By My Side

The waiting was killing Phoebe. From the moment she and Cole had stepped into the hospital emergency room, she had been in the dark. An impatient looking nurse had shoved some kind of form into Phoebe's hands as the doctors took her son into another room to be looked at. Just when she felt like she was going to scream and cry at the same time, she felt Cole's hands on her shoulder's guiding her to the row of cracked plastic chairs lining the room.

Still trying to put on a brave front, Phoebe looked down at the form in her hands. She started to write down Jake's name on the line labeled "patient" when it hit her that all of this was really happening. It wasn't just a bad dream from which she could wake up. With a quick sniff, Phoebe held the inevitable tears in check and filled out as much of the form as she could before giving it back to the stem looking nurse in the windowed office.

As Phoebe started to walk back to her seat by Cole, the nurse called out her name. Turning back, Phoebe gave her a questioning look.

"You do not have any of your insurance information written down on this form," stated the nurse in a stiff matter of fact tone.

"Well, you see," explained Phoebe, "I just started my working at my two jobs and ... well ...I just don't have any insurance," she finished weakly.

"No insurance, no patient care."

"No please. You don't understand!" cried Phoebe.

"I'm sorry. I don't make the rules. I just follow them. No insurance, no patient care." the nurse responded in a harsh tone.

Sensing trouble, Cole strolled up to the office window and looked from the nurse's unsmiling eyes to the Phoebe's white face.

"What seems to be the problem here, Phoebe?"

Looking up at Cole, Phoebe tried to explain, but all she got out was "I can't. .. " before bursting into tears.

Not really knowing what to do, Cole gave the nurse his insurance card, put his arm around Phoebe and led her back to the cold chairs. Fear overshadowed Phoebe's shyness and she pressed her face into Cole's warm chest and continued to sob.

"It's ok, Phoebe," Cole repeated over and over as he rubbed his hand up and down her back in a comforting motion.

"No," cried Phoebe still sobbing into his chest, "it's not going to be ok. My son is in the emergency room, I don't have any insurance and ... and ... I don't have enough to pay the bill even with my paychecks from both jobs combined!" Phoebe finished on a sob.

"Both jobs?" Cole asked in confusion. "First, a son and now a second job?" he wondered to himself.

Quelling the urge to question Phoebe any further, Cole held her in his arms and did his best to ease her fears.

"Don't worry about the bill, Phoebe. I already took care of it."

"No, I don't want you to have to pay for ... " At the hard look in Cole's eyes, Phoebe relented. "Ok, but I'll pay you back every cent," Phoebe said while pulling away fro1n Cole to straighten her clothing and wipe the tears from her eyes.

Angry that Phoebe was making such a big deal out of the money, Cole snapped back, "Fine, we'll just pull a portion out of your paycheck every week."

Nodding, Phoebe went back to worrying about her son. Several minutes had passed and there was still no word from the doctors about Jake's condition. Phoebe began to nervously tap her fingernails against the plastic seating in a steady rhythm. When she felt Cole's warm strong hand envelope hers, she looked up at him questioningly.