The Power: Building the Circle - Book 2 Read online

  "Hey Henry," the cashier bumped knuckles with Henry and then asked Adrian, "How many?"

  "Whatever. Surprise me. Henry and Lucy don't count," Adrian replied as he picked up his tray to walk away. "See you tomorrow."

  "See you, man," the cashier called as he scanned Lucy's food. "Bye, Lucy. Bye, Henry," the cashier said.

  "We didn't pay," Lucy said to the cashier.

  The cashier laughed. "Dr. Adrian's buyin."

  Lucy didn't see Adrian pay, either.

  ✽✽✽

  Adrian headed toward an empty table being cleared in the corner. The room was crowded, but not yet full. When the lab was backed up, he worried they'd be hitting the cafeteria at noon, and it'd be crazy. But, it was just now 11:30. They made good time.

  After Lucy and Ree were seated, Adrian sat down across from Ree.

  "What happened there?" Lucy asked.

  "What do you mean?" Adrian said, taking things off his tray.

  "With the cashier. How many?" She asked.

  "Oh, it's not important. So, Dr. Gar-" he started.

  "What happened there? I didn't pay. I didn't see you pay. What happened?" Lucy asked again, her voice a little annoyed.

  Adrian sighed. He disliked talking about these types of things. He chanced a glance at Lucy. She was opening Ree's chocolate milk and getting him situated. Adrian watched the care she took when selecting his food and now getting him set up to chow down. He saw the kiddo settle into his chair, calm and comfortable. This was routine for them.

  Lucy looked up at him with raised eyebrows. Adrian looked at Ree.

  Damn it, Sam. I'm so bad at this. Adrian thought.

  "The cashiers have a barcode that scans to my account. He scanned it after each of us went through. Usually, when I come through the line, I buy lunch for everyone in line behind me. If the cashier notices someone coming through the line that looks like they can't easily swing the lunch they need to eat, I buy that lunch, too. It's not a big deal."

  "You really are a do-gooder, aren't you?" Lucy said.

  He nodded. "It's actually my job."

  She smiled a little, but still looked tense as she picked at her tacos. "I didn't say thank you on Saturday. I thought you were scamming, offering 'help,'" she said, making air quotes. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

  "Lucy, it's ok. Really. I wasn't upset with you on Saturday. I was rather offended by the hospital, though. Telling someone to go find more money isn't helpful," he said.

  She nodded. "When I walked in the door Saturday after work, and you were in the apartment, I thought you were stalking me. I really thought I was about to die. I mean, who does that? Comes running when some random kid calls in the middle of the night. People don't do that."

  "To be completely honest, I intended to get him out of there. When he called and said he was alone and scared in the middle of the night, I had every intention of calling the cops and getting him removed from the home," Adrian said.

  She nodded again as she studied the side of his face. "Thank you for not calling family services. Thank you for staying with him."

  "Lucy," Adrian began in a more pensive tone of voice. "You can't continue on like this. You can't stay in that apartment, it's not safe for anyone, let alone a kid like Henry.

  "Assuming he tolerates the meds and starts chemo again, he's going to need a lot of care. You can't keep caring for Ree all day and then working all night. You're lucky you didn't fall asleep driving home from work on Saturday. You zonked out with someone you don't know well in your apartment."

  "I know," she said quietly. "I was surprised to wake up OK, still in my clothes with the apartment door locked. I got fired on Sunday when I told them I couldn't work nights until I found a reliable babysitter. So, I need to find a new job again. I'll find one that's daytime work."

  Henry sighed. His voice wavered a bit. "I'm sorry, Aunt Lucy. I don't mean to get you in trouble."

  "No! Henry, no. It's not your fault, baby. It's going to be fine. I'll find a new job," she said.

  "Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't find a new job right now," Adrian said.

  "Huh?" Lucy said, her eyes on his face again. He was still looking at Ree and looking around the room. At anything but her, really.

  "The Foundation can provide you with a stipend to cover living expenses. Sam bought a couple houses reasonably close to here yesterday. Two are not yet vacant. One is vacant, and he'll close on it today or tomorrow. He said something about remodeling one of the bathrooms. Otherwise, he thought you could move into it shortly after that. We can go look at it after we pick up the meds if you want."

