But she’s not interested. I need to respect that and let this go.
I drive her to her place, which is a run-down apartment building in a sketchy neighborhood. Sirens blare in the distance. The sound of glass shattering echoes from the other side of the property, and a car alarm wails.
An uneasy feeling inside of me fires off. No way is this safe for her to live here.
“Thank you for the ride,” she says, unbuckling her seatbelt.
“When do you get your car back?” I ask. She told me while we were waiting in line at the fast food place that her car is in the shop, so she’s been taking rideshares to her jobs the past few days.
“The mechanic says it’ll be ready for me to pick up on Wednesday.”
I gaze at the entrance of her building, despite the uneasy feeling burrowing deeper into my gut “I’ll walk you to your front door.”
She flashes a small smile and shakes her head in a gentle rejection. “I’ll be fine, Camden. I’ve lived here for almost a year. It looks rougher than it is.”
I nod, even though every instinct inside of me is telling me to drive her far, far away from this place.
She grabs the small paper bag of medicine from the dashboard. “Thank you again for paying for my medicine,” she says softly. “I get paid next week. It won’t be enough to cover the whole cost of the medicine, but I’ll pay you back when I…”
I shake my head, cutting her off. “You’re not paying me back, Ellie.”
She bites her bottom lip, her big blue eyes shy. Then she leans over and hugs me. I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight. That I-have-to-get-her-out-of-here feeling rams through me. I don’t want to let her go. I don’t want to let her out of my car. I don’t want her to have to spend the night in this dangerous place.
When she starts to pull away, I force myself to let her out of my hold.
“Text me when you get inside, okay?” I say.
She smiles and nods, then hops out of the car and walks through the entrance of her building. I stay parked in my spot until my phone buzzes with her text.
Made it inside safely. Thanks again for everything today :)
I let out a breath and start my car, then drive off in the direction of my house.
That knot in my stomach doesn’t budge. It stays there the rest of the day and the whole night, even as I struggle to fall asleep.
I know it’s not going anywhere. Not until I figure out a way to convince Ellie to accept my proposal.
Chapter 10
Ellie
Ifight to hold back the tears burning in my eyes.
I’ve been on the phone with my insurance company for the past two hours, fighting with them after calling to see if they still covered the cost of an Epi-Pen. The one I have in case of emergencies is almost expired, so I need to get another one soon.
No matter how many times I explain how dangerous my allergies, I’ve gotten nowhere. I’m just getting passed around from person to person. Each one comes up with a different reason why they can’t cover it. One says it’s because of an issue with the drug manufacturer. Another says I need a new prescription written by my doctor, even though the one I have is still valid. Another says that I have to pay a more expensive co-pay, but can’t give me a reason why.
I’m so frustrated, I want to scream.
When I get put on hold for the millionth time, I hang up out of sheer frustration. I cup my face in my hands and let out a sob.
I’m so sick of this. My whole life, I’ve had to navigate the shitshow that is health insurance, and it’s only gotten more difficult, more demoralizing.
I wipe my face and slump on the couch, feeling defeated and exhausted. So exhausted.
I don’t know how much more of this I can take. But I have to keep fighting. I can’t afford an Epi-Pen without health insurance, and I need one on me always just to survive.
Just then, there’s a knock at my door.
