The Student Therapist

Chapter 21

Unfortunately, I couldn't pretend like Jisoos's surgery wasn't necessary forever. After my mom's shift and our visit at the hospital, it was time to unload the information on my mother. And she didn't take it well.

"I don't know what we're going to do." She cries in exasperation, and I wring my hands together nervously.

I had sent Lisa upstairs and told her that I had to speak privately with my mom. I didn't beat around the bush, but rather came out and told her what the doctor told me. The waves of emotions on her face were hard to read as they cycled through her process of comprehending the situation, but I could clearly see the distress in her eyes.

"We're going to figure it out." I tell her reaching forward to grab her hands in mine. "We're in this together."

I purposely omit Lisa's offer about her father performing a pro bono surgery. I didn't want to get my mom.. or me.. for that matter, hopes up. After all, it was a long shot. Doctors rarely do pro bono surgeries and I'm sure Lisa's father cycles through patients in similar situations as ours almost every day.

"I think I can help." A new voice offers tentatively.

I look up, past my mother's shoulders to see Lisa standing there nervously. She was shifting her weight between her feet like she couldn't stan still, and looking at me as if I may attack her for intervening during a personal moment. She was smart too, because I was thinking about it.

My mon wipes her eyes immediately before turning to look at the girl aho interrupted the moment and waits for Lisa to speak again.

"I spoke to my father this morning about doing a pro bono surgery for Jisoo. He said he just has to fill out paperwork with the hospital, but he would be more than happy to do it."

I'm sure that the same relief coursing through me was mirrored in my mother by the charge of her expression. I felt myself let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding in and looking at Lisa with tears in my eyes. While I forced myself to hold mine back, my mom started crying almost immediately upon hearing Lisa's offer.

"Lisa." She stood up and walked over to her to immediately wrap Lisa into a hug. "You have no idea how much that means to this family."

I watched their interaction from my seat. Although I was relieved, my heart was racing as if the news was too good to be true. I didn't understand why Lisa felt the need to advocate for my family to her father, or how she managed to prompt her dad to seeing the importance of our situation. I didn't know she cared that much.

My mom finally separates from Lisa and wipes her eyes with a small laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm such a mess."

Lisa shakes her head to tell her not to apologize, but looks at me when she says. "I just want to help."

The moment felt charged with intimacy like when she first told me that she wanted to help me, all those weeks ago. I felt shivers race down my spine and had to gulp down the lump in my throat and work harder to push the tears from the brin of my eyes. She had no idea how much she was helping.

"I don't know how we're going to repay you." My mom starts mumbling on. "Dinner! That's a start. I'm going to go cook."

"You really don't have to—" lisa starts protesting, but my mom waves her words away.

"Nonsense." She gives her a teary smile and one last hug. "It's the least I could do."

When a rogue tear slips out of my eye, I turn so neither of them can see me and wipe it away. I turn back around to see my mom stalking off towards the kitchen and Lisa taking slow steps towards me.