Page 18 of Wake Me Up (New England Bay Sharks #5)

His words send a shock wave through me. I know seizures in children are bad, but I didn’t know she needed surgery.

Fuck. No wonder why Freya looks so nervous.

I wish I could walk over to her and take her hand. Right now, she needs comfort, but I’m sure she doesn’t want it from a dude who’s basically a stranger .

“Okay,” she whispers, the frown lines on her face growing a little deeper. Her eyes are swirling with fear, and her brows pull together tightly as she waits for him to keep talking.

Dr. Blanchard goes into details about the surgery and what will take place. I hear every word, but I can’t keep my eyes from Freya. Who, even though she’s feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders in this exact moment, is staying strong.

After a few minutes of him explaining and a whole lot of nods from Freya, telling him she’s listening, he sets his iPad down. “I could perform the surgery a little over two weeks from tomorrow. We can set the date as soon as you’re ready.”

“Wow, that soon?” she blurts out. “Why, uh—why do you have openings that soon?”

I get what she’s asking. If he’s that good, why does he have this sudden hole in his schedule so fast?

“I had a cancellation the same time I consulted with Dr. Ash on this case,” he says matter-of-factly.

Her face seems paler now, and she chews her lip.

Her eyes look lost, and she looks down at the ground.

“Uh … I don’t …” She pauses, bringing her gaze back to him.

Her lip is now trembling, and her eyes are glazed over.

“The thing is … I’ve been on the phone with our insurance company for two days.

They aren’t going to cover the surgery.”

Her cheeks turn a crimson red, and she side-glances at me. In this moment, I know without her saying a word that she wishes I had left the room.

I look at Dr. Ash, who looks painfully angry, though I know it isn’t at Freya, but at the insurance company. Dr. Blanchard just seems baffled.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. That’s actually quite shameful.

” He stops, looking thoughtful. “I can put together a rough estimate on the operation. That way, you can go over … options.” His eyes move to mine, and he looks down.

“I’ve got to get to another meeting before I head back to Boston.

” Reaching in his pocket, he pulls out a business card and hands it to her.

“This has the direct line to my office as well as my email. Please, keep me in the loop.”

“Thank you. I will,” she whispers.

Dr. Ash looks at her sadly but takes a step back. “I’m going to walk Dr. Blanchard to his meeting to discuss a few things about Aviana’s case. I’ll stop back in before she gets discharged.”

“Thanks, Dr. Ash,” Freya whispers brokenly.

She sinks into her chair deeper, sighing. “Well … this is a super-fun day.”

In this moment, I don’t have a fucking clue what to say. I could tell her everything would be fine, but that’d be a lie. But I do know one easy solution … though as strong as she is, something tells me she isn’t going to like it.

Pushing myself up from the chair, I walk over to her and crouch down. She keeps her gaze on the floor, chewing her lip. But when I put my hand over hers, sad eyes snap to mine.

“Let me give you the money for the surgery,” I whisper. “It would be the best money I’ve ever spent, helping your daughter get better.”

The expression that suddenly covers her face like a blanket makes it seem like I slapped her. Her eyes narrow the slightest, and her brows furrow. Yanking her hand out from under mine, she holds it with her other hand.

“Why would I let you pay for my daughter’s surgery?” she whispers, on the border of being angry. “You’re already giving my son free lessons. I’m not a charity case, you know.”

“I know, Freya,” I say, defending myself. “But I have money. Too much money. So, please, just let me do this for you.”

Her chest heaves, and her neck turns a blotchy red color. “You should go,” her voice squeaks, and a tear streams down her soft cheek. “Thank you for the tea and for Avy’s gift, but I have some calls to make.” She doesn’t look at me anymore; instead, she quickly stands up and walks toward the door.

The last thing I wanted to do was make her mad, and yet that’s exactly what I’ve done.

I just wanted to help her and her family out, but instead, I made her uncomfortable.

I push myself to my feet and walk toward the door.

Stopping when I’m beside her, I look at her even though her eyes remain on the ground.

“Just think about it, Freya. You don’t always have to do everything on your own.”

After a moment of absolute torturous silence, I take the hint, and I walk out of the room. Of course, I see Aviana in a wheelchair, headed right for me.

“You’re already leaving?” she says, seeming surprised while the nurse comes to a stop in front of me .

My eyes find the hedgehog held snugly to her chest, and I nod. “Yeah, sorry. I gotta get back for practice. But I hope you feel better soon.”

“Thanks,” she says shyly. “And thanks for the hedgehog. I named him Hedgie.”

“Hedgie,” I mimic. “I like that.”

“Well, see you later,” she utters, offering the tiniest smile before the nurse pushes her past me.

“You too,” I drawl, feeling like a prick for trying to save the day and instead making her mother feel bad.

I sluggishly make my way down the hallway and out of the hospital. I’m doing shit I’d never have done before I met her and her kids. I’m buying stuffed animal fucking hedgehogs. I’m showing up at hospitals. I’m offering to pay for a surgery for a kid I barely know.

Fuck. What has gotten into me?

But there’s a game tomorrow. A big game. That’s what I need to focus on.

So, why can’t I get Aviana and Freya out of my head?