoa. She wanted to ask more questions but could tell that Lee was struggling with each word. Before she gave it too much thought, she said, “Charlotte can stay with me if she wants. My parents are home during the day, and that old house is huge.” She stopped. She didn’t want to make Lee or Charlotte feel like a charity case.
“Oh, well, I guess you’d have to ask Charlotte. I know your mom and dad, but she doesn’t. It’s okay because I’ll be home this evening.”
“I don’t mean to . . . interfere,” Lauren said, lowering her voice. “The girls told me about your situation, and I might be able to help.” She had an idea simmering but couldn’t reveal it just yet.
“I can’t let you do this, whatever it is. I’m fine, truly.”
Lauren wanted to say she knew better but didn’t want to say anything that would hurt Lee’s feelings. “It’s probably not a good idea for you to leave the hospital yet. Charlotte told me about the bone-marrow transplant. I don’t know much about that, but I think I know a way that will allow you to stay in the hospital a few more days.”
She waited for Lee to respond.
“Lee?” she asked, her tone a bit anxious.
“Sorry, I get short of breath.”
“I’ll let Charlotte say hi, and as I said, I might know a way to keep you there if you want to stay. I didn’t ask. I’m sorry.”
She was digging herself into a hole, with no idea what she was doing. She was giving false hope and knew that was wrong. She did have an idea but couldn’t speak of it until she knew she had the proper information.
“I’ll speak to Charlotte for a minute. Thank you, Lauren, but I’ve come to terms with this . . . situation. I’ll be fine,” she said.
Lauren could hear that Lee’s drawing out of each word was an effort. “I’ll let you talk with Charlotte then.” She gave her cell phone to the girl and motioned for Kiley and Lacey to follow her.
“I thought Charlotte could use some privacy,” she explained. “This must be a nightmare for them.”
“Char cries at night. She tries to act all cool, like she can handle it, but she doesn’t have anyone but her mom. I don’t know what she’ll do if, well, you know Lee doesn’t get better,” Lacey said. “We’re fifteen, all three of us.”
Lauren had guessed them to be around fourteen or fifteen. At least, they knew they were young and unable to make decisions for Charlotte.
“Has Lee asked either of your parents to take legal responsibility for Charlotte, if God forbid, she doesn’t make it? I don’t like asking this, but I need to know.”
“Both of our parents have signed some kind of paper that if something happens to Char, they have permission to take her to the doctor, but that’s all I know,” Kiley explained.
Lauren nodded. “It’s very kind of your parents to do this.”
“They’ve known Char since we all started kindergarten. We’re like sisters,” Lacey said. “I don’t think Lee has plans to give her up for adoption or anything, though we could ask our parents.” Lacey looked at Kiley, who nodded in agreement. “But I can ask my parents as soon as possible. They don’t tell me everything.”
Lauren smiled. “That’s the role of a parent. It’s tough to have responsibilities placed on you when you’re young. From what I can see, you all certainly have your act together. Your parents should be very proud of you.”
“Thanks,” the two girls said at the same time.
Charlotte came out of the office with more tears streaming down her face. “Mom says it’s okay if I want to stay at your place, Lauren, but I’m good at Lacey’s and Kiley’s. She said to thank you again for being so concerned. So what plan do you have to keep my mom in the hospital tonight?”