Life After a Balla by Jackie D. Page B

copy.”
    Skye’s eyes filled with tears once again as she lowered her head. “Umm…I don’t have any insurance.”
    The woman looked at her and sat back in her chair.
    “Could you just bill me?” Skye questioned.
    The woman took a deep breath. “We could, but the hospital doesn’t like to take that route. What about her father? Could we possibly bill his insurance company?”
    “No,” was all Skye could mutter.
    Obviously feeling sorry for her, the woman tapped Skye on her hand. “I understand, I have a daughter, too.”
    Tears fell on the paperwork as Skye filled it out.
    “Don’t worry. Just make sure you provide us with a current address so the bill doesn’t come back undeliverable,” the woman said with a warm tone.
    Skye was not only embarrassed, but it felt like she’d failed her kids.
    I can deal with being broke, but when it comes to my children’s health and well being it’s a different story. I know what I have to do, my kids deserve better , she thought.
     
    ****
     
    After sitting in the waiting room for what seemed like forever, Skye could feel her body temperature increase when she saw Cruze walking toward her direction. He’d obviously gotten her whereabouts in the hospital from the information desk downstairs. The closer he got, the more heated she became. Skye turned her head and rolled her eyes.
    When Cruze rushed over and sat down beside her, he moved Skye’s hair back and examined the bandages on her forehead like he was the doctor. He then put his hand on her leg. She instantly pushed him away.
    “I rushed right over when I got your message. Are you okay? Is Payton still in surgery?” he inquired.
    Skye gave him a crazy look, right before going off. “You rushed right over, huh? If you would’ve rushed your ass home last night none of this shit would be happening right now.”
    “Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how tired I was after unloading all those cars last night. The fact that we had just got back from the trip to Miami didn’t help either. I sat down on the couch in the back room at work and ended up falling asleep. I didn’t even realize the battery on my phone had died either. I would still be there if my boss hadn’t come in and woke me up,” Cruze said, yawning.
    Skye’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe he was lying right in front of her face. “You’re such a damn liar!” she yelled. Everyone in the waiting area looked at her even though she could care less. “I went by your so-called job. You’ve never worked there!”
    Cruze looked around to see who might’ve been enjoying the shouting match. “Can you please lower your voice?” he pleaded.
    “Absolutely not! Are you cheating on me, Cruze?”
    “No baby, I would never do that to you.”
    “Well, where the fuck were you?”
    “Can we discuss this later? This isn’t the place or the time,” Cruze said. The truth was he’d definitely fallen asleep working, but it was in his car, not at a car lot. He knew, however, Skye couldn’t handle the truth right now.
    “You better tell me some…” Skye stopped talking when she saw Dr. Matthews approach them.
    “Ms. Washington, Payton’s surgery went well, but I still want to monitor her progress over the next day or so. She’s in recovery right now. You should be able to see her in about forty minutes. You’ll need to limit any activity that might put pressure on the injured area. Also, she’s going to need long-term follow up care. This is necessary to observe her recuperation and growth.”
    Skye put her hands over her mouth. She was so grateful Payton was going to be okay. “Thank you so much, Dr. Mathews. You’ve displayed such a caring attitude. I apologize for being so disruptive earlier,” Skye said, wiping a tear from her face.
    “You’re welcome, Ms. Washington, and I completely understand. I’ll come check in on her again before I finish my shift.”
    When he walked off, Cruze grabbed Skye’s hand.
    “Baby, you can relax