Played

by Colleen Charles

  “That’s not a problem,” Milo said, slamming a beefy fist down on the doctor’s desk. Her cylinder of pens jumped an inch in the air. I just stared at my friend, heart pounding. Speechless. “You’ll have it.”

  I threw him a warning look. We haven’t discussed this fully yet, Meathead. I’m still the parent here.

  Finally, I found my voice even though it trembled under my intense emotion.

  “I understood I could make a cash payment,” I countered.

  Perhaps she’d allow me an installment plan. I had almost ten grand piled up so far, my meager savings combined with Irene’s compensation with more due after last night’s payment. Damn, if I’d been able to meet with her today, I’d have had the money in hand already. I winced inside at the sharp reminder of Harper’s fast exit this morning. But I had to worry about that later. Only Jess mattered right now.

  Miranda gave a curt nod, narrowing her eyes at Milo. “Either would be acceptable. But I don’t handle any of that. You’ll have to set it up with the business office on the main floor. I’m sure you appreciate the need to move quickly, gentlemen, whatever your decision.”

  “Of course. Thank you, doctor. We’ll go there right now. When can you begin the treatment?” Milo asked, again taking control of the conversation, short-circuiting any input from me.

  With an ironic grin, I realized he’d just gone Polack on both of us, but in a more refined way than usual. And in spite of being upstaged, I breathed a silent prayer of thanks. No one could have asked for a more bullheaded, annoying, but selflessly generous and steadfast friend than Milogost Adamski.

  “I’ll have Jessica prepped for the injections right away,” Miranda said, laying a steady hand on my arm, clearly understanding who was the parent in this situation and who was serving as the walking wallet. She’d probably been dealing with this so many times in the past it no longer phased her. No longer even tugged at her emotions. One would have to remain icy cold to survive in a profession where innocent kids dropped like flies around them. “We have every reason to expect a very positive and swift result with this new drug, Mr. Matheson. Clinical trials have been exceptional. I’m hopeful for a remission.”

  I nodded as she imparted a confident smile and walked away. “It’s all gonna be fine, Grunt,” Milo leaned in to say. “Let’s get our asses down to the red tape professionals and settle all of this.” The fight seemed to have been burned out of me in the past few hours. I turned, unspeaking, and followed my friend to the elevators, feeling bankrupt in every way—emotionally, financially and by association, physically. My knee throbbed in delayed pain after such a harrowing morning.

  “Tell me honestly,” Milo asked as the elevator hummed its way to the main floor. “You don’t have that kind of cash, do you? You know you don’t have to put on the hero’s face for Dr. Neilson’s benefit, man. The medical system doesn’t give a shit where the money comes from, as long as the bill’s rubber stamped as paid.”

  “I will have the cash,” I said, studying the laces on my scuffed but top of the line trainers. One last remnant of the high-class lifestyle I used to live. Now I scraped every dime just to keep my child alive. The medical system wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot. But there were certain people out there without any skin in the game, still trying to make it better.

  People like Harper.

  I hadn’t meant to hurt her but just seemed to keep stepping in it. I cringed thinking about her reaction to what she’d heard this morning. After everything. “But maybe not in time for the start of treatment today. But soon.”

  “Well, the time is now. Seriously, dipshit, what kind of shady business deal are you trying to swing? I’m crushed that you won’t even let me…” he splayed a hand dramatically against his massive chest, “your Polish twin, in on it. It’s insulting, really. And just as insulting that you refuse to let me help. If you have some explanation for this cloak and dagger shit, you’d better spill it now, and it had better be good.”

