Page 29 of No More Billionaires

“Do you talk to him about… about the possibilities? The future?”

Sam shook his head. “No. But he knows. He knows. He’s even told me and his momma he’s not ready to go to Heaven yet.”

At this, a little sob burst forth from Nicole, who covered her mouth and looked down at her lap, nodding repeatedly.

Benji jumped up from his play rug and ran to her, laying his head on her lap to peer at her face.

“Are you sad, Mommy? It’s okay, Mommy.”

I nearly had to leave the room when his small hand patted her knee to comfort her.

She lifted her head and nodded, giving him a watery smile and a hug. “Thank you. You knew I needed a hug, didn’t you? You give the best hugs in the whole world.”

Benji squirmed to get out of her extra-long embrace and ran across the room toward a hallway. “I’m getting my guys! They’re going to have a battle.”

“Talking about this obviously isn’t easy for you,” Larson continued. “What are you hoping for by doing this interview?”

“It’s not easy. Our faith’s the only thing that gets us through,” Sam said, grabbing his wife’s hand and squeezing it.

“We want a healthy future for our son.”

Nicole’s voice gained strength as she continued speaking.

“We want to raise awareness about congenital heart defects so there will be more funding dedicated to research and to developing new procedures like the one Benji will have tomorrow. There are so many other diseases getting so much more attention, but congenital heart defects affect eight out of every thousand children born. That’s a lot. Not all of them are as severe as Benji’s, but all of them need hope. Right now, there’s no cure, only treatments to extend life. We want a cure.”

The interview went on for about fifteen more minutes. Afterward, Sky got some b-roll of the family playing, preparing dinner together, of Nicole reading a book to Benji.

He also filmed some tight shots of Benji’s baby album, which was filled with disturbing photos of his newborn body covered in tubes and wires and an angry red scar extending from the top of his chest to his abdomen.

They were difficult to look at, but weneededto see them, needed to show them to others in order to help Benji and all the children like him.

When we’d gathered all the footage we could use, we all walked to the front door.

“I’ll make sure to let you know when it’s airing and get you a copy,” I told the Websters, stepping out onto the porch. “You have a beautiful house, by the way,” I added, directing my comment to Nicole.

She laughed. “You like it? You could get a great foreclosure deal on it. Medical bills you know.”

Reading my horrified expression, she rushed to add. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just a house. The important thing is who lives in it. If Benji can have a chance at a healthy future, I’ll be happy to live in a one-room shack.”

“The apartment won’t bethatbad,” Sam said, smiling at her.

“No—it’s going to be wonderful. They have a pool there, and Benji loves to swim.”

I made my farewells to the family and to Sky, telling him I’d see him tomorrow at the hospital, and walked down the steps and across the yard. Larson stayed behind.

When I reached the car, I turned to look for him in time to catch him hugging Nicole. Then he embraced Sam, and the men gripped each other hard before letting go and stepping apart. Sam was crying again.

Benji came out onto the porch, squeezing between his parents’ legs to get to Larson, who dropped onto his knee.

They performed the special handshake perfectly, and Benji beamed at his new friend.

I couldn’t watch anymore. I opened the car door and got in, sitting and staring at my fingers twisting together in my lap as I waited.

Sometimes God was so hard to understand. How could He let this poor little boy suffer so much and this family struggle financially on top of their fears for their son’s life? Especially when they put so much faith in Him?

The driver’s side door opened, and Larson slid into the front seat. Without a word, he started the car, put it in gear and drove until we’d rounded the corner and the Websters’ house was no longer visible.

Then he stopped the car and let his head fall back against the headrest, covering his face with both hands.

---