“We did an x-ray and thereissome sort of obstruction in his gut,” the doctor replied. “Unfortunately, there’s no way it’ll pass on its own so we need to do surgery. I wanted to confirm that you’re okay with the costs associated with it.”
I let out a long sigh. “I’ll do whatever he needs. But how much are we talking about? Just so I can figure out my finances.”
I heard typing and crossed my fingers as I waited for the total.
“So we’re looking at surgical prep, anesthesia, foreign body removal, aftercare observation, an overnight stay for further observation, pain management medication, and then a follow-up appointment. Our estimate is four thousand, in addition to fees from the x-ray.”
“Four thousanddollars?” I yelped, louder than I meant to.
“Yes, that’s the estimate.”
“Wait, are you saying it could bemore?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, we can’t always predict how long surgery will take, which impacts anesthesia rates. And Winston is an exotic, so things are a little more expensive.”
I paced in a small circle. I had no choice, Winston needed care and I was going to make sure he got it. After all, it felt like my fault for not being more observant about the construction debris.
“Okay. Let’s get it done. Make sure he has whatever he needs. He’s my grandfather’s best friend.”
“I do want to let you know that there are some risks involved,” the doctor said. “It’s not a simple procedure.”
My heart paused mid-beat. “Oh?”
“You have my word that we’ll take the very best care of him.”
“I appreciate that. Please give him a kiss for me, okay?”
The doctor assured me she would, and we hung up. I closed my eyes and took a few seconds to worry about my favorite little guy. If anything happened to him my grandfather would be heartbroken. It didn’t matter how much it cost, I was going to make sure that Winston survived this.
I pictured having to tell my grandfather that something had happened to Win and started to panic when I realized I was dropping into weep-mode.No. There was no time for tears. I sniffled, wiped my eyes, and started back to where the crew was gathered, only to almost run into Drew.
Why was he hovering nearby, and had he heard my conversation?
“Sorry,” he said as he stepped aside so I could pass. “I had to take a call myself.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s a big greenhouse.”
“I didn’t realize that you were right there.”
Was I imagining it, or did his voice sound ten percent kinder than I’d ever heard it before?
“Is everything okay?” Drew studied me intently. I couldn’t help wondering what he was seeing. Could he spot my distress? No, surely not. My poker face was peerless.
At least it usually was. After all, it was my job to stay even keel no matter how crazy things got, so how was it possible that he could tell I wasn’t quite myself?
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” I brushed off his concern. “Worry about why all three florists are late.”
He shook his head. “They’re not, they’re all waiting in the lobby. Dorian wants you to introduce them on camera but …”
“But what?” I demanded.
Why did I feel like tears were right on the verge of falling? I needed to look fierce, not like a crybaby, but the call had left me more unbalanced than I wanted to admit.
He held my gaze for a beat longer. “Don’t worry about the introductions. I’ll take care of it.”
The offer was a godsend, because I wasn’t in the right headspace to perform for the cameras—but how weird was that, Drew being a godsend?
“Seriously?” I asked.
