“May I speak to Kevin?” a female voice asked.
“Can I ask who’s calling, please?”
“Could you tell him Alicia’s on the phone, please?” Denise put the phone down on the bed.
Shit,
Denise thought,
I didn’t expect her to call this soon. He’s gonna go for this F.B. crap only so long if she’s trying to wiggle her way back in.
She tried to compose herself. Flipping through her planner, she found the notes she had written from the private investigator’s report. Then she picked up the phone again.
“Alicia, how are you? This is Denise, Kevin’s girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” Alicia asked weakly.
“Oh, I’m so glad you called. Kevin has told me so many good things about you and Michael. I just wish I were around to help when you left that battered women’s shelter. That Big Brother program is wonderful, isn’t it? And you really lucked out getting my Kevin as your son’s mentor.”
“Yeah, we really lucked out,” Alicia mumbled.
Alicia had no idea what Denise was referring to, but she figured it was just a pack of lies Kevin had fed her. She decided not to bother to correct this woman’s misconceptions of her. The original intent of this call had been to try to work things out with Kevin. She had experienced a change of heart, realizing she was still in love with him, and had called to ask if they could start over. Now there was this other woman on the line, claiming to be his girlfriend. Alicia was hurt and angry, especially to think that Kevin was telling lies about her. All she wanted now was to get him on the phone and cuss him out.
“Listen, Denise. Is Kevin around? I really need to speak with him about this Big Brother program,” she lied.
“Oh, I’m sorry, he’s not home. I think he’s out with his friends, picking out my engagement ring. He thinks I don’t know, so I’ll just have to act surprised.” Denise giggled.
“You’re getting engaged?” Alicia paused and added flatly, “Well, congratulations to both of you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you, Alicia. I really appreciate it. You know, I have to admit I was pretty jealous of all the time you and Kevin were spending together until he told me you were gay.”
Alicia gasped but didn’t say a word as Denise continued.
“I hope you’ll be coming to our wedding?” Denise tried not to laugh and was saved when the call-waiting beeped. “Hold on a second, Alicia.
I
have another call coming in.”
Alicia waited a few seconds, fuming. She couldn’t believe she had called to ask for a reconciliation, and now she was finding out what a true dog Kevin was. She heard Denise’s voice again.
“Alicia, I’m sorry, I have Kevin’s sister on the phone, and it sounds pretty important. I’ll have Kevin call you when he gets in, okay? Bye.” Denise clicked the phone over just as Kevin walked into the room.
“Who’s that on the phone?”
“It’s your sister Phyllis. I think she’s been crying.” Denise handed him the phone.
“Phyllis? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“It’s Whitney, Kevin. She collapsed during breakfast,” Phyllis sobbed. “Kevin, the paramedics couldn’t wake her up!”
“Try to stay calm, Phyllis, where’s Mama?”
“She’s went with Whitney to the hospital in the ambulance.”
After listening to Phyllis explain the situation again, Kevin told her that he would be there as soon as possible. Denise, who had been eavesdropping, immediately dialed her secretary’s home number on her cell phone.
“Hello, Ruth? This is Denise. I’m sorry to disturb you on a Sunday morning, but I need something done right away. I need two first-class tickets on the next plane leaving out of Kennedy to Richmond, Virginia. Have the tickets waiting at the ticket counter in the names of Kevin Brown and mine. I also need a limo waiting for us going to—” She looked at Kevin, who stood beside her with a puzzled look on his face.
“Petersburg General Hospital,” he mumbled numbly.
Denise repeated what Kevin had said. “Look, I have to go. I’ll call you in a few minutes from my car.”
“I don’t have the money to pay you back right now,” Kevin told her. He had planned on driving.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to stick around until you do.” She smiled. “Right now you just need to take care of your family.”
Two hours later Kevin walked onto the floor of the intensive care unit of Petersburg General Hospital. He was greeted with a hug by his red-eyed mother. Mama noticed the white woman standing behind her son, but she was too emotional even to ask who she was.