  Lucy's mouth was hanging open in shock.

  "Um. I. Um-" she stammered.

  "In the interim, we've reserved space for you at a hotel near here. You can stay there until the house is ready. You won't have a full kitchen, but there's room service in the hotel and a fridge in the room," he continued.

  Adrian chanced a glance at her. Well, she doesn't look mad. Maybe I won't trip over her pride.

  "Or, if you don't want to live in the hotel, I don't live far from here. I can go live at the hotel for a little bit. Or with my parents. Or Sam. You can use my place. The main goal is that you no longer live in that apartment building in that neighborhood. Ideally, you'd make a list of what you want from the apartment, and then someone goes and gets it for you while the rest of the stuff is recycled."

  "I don't understand," Lucy said. "Um. What do you…? How? Why would you do this for us?"

  Adrian met her eyes and spoke calmly. "Because you need help, Lucy. It's not safe where you are now."

  "I don't understand," she said again. "What do you want from us? Why are you helping us?"

  Adrian was confused. "Want from you?"

  "Yes. What do we have to do to get this help? We desperately need it, I'm not saying otherwise. I just don't understand what it is that I have to do to get it," she clarified.

  "You mean like paperwork? There's a non-disclosure agreement to sign. You can talk about the foundation and the help, but you can't disclose dollar amounts," he said.

  "No, Adrian. I mean, what is it you or your brother or whoever wants from us? Do I have to sleep with someone? Am I going to be a slave or something creepy like that? Do one of you intend to hurt him? I won't allow that, you can't hurt him."

  Adrian turned bright red and looked back at Henry. Henry was looking at his aunt with a confused expression. Holy fuck. Me too, kiddo.

  "Uh, no. No Lucy. Nothing like that at all. I don't… we don't… I mean… That's not how we do things. Not at all. Never. We would never."

  The table was silent for a full minute. Lucy studied Adrian while Adrian studied his plate.

  "The foundation is a non-profit, Lucy. We help people. Other charitable organizations, mostly. They can distribute the money to the people that really need it the fastest. But, there are some people, like you, that we've happened upon through the years. When we find someone that needs help, we try to help directly. With a legitimate need like this, we can throw money at it faster to get it resolved, rather than going through another organization. That's all," Adrian explained.

  "I don't know what to say to that. I don't know much about the foundation. There wasn't much information about it online," she said.

  "I know. We mostly give money to other organizations," he said again. "Not directly to people in need. We don't really take direct requests for assistance unless they come from an employee or a contractor. We will always look after our people. But, otherwise, we don't look for people to help directly. It's harder to determine what's a legitimate need versus someone working the system. So, we try to leave that up to other organizations that already have mechanisms in place for it. No need to reinvent the wheel."

  ✽✽✽

  Lucy was baffled. No one does this kind of stuff. She'd contacted a hundred organizations over the last year. She couldn't find one to cover the cost of blood work, let alone living expenses. Something was fishy with this.
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  "I don't understand. Something seems off with this. One of those, 'if it seems to be too good to be true'… type things."

  Adrian looked startled. "Um. OK. How do we resolve that?"

  Lucy shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know what to do right now."

  "I don't mean to sound like a jerk when I say this, so please cut me some slack. But, what exactly do you have to lose by trusting an accredited, documented, well respected global non-profit? Even if you don't trust me, why question the organization that's actually funding the help?" Adrian asked.

  Lucy sighed. "I just don't know why you'd do this for us. Do you know how many organizations I've applied to for help in the last year? I'm not claiming that we don't need the help. We do need it. My other option is to do nothing, and that's not an option. I'd just really like to know what I'm getting into here."

