indeed been covered, and this is the residual amount.”
“I see.” Emma took a deep breath. “And what about future treatment?”
“What are you still having done?”
“Chemo once a month, for sure. Oral tablets, weekly blood tests. That’s what I know about, but there may be more.”
Helen shrugged again. “Well, your chemo will be covered once every two months, as usual. Your tablets will be partially covered, but not fully. And blood tests are covered up to a certain amount. I can check what it is.”
“Thank you.” Emma forced herself to smile. “I appreciate your help, Helen.”
“It’s my job.”
“Yes, well. Thanks anyway.” Emma got to her feet and headed for the door.
“Your bill?” Helen said.
“Oh, no. That’s a copy,” Emma said. “I have the originals, if you need them.”
“This is fine.”
“OK, thanks. I’ll wait to hear from you then.”
“Uh-huh. Bye.”
Emma made her way through the office, warmly greeting her former colleagues and a few of her former patients. She desperately missed working for the mental health clinic, and she was hoping to come back to work in about six months. She and Dean had talked about her slowly taking on a few hours a week – maybe twelve – and working her way back up to a full-time schedule in about a year.
But if she was really on the hook for half-a-million dollars, with more to come, then she’d definitely have to rethink things. She may have to get back to work sooner, start earning again. She’d been living off her savings since she’d gotten too sick to work, and she was still OK. Not great, but fine. Enough for her mortgage and food, and that was the extent of her needs, really.
But fuck me. If I have to find close to a million dollars, I’d better get my ass back here ASAP.
**
“Five hundred thousand dollars? With more to come?” Liv was thunderstruck. “What the hell, Em?”
“Yeah, I know, right?” Emma tried to smile, but her hands were shaky as she put her cup of tea to her lips. “Chemo and spinal taps and stem cell transplants aren’t cheap, huh?”
“And I imagine that five weeks in isolation post-transplant was expensive, right?” Jenny asked.
“Oh, yeah. According to Helen Carrow, that’s what really racked up the numbers, actually. The isolation ward, the drugs afterwards, the twenty-four-hour care. But if I take in to account chemo for the next six to eight months for sure, just that alone will push me up well over seven hundred thousand. Forget about my drugs and blood tests, and anything unexpected.”
“Fuck.” Kat’s green eyes were glittering. “This is bullshit . You get sick through no fault of your own, and you go through hell, and now you’re going to be bankrupted?”
“Well,” Emma said. “I do have a plan.”
“What?” Liv asked. “You’d better not be going back to work, Em, I swear to God. I’ll have Dean barricade you in his house, I promise you.”
Emma smiled. “No, that’s not what I’m thinking, at all. You want to give me the number to your real estate agent, Liv?”
The women stared at her.
“You’re going to sell your apartment?” Kat said.
“It’s the best solution.” Emma tried to look positive. “I ran the numbers last night, and I figure that after I pay off the rest of the mortgage and the agent’s fees, I’ll be left with close to seven hundred thousand dollars. I may be able to start almost from zero, if I’m lucky.”
“No.” Jenny’s voice was clipped. “You’re not going to do that. I’ll give you the money before I see you homeless.”
“I’m not going to be homeless ,” Emma said. “I can live with Dean. He’s been asking for a while, and I was thinking about it anyway.”
“Yeah?” Liv said, delighted.
“Yeah. I thought I’d rent out my own place, keep it as an investment. But if that’s not in the cards, that’s OK.”
“Oh, Emma.” Jenny sighed. “I hate this.”
“No, it’s OK. Really. I mean, if I had
“I see.” Emma took a deep breath. “And what about future treatment?”
“What are you still having done?”
“Chemo once a month, for sure. Oral tablets, weekly blood tests. That’s what I know about, but there may be more.”
Helen shrugged again. “Well, your chemo will be covered once every two months, as usual. Your tablets will be partially covered, but not fully. And blood tests are covered up to a certain amount. I can check what it is.”
“Thank you.” Emma forced herself to smile. “I appreciate your help, Helen.”
“It’s my job.”
“Yes, well. Thanks anyway.” Emma got to her feet and headed for the door.
“Your bill?” Helen said.
“Oh, no. That’s a copy,” Emma said. “I have the originals, if you need them.”
“This is fine.”
“OK, thanks. I’ll wait to hear from you then.”
“Uh-huh. Bye.”
Emma made her way through the office, warmly greeting her former colleagues and a few of her former patients. She desperately missed working for the mental health clinic, and she was hoping to come back to work in about six months. She and Dean had talked about her slowly taking on a few hours a week – maybe twelve – and working her way back up to a full-time schedule in about a year.
But if she was really on the hook for half-a-million dollars, with more to come, then she’d definitely have to rethink things. She may have to get back to work sooner, start earning again. She’d been living off her savings since she’d gotten too sick to work, and she was still OK. Not great, but fine. Enough for her mortgage and food, and that was the extent of her needs, really.
But fuck me. If I have to find close to a million dollars, I’d better get my ass back here ASAP.
**
“Five hundred thousand dollars? With more to come?” Liv was thunderstruck. “What the hell, Em?”
“Yeah, I know, right?” Emma tried to smile, but her hands were shaky as she put her cup of tea to her lips. “Chemo and spinal taps and stem cell transplants aren’t cheap, huh?”
“And I imagine that five weeks in isolation post-transplant was expensive, right?” Jenny asked.
“Oh, yeah. According to Helen Carrow, that’s what really racked up the numbers, actually. The isolation ward, the drugs afterwards, the twenty-four-hour care. But if I take in to account chemo for the next six to eight months for sure, just that alone will push me up well over seven hundred thousand. Forget about my drugs and blood tests, and anything unexpected.”
“Fuck.” Kat’s green eyes were glittering. “This is bullshit . You get sick through no fault of your own, and you go through hell, and now you’re going to be bankrupted?”
“Well,” Emma said. “I do have a plan.”
“What?” Liv asked. “You’d better not be going back to work, Em, I swear to God. I’ll have Dean barricade you in his house, I promise you.”
Emma smiled. “No, that’s not what I’m thinking, at all. You want to give me the number to your real estate agent, Liv?”
The women stared at her.
“You’re going to sell your apartment?” Kat said.
“It’s the best solution.” Emma tried to look positive. “I ran the numbers last night, and I figure that after I pay off the rest of the mortgage and the agent’s fees, I’ll be left with close to seven hundred thousand dollars. I may be able to start almost from zero, if I’m lucky.”
“No.” Jenny’s voice was clipped. “You’re not going to do that. I’ll give you the money before I see you homeless.”
“I’m not going to be homeless ,” Emma said. “I can live with Dean. He’s been asking for a while, and I was thinking about it anyway.”
“Yeah?” Liv said, delighted.
“Yeah. I thought I’d rent out my own place, keep it as an investment. But if that’s not in the cards, that’s OK.”
“Oh, Emma.” Jenny sighed. “I hate this.”
“No, it’s OK. Really. I mean, if I had
Similar Books