“Kevin, they said she’s gonna die if she don’t have this operation, but them doctors ain’t gonna give it to her.” Mama sounded distraught.
“Don’t worry, Mama. I’m gonna straighten everything out once I talk to the doctors. Where’s Whitney’s room?”
“She’s in here.” Mama pointed.
Realizing he had not introduced Denise to his mother, Kevin distractedly said, “Mama, this is my friend Denise. She’s the one who helped me out with the money to fly down here so fast.”
Mama nodded at Denise, but there was no expression other than sadness on her face, so it was hard for Denise to read her reaction.
“You two can get to know each other later, once Whitney is better,” Kevin told them as he took Mama’s hand and led her into Whitney’s room.
“She’s in bad shape, Kevin, real bad shape.” Phyllis stood and whispered as they entered the room.
“I know, Phyllis, but she’s gonna be all right.” He walked over to his comatose sister and gazed down at her.
Please, God, don’t take Whitney away. We need her,
he prayed.
“Excuse me, Mr. Brown?” A small, balding white man in a lab coat walked over to Kevin with his hand extended. “I’m Dr. Brand. I’m in charge of the ICU. Your mother said they were waiting for you before they could make any decisions about your sister’s care.”
Kevin glanced over at his mother. She tried to smile through her tears, but it wouldn’t work. “You’re the man of the house, Kevin. Take care of our business.”
Kevin nodded and turned to the doctor.
“What is my sister’s condition, Dr. Brand?”
“Not good, I’m afraid. Mr. Brown, your sister has severe heart disease.”
“Heart disease? But she’s only twenty.” Kevin was shocked.
“Heart disease can affect the young as well as the old, Mr. Brown, and with your sister having had scarlet fever as a child, well, the risk factors were much higher.”
“I didn’t even know she had scarlet fever. Are you sure?” Kevin glanced over at his mother, who nodded that the doctor was right. “So what’s wrong with her?”
“Well, Mr. Brown, to put it in layman’s terms, your sister had a heart attack. Both the valves to her right ventricle and aorta are severely damaged and need to be replaced. I recommend that we operate as soon as possible, otherwise she might not make it through the night.”
“What are you waiting for? Let’s get this done.”
“As a doctor, there is nothing I’d like more. But there is a problem that is out of my control,” he said sadly, gesturing for Kevin and his family to follow him out of Whitney’s room.
Standing outside were two well-dressed white men.
“Mr. Brown, this is Dr. Goldstein, our chief of staff, and Mr. Levin, our hospital legal counsel. I think your mother’s already spoken to them.” Mama nodded with a frown.
“I’m sorry about your sister’s condition, Mr. Brown,” Dr. Goldstein said solemnly. “I was wondering if you were aware of any health insurance your sister carried that your mother might not know of.”
“Is that what you’re worried about? If we can pay the bill? That’s my sister in there, doctor. If I have to, I’ll work three jobs.” Kevin’s voice was rising in pitch as he became more frantic.
“Well, Mr. Brown, why didn’t you pay your father’s bill after his death?” the hospital lawyer asked, pulling some papers from a folder. “I have here almost thirty thousand dollars in unpaid hospital bills.” Kevin looked over at his mother as the lawyer kept talking. He had no idea Mama still owed so much money to the hospital. “Your sister’s operation is going to cost almost sixty thousand dollars, and that doesn’t include aftercare expenses. Who is going to pay these bills, Mr. Brown? Your mother says you’re the only one in the family with a steady job.”
“Are you telling me you’re not going to give my sister this operation? ’Cause we’re poor?” Kevin was about to punch the man.
Levin took a step backward, checking down the hall to be sure the security guard was at his post.
“Mr. Brown, you have to understand. We’re not a public hospital. We’re private, and we have bills to pay too. You can always have your sister transferred to MCV in Richmond...”
