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Ford pushes his glasses up on top of his head and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, his forehead shining with sweat.
“Ford, it’s okay. I swear, it’s a very minor heart surgery.”
Ford jumps up from his seat, and I rise from mine too. I place my hands on his arms and rub my thumbs gently back and forth. He’s not someone who enjoys being touched, but tonight it seems to soothe him. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
“Minor heart surgery? I’m pretty sure any heart surgery is major, Ambs.”
“It’s a tiny hole, itty-bitty. A cute miniature hole, really.”
He arches an eyebrow, unamused.
I grimace, realizing that making light of it isn’t easing his worry. So, I decide to go with facts—he will appreciate facts. “If they decide to operate, they’ll use a method called cardiac catheterization. A catheter will be placed in my wrist, or my neck. The entire procedure is done through the catheter. It’s non-invasive. Most likely, I’ll only stay one night in the hospital, then I’d be back home and good as new.”
Ford doesn’t look any less stressed by my explanation. He brings up his hands, places them on my shoulders, and forces me back into a sitting position. “Sit down. Should you even be standing? Hell, are you even supposed to be walking? Or flying?”
“Ford, please. Calm down. It’s a procedure they do all the time, literally every day.”
Ford’s square jaw flexes as he closes his eyes. His nostrils are flared, and it’s obvious he’s getting angry. I prickle for a second, wondering why on earth he’d be mad at me. But then his eyes open, and the turmoil playing in the deep brown of his irises nearly breaks my heart. Wait, no that’s a terrible metaphor to use at a time like this.
“So, Theo not only got you pregnant and then broke off your engagement… but now your health is suffering?” He looks down then holds abruptly still, as if something just dawned on him. “Wait, do you even have insurance to pay for your procedure? Have you told him about this?”
I sigh. “No, I don’t have insurance. That’s actually what I needed to talk to you about. And I haven’t told Theo either. I don’t want him coming back because he feels guilty. He didn’t want me, and he didn’t want Nella. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t deserve to even know what’s going on in my life.”
He nods, seeing my point. “So, if you and Nella don’t have insurance, what about the cost of her birth?”
“No, Nella does. She qualifies for insurance through the state of Ohio until she turns 18. I’ve gone without health insurance the past few years. Since I was too old for Mom’s insurance plan. And at the salon I rent my booth, which makes me self-employed. I stupidly never got an insurance plan, because Theo was going to add me to his plan as soon as we got married, and he has great insurance—which I would’ve had access to, had we gotten married. But that’s not how things went down.”
“What can I do? Let me help,” Ford says, his voice low and pained.
I tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. It must’ve snuck out of my braid during the flight. I really should’ve peeked in the mirror before coming down here. I probably look like a troll. “If we do need to schedule a procedure, I could use some help. Financially.” I close my eyes, hating the thought of asking my best friend for money. “The procedure would be expensive. And I don’t expect a handout, Ford,” I say quickly. “If you lend me some money, I’ll pay you back with interest. I never want you to think I’m friends with you for your money, and I hate even asking.”
“Yes,” he says adamantly. “I don’t care how much it is, and you’re not paying me back.”
“Please think about it for a few days. It’s a lot of money. No decisions about it now. I have money, savings even, just not enough…yet. And if you agreed, after thinking it over”—I shoot him a knowing glance and he rolls his eyes—“I’d want to write up a contract stating I’ll pay you back, for my own peace of mind. I never want money to come between us.”
He stares at the floor, hands on his hips. I know this is a big ask, because Ford is generous, and he really doesn’t care about money. But I saw how money made my mom crazy and fueled all of her relationships. I don’t want that for myself or Ford.
Finally, his eyes meet mine again. “Just let me do this for you. I already know you’re not friends with me for my money. You were there for me when I was an awkward eight-year-old, then when I was a scrawny pre-teen, and of course through my broody teenaged years. You’ve been there through it all, so let me be there for you.”
I sigh heavily. “Just humor me and take a few days to think about it, okay?”
He rolls his eyes again. “My answer will still be yes in a few days. And didn’t you say that was just one of the things you wanted to talk to me about?”
I clear my throat. “Oh, right. Yes, there’s one more thing.”
He waits for me to continue.
“Like I said, the procedure isn’t a big deal.” I smile, putting on my bravest face, even though I’m terrified of being put under anesthesia and all the things that could go wrong. Which is why I have to ask what I’m about to. “But if something were to go wrong…”
His eyes widen.
“I said if. I need someone to agree to be Nella’s guardian. With my mom no longer speaking to me and Theo out of the picture, I don’t have anyone to raise her if something terrible happens. In or out of the operating room. What if I was in an accident or something?”
His face falls, and he does something that takes me completely by surprise. He hugs me.
CHAPTER
THREE