  “I’ve been working as a male escort,” I barked, not in the mood for a lecture. I imagined the look on Tania’s face when she found out that Milo had followed me into the lurid world of high-class gigolos. It wasn’t even funny really, just ironic. There. I’d said it. Cards on the fucking table. I’d grown tired of the ruse. “Two grand a night, more for special requests. Tax-free. So go ahead, pass your Polish Orthodox judgment on me, because I don’t give a fuck. It’s about my daughter, and nothing else. You’ve never been a parent, Meathead, and if you were, you’d know you’d walk over flaming coals to save your own flesh and blood. You’d rip your own heart out to spare them this kind of pain. Don’t bring your churchgoing morals into this because they have no place here. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  Milo straightened in stunned silence. The elevator came to a stop with a nauseating lurch, accompanied by the squealing of rusty cables. At least this one didn’t have a panoramic view of the street to further aggravate my sick stomach. Stomach, head, heart, you name it. I wanted to vomit up the dregs of my life from the depths of my soul and start the fuck over. But I couldn’t. My daughter was my life. My heart. Even if I stood before her drained and beaten, I’d forge ahead for her health and happiness. I didn’t meet Milo’s eyes as we exited the cab and stepped into the busy traffic of the Mayo Clinic’s administration department.

  “That is fucked-up,” he finally said, easily matching my stride. “You’re a star athlete, a bona fide NHL phenomenon. Not to mention my best friend. None of the above should ever have to be a paid whore. Jesus, even I didn’t know that things were that bad. And I should have. If anyone should have known, it should have been me.”

  “It’s al—”

  “This pains me, Grunt,” he steamrolled over me. “I’m hurting just as much as you are, you know that. No, God didn’t see fit to bless me with children of my own yet, but he gave me a goddaughter. So don’t you fucking throw that in God’s face for the sake of your bullshit pride.”

  I slowed my steps and rounded on him. My fists clenched and unclenched while my lungs pumped angry breaths in and out of me. A thousand retorts swirled like a cyclone in my head, ultimately relinquishing only one.

  “Okay. You win,” I said, the words deflating me like a punctured beach ball. “But I’m paying you back every last Benjamin, you hear me?”

  Milo smiled, his angst dissipating almost instantly.

  “You’re damn right you are.”

  We resumed our pace to the admin office, relief and unspoken gratitude washing over me. All the stress left my body along with the bout of honesty. Telling the truth was easier than lying and withholding. Easier to stomach and easier to remember. I hadn’t expected defeat to feel this calming, this peaceful. Milo was good people. In spite of my woes, I was truly one blessed bastard.

  “You wanna know what else is fucked-up?” I asked, emboldened to bare my soul entirely.

  “What?”

  “I’ve only had one date. And you won’t believe who picked me out as her entrée off the sexual menu.”

  “Ugh,” he grunted in apparent disinterest. “Why the fuck would I care about some moldy old chick who needs to hire an expensive manwhore to get laid. Is it someone we know?”

  “You could say that. You remember Harper, don’t you?”

  Milo turned to look at me, one eyebrow nearly disappearing into his curly mop of hair. “Our Harper? Harper Payne? How could I forget?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, well, she’s apparently big news now. Minnesota’s answer to Mark Zuckerberg with the launch of her MediGo platform.”

  Milo’s eyes widened even further, and he tossed his huge mitts into the air. “No way. I didn’t know she was behind that.”

  I pushed all ten fingers through my hair. “Apparently, she stays behind the scenes, but it’s our girl alright.”

  Milo groaned. “Don’t tell me. Harper asked you to fuck her mother?”

  “No,” I said with a laugh. “Unfortunately, her mom passed away from c
ancer. She hired me as an escort. For her.”

  “Get the fuck out!” he said, running a hand through his quasi-afro until it stood straight on end. He looked like a giant version of Albert Einstein.

  “I shit you not,” I said, shaking my head. “You’d hardly recognize her. I sure didn’t, not at first.”

  “Not surprising. We’re all a little older. She recognized you obviously. Do you think she picked you on purpose or didn’t she recognize you at first, either?”

  “What makes you say that? The fact that my face was all over Hockey News and then on the scandal rags? Who would notice that?” I commented, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

  “No, I meant that she had it bad for you all through school. Not that you noticed. Harper wasn’t the type of girl most people noticed, at least not her looks. But I always loved her. She’s such a great person on the inside, and sometimes looks don’t mean anything. Behind every supermodel is a man that’s sick and tired of fucking her. But Harper’s qualities? That’s what lasts. She’s the type of woman you can be proud to call your own.”

  My thoughts drifted to Robin, and I knew that even though Milo’s heart was in the right place, he was taking a shot at my only choice in life partner. And everyone knew how that one had turned out. He was dead on in his assessment. I’d been one of them, the bullies of the world, and I hated myself for it.

  “Well, they’ll notice now. You should see her. Drop dead gorgeous, inside and out. And those qualities you’re talking about? She has them in spades and others that have been added in since. She’s a triple threat. Gorgeous, talented, kind. Sprinkle smart and philanthropic on top, and it’s a recipe for the ideal woman.”

  “Huh,” Milo grunted. “Now, that part doesn’t surprise me. That girl had unlimited potential, just needed the right breaks. I should stop in at MediGo’s offices and say hello one of these days.” He paused then cast me a sideways glance. “So, you two got it on? About damn time. A little late, but better late than never. How was it?”

  I ignored his last question, not wanting to sully anything that Harper and I shared. That had to stay between us. I stopped in my tracks while Milo kept going straight ahead. Did he always have this feeling about Harper and me? Picked a hell of a time to tell me about it. I caught up with him as he reached the counter.

  “I’d like to authorize these charges on this American Express Black,” I heard him say to the clerk as he dug out his wallet and produced a shiny credit card. I looked at it, remembering what it felt to have one and never have to worry about the charges. My Black used to get paid in full each and every month. Now, I didn’t even have access to a Walmart card.

  “One moment, sir,” the clerk said, turning to her computer monitor. “I need to run the card and process some paperwork.”

  “The answer’s yes,” I said, changing my mind and throwing caution to the wind. Perhaps I could just let one little tidbit of information flow from me to my best friend. It seemed appropriate after the tens of thousands of dollars he’d just shelled out without one question asked.

  Milo’s head swiveled toward me. “Yes, to what?”

  “Yes. It was fucking spectacular.”

  “Spare me the details, Larry Flynt,” he said with a wry grin. “I’ll let my imagination fill in the blanks. Thank God you and I were never known for indulging in any threesomes like those douchebags on the Rochester Riot. That shit’s going down in infamy. I love and admire Harper, but she was always earmarked for you, not me.”

  “Sir?” the clerk interrupted Milo’s midnight confession. “Just double checking because something just doesn’t look right. This payment is for a patient account for Jessica Matheson, correct?” We nodded in unison. “It appears that account has already been paid in full.”

  “What?” I asked, confused. With all the back and forth of my already roiling emotions, I felt like a human boomerang. “By whom?”

  The clerk punched a few keys on her keyboard. “Sorry, that information is confidential. Personal privacy laws. All I can tell you is that the bill has been paid.”

  “But she’s my daughter,” I said, incredulous. “And if I didn’t pay it, I think I should know who did.”

  The clerk flashed an apologetic smile. “Perhaps another family member? Someone with the ability to help out?” she suggested. “It’s rare, but it has been known to happen.”

  Milo looked at me and said the one name I didn’t want to ever hear again.

  “Robin?” he suggested.

  The thought of her getting involved, returning to infiltrate our lives in any way, scared me almost as much as our daughter’s illness did.

  “No fucking way… uh, sorry,” I apologized to the clerk, waving my hand. “I don’t see how that could be possible.”

  “If you like, you can file a formal inquiry. But if the person who paid wishes to remain anonymous, or used an LLC or other legal entity, we won’t be able to help you. It will take three to five business days, though, to get any kind of an answer. Here’s the form.” The clerk slid a paper across the counter.

  “HIPPA strikes again.” Milo scowled, grabbing the paper so hard he almost ripped it in half. “Thank you,” he said to the clerk, and then pulled me aside. “Are you sure Robin couldn’t have taken care of it? She’s her mother, after all. In spite of everything that’s happened, it makes the most sense.”