“This woman cannot be moved. It took me two hours just to get her stabilized,” Dr. Brand stated emphatically.
“You can’t refuse a patient treatment because of past-due payment or lack of insurance in a life-threatening emergency,” Denise said, stepping from behind Phyllis.
“Excuse me?” Levin demanded. “That’s not true.”
“I’m afraid it is,’ she told him confidently as she stood beside Kevin. “Jackson vs. Downston County General is the precedent, if you care to look it up.”
“And who are you?” Dr. Goldstein demanded.
“I’m Denise Shwartz, their lawyer.” She handed each of them one of her cards. “As you can see, I specialize in malpractice. Now, Mr. Levin, I think you need to bone up on Jackson vs. Downston County General. Because if Ms. Brown dies, I’m going to take pleasure in suing this hospital and both of you, individually, for wrongful death and discrimination.”
Goldstein glanced at Levin, who was still looking at Denise’s card with a frown. Denise was happy to see a look of fear cross the man’s face as he realized she was serious. Even as Kevin and his family were experiencing the terror of his sister’s possible death, Denise was plotting for her own satisfaction. She knew that if Kevin’s sister received her surgery, she would always be a hero to Kevin and his family and elevate herself from F.B. status to true girlfriend. To her his sister’s critical health was a perfect opportunity for advancement.
“Believe me, I’m going to work extra hard if my future sister-in-law dies,” she told the hospital lawyer without looking at Kevin or his mother to see the shock on their faces.
“D-discrimination?” Dr. Goldstein stuttered.
“That’s right. I can’t wait to subpoena your records and find out how many African Americans you’ve denied treatment. Hey, you never know, I might end up with one hell of a class action suit. Oh, and, Dr. Goldstein, if you didn’t know, discrimination is not covered under malpractice insurance.”
“Now, Ms. Shwartz, I’m sure we can work out something that will be agreeable to all parties concerned.” Dr. Goldstein smiled nervously. “Why don’t you let me have a word with my colleagues?”
“Sure. We’ll be waiting in Ms. Brown’s room.” She grabbed Kevin’s hand and led him back to Whitney’s room. His mother and sister followed in stunned silence. Mama was too numb with the pain of watching her child suffer to process everything Denise had said. But she was certain she had heard the word “in-law” and knew that at some point she would need to have a serious discussion with this young woman. After five minutes in which barely a word was spoken in Whitney’s room, Dr. Brand came in with a wide grin on his face.
“What did they decide?” Kevin asked nervously.
“They said we’re a go! I just beeped our best heart surgeon, and the O.R. team is prepping as we speak. We should have your sister on the table within the hour.”
“Thank you, God, and thank you, Dr. Brand. I can see you had my sister’s best interests at heart all the time.” He shook the doctor’s hand.
“Don’t thank me, thank her.” He pointed to Denise. “I don’t know where you found this young lady, but she’s the first person I ever saw frighten Josh Levin.”
Denise sat in the hospital cafeteria, drinking coffee. It had been about three hours since Whitney had been taken to the operating room. She had not felt comfortable in the waiting room when the pastor and deaconess of Mrs. Brown’s church demanded that they all get down on their knees for a prayer vigil.
Come on, Whitney, you have to make it,
she thought selfishly.
If you make it, I’ll always be a hero in his eyes.
At that moment Denise’s cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Denise, this is Liz. What’s up? You paged me three times.”
“Liz, you’ll never guess what happened,” Denise said in a conspiratorial whisper so that none of the other people in the cafeteria could hear. “I saved Kevin’s sister’s life.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You’re a lawyer, not a doctor.”
“I’m sorry, Liz. Let me start from the beginning.” Denise explained to her friend what had taken place.
“You have got to be the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. If his sister lives, he’s going to worship the ground you walk on. Well, I guess you can start taking your birth control pills again, huh?” Liz joked.