Chapter 6
Charlotte wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I didn’t tell her that I want this, too. She doesn’t want to be a burden,” she said.
When Lauren had left the house this morning, she could not have guessed in a million years how the day would unfold.
“I promise you I don’t think helping you or your mother is a burden. People are supposed to help one another when they can. I’ll have to make a few more calls to get things rolling.” Just then, another brilliant idea hit her.
“Can I ask you all a huge favor?”
They all nodded.
“Can you girls watch the store for thirty minutes? No, never mind. I’ll just close early—”
“No, we can help out; we want to,” Charlotte said. “I’m sure we can manage for a bit. I’m good with math,” she added.
“Okay, it’s a deal. I need to show you a few things, then I’ll run out, and I shouldn’t be more than half an hour or so.”
She took the girls through a run of the items in the store, showed them how to use the cash register, then had to show them how to use the ancient credit-card swiper. They were shocked to learn she didn’t have Wi-Fi here or at home. They were quick studies. Lauren said that, if they ran into any problems, to tell the customers she would take care of whatever they needed the minute she returned.
Lauren left through the back door, making sure to lock it behind her. She wasn’t expecting any large deliveries that required using the back entrance, and if FedEx had any deliveries, they would have to use the public entrance. She cranked the engine over, again thankful Jimmy’s had tuned up her aging Honda.
She hoped this crazy idea she’d concocted wasn’t a waste of time. Driving as fast as she could without breaking the speed limit, she parked in the parent pickup area at Fallen Springs Elementary. She shivered as she made her way inside; she’d been in such a hurry when she left the store that she hadn’t bothered putting on her coat. She wore a thick wool sweater, but it wasn’t enough to fight the dropping temperatures. She popped into the main office and saw Cheryl Stanton, another high-school friend, who was the elementary school’s secretary. “I need to see Madison. Can I go to the classroom, or can you ask her to come to the office? It’s important, and I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Go on to the classroom. I think it’s art period. There are twenty-plus second graders, and there’s no telling what they’ll do if left on their own,” Cheryl said.
“Thanks,” Lauren said, and raced down the hall to room 207. She peeked through the small glass opening in the door, saw that Madison was talking with a student, then tapped on the door.
Madison looked up and, seeing her, motioned for her to come in. “I’m not even going to guess why you’re here. Are your parents all right?”
“Yes, they’re fine. Listen, I have a bit of a problem, and I need your help.”
“Okay, what gives?” Madison said.
Lauren knew she was really pushing it, but when times were desperate, desperate measures needed to be taken. One couldn’t get more desperate than Lee. “Does James have hospital privileges at Appalachian Regional?” Dr. James Crawford and Madison had dated for several months during their senior year in high school. James had attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He’d gone on to study medicine at Duke University. Lauren had lost track of where he’d interned but knew he’d set up practice in Fallen Springs as a neurologist.
“I’m sure he does. Please don’t tell me you’re ill and need his services,” Madison whispered, while keeping a close eye on her students.
“No, I’m fine. Do you remember Lee Hessinger from high school?”
“Of course,” Madison said.
“She’s in the hospital now; she has leukemia, and crappy insurance. She needs a bone-marrow transplant, yet the hospital plans to release her today, said her insurance provider wouldn’t cover the cost of a transplant. Her daughter is a donor match.” Lauren stopped to gather her words. “I need someone to make sure she stays in the hospital.”
Lauren could tell by the stunned look on Madison’s face that she couldn’t have been more surprised. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.
“Start from the beginning, and tell me how you came to be in this position,” Madison said.
Lauren told her what Charlotte and Lee had told her, then went on to explain. “I’m not a doctor, but I know leukemia patients have little or no immune system strength. She can’t leave the hospital if she’s to have this transplant.”
“You said Lee’s insurance wouldn’t cover a transplant. I’m missing something here.”
“I’m getting to that part,” Lauren said. And this was such a big if, she almost backed out, but remembered Charlotte’s tears. Taking a deep breath, Lauren said, “I’m going to make sure there are funds available for the transplant.”
There, it was out. This crazy idea that had skittered though her brain was out. Details of how she’d fund this, and how she’d manage to keep Lee in the hospital, were just that. Details. Sort of.
“Do you know how much that is?” Madison asked.
“That’s, uh . . . part of what I need to ask James.”
“And the other part? You could google the approximate cost, Lauren.”
“I know that, but I need it from a professional, and I need a professional to see to it that she stays in the hospital while I figure out a way to cover the cost of a transplant.” She had six weeks to write a book and earn a few million, but that wasn’t guaranteed if the book wasn’t published.
Madison shook her head. “I can’t believe you would involve yourself in this. While I think you have the softest heart ever, and the best of intentions, I’m not sure it’s your place.”
Frustrated, Lauren whispered, a bit too harshly, “Of course, it isn’t, but I can’t stand by and do nothing. You wouldn’t, either, so don’t try to convince me otherwise.
“If you can contact James and give him my cell number, I’ll speak with him. I know this isn’t . . . I know it’s not my place, but Charlotte and Lee have no one. I couldn’t sleep a wink if I didn’t try to help them.”
