his legs, honey. It’s his heart. He’s had some tests done and didn’t want me to tell you, but his heart is giving out, too. He’s in bad shape.”
Tears came to Ali’s eyes. Her Dad was one of the sweetest people she’d ever known. After her mom died, he had worked two jobs to raise her and give her all she needed. Toni was his sister and had tried to fill in for her mother. They were all the family she had in the world.
***
“There’s my girl,” said her Dad as she walked into the room. The shades had been partly pulled down and the sun was filtering across the bedroom. Ali sat on the side of the bed and took his hand.
“Looks like my heart doesn’t want to play nice,” he said trying to be light-hearted. Ali had gotten her sunny disposition from him.
“What’s going on? Why didn’t you call me?”
“You’ve got your own life and I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bother me? Dad! Stop it. What do the doctors say?”
“Phew,” he blew air out. “They don’t say much good, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “They say I’ve got severe heart valve disease,” he said. “I need a new one, or so they say.”
Ali’s heart sank. “A new heart?”
“No, a new valve. A replacement, I guess.”
“Oh, well, can’t they do that now? I mean, just put in a new valve?” She brightened a little. Surely a new valve was nothing like getting a whole new heart.
Her dad chuckled. “Yeah, they want me to do it right away. The only thing is, Toni checked with my insurance and they only cover a small portion of it. Something about pre-existing conditions or something. It’s going to cost more than I afford right now.”
Her dad had been on a fixed income since his accident and unable to work. She sighed. “How much is it?”
Toni chimed in from across the room. “It’s about 30 grand all said and done.”
“She wanted to give me the money to cover it, but I won’t have it. She waited a long time to get that settlement and she deserves every penny,” said her Dad.
Ali calculated. Her tuition for school was nearly $25,000. Toni had given her a certificate for $30,000 and the extra was for incidentals. Ali knew Toni’s settlement was only $50,000 total. She had $20,000 to pay for her dad’s surgery. Ali would scrape together the rest. It would be OK.
“That’s the first surgery. Then there’s my hip. That needs replacing, too. Sounds like I’m falling apart,” he laughed softly.
“Your hip? I thought it was your leg.”
“Nah, those are OK. Well as good as they can be considering,” he said. He looked down. “I fell about a month ago and hurt my hip. Guess it’s worse than we thought. I fractured it pretty bad and now I can’t get around at all.”
“Dad! Why didn’t you call me?” Ali was flaming angry with her father and even angrier with herself. She had been so self-absorbed lately. She hadn’t kept in touch with him like she should have.
“It’s just old people stuff, Ali. If I called you with every crack and ailment I had, I’d be on the phone all the time!”
“Dad, this isn’t just “old people” stuff. This is serious.” She got up and walked across the room and pulled up a shade to look out the window. The sun was starting to set and the backyard had a golden glow.
“How much is the hip surgery?”
“Another $15. At least,” he said. “My insurance is giving me a hard time with that one, too, but I think they’ll cover some of it.”
“Some of it?”
“A few thousand,” he said quietly. “They want to be sure it has nothing to do with my accident, which, of course, it doesn’t, but they’re sending me for tests just to be sure.” He hadn’t wanted to tell Ali any of this. He knew she’d been saving for school and living expenses and didn’t want to be a burden.
Ali looked over at her Dad lying in the bed. He
Tears came to Ali’s eyes. Her Dad was one of the sweetest people she’d ever known. After her mom died, he had worked two jobs to raise her and give her all she needed. Toni was his sister and had tried to fill in for her mother. They were all the family she had in the world.
***
“There’s my girl,” said her Dad as she walked into the room. The shades had been partly pulled down and the sun was filtering across the bedroom. Ali sat on the side of the bed and took his hand.
“Looks like my heart doesn’t want to play nice,” he said trying to be light-hearted. Ali had gotten her sunny disposition from him.
“What’s going on? Why didn’t you call me?”
“You’ve got your own life and I didn’t want to bother you.”
“Bother me? Dad! Stop it. What do the doctors say?”
“Phew,” he blew air out. “They don’t say much good, I’ll tell you that,” he said. “They say I’ve got severe heart valve disease,” he said. “I need a new one, or so they say.”
Ali’s heart sank. “A new heart?”
“No, a new valve. A replacement, I guess.”
“Oh, well, can’t they do that now? I mean, just put in a new valve?” She brightened a little. Surely a new valve was nothing like getting a whole new heart.
Her dad chuckled. “Yeah, they want me to do it right away. The only thing is, Toni checked with my insurance and they only cover a small portion of it. Something about pre-existing conditions or something. It’s going to cost more than I afford right now.”
Her dad had been on a fixed income since his accident and unable to work. She sighed. “How much is it?”
Toni chimed in from across the room. “It’s about 30 grand all said and done.”
“She wanted to give me the money to cover it, but I won’t have it. She waited a long time to get that settlement and she deserves every penny,” said her Dad.
Ali calculated. Her tuition for school was nearly $25,000. Toni had given her a certificate for $30,000 and the extra was for incidentals. Ali knew Toni’s settlement was only $50,000 total. She had $20,000 to pay for her dad’s surgery. Ali would scrape together the rest. It would be OK.
“That’s the first surgery. Then there’s my hip. That needs replacing, too. Sounds like I’m falling apart,” he laughed softly.
“Your hip? I thought it was your leg.”
“Nah, those are OK. Well as good as they can be considering,” he said. He looked down. “I fell about a month ago and hurt my hip. Guess it’s worse than we thought. I fractured it pretty bad and now I can’t get around at all.”
“Dad! Why didn’t you call me?” Ali was flaming angry with her father and even angrier with herself. She had been so self-absorbed lately. She hadn’t kept in touch with him like she should have.
“It’s just old people stuff, Ali. If I called you with every crack and ailment I had, I’d be on the phone all the time!”
“Dad, this isn’t just “old people” stuff. This is serious.” She got up and walked across the room and pulled up a shade to look out the window. The sun was starting to set and the backyard had a golden glow.
“How much is the hip surgery?”
“Another $15. At least,” he said. “My insurance is giving me a hard time with that one, too, but I think they’ll cover some of it.”
“Some of it?”
“A few thousand,” he said quietly. “They want to be sure it has nothing to do with my accident, which, of course, it doesn’t, but they’re sending me for tests just to be sure.” He hadn’t wanted to tell Ali any of this. He knew she’d been saving for school and living expenses and didn’t want to be a burden.
Ali looked over at her Dad lying in the bed. He
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