Page 13 of I Knew You
“So what should I do?” I asked.
Dr. Billingsly took a deep breath and set down the tablet on the counter next to him.
“There are other orthopedic surgeons in the area who are undoubtedly able to do this procedure, and they might be willing to fit you in. But you’re a special case for me, Julianna. We’ve been together since you came to Charlotte, and I want to see you with the best. I have someone I want to refer you to, but they aren’t in the city.”
“Okay…”
“Roanoke,” he replied, clasping his hands together as he leaned his elbows on his knees. “Doctor Bahar Kaveh is an osteopathic surgeon at Carilion Roanoke Memorial, and she would be perfect for your situation. I don’t want to take risks because of your previous work. And I have the utmost confidence in Dr. Kaveh. She’ll know how to handle your procedure best since she is up to date on the latest techniques. I think you said you were from that area?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. Roanoke, Virginia, was only four hours from Charlotte, so distance-wise, it was doable. But Roanoke was also only thirty minutes from Mill Creek. Thesmall town where I’d grown up. I hadn’t been there since I left for college nearly fifteen years ago.
“Can I have some time to think before I decide?” My words came out shaky.
He nodded. “Of course.” I saw the kindness and concern in his eyes.
It was then that I remembered that either way this went, I’d never see him again.
I got to my feet and offered my hand to shake, which he accepted. I instantly regretted that I hadn’t hugged him, but I pushed the thought away. I didn’t want to seem too forward.
“You’ve been so kind and helpful to me. I hope you enjoy your retirement. I will miss seeing you every year.”
He smiled brightly. “Thank you. I will miss you as well. I hope you decide to pursue my suggestion. If you do, call. The front office has all the information for Dr. Kaveh and can schedule an intake appointment. Her office will schedule your surgery quickly. Sound good?”
“It does,” I replied with a nod.
“Take care, Julianna.”
After he left the room, I gathered my bag and began to process all he’d said.
There had never been a question ofifI would need surgery again, butwhen. I had chosen not to think about it in favor of living without anxiety. While a worthy endeavor for my sanity, I was now faced with the reality of a necessary surgery, and there was no way I could pay for such a considerable procedure.
I sat behind the wheel of my old Subaru. Like me, the vehicle was on its last legs. The dashboard had been lit up like a Christmas tree for months, but I covered the lights with candid pictures of my Grams. There was an old snapshot of her, Whit, and me on a picnic at Mill Creek Park. All the photos were ofher smile and fun times that I wanted to remember. I would only allow happy memories to cover my plethora of problems.
I felt the overwhelming urge to connect the moment I saw Grams’ face, so I called Kallie and explained everything that had happened with Dr. Billingsly. She did not speak until I finished.
“How are you not crying?” she asked.
“I think I’m in shock. The results are terrible. Losing my doctor sucks. And I just lost my job and insurance. Maybe the universe is telling me another surgery is wrong for me.”
“Um, no. You’re smarter than that. MRIs don’t lie.” The bell for the bakery rang in the background, and I heard a door shut as Kallie moved into her office. “This is a rough spot, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need the surgery.”
“I can’t afford it,” I said, picking at a loose leather spot on the steering wheel. “There is no way I can pay for something like this. I’ll have to wait until I get another job and get onto their medical.”
There was silence on the line. I knew what she would say even before the words tumbled from her lips.
“Call your brother.”
I sighed. “Stop it.”
“Call him, you stubborn woman!” Her voice was bordering on frantic. “I still can’t believe your brother is a multi-million-dollar professional football player, and you can’t bring yourself to ask him for one cent.”
“I’m not calling Whit. It’s not an option.”
Whit and I hadn’t had much of a relationship since Grams died, the same night Bram and I were in the vehicle accident. Neither of her grandchildren had been with her when she passed away. A neighbor had found her collapsed in the front yard while we were out at that Christmas party. It was a fact neither of us wanted to remember.
Without any remaining family, our whole lives were turnedupside down. We forgot how to communicate with each other as we coped with Grams’ death. I withdrew and deflected while he sought destruction and distraction. I graduated from high school and moved to Charlotte for college. Whit went back to college in Alabama after I graduated and kept busy with women, football, and who knows what else. By the time the grief had become more manageable for me and Whit had his life back together, we had grown far apart. We made time to see each other every few years and texted or called each other every few weeks. He lived his life as a football celebrity in Utah, while I led a quiet existence in North Carolina. We never crossed paths.
“He’s always sending extravagant gifts. Why not parlay that into paying for surgery?”