Madison’s eyes pooled with tears. “And that’s what I love about you. You’re the kindest woman I know. And to answer your question, yes, I will call James, give him a heads-up and your number, then it’s up to you.”
“That’s all I’m asking. I knew I could count on you,” Lauren said. “I’ve got to get back to the store. I’ll keep you posted.” She gave her friend a quick hug and left the room, not bothering to stop in the office as she would have under different circumstances.
She was pulling into the parking lot behind the store when her cell phone rang. “Hello,” she said, not bothering to get out of her car. She didn’t want the girls to hear this conversation.
“It’s been a while, Lauren. What gives? Madison said it was a matter of life and death that I call you.”
Flooded with relief, she quickly explained Lee’s story. “I just felt that I had to do something.”
“I understand. I’m not sure what I can do, but I may be able to pull a few strings, keep her there a few more days. As far as costs, there are so many factors that go into this, I can’t give you an exact figure, but I do know most hospitals have what they call an indigent fund. It’s not spoken of, but it is there for situations such as this. Let me make a couple of phone calls, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I have a definite answer.”
“Thank you so much, James. I truly appreciate this, and I know Lee will, too,” Laura said, before hanging up.
She grabbed her purse and keys, unlocked the door, and went inside. Dropping her things on the desk inside her office, she stepped into the store. The three girls were gathered around the fireplace warming their hands. It was bitterly cold inside.
“I’m back,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“We didn’t have any customers, except for a couple of ladies who stopped to admire the window display,” Lacey said. “It’s really nice, too.”
“Thanks. I enjoyed setting it up; it’s my favorite chore here, if you can even call it one.” She didn’t want to tell Charlotte what might happen, but she had to explain why she’d run out of the store. “A friend of mine is checking into your mother’s situation. I hope we can convince her doctor to keep her a bit longer. ”
Charlotte looked at Lauren. “Why?”
Lauren leaned against the fireplace mantel. She was chilled to the bone. “She needs to stay there at least until she’s . . . maybe she’ll get to have the bone-marrow transplant, after all. I’m not saying this is going to happen, but I wouldn’t give up on your mom. I’m guessing she’s a survivor and will fight as long as she’s able.”
Darn! That didn’t come out right. “I mean she needs to have the strength to get better, and if she’s released too early, I don’t know much about her disease, but I do know her immune system isn’t functioning as it should, so it would be harmful to release her just now.” She felt so ignorant.
“But the hospital says her insurance won’t allow her to stay,” Charlotte explained. “I don’t understand why they would change their minds.”
Again, Lauren wasn’t sure if she should give the girl false hope. Yes, James would put a word in, but until she was one hundred percent sure, she would have to keep this information to herself. Not wanting to lie, yet knowing these girls were smart enough to suspect she knew more than she was saying, she said, “There could be extenuating circumstances that could change her current situation.”
“I hope whatever you did will make a difference,” Lacey said. “We know you did something, and it’s okay for you not to tell us now.”
Lauren gave a half-hearted smile. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Whatever you did on my mom’s behalf, I appreciate the effort, no matter how it turns out,” Charlotte said. “No one has ever reached out and tried to help her.”
Lauren could have cried at hearing the young girl’s words, but she had to keep it together. The girls came to her, and she would remain the adult in control. She could cry another time.
Deciding they deserved to know a few details of what she’d been doing, she said, “A friend of mine knows a doctor who may be able to convince your mom’s doctor and the hospital to keep her there for a few more days. No promises, but we can certainly hope.” She realized that she sounded like her mother, and instead of cringing as she would have done as a teen, she was proud of the sense of right and wrong her mom and dad had instilled in her.
“I really can’t thank you enough,” Charlotte said. “I hope Mom can stay, too. Not that I like her being in the hospital, but it’s the best way right now. Does Mom know?”
Lauren expected this question and had her answer. “I spoke with her, but that’s it. I didn’t have anything to tell her then, and I still don’t, but we can cross our fingers and send up a prayer that this friend of my friend can help out.” Lauren knew she was sounding like a broken record, yet she couldn’t give false hope to Charlotte, or Lee.
She knew in her heart that James would most likely come through, and that thought alone warmed her. There were good people in the world, despite all the negativity one heard on the news and read in the papers.
“If you hear from your friend, can you call my mom if it’s good news?” Charlotte asked.
“Of course.” Lauren jotted down her cell phone and her home phone number, and gave them to the girls. “You can call me anytime, too. You’ve been great advocates for Lee. I’m sure she’s proud of all three of you.”
She walked the girls to the front door, promising to call the minute she had any news.
Back in her office, Lauren made a note to get a new coat for Charlotte. With the temps expected in the low teens, the thin jacket she was wearing would do little to keep her warm.
She turned her thoughts to Angela’s call and what she’d agreed to do. If, and that now was another very big if, John Gerard Giampalo still wanted her as his biographer, she’d agree to whatever terms he wanted. She needed the money more than ever. There was much more at stake. Lee’s life. If she had to eat a bit of crow, then she would do so, happily.