  "Have I done something to offend you?" Adrian was starting to sound annoyed. "Seriously. Have I done something that makes you think 'Yeesh, this jerk is out to get us'? Because from where I'm sitting, it seems like I saw a kid that needed help on Saturday, offered support, and got yelled at. Then I sat with that kid all night, comforted his distraught aunt, put everyone to bed, locked the war-proof apartment door behind myself, helped the drunk and stoned neighbors, and cleaned up dangerous medical waste. Then I got you in to see one of the best doctors on the planet for Henry's type of situation in very short order, and have now purchased lunch. What have I done to warrant the distrust?"

  Lucy was quiet for a minute as she stared at her plate. "Absolutely nothing. You've been incredibly kind to us. It's just my experience that people don't do stuff like this. I feel like we're being set up for a giant letdown."

  They sat quietly for a few minutes.

  "That was your family? At the hospital on Saturday?" Lucy asked to break up the silence.

  "Yes, my brother's girlfriend is in the hospital. She was in the ER on Saturday. When I met Henry, I was wandering around, trying not to be found by the hospital administrator looking for donations," Adrian said.

  Lucy nodded. "And that was Sam? The guy that looked tired? He started the business and made you all rich? I snarked at your mom?"

  "Yes, Sam always looks tired. It's his company. When I called him on Sunday, he was brainstorming about how to buy and rebuild your neighborhood," Adrian rambled a bit, clearly uncomfortable. "Darla likes sass. Don't let that phase you."

  "I'm sorry Sam's girlfriend is sick," Lucy said, just to say something.

  Adrian shook his head. "No, it's Jake's girlfriend. Jake's future wife really, it's just a matter of time. I have seven brothers and a sister."

  Adrian was blushing again, looking around the room.

  "I'm sorry. I must seem like a lunatic," she said.

  His eyes snapped back to her. "No, that's not… No, Lucy. Please stop apologizing. You haven't done anything wrong. I just. I'm not good - I'm not good at talking about this stuff."

  It was his turn to take a few deep breaths. "I'm not good at stuff like this. Talking with little kids, talking with parents, talking with people at fundraisers. That's fine. Talking about the money, one-on-one with someone like this… It is very awkward for me. I would much rather hand you a pile of cash than have to explain why we're giving you the pile of cash. Martha is much better at this part."

  That made Lucy laugh. "Martha, your assistant, Martha?"

  "Yeah, she's much chattier. Usually, she does this part. By the time people get to me, they are already expecting the pile of cash," Adrian explained. "Sam was very insistent that she not handle this. And, I figured you already knew who we were and had a good sense of what was to come. I wasn't prepared for you to question the motives of giving you help. I thought I'd just be tripping over your pride a bit today, and we'd muddle through."

  That made Lucy really laugh. "I have no pride left. None at all. I've spent close to two years begging every last state and federal agency that I could find for more money to help him. Every last foundation. Charitable hospital. Local churches… I'm not too proud to beg or accept a handout. Honestly. I just want to understand what I'm getting into."

  Adrian sighed as he watched Henry play with the remnants of his mac n cheese. His voice was flat. "There's a NDA to sign.

  "I'd like it very much if you didn't stay another night in your apartment.

  "You'll need to decide which house you want to live in while Ree is going through treatment. We can look at the vacant one today, but the other two won't be empty for a bit.

  "Decide if you want room service or a kitchen for the next couple weeks. And then, catch up on sleep. Lots of fluids and food for Henry. The upside to hotel living is that there are a maid service and a pool. You can both do with some pampering, I think.

  "The only thing we want is for Henry to get better, Lucy. There are no strings attached." He met her eyes briefly and nodded. "Are we done eating? Do you want to go look at the house? Do you need some time?" He asked.

  ✽✽✽

  They walked out of the hospital, holding hands with Henry again. "I'll walk to your car with you, and then if you drop me off at my car, you can follow me to the house. Does that work?" Adrian asked.

  "Uh, yeah. OK." Lucy said.

  Lucy pulled out her keys and then stopped at a battered old Ford. There was duct tape holding the exhaust pipe in place. The front passenger door handle was missing. There was plastic over one of the back windows. The front windshield had a crack that ran the length of it.

  "Are you super attached to this car?" Adrian asked.

  They had been quiet leaving the cafeteria. Henry was more subdued and less playful. Adrian wondered if he'd be leaving friends behind at the old apartment.