  I shook my head, certain it couldn’t be her. Milo didn’t understand the depths of Robin’s treachery. Only someone who’d lived it could really know. “I doubt she even knows Jess is sick or gives a shit. Even though I haven’t worked at keeping it a secret, I sure as hell never told her. And both her parents passed. They didn’t leave her much. What she has, she stole from me.”

  Milo looked away, and I could practically hear the gears in his analytical mind start to engage over the problem when my phone went off again. I let out a tired sigh as the caller’s name appeared.

  “This is Reed,” I answered, unwilling to speak Irene’s name in front of Milo.

  My admission was already going to set me up for some horrific teasing that I’d have to endure for at least the next few years. I wasn’t going to get off that easy.

  “Hello, Reed. I just wanted to check up on you. I do hope everything went well?”

  I frowned, wondering what brought on this sudden show of empathy. It didn’t seem Irene’s style. Sometimes when I saw her, it appeared I could freeze ice on her ass. It pissed me off that I still had to deal with her, but no other money-making opportunities were shooting out of the woodwork. My financial situation still looked bleak and was becoming more dire with every treatment Jess needed.

  “I’m still at the hospital, but I think things are looking up, yes. Uh, is there something you need from me? I’ll be tied up for a few days.”

  “Of course, family comes first,” Irene said, clucking her tongue. “But I’m sure you’ll want to pick up your pay, and… we still need to schedule a training session. Could you come in later this evening? We could take care of both at the same time.”

  So much for empathy. Jesus, the woman was a bloodthirsty vampire. Did she not get that I had a critically ill kid? But I did still need the money, and despite my impoverished state, I hated being beholden to anyone, even Milo the Meathead.

  “I can’t promise that, given Jess’s situation. Things could change at the drop of a hat. It’s happened before.”

  An ominous silence filled the connection. “Yes, that’s true. All things must change eventually,” Irene said in a coy but deliberate tone. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to include your cash flow, would you, Reed? You’ll need that now more than ever. I’m sure Jessica will be in good hands for the few hours we’ll need to go through our first… session.”

  My jaw clenched. Our first session? As in, there’d be more than one? I hoped that didn’t mean what I thought it meant. The sound of her voice made my skin crawl just a little. I never thought she’d call me out on actually sleeping with her, and I
hadn’t anticipated an ongoing curriculum of whatever sordidness she might have in mind. I finished that kind of training camp a long time ago, with honors. But the last thing I needed right now was to have the tenuous financial rug I stood on yanked out from underneath my feet. Perhaps I could buy some time by throwing down the pity card one more time.

  “Look, there’s a problem with tonight. Jess has just started a new treatment today, and by some mix-up, the bill got covered by a third party. I have to stay and sort things out.”

  Another uncomfortable pause as I waited for her reaction. “It wasn’t a mix-up, Reed,” she finally said. “It was me. As soon as you called, my heart went out to Jessica. I can’t stand the thought of children suffering, so I just felt I had to help.”

  I took a seat on a wooden hospital bench to keep from falling over. Irene paid the bill? That just didn’t make sense. Was I willing to call her a liar? Not a chance. I was in so far over my head I could no longer see the forest for the trees. Before I could dredge any words up from my drowning brain, Irene spoke again.

  “If tonight isn’t convenient, I have an opening Wednesday evening at nine. Please make every effort to be available at that time, won’t you, Reed?”

  A lone beep signaled the disconnection. She’d hung up on me. I felt like throwing my phone on the tile floor and smashing it with my foot until it was reduced to nothing but shards of metal. But then I wouldn’t be able to replace it, and it was already a tech dinosaur.

  “Fucking hell,” I said aloud, shoving the phone in my pocket and pledging an eternal curse to Irene’s demise in my head at the same time.

  “Who was that?” Milo asked, lowering his hulking form onto the bench next to me.

  “The hand of God,” I said, sighing under the strain. My shoulders slumped under the weight of the emotions, and I just wanted to sit there and sulk, but I couldn’t allow myself the luxury. My daughter needed me to man up and swallow my foolish pride. “Reaching out to smite me in yet more interesting ways.”