Donald turned on his heel and rushed out of the trauma bay, his polished dress shoes clicking hurriedly down the corridor.
Arthur looked at his son with deep worry etched across his face, his rough hands gripping the edge of the gurney.
Arthur: Michael, you’re risking your job as Chief of Surgery. That man has connections with the city council and corporate sponsors.
Dr. Michael: Let him have his connections, Dad. I didn't go to medical school to work for a corporate billing office that turns away sick children.
Nurse Sarah returned carrying a soft pink fiberglass cast kit and a small tray of warm water.
Nurse Sarah: All right, sweetie! Let’s pick out a color for your new leg shoe! We have pink, purple, bright blue, and glitter green!
Lily: Pink! I want bright pink with glitter!
Nurse Sarah: Pink it is! You’re going to have the coolest cast in your first-grade classroom.
As Sarah began wrapping the warm, flexible material around Lily’s lower leg, Michael pulled a chair up next to his father.
Dr. Michael: Dad, I need to know the truth about your house and your expenses. How long have you been struggling like this?
Arthur: Ever since the manufacturing plant closed down three years ago, son. My pension was cut in half during the corporate bankruptcy settlement.
Dr. Michael: Why didn't you tell me? I have money saved! I’m the head surgeon here!
Arthur: Because that’s your hard-earned money, Michael! You earned every penny through night shifts and years of sacrifice!
Dr. Michael: Dad, do you remember the family trust account Mom established before she passed away?
Arthur paused, looking up