Warning here: brief mention of a father suffering with a gambling addiction and the impacts on the family during this chapter.
●・○・♥︎・○・●
Hungover and barely conscious, Tatum stormed into the hospital the next morning with a fierce look of determination in her eyes.
God. Her head hurt.
At first, she looked around for Doctor Porter. But she was a hard woman to track down. So, she just turned towards the whiteboard with the surgeries on it for the day. Tatum headed towards it instantly, grabbing one of the dry erase markers. She scanned the schedule, noticing a sufficient amount of time for the surgery in between two other procedures. Hastily scribbling it in, she heard a set of footsteps behind her. Tatum stepped back once she was finished writing, taking in her handiwork.
JAMES PARKER
Atrial Septal Defect Closure
2pm-4pm
Turning around, she saw Doctor Porter watching with an impressed look on her face and crossed arms. Tatum stuck her chin up, really hoping that she wouldn't say she couldn't do the surgery. Doctor Porter tilted her head, like she was analyzing the situation. "Raise the money?"
Tatum nodded once. "We did. Your donation helped... so, thank you."
Doctor Porter grinned, shrugging as her eyes glanced to the board. "Looks like I have a surgery to prep for."
Her body sagged with relief. "Thank you... so much."
The doctor gave her one last smile before heading in the opposite direction. Tatum pulled her phone from her pocket, tapping her fingers madly against the screen. She didn't think twice before starting a group FaceTime. She had to tell them both and didn't want to chose who to tell first. They both needed to know. They could just deal with it.
Kinsley's face popped up on the screen first with her face smushed into her pillows. She gave no indication of life except for letting out a small grunt of acknowledgement. Brady showed a few moments later, eyebrows knitted together in confusion like he had never seen a FaceTime call. His bewilderment only seemed to grow when he noticed his sister in the corner of the screen. Hungover and barely clinging on, Kinsley didn't react.
Tatum spoke up before either of them could ask. "Jamie goes into surgery in two hours. You guys think you can get here?"
Kinsley snapped up, looking considerably more alive. Brady's eyes widened, sitting up a bit straighter. He spoke up first, asking, "What?"
"Jamie is getting the procedure in two hours," Tatum repeated slowly. "Get here."
"I'll be there in ten," the two spoke at the same time before hanging up. Tatum blinked, finally seeing the relation between the two of them.
Tatum allowed herself a brief moment of relief. They raised the money. Jamie was getting the surgery. Jamie was going to be okay. They were all going to be okay. She did it. She could hardly believe that after all this time, Jamie would be healthy. Tatum only hoped she could be there when they told Jamie that if all went well, he would be able to leave the hospital good as new.
She shoved her phone back in her pocket before heading down the hall. She had one more person she wanted to tell about Jamie's surgery. Her eyes scanned the room numbers before turning into the open door, a smile immediately growing on her face. "Hi, Mom."
"Hi, honey," her mother greeted gently from her bed. Tatum paused at the sound of her voice. It was tired. Her eyes were sunken and her skin was pale. The smile on her face was unwavering, however.
YOU ARE READING
Sticks and Stones
RomanceBrady Parker. The best hockey player Holloway University had seen in years. He was essentially guaranteed a position on any professional team he wanted. That was until someone smashed his knee in on the night before the biggest game of his life. A y...
