into the parking lot behind the store when her cell phone rang. “Hello,” she said, not bothering to get out of her car. She didn’t want the girls to hear this conversation.
“It’s been a while, Lauren. What gives? Madison said it was a matter of life and death that I call you.”
Flooded with relief, she quickly explained Lee’s story. “I just felt that I had to do something.”
“I understand. I’m not sure what I can do, but I may be able to pull a few strings, keep her there a few more days. As far as costs, there are so many factors that go into this, I can’t give you an exact figure, but I do know most hospitals have what they call an indigent fund. It’s not spoken of, but it is there for situations such as this. Let me make a couple of phone calls, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I have a definite answer.”
“Thank you so much, James. I truly appreciate this, and I know Lee will, too,” Laura said, before hanging up.
She grabbed her purse and keys, unlocked the door, and went inside. Dropping her things on the desk inside her office, she stepped into the store. The three girls were gathered around the fireplace warming their hands. It was bitterly cold inside.
“I’m back,” she said with a huge smile on her face.
“We didn’t have any customers, except for a couple of ladies who stopped to admire the window display,” Lacey said. “It’s really nice, too.”
“Thanks. I enjoyed setting it up; it’s my favorite chore here, if you can even call it one.” She didn’t want to tell Charlotte what might happen, but she had to explain why she’d run out of the store. “A friend of mine is checking into your mother’s situation. I hope we can convince her doctor to keep her a bit longer. ”
Charlotte looked at Lauren. “Why?”
Lauren leaned against the fireplace mantel. She was chilled to the bone. “She needs to stay there at least until she’s . . . maybe she’ll get to have the bone-marrow transplant, after all. I’m not saying this is going to happen, but I wouldn’t give up on your mom. I’m guessing she’s a survivor and will fight as long as she’s able.”
Darn! That didn’t come out right. “I mean she needs to have the strength to get better, and if she’s released too early, I don’t know much about her disease, but I do know her immune system isn’t functioning as it should, so it would be harmful to release her just now.” She felt so ignorant.
“But the hospital says her insurance won’t allow her to stay,” Charlotte explained. “I don’t understand why they would change their minds.”
Again, Lauren wasn’t sure if she should give the girl false hope. Yes, James would put a word in, but until she was one hundred percent sure, she would have to keep this information to herself. Not wanting to lie, yet knowing these girls were smart enough to suspect she knew more than she was saying, she said, “There could be extenuating circumstances that could change her current situation.”
“I hope whatever you did will make a difference,” Lacey said. “We know you did something, and it’s okay for you not to tell us now.”
Lauren gave a half-hearted smile. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Whatever you did on my mom’s behalf, I appreciate the effort, no matter how it turns out,” Charlotte said. “No one has ever reached out and tried to help her.”
Lauren could have cried at hearing the young girl’s words, but she had to keep it together. The girls came to her, and she would remain the adult in control. She could cry another time.
Deciding they deserved to know a few details of what she’d been doing, she said, “A friend of mine knows a doctor who may be able to convince your mom’s doctor and the hospital to keep her there for a few more days. No promises, but we can certainly hope.” She realized that she sounded like her mother, and instead of cringing as she would have done as a teen, she was proud of the sense of right and wrong her mom and dad had instilled in her.
“I really can’t thank you enough,” Charlotte said. “I hope Mom can stay, too. Not that I like her being in the hospital, but it’s the best way right now. Does Mom know?”
Lauren expected this question and had her answer.