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“I made a mess of things, didn’t I?”
“Whether you did or not, you’re back with people that truly love you. You should call Lexi and let her know you’re here—she’s pretty worried about you. I’d also like to discuss a few things, like your plans for treatment.”
She turns her face away from me, looking toward the sunlight that’s pouring in through the terrace doors.
“They caught the cancer early, so I know I need surgery. I should have had a baseline a few years ago like Matty since my father died from colon cancer. It was stupid not to get checked.”
“Well, Sloan Kettering is one of the best cancer hospitals in the city,” I note off of the top of my head.
“I’m going to have to see if I can get on Medicaid. My insurance never kicked in at Edusoft.”
A thought strikes me. “I’ll be right back; I have an idea.”
I head to the bedroom to call Zane. He’s unaware of Olivia’s condition, but I want to see if we can get her on the payroll and get her insurance so that her treatment isn’t delayed.
“Seriously?” he greets. “Why are you calling me so early on Saturday?”
“It’s after twelve.”
“I was up until four this morning and then at six and–”
“I don’t want to hear about your sexual exploits. I’ll make this quick so you can get back to your fun.”
“Take your time, she left.”
“I have a dilemma. I want you to keep an open mind.”
I tell him about Olivia and what she went through, that she’s sick, and how I want Eltech to help if possible. He’s silent for a few moments, and I wonder if I’ve lost him.
“Fuck, it was that bad?” he finally pipes up.
“She never got insurance through her last employer, so she can’t even do Cobra.”
“She could have signed up through Eltech.”
I lower my voice, almost to a whisper. “Zane, I’m not sure she would have been able to pay it. Edusoft wasn’t paying her well, and she wouldn’t have gotten sick time until she was there six months. So each day she was out was deducted from her check.”
“I wish I knew this earlier. We just hired two new programmers.”
“You don’t need to pay her a salary; I can do that. She just needs to have insurance. We could put her on payroll, and she would contribute when she could as far as hours. I’ll pay her a regular salary no matter how many days she works per week. Maybe by the time she’s fully well, we will have room for another programmer.”
“I think we can do that. I want her back, but I also want her in a supervisory position, which we can talk about it when she’s well.”
“If the paperwork gets filled out Monday morning, how fast can she go to the doctor?”
“If I have them expedite it, immediately. She can get insurance cards printed off the insurance website. I’ll have Lillian in HR email the paperwork to you so you can have Olivia fill everything out this weekend. Just drop it off first thing Monday because we need original signatures. Then she should be all set.”
“Thanks, Zane. I knew I could count on you.”
“Where is she staying?”
“With me. She sublet her apartment and needs someone to care for her.”
“So does this mean that permanently gloomy look on your face will change now that she’s back?”
“We’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh.”
