Part 2The Phone Call

That afternoon, my mom called again. "Jenna, have you eaten? What did you have?"

I looked at the chicken soup and rice Mrs. Davis had just brought me. "Yes," I said quietly. "The family of the patient next door brought me something."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Her voice brightened. "See? There are still good people in the world! Make sure you thank them properly!"

"I will."

"By the way, how much did the surgery cost? How much will insurance cover?"

"The deposit was $10,000. I'm not sure how much will be reimbursed yet."

"$10,000?!" Her voice shot up. "Why is it so expensive?! Isn't it a minor surgery?"

"It's laparoscopic now," I explained. "The equipment is expensive, and so is the anesthesia."

"That's highway robbery!" she said, her voice full of indignation. "Do you have enough money? If not, you need to let us know. I'll have your father borrow some."

A small flicker of warmth ignited in my chest. "I have enough for now. I should get a lot of it back from insurance."

"Oh, good, good," she said, relieved. "Your brother was just saying he wanted to video call you, but he was afraid of bothering you."

"It's okay. I'm feeling much better." I actually wanted to see my brother.

When the call connected, Tyler's face appeared on the screen. "Hey, sis. You feeling better?"

"Much better. Thanks for asking." I was touched. He was finally showing some concern.

"Hey, sis," he said, leaning closer to the screen. "Check out my new kicks. The new Kobe retros! They're limited edition!"

I stared at the shoes on his feet, which had to have cost at least $200. I didn't know what to say.

"Aren't they sick?" he asked, still showing them off.

"They're nice," I said, my voice flat.

"Mom bought them for me!" he said proudly. "A reward for my mock SAT scores!"

From the other side of the screen, I heard my mom's voice. "Tyler, your sister is sick! Why are you talking about that now? Jenna, honey, you get some rest. We won't bother you."

The call ended. I stared at the black screen, a heavy feeling in my chest.

Mrs. Davis came back, this time with a bowl of congee. "Jenna, have some of this for dinner. It's easy to digest."

"Thank you, Mrs. Davis. You're going to so much trouble."

"No trouble at all!" she said with a smile. "Michael's dad is with him. I'm just sitting around anyway." She watched me eat, then asked, "Jenna, when are your parents coming? Do you need me to help you contact them?"

I shook my head. "They're... not coming. My brother has his SATs soon. They can't get away."

Mrs. Davis paused for a second, then patted my hand. "Of course. That's a big deal. Well, if you need anything at all these next few days, you just let me know. Don't you hesitate."

That night, the pain from my incision kept me awake. I pressed the call button for the nurse. It took a while for her to come, and the pain was making me sweat. The woman in the next bed saw my distress and pressed the button again for me. "There's only one nurse on duty at night. She's swamped. Are you sure you don't have anyone coming to stay with you?"

I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from crying out.

Just then, the door creaked open. It was Mrs. Davis. "Jenna, you're still awake? I heard a noise."

"The incision hurts," I said weakly. "I called for the nurse, but she hasn't come yet."

"Oh, dear. You wait right here. I'll go find her." She left, and a few minutes later, she returned with the nurse. "Come on, dear, this child is in a lot of pain."

The nurse gave me a painkiller, and the pain slowly started to fade. Mrs. Davis sat by my bed, holding my hand. "Feeling better? Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head, the tears starting to fall again. "Much better. Thank you, Mrs. Davis."

"Silly girl. You don't have to thank me." She wiped my tears away. "Go to sleep now. I'll stay here with you for a while."

In that moment, I wished so badly that she was my mother.