Page 2 of Secret Baby at Mountain Creek Ranch
“Jameson.” She stands up and throws her arms around my neck. “They just took him back for surgery.”
I close my arms around her and hold her tight—two practical strangers connected by one monumentally important thing. Tris lets go of the tears she must have been holding in until now. I can feel her let herself go to the fear and uncertainty of this situation. I know I feel the same way, but someone needs to keep it together.
2
TRIS- Three Months Later…
“No, I’ve already talked to someone from that department, and they sent me to you,” I groan.
"I understand, ma'am, but I don't have access to the information on your policy.” The insurance specialist says, her tone soft in an attempt to calm me, so I don't freak out on her.
“Is there a supervisor I could speak to?” I ask, my patience wearing dangerously thin.
“I can see if one is available. Please hold.”
"No, wait!" But the generic jazz waiting music starts up again.
I’ve been put on hold so many times that I could sing along to the tune if I wanted, but I don’t. The only thing I want to do right now is reach into the phone and strangle the next person who picks up.
I’m sitting at the kitchen table of my younger sister Tara’s tiny apartment. Sam is sitting on the couch in the living room with a bowl full of some sugary cereal I keep buying him out of guilt over the accident. Rationally I know it wasn’t my fault, I wasn’t the one texting while driving, but that still doesn’t ease the guilt I feel that I couldn’t protect him from what happened.
The sound of the door’s buzzer interrupts the generic jazz and the sound of Sam’s Saturday morning cartoons playing on the TV. I stand and cross the apartment to the intercom.
“Yes?”
“It’s me.” Jameson’s voice answers back. I buzz him in and unlock the door. Having heard Jameson’s voice, Sam snaps out of his cartoon and sugar catatonic state.
Jameson has been devoting every free moment of his time traveling from his small town, Centennial Springs, to Boulder to spend time with Sam. The two have quickly become thick as thieves since the surgery. But Sam doesn’t know the truth about him yet. He’d already been through so much with the accident and his recovery. We agreed that we would wait to let him know the truth. For now, he’s mommy’s friend, Jamie.
“Jamie!” He runs to the door as Jameson pokes his head in.
"Hey, buddy!" He scoops Sam up into a hug.
I have to admit that part of my push to wait is because I’m not sure about Jameson. Sure he’s been coming to visit every week since he found out about Sam, but I need him to prove that he's committed to the role of parent. This can't be something he gets tired of after a few months. Being a father to Sam is more than a biological role. It's a lifetime commitment.
“I’m on hold with the insurance company,” I tell him.
He pulls a face and nods his understanding. I watch Sam take Jameson’s hand and pull him over to the couch. They sit down. Sam settles into Jameson’s side, and they watch Sam’s favorite show,Horsey Heroes. I return to the kitchen table just as the jazz music stops, and someone finally picks up.
“Thank you for holding. How can I help you?”
I sigh, knowing I'm going to have to explain my situation once again, hoping this time they won't give me a canned response about not being able to help but assuring me the next person they send me to will be the right person to talk to.
“I’m trying to find someone to speak with about why my son’s surgery wasn’t covered.”
“Okay, let me pull up your policy.”
For a couple of minutes, all I can hear from them is the rhythmic sound of their typing on the other end of the line. I don't know what they could be documenting from this call, but the length has to rival the Magna Carte or something.
My phone beeps, and I can see it's the diner. I'm supposed to be working this evening, so I don't answer. I can't take the chance of losing this new person to a dropped call, clicking over to the other line to answer it.
“Ma’am, are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“It says here in your policy that the surgery that was performed on your son needed to be approved before the surgery for it to be covered under your policy.”
“There was no time for us to get approval. He needed surgery to save his life. Surely you can make an exception."
