Page 58 of Gunner
“Don’t know babe.”
The door opened and in walked Claudia and a nurse, who I knew personally. I cringed when I saw Kelly smirk, shaking her head.
Fuck, could this get any more uncomfortable?
“Hello, Gunner,” Kelly sweetly greeted.
“Kelly,” I muttered, looking everywhere but at her. Jesus, why did she have to show up? I got she worked here but couldn’t the older woman with blue hair do the checkout? Maybe that voluptuous woman down in receiving? Wait. No, she couldn’t do it either.
I spent an entire weekend snuggled with that body.
“Really?” Sarah giggled. “Is there anyone you haven’t slept with?”
I smirked. At least I had the decency to look contrite. Not that I ever was, but hey, as long as my babydoll wasn’t pissed. I was good to go.
“He hasn’t slept with me,” Claudia chuckled, as the nurse handed her a clipboard with lots of papers attached. Unclipping the papers, Claudia handed them to me and said, “Alright,Gunner, here are Sarah’s discharge papers, along with the hospital bill. We take cash, check or charge.”
“Excuse me?” I gasped as I looked at the total on the last page. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No,” Claudia shook her head. “Sarah doesn’t have insurance.”
“What do you mean, she doesn’t have insurance?”
“When I talked to her parents, they said their daughter was now your responsibility and that you would take care of it.”
“Fifty-seven thousand dollars!”
“That’s just for the surgery and the hospital stay. I’ll mail you my bill at the end of the month. Also, I took the liberty of setting up all of Sarah’s prenatal appointments and there is a prescription for prenatal vitamins, amongst other things that she will need. I suggest getting her on your policy as soon as possible. Pre-natal visits are not cheap and don’t even get me started on the birth and aftercare.”
I gulped.
Fifty thousand dollars? What did she expect me to do? Pull it out of my ass. I mean, I had the money. I made a good living, but to drop fifty grand on a two-day visit. Hell, my truck didn’t even cost that much.
“I thought hospitals were free?” My Babydoll asked so innocently, I turned to look at her as Claudia and Kelly hid their smiles. “I mean, every time I’ve gone to the emergency room, they fix me up and I leave. No one has ever given me a bill before.”
“That’s because your parents covered you under their policy, sweetie. When you become an adult, it’s your responsibility to pay for your own insurance.” Claudia informed.
Sarah looked perplexed as her forehead scrunched. “Well, how much is insurance? I think I have like twenty bucks in my wallet. Will that be enough to get me one of those card thingies, so Gunner doesn’t have to pay?”
God, she was fucking adorable.
Reaching for my wallet, I took out my black Amex and handed it to Claudia. “Just pay the damn bill.”
“Gunner, no,” Sarah gasped, reaching for her purse. Placing my hand over hers, I smiled. “It’s no big deal, babe. I’ve got it. Besides, you are here because I didn’t man the fuck up and break it off with Holly when I should have. I should take care of it.”
“But you shouldn’t have to pay for all of it.”
“Oh, he’s going to be paying for a lot more in due time,” Kelly snickered. “Babies aren’t cheap. Did you know the average cost of raising a kid in today’s times is around twenty grand a year? By the time that kid turns eighteen, Gunner will have spent around three hundred grand.”
“And don’t forget college. That’s at least another two hundred grand.” Claudia added.
“It’s Gunner’s kid, Claudia. Do you honestly think his kid will make it to college?”
Claudia looked at me and then chuckled while saying, “I’ll be shocked his kid survives puberty.”
“Ha. Ha. You two are funny. Just charge the damn card so we can get the hell out of here.” I sighed.
With the bill paid, I tried not to let what Claudia and Kelly said get to me. I wasn’t completely inept like everyone thought. I owned my business and paid my taxes every year. Hell, I even owned my home outright, even had a retirement plan.