Page 19 of Somebody to Save
“You arewayovercomplicating this. All you have to do is text her and say ‘hi.’ Leave it at that and see where it goes. You must really like this chick, man. My usually confident older brother is wavering. I’ve never seen you overthink something like this before. Not since Georgia…well, left.”
I groaned and finally spoke the thoughts I’d been too nervousto even think. “She’s seventeen years younger than me. That age difference…it’s not nothing. Maybe that’s too much for her.”
“I don’t think so,” he said, so confident that it was like he’d confirmed it with Addison herself. “She knew how old you were at Abditory, or at least thereabouts. And if she didn’t completely brush you off in her office, I don’t think that’s going to be the issue for her.”
“So, I should text her?”
Andrew chuckled and stood, slapping a hand on my shoulder and motioning to my phone lying in front of me. “Yeah, you should. Let me know how it goes later.”
He closed the door behind him, and I was left alone at the twenty-person table. A wall of windows in front of me looking out to our lobby, I grabbed my phone and leaned back in my seat.
Me: Hi, Bubbles
Before I could second-guess my message, I sent it and stared at the screen until I saw she’d read it. Then I watched as the text bubble popped up and disappeared several times.
Bubbles: I should be more surprised you found my number.?
Me: I spent weeks trying to find you. Thankfully, finding your number wasn’t as difficult.?
Bubbles: I applaud your dedication.
I felt like a fucking idiot smiling at my phone screen, but I couldn’t help it. It was the middle of the day, so I imagined her sitting at her desk, wearing another pink dress and her matching hair curled perfectly as she texted me back. She was probably chewing on her lower lip and fighting with herself on whether she wanted to respond.
Me: I’m very dedicated. Which means I’m not giving up on that date. ?
Bubbles: You might be waiting a while. ?
Me: No problem. You’re worth the wait, baby girl.
TEN
BINGO!
Addison
“Wait,I’m so sorry, but could you repeat that, please?” I asked, haphazardly setting the Bingo night prizes on the table I set up at the front of the room. My cell phone was wedged between my cheek and shoulder, but I gripped it hard as the woman on the other end repeated the last thing she’d said.
“We’ve determined that the in-home health professional will be reduced from four to three days a week starting immediately and will be completely removed in two months. The amount of time the professional is in the home after today will decrease incrementally from there.”
Somehow, I was able to control the frustrated groan I could feel building within me. I wasn’t new to the world of arguing with insurance and healthcare providers, but it didn’t make it easier when it happened.
My grandmothers, Helen and Gabriela, or Nana and Grams as I called them, had been the most important people in my life since I was five. After my parents died, they didn’t hesitate to take me in and raise me. They cared for me the best they could even after their daughter unexpectedly died.
I owed them everything, which included taking care of them in every way and arguing with the health insurance people whenever I needed to.
Grandma Helen, Nana, fell down the stairs two months ago and had to have surgery on her hip and leg. That, on top of her worsening arthritis and overall health issues, meant we needed the extra help of an in-home healthcare professional. Currently, they come four times a week to help with anything they need. Grandma Gabriela, Grams, was able to do a lot, but she was pushing eighty as well. She also had poor eyesight. They couldn’t do everything, and I couldn’t leave Grams to take care of her wife all by herself no matter how much she wanted to.
When the nurse wasn’t there, I was. I took them to appointments, picked up prescriptions, cleaned, and just made sure their lives were as comfortable as they’d made mine. It was the least I could do.
The reason I’d picked up a second job at Grant Events with Caroline was to cover the other expenses I couldn’t with their Social Security and small bit of retirement savings still left. We needed the extra cash, and I found a way to make it.
“I understand what you’re saying, but she needs help four days a weekat least. What can I do to change this? Is there an appeal process?”
I heard the quiet clicking on the other side of the phone like she was typing up notes and patiently waited. I knew it wasn’t her fault, she was just the middleman in a rigged system, but I was finding it harder and harder to keep my cool.
“I can submit a request for appeal; however, until it’s completed, the nurse will still be coming only three days a week. You will also likely be required to have Ms. Hawkins reevaluated by a doctor to determine her needs and requirements.”
I swallowed hard and slumped into the nearest chair, looking around the empty room that, in less than an hour, would be filled with residents on their favorite night of the month.
