“Thank you, and Miss?” I grabbed her attention. “Please keep that credit card on file and bill any future expenses to it.”
The woman nodded and bid me a good day.
§
I was beside myself as I thought of how much he had just paid on Nevaeh’s medical bills. I couldn’t believe that the bill had gotten so high so quickly. That is outrageous. I should’ve stayed in school and became a damn doctor. As much as I hated to admit it, knowing that bill was no longer over my head lifted my spirits, almost enough to make me feel guilty for taking the money—almost. Maybe then I wouldn’t be in this situation, but at least now all this portion is paid for. As we waited to hear her name be called, Nevaeh remained quiet in her seat as she played with her new tablet.
“Nevaeh Harris,” the short, round redheaded woman called her name.
“I remember you!” Nevaeh told her as they headed back to the MRI room. “You were here last time I came in. Look what I got for Christmas!” she said, holding up her tablet.
“Wow! That’s nice! Oh, and it’s purple. I like purple too,” the woman said, making small talk as she prepared a gown for her.
Nevaeh looked at Dale and smiled, “He bought it for me,” she said, pointing at him.
“Well that was awfully nice of your daddy to do that,” the woman said.
She glanced down at the floor. It made her sad that she didn’t have a dad. “He’s not my daddy. Dale is my mom’s boyfriend.”
I could tell that it made Dale sad to hear her say that. There was no doubt in my mind that he didn’t love that little girl like his own. And my family was really beginning to accept him and welcome him into our family. I even wished, for a moment, that he was her dad and had been in her life from the very start.
“I’m sure he’s a great guy,” the woman said, praising Dale for being there for the little girl.
Nevaeh quickly agreed, “He is! He’s the best guy my mom’s ever met!”
We all began laughing. “Okay sweetie, I need you to slip into this—we’ll give you some privacy, and then it’ll be the same as last time, all right?”
“Okay,” she said.
This time, she wasn’t as scared or nervous. She bravely changed into the hospital issued gown and waited on the motorized table. Within a few moments, the technician appeared in the glass of the adjoining room and asked if she was ready to begin.
“Where’s my mommy and Dale?” she asked, still sitting on the table.
“They’re in the hallway. Do you want me to get them for you?”
“Yes,” she answered.
The attendant came out and asked us slipped into the room to encourage and support Nevaeh.
“What’s wrong baby? Do are you scared again?” I asked her.
“No, I just wanted a kiss and a hug before they got started. You don’t have to wait in here with me. I’m not scared anymore.”
After our hugs and kisses, we joined the radiologist in the adjoining glass room and talked to her as she traveled through the scanner. The technician turned off the microphone momentarily before telling me, “You’ve got one brave girl out there. I bet you’re a proud momma! She’s so tiny, yet so strong.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “I prayed to my dad and asked him to be with Nevaeh today and to help us make her better.”
Dale smiled down at me; he had no idea that I’d spoke to my father. I’d never mentioned it before.
The technician turned the microphone back on. “Are you still doing okay in there honey?” she called out to Nevaeh.
“Yes,” she replied, still holding very still to allow the images to remain clear while she spoke.
“Good, you’re almost finished. Just a few more minutes and then we’ll get you over to have you X-rays taken.”
When the scan was complete, the motorized table retracted from the unit and slid Nevaeh out into the open room. The radiologist escorted us into the room with a wheelchair and hauled her over to X-ray. Once we were out of X-ray, we had to make one more pit stop along the way: the lab. Nevaeh hated needles and having her blood drawn, but she knew that it was necessary to find out more about her condition.
A few days later, Dale came over to pick us up to go to the benefit. He noticed that I was wearing the lovely cashmere sweater he had given me for Christmas and smiled as he commented on it.
He drove us to an enormous hotel. One of the valets walked over and offered to park our vehicle. Once Dale picked her up out of the backseat, she began whispering to him.