I didn't even bother putting on more than just my oversized t-shirt to eat breakfast. Most days were go, go, go … not today though! I poured my bowl of cereal, curled up into my favorite chair and powered on the TV. There seemed to be a marathon on of various bridal shows and while I usually avoided them, today I was excited to watch. Our wedding was creeping up much sooner than I anticipated; this October we would be tying the knot, and that was just a mere five months away.
My mother and the lovely women I selected as my bridesmaids were breathing down my neck with questions about dresses, venues, caterers, flowers. Their endless inquiries were driving me mental. Mostly, though, it bugged me because I didn't know any of the answers. Maybe that's what I would spend the day doing-nailing down wedding plans.
I was still within the first hour of my bridal show marathon with my legs draped over the side of the chair when my cell phone began ringing. My eyes shot to the kitchen counter that suddenly seemed very far away. I whipped my legs over the cushion and booked it for the kitchen. I almost barreled into the counter as I slipped on the smooth floor.
Quickly I answered the call before it went to voicemail, "Hello!"
"Hello, may I please speak to Greyson Desmond?" The friendly, familiar voice on the other line asked.
"This is," I said, my cheery disposition suddenly fading as I realized this was the woman in the billing department at the hospital.
"I thought so, but I wanted to make sure! This is Amber, we met yesterday?" she said with a hint of a question in her voice, waiting for me to confirm.
"Yes, I remember. Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly."
Amber let out a little laugh. "Honestly, I would have called you earlier, but Dr. Michaels has been over here for a bit this morning working on something for a patient. I figured if I called it may spark his interest if I ask for his fiancée over the phone."
I couldn't help my relieved sigh that Amber was as determined as I had been to keep our secret.
"Trust me, I appreciate it!"
"Good! Well, I do have some bad news and some good news for you today."
"Wonderful," I muttered, leaving the kitchen to return to my seat.
"Which would you like first?"
"Always the bad," I replied. "It makes the good news seem better."
Amber chuckled. "Isn't that the truth! Alright, well, I called your insurance company and they do not cover the ambulance ride or an overnight stay in the hospital."
I sighed and let my forehead fall forward and rest against the knees. Well, there goes my day of wedding plans. This was guaranteed to run me close to ten thousand dollars, which I was hoping to put towards the big day.
"Ugh!" I groaned into the phone, letting her know I was still there.
"I know, it's not very happy news to share right now, but … are you ready for the good news?!" There was an unexpected air of excitement bubbling up in her voice that made me cock my head in confusion.
"Is there good news that follows?" I asked with extreme doubt.
"There is fantastic news! While I was waiting for Dr. Michaels to leave I noticed a recent note that had come in that morning. What caught my interest was it had your name on it. So I looked a little closer and found that it contained information stating someone wished to pay your hospital bills, as they were the cause of the incident that sent you here. There was a credit card number attached to it, but I couldn't just take it for face value. I called the card holder and he confirmed everything was accurate. So I ran the card and it went through!"
My mind was swimming with the information and my chest was tightening as I realized what exactly Amber was saying.
"Did you hear me, Grey? All of your bills were covered today, so nothing was charged to your insurance, and you won't be swamped in medical debt!" Amber was clearly ecstatic and even more concerned as to why I wasn't.
"And, um, who exactly paid for everything?" My voice was cold and frighteningly even.
Amber certainly noticed as she cleared her throat before answering. "Um, well … Stefan Harrison." A fire sparked in the pit of my stomach and soon I felt nothing but rage burning through the blood in my veins.
"I see. Well, I'm going to need to call you back later."
"Oh … okay?"
"Thank you for getting back to me so quickly, Amber. I'll be in touch," I said before ending the call.
Immediately I was out of my chair and stalking towards my closet. I wasn't even sure what all I selected to wear, but it didn't matter because all I could see was red. This man signed the papers; he signed away his rights to care about me or my well-being. And what a cocky son of a bitch! Thinking he caused the accident, like he was just so stunning that I couldn't see anything but him. Ha! There was obviously a glare that day and someone shouted the word "walk" so, how was I not supposed to take that literally?