Chapter 48 Steven Offers to Help Her
Nora didn't dare look into his eyes - they were too intense, too intimate. She avoided his gaze and said softly, "I bought them before, stocked up on some basic household medicines."
He said in a hoarse voice, "Nora, I want to eat the waffles you make later."
"Okay!"
She nodded and gently pushed him away before getting out of bed.
Steven behind her still gazed at her deeply. Nora didn't dare look back, walking out stiffly, somehow feeling his eyes lingering on her body.
What's up with Steven today?
Did he take the wrong medicine or something?
Suddenly being so intimate with her?
Nora went into the kitchen and took out some eggs.
Just as she finished making the food, Nora's phone rang.
It was her brother Tanner calling.
Tanner usually didn't contact her unless something was up, so this sudden call definitely meant something had happened.
"Hello, Tanner." Nora brought the dishes to the dining table and made Steven a cup of medicine, placing it at Steven's usual spot.
Tanner's voice was heavy, "Nora, your sister-in-law Jasmine Faye gave birth."
"What?" Nora was stunned for a moment, "Really? What time? Is it a boy or a girl?"
"C-section half an hour ago, it's a boy."
"Congratulations." Nora smiled. Now Wayne and Jasmine should both be happy - they both wanted a boy.
"Nora..." Tanner started crying as he spoke.
Nora sensed something was wrong and softened her voice, "Tanner, did something happen?"
"Jasmine gave birth at only 35 weeks this time, not full term yet. During delivery, because of weak contractions, she ended up having to switch from a natural birth to a C-section. She suffered twice..."
Tanner's voice choked up, "But the baby was only born weighing just over 3 pounds. The doctor said his lungs are underdeveloped and he needs to stay in an incubator for a while, plus two shots to help develop his lungs, each shot costs over $4,000..."
"We only prepared $20,000 for this birth, and it was all used up on your sister-in-law's natural-to-C-section delivery. But the doctor says to save this child, we need another hundred thousand dollars or so. Nora, I'm wondering if you have any money?"
The Adams family had nothing. Jasmine had no job and no insurance, so the birth had to be paid out of pocket.
If the child had been fine, everything would have been okay.
But once the baby was born with problems, the family didn't even have money to save him.
Actually, Tanner had it really hard. He had to support two elderly parents above and his wife and child below, so he could save very little money.
When Nora lived with them, she occasionally saw Tanner crying alone in the hallway late at night.
He was the one under the most pressure.
Because he could never escape the responsibility of supporting the family. If he couldn't get ahead in life, he'd spend his whole life caring for the elderly above and the young below until retirement.
Tanner was usually pretty good to Nora. The main problems in their family were that Wayne was troublesome and Jasmine had a sharp tongue.
Tanner and her mother, Marcella Shaw, were both the type to suffer in silence.
Nora pressed her lips together. Her nephew was critically ill - she couldn't not help. "Tanner, how much more do you need right now?"
Her total savings were $80,000.
Yesterday, she transferred back $50,000 to Steven, and she still owed Steven $2,000.
Tanner said, "Nora, do you have a hundred thousand dollars? The doctor said saving the baby might take a hundred thousand or so, probably around a hundred twenty to thirty thousand. I can put some on credit cards, but I still need a hundred thousand dollars."
"A hundred thousand dollars." Nora worried, "I don't have that much. I only have $80,000. Does Olivia have any?"
They were all family - when something happened, everyone had to help out.
Tanner shook his head and said guiltily, "Olivia seems to have fought with her family over this. She just transferred me ten thousand dollars and said that was all her savings."
Willie had been humiliated by Jasmine before and had held a grudge against her ever since.
Nora knew about this.
But now it was a little life at stake, and this family was actually refusing to help - Nora felt it was too heartless!
Tanner said, "Nora, can you think of a way to help me? The baby just born has landing insurance. The doctor said we should go back home to get insurance, then, when the baby is discharged, we can get some reimbursement. Once the baby is safely discharged and I get the reimbursement, I can pay you back."
At this point in Nora's phone call, Steven came out of the master bedroom.
He had changed into loungewear, pressing the bruise on his forehead with a dark expression as he sat at the table.
Seeing his expression, Nora felt inexplicably scared.
Holding the phone, she said softly to Tanner, "Tanner, don't worry. I'll transfer the eighty thousand dollars to you first. Have the doctor give the baby the shots and put him in the incubator. I'll borrow some from my friends later and transfer it to you."
She planned to borrow some money from Amelia.
The fifty thousand dollars she earned on December 10th hadn't even warmed up yet, and now she had to lend it out.
Tanner said gratefully, "Thank you, Nora. When the baby is discharged, I'll definitely treat you to dinner."
"No need, Tanner. You only make so much a month - save it to buy formula and diapers for the baby." Nora comforted him a bit before hanging up.
Then she transferred the money to Tanner, using her bank card for the rest.
Steven took a sip of the medicine - it had a strange taste, but it was mild and barely acceptable.
Nora placed the waffles in front of him, "Steven, the waffles you ordered."
"How did I get such a big bruise on my forehead? How did I bump into something?" Steven looked up and asked her.
Nora was looking at her phone and felt a bit guilty when she heard this, "Well... you came back drunk yesterday and bumped into something."
"Really?" Steven didn't think much of it.
Nora sent a voice message to Amelia on Facebook, "Amelia, do you have twenty thousand dollars you could lend me?"
Amelia didn't reply.
But Steven heard it. His fork paused, and he looked up at her, "You need to borrow money?"
"Yes, my sister-in-law gave birth this morning, but there's a problem with the baby. They say his lungs are underdeveloped, and he needs shots to help develop his lungs, plus he has to stay in an incubator for a while. My brother said it needs over a hundred thousand dollars." Nora briefly explained the situation.
Steven frowned.
She was sending another voice message, "My nephew was born this morning and had some problems. I want to borrow twenty thousand dollars from you. I can pay you back next month..."
Before she could finish, Steven pressed down on her hand, looking at her with displeasure.
He was right in front of her, and she wasn't asking him, but was going to borrow from her friend?
"What's wrong?"
Nora looked at him, not catching the expectation in Steven's eyes. She thought of something and said to him, "Oh, right, I might not be able to pay back the $2,000 I owe you so quickly. Money's a bit tight lately. Can I pay you back in two or three months?"
Steven's expression darkened, and he said with displeasure, "Twenty thousand dollars - I'll give it to you."