Page 23 of Pool Girl - An Instalove Possessive Age Gap

“There is the slight matter of insurance,” The nurse says, looking at Piper. Scanning her up and down before frowning and narrowing her eyes.

“What?” I ask, dumbfounded, forcing the nurse’s attention back on me.

“Sorry to have to bring it up, but it’s a new policy. The patient’s in private rooms can only remain there if they have insurance.”

I hear Piper groan quietly, starting to fidget with nerves and frustration.

“Nurse… Reynolds,” I say through gritted teeth, straining to see her ID tag. “Guy’s bill will be paid in full. Cash if you’d prefer,” I tell her, feeling myself looming up again.

But she’s not bothered. “That’s great, Mr.…?” she retorts. “But we require an insurance policy number or a credit card or bank account number to apply to any patient’s stay in a private room.”

I force a smile and glance over to Piper, whose mouth is wide open.

“Maybe we could sort that out while Piper sees her dad?” I ask the nurse, straining to sound polite now, and only for Piper’s sake.

If the nurse was a man, I’d be handling things a little differently.

Something I might take up with the hospital admin first thing tomorrow instead.

“Sure,” Nurse Reynolds clips cheerfully. That fake cheer that all nurses have. The kind that can turn on you in a second and call security, so I play along.

Poor Piper, I don’t mean to let her see me get so wound up.

“If you could fill these forms out, I’ll take Piper through to see her dad.”

I give Piper an encouraging nod and set to work on the forms so my friend won’t have to worry about his bill.

Nor will Piper. She’ll never want for anything ever again. I’ll see to that.

A doctor passes by, asks me if I need help just as I’m finishing up with the forms.

I feel like asking him about lodging a complaint, about the hospital’s policy on patients without insurance, but I know I’d be wasting my breath.

I shake my head, looking up again once I see him peering at Guy’s name on the form.

“Ah, your brother will be fine,” he says knowingly, ignoring the fact we both have different surnames. He doesn’t sound like the doctor I spoke to on the phone though. He clears it up when I ask him.

“I’m Dr. Clements, night shift,” he explains.

I decided to put myself down as Guy’s brother after all. What are they gonna do, a genealogy check? I should’ve just told them from the get-go, but Piper…

We might not be related by blood, but he’s the closest thing to family I’ve ever had. Until today.

Noticing the forms again, Doc Clements seems a little more forthcoming with information, and some good ol’ bedside manner.

“Guy had a small… a very small heart attack,” he explains, making my own give a jolt and mixed with what I know is coming up between us, it only makes things more difficult.

“But he’s fine now and we expect him to make a full recovery,” the doctor explains.

“What brought it on, I thought he had flu?” I ask.

“He does,” the doctor says, frowning. “But it would appear something else… likely an emotional shock contributed to his cardiac episode.”

The doctor hears himself being paged, his beeper buzzing in his top pocket. “Excuse me,” he says, and as quickly as he appeared he’s gone.

I stand for a while, checking over the forms until I’ve had quite enough of that, then just listen to the night sounds of the hospital ward.

I want to go find Piper, and her dad but remember the nurse saying it should only be one at a time with visitors too.

Not the place to spend a minute more than you have to, I reflect.

The hospital is not a place I expected Guy to end up in either, he looks after himself and he’s as fit as I am, if only just a little smaller.

I hear footsteps and turn to see Piper and the nurse coming back. Piper’s been crying and my instinct is to hold her, to kiss her.

Remembering my brother story, that might not go down too well, so I only put my arm around her, rubbing her consolingly.

“How is he?” I ask her, watching her nod and sniffle, scowling when that damned nurse butts in.

“He’s fine, but I’m not sure he’s up for another visor just now, maybe you can-”

I bring my face close to hers. “Maybe you can zip it for a bit, Reynolds. I’m going to see my brother now if you don’t mind.”

With an icy look, the nurse backs off, reminding Piper to stay put. I lean in and promise Piper I won’t be long.

Then I start down the linoleum corridor, which suddenly feels like it’s a mile long when I consider what I know Guy’s about to ask me.

I just know it.Chapter SeventeenPiperDad’s fine. I mean, he’s not dying or anything. But the doctor’s told him he had a small heart attack and he does have a fever from the flu which they’re monitoring and bringing down slowly.

---