Chapter 2 – The News

Amelie’s POV

This.

Can not.

Be.

Happening.

Someone, please wake me up from this awful nightmare. I have been at the hospital for 3 hours now, and still no word on what was going on. It was driving me crazy. I felt nauseated. Just then, Tiffany ran into the waiting room.

“Ame! Oh my gosh! I heard, and I had to come and see you,” Tiffany said as she hugged me, “Is Zander ok?”

“I don’t know, Tiff. I honestly don’t know.” I burst into tears.

“Shhhh, he’s going to be ok. Your love will pull him through.” She wiped my tears away and hugged me for what felt like an eternity. It was exactly what I needed.

Man, I loved Tiff. She was the best friend anyone could ever have. For the past 5 years, she has been my rock, comfort, and umbrella to weather any storm. We always joked that we should just get married and forget about men. Then Tiff messed up our plans and found the most amazing boyfriend, Peter. You could tell their love for each other just by looking at them. Honestly, Peter was a god among men for the way he treated her and the way he loved her so deeply. He had the purest heart, and it showed in everything he did. I just hoped that someday, I would find that kind of love.

Tiff hugged me again, “I hate to leave you, but I’m already late for work. I told Darcy about your brother, and she covered your shift at the coffee shop for tomorrow morning.”

“What would I do without you, Tiff?”

“Probably lose your mind?”  We both laughed at her comment. It was true; she held me together for more days than I’d like to admit.

“I love you, Tiff. I promise to text you when I find something out.”  I watched as she walked down the hall and faded into the distance.

 I spotted the doctor walking towards me.

“Ms. Cavanaugh?” he questioned.

“Yes,” I blurted out as I stood.

“I’m Dr. Carrera.” He extended his hand to shake mine. “Can you follow me to my office?”

“I’m sorry about the delay. We needed to run a battery of tests on your brother to determine what was happening. Were you aware he has a heart condition?”  Dr. Carrera queried.

“No, a heart condition?” I gasped in shock.

“Yes, he has a small hole in his heart called a Ventricular septal defect. Normally, the smaller holes close independently in childhood or have no symptoms.”

“What does this mean?”

“Since it is not closing on its own, we need to do surgery,” he stated, “Don’t worry, most medical insurance coverages will cover this type of surgery. If you would just reach out to your parents….”

“We don’t have parents, and we don’t have insurance.”  The tears welled up in my eyes.

“Oh.” Dr. Carrera spoke.

“If he doesn’t have the surgery?” I whispered.

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend it, but if he is kept from activities and looked after, you could postpone it for a while. He must have the surgery as soon as possible.”

Zander couldn’t be held down. He was a free-spirited 17-year-old boy. He was the star quarterback for his football team and on the swim team. How was I supposed to tell him he had to give up everything he loved?

“How much is the surgery?” I felt the panic start to overtake my breathing.

“Well, I’m sure we can apply for some assistance for you, but it would probably be about $100,000.”

My heart was in my throat. I stood up, and a wave of panic overtook me. How was I supposed to get that type of money?  That was the last thought I had before everything went black.

“Ms. Cavanaugh? Ms. Cavanaugh?” I woke up to Dr. Carrera leaning over me.

“What happened?”

“You fainted, Ms. Cavanaugh.” He stated.

“I’m sorry,” I blushed.

“Understandable, news like this can be quite shocking. When’s the last time you drank or ate something?”

“Yesterday,” I said.

“You need to get some food and fluids in your system, " he chided. I will have one of the nurses walk you to the café in the lobby. After that, you can visit your brother. He is stabilized now and will be moved to a room soon.”

“Thank you, Dr. Carrera.”