  Lucy started a bit at the sound of Adrian's voice. "Not at all. It just barely runs most of the time. But I need a car, even if we are going to stay close. I'll eventually get a job again."

  "It's fine, Lucy. We'll replace the car," Adrian muttered.

  "You're just going to give me a car?" Lucy asked, sounding skeptical again.

  "We can walk to my car. We need Henry's seat, though. Is there anything of value that you need out of the car?" Adrian asked as he yanked the booster out of the tiny back seat.

  Lucy collected a few library books and checked the trunk. Before they walked away, Adrian took a picture of the license plate and the lot letter.

  "What are you doing?" Lucy asked.

  "Someone will come to get the car and scrap it for you," Adrian said. "It can't possibly be safe."

  "It runs. I can take it where it needs to go," she said.

  "You have other things to get done. Let's delegate where we can, OK? If you keep on this path, you're going to have a heart attack. And I'm not really exaggerating," he said, tone still flat.

  Adrian stopped walking when they reached a black Audi compact SUV.

  Lucy ran her hand across the light grey leather interior as she got in. "It still smells like a new car."

  Once Ree was buckled in, Adrian fired up the car, and they were off.

  They were all quiet. Adrian didn't know what to say. The disparity between the way they lived bothered him. The foundation needed to do more. He needed to find a way to do more.

  Maybe Sam's brainstorming about how to revive a neighborhood should be more than hypothetical talk.

  ✽✽✽

  "What type of doctor are you, Adrian? General Pediatrics?" Lucy asked quietly.

  "Ah, no. I mean, I can do general pediatrics. But I specialize in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. I treat kids with HIV and AIDs, mostly," he said. "I don't spend a lot of time in the practice anymore."

  HIV babies. He treats HIV kids. That has to be worse than treating cancer kids. There's no cure. Every one of his patients is on a clock, Lucy thought. It made her chest tight.

  He had been withdrawn after her rampant skepticism. She kept saying and doing the wrong thing and didn't know how to set it right. The life changes discussed over lunch were not yet real to her.
It felt strange to empty out her car.

  "Adrian, I'm sorry I-"

  "Lucy, please. Stop apologizing. Please stop doing that," he snapped.

  He didn't seem like one to snap at people. Lucy was at a loss for how to continue.

  Adrian turned the car into a driveway and put it into park.

  "Now it's my turn to apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm not upset with you. At all. I know you're doing the best you can with what you have. I'm upset that you don't have better. I'm upset that not everyone has better. We should be doing more. I should be doing more." The car door slammed behind him as he went to let Henry out.

  "This house is particularly nice because it has a driveway and a garage. You don't have to find street parking. The other two are bigger houses, but they don't have driveways. The other yards are a little smaller, too," Adrian said.

  ✽✽✽

  After driving by the other two houses, Adrian took Lucy and Henry to his own home. It looked like a little house on a large city lot from the outside, but it was a deep brick bungalow. As they approached the front door, Lucy could hear a woman's voice talking inside.

  He has a wife. Or a girlfriend. There's no wedding ring. I didn't put that together. It's not my business. I'm sure she's as wonderful as he is if she's willing to give up her house for a few weeks, Lucy thought. But, damn. I hate this bitch.

  Lucy paused at the front door, unsure of what to do.

  "Just open the door," Adrian said. "I can hear Beth laughing inside. It's unlocked."

  Henry gasped.

  "I know, right?!" Adrian's voice was back to teasing. "Beth doesn't follow the rules. But there are giant guys in there with her. She's safe. Don't be scared, OK?"

  Henry nodded as Lucy opened the door. To the right of the little entryway were a kitchen and dining area. To the left was a living room. There were, in fact, giant men in the living room.

  Lucy paused again as the people stared at her. "Uh, hi."

  "Hi, Lucy! Come on in! A tall, slender woman in her early twenties said as she tugged the door all the way open. She had light brown hair and pale eyes, a beautiful face that smiled as quickly as Adrian's. She wasn't wearing a bit of makeup. Her skin glowed naturally with health and good humor. Lucy sighed.