Sarah was twenty-two and she'd just started in the position of secretary at the hospital billing department. She was still in the process of decorating her cubicle. It was a small one, granted, but she wanted it just right. She'd put a picture of her husband and newborn baby in a frame in one corner, and one of those desktop-sized calendar pads, which she had color coded system for making appointments on. She had a vase with a sunflower in it - a fake sunflower, but it looked real, just less messy and no heartbreak when it died. Plus, it would be there in the dead of winter, too.
The point is, though, that in her entire life Sarah had never seen a stack of money as big as what was sitting on the other side of her desk. She stared at it, speechless, dumbfounded.
"This account, right here." Brian held out Emma's medical bill, pointing at the billing account number. "All of it."
Sarah reached for her phone. "I have to have my superviser count the money..." she murmured, "He has to approve all cash transactions over $100."
Brian glanced at the stack. It was made of hundred dollar bills. He looked back up at Sarah, "Well, it's a bit over that."
Molly was sitting on the couch painting her toenails bright green, her knee hugged to her chest. Emma sat beside her on the cushions. The TV crackled with audience laughter on the background of The Wonder Years as Kevin Arnold got into some misunderstanding with Winnie, as always.
Suddenly, the phone rang, piercing through the mundane soundtrack of the room. Molly glanced up. "Em, can you grab that? I can't move..." she waved her hands at her feet.
Emma sighed and launched herself over the arm of the sofa and grabbed the phone from its cradle. She clicked answer, then held it out to Molly, who took it eagerly. "Hellloooo?" Molly sang into the mouth piece. She paused. "Sure, hold on just a second." She lowered the phone from her face.
"What? Need me to go get Jake?"
Molly held the phone out, "Actually, it's for you. It's... your doctor."
Emma stared at the phone for a long moment, then hesitantly reached for it. She put it to her ear. "Hello?" Molly stared at her, trying to strain her ears to hear what was being said as Emma's facial expression changed from concern to deeper concern. "Thank you for letting me know," she said quietly after a long pause. She took a deep breath, "Yes sir, it's... excellent."
The moment Emma had hung up, Molly asked, "What happened?"
Emma looked up at Molly. "My bill was paid in full this morning," she whispered.
Molly's eyes widened.
Emma shook her head, "I - I told him not to do it..."
"Well," Molly said, "I guess he did it anyway."
Baylee and Nick were playing Boggle - which Baylee was winning by a mile - while Brian worked on balancing his checkbook and Lauren paced the kitchen talking to her mother on the phone when the door bell rang. Baylee leaped up off the floor, "I'll get it!" he screamed, and bolted for the door.
Nick quickly reached across the Boggle game and grabbed Baylee's list of words and read them. Brian looked up from his checkbook and raised his eyebrow. "Really, Nick?" he asked.
Nick's cheeks turned red.
A moment passed before Baylee returned to the room and sat down on the floor. He picked up his notepad, not noticing that Nick had peeked at it, and grabbed his pencil. "Okay, restart time."
"Who was at the door, Bay?" Brian asked as Nick reached to upright the little hour glass.
Baylee scowled, "Nobody." Nick looked at Baylee, then glanced at Brian with a raised eyebrow. Brian met his eyes. The door bell rang again. "Ignore it!" Baylee shouted as Brian stood up. "Daddy, just ignore it please!"
But Brian ignored Baylee and stepped into the foyer, pulled the door open and found Emma standing on the welcome mat. She had tears in her eyes. "I just... I just wanted to thank you," she whispered. She turned and started to run from the door, but Brian took the width of the porch and the stoop in a couple quick strides and grabbed hold of her elbow.
"Don't give up," he whispered.
Emma stood frozen, back-to him. She took a deep shaky breath. "I don't know how not to."
"I'll do everything I can," Brian said, "Anything I can. Anything at all."
Emma turned around and their eyes locked and Brian felt something deep inside himself stir. He bit his lip staring down into her eyes as she stared up at his. After a long moment, she whispered, "Come out to dinner with me... So I can thank you."
Brian nodded numbly.
"Tomorrow?"
"Sure."
Emma smiled sadly. "Perfect," she whispered.
"Who was at the door?" Lauren called when Brian re-entered the house. She was leaning around the door frame fo the kitchen. Baylee was scowling up at Brian from the carpet. Nick craned his neck trying to see a new set of words he'd just written on his memo pad.
"Emma," Brian replied.
Nick looked up. "Emma?"
Brian nodded.
"What'd she want?" Nick questioned.
"To thank me for paying her medical," Brian replied. "To ask me to go to dinner so she could thank me."
"Nice," Nick commented, grinning cheesily.
"Am I the ONLY ONE that remembers my MOM?" Baylee yelled, as he suddenly threw down his paper and stormed out of the room. Moments later, his bedroom door slammed shut.
"Well shit, he's not very happy for you," Nick commented.
