Chapter 6

When I got home from school, I mostly wanted to call Kat, both to talk to her about tutoring, since she’d gotten me through all of my previous rough spots in school, and to just check in with her about how I was feeling. I really did want to finish my senior year in person, so I could graduate with my friends, but the more I was gone, the further away I felt from everyone, to the point where I felt more like an observer than a peer.

Unfortunately, her schedule in the afternoons was tight. She had a late afternoon class that wouldn’t finish until four, and then pool time with her coaches until nine. I loved her and supported all of her achievements, but having an internationally competitive athlete as a girlfriend made it hard to find time together. Not that I had room to talk. My schedule was just as busy as hers.

Today was no different. I’d gotten a text from Warren just as I got out of school that he’d arranged a call with the family of the man who’d gotten injured in Los Angeles.

“Hey, Charlie,” Mrs. Phillips called as I came through the front door. “How was school?”

“It was okay,” I said, surprised to see her home this early. “Just a lot going on, you know?”

“I can only imagine. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Thanks, I will.” I headed upstairs, throwing my backpack on the bed.

I’d go down and talk to her when I was done with Warren, but I mostly needed to commiserate with someone my own age. Mrs. Phillips was great, and I appreciated her immensely, but I also knew she’d tell me that this was just one part of my life and I’d soon be off to “bigger and better” things. That was probably true, but it also wasn’t enormously helpful, either.

“Charlie, perfect timing,” he said, picking up on the first ring. “I’ve got the Saunders on the other line. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

I’d suggested this, but now that we were down to it, I wasn’t even sure what I was going to say to them: “Hi, I’m Charlie, and I’d like to use your tragedy to help me get more bookings!”

“Hello? Is this Charlie?” a woman with some kind of European accent said.

“Hi. Yeah, this is Charlie,” I said, trying to sound confident and reassuring. “How are you holding up?”

“We’re ... managing,” she said carefully. “It’s been a difficult few days.”

“I can only imagine, and I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. I know Warren talked to you about some of this already, but I wanted to talk to you personally. I’ve heard about what you’re going through, and I’m so sorry. I know this must be an incredibly tough time for your family. I know this is all very strange and probably hard to believe, since we don’t know each other, but I really want to help you all out. Did Warren tell you about the donation of my earnings for Sunday’s show toward your family’s medical expenses and that we’ll begin the process of setting up a campaign where people can donate directly to your family to help with expenses?”

There was a long pause.

“He did. As I said to your Mr. Rice, this is very generous of you, but we couldn’t possibly accept such a large sum from a stranger.”

“Please, I insist. I know this probably sounds like some kind of a scam, and I respect your being hesitant. What I want to tell you is that I know what it’s like to struggle, to worry about how you’re going to pay for the basics, let alone unexpected medical bills. My father was a traveling musician when I was young and I grew up living out of a small RV. We didn’t have insurance, and my mom and I were homeless for a big chunk of my childhood. I know how one emergency can just ... wreck everything you’ve built.”

When she didn’t answer right away, I pressed on.

“I happened to get very lucky, mostly because I had people who helped me when I needed it most. And now I’m in a position to pay that forward. I know it might be hard to trust some kid you’ve never met, but I also know what kind of difference a little help can make. I just want to help however I can.”

“This is ... incredibly kind of you, Charlie,” she said, the doubt in her voice finally seeming to strip away. “I don’t know what to say.”

I could hear her start to get emotional and I knew exactly what she was feeling. That moment when all you can see is darkness with no way out, and someone shows up with a lifeline. It can be overwhelming.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to focus on taking care of your husband and your kids. We’ll handle most of the work to get the money to you. But, I wanted to make sure we kept you informed about what we are doing, if for no other reason, to give you peace of mind that this is real and not some kind of setup.”

“That’s ... that’s wonderful news. This will make such a difference for us. I can’t even begin to express our gratitude.”

“I’m just happy I can help. Aside from your medical bills, I remember what it was like watching my mother trying to juggle dealing with me and making sure I had everything I needed, while making sure we had food and ... everything else. I know it was hard on her, and I can imagine you’re under a similar kind of strain. I know there are local organizations that specialize in helping families in situations like yours, helping with things like childcare when you have to go to the hospital, transportation, and maybe even finding a way to get you guys on some kind of supplemented insurance. I can’t promise anything, but Warren has already started calling around to these groups to see if he can find some that are willing to help you. I think he’s also already talked to my lawyers to see if they could help.”

“I have, and Arthur is looking into it.”

“Good,” I said. “I don’t know how long that will take to set up, but we’ll stay on top of it and make sure you get actual, physical help, in addition to the money.”

“Oh, that would be amazing,” she said, sounding overwhelmed. “It’s been so hard trying to juggle everything while Sheldon is in the hospital. I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions.”

“These services exist for this exact reason,” Warren said. “You shouldn’t have to handle all of this on your own. We’ll do everything we can to make this process as smooth as possible for you. If there’s anything else we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“That’s incredibly generous of you. I can’t even begin to thank you enough.”

“I have one other thing,” Warren said. “You don’t have to feel obliged to do this, but Charlie will be performing in Las Vegas this coming weekend. I was thinking that if you could use a little break from all of the stuff going on in your life, we’d offer you an invitation to the show. We’ll provide airline tickets and show tickets for everyone, and arrange for you and the kids to come backstage. If you do decide to go, I’ll make sure I’m there to help escort you around and make it as carefree and fun an event as possible. If nothing else, to give your kids a break from what I’m sure has been a lot of stress.”

“I hope you do take Warren up on that offer,” I added. “It would mean a lot to me personally to have you all there and to meet you in person.”

“I ... I’ll talk to Sheldon, but I’m sure he’ll say we should go and have a good time.”

“Do you know when he’s going to be released from the hospital?” I asked.

“He’s in stable condition and they have him on medication that should help control his condition, for now. It isn’t a long-term fix, which is why he needs the surgery, but he’ll at least get to come home for a while.”

“That’s great news. Make sure he knows this invitation is for him, too, if his doctors say it’s okay for him to travel.”

“I’ll tell him.”

“Good. You have Warren’s contact information if you need anything, and we’ll handle everything else. Please do consider attending the show.”

“I will. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.”

“You’re very welcome. Take care, Mrs. Saunders. We’ll be in touch.”

As the call ended, I spoke to Warren. “The Vegas show invitation was a nice touch. I didn’t know we were doing that.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. The tour manager got wind of what we were planning and thought it would be a good opportunity to promote the show. I worked it out with him a few hours ago, but I was so focused on getting the family on board, I forgot to mention it to you.”

“No worries, man. It’s a great idea. I was just surprised is all.”

“Good, good,” Warren said, sounding relieved. “I didn’t want you to think I was going behind your back or anything.”

“Not at all. I trust you to handle this kind of stuff. I will admit, I’m feeling a little guilty that I’m not being entirely forthcoming about our ulterior motives here, or those from the tour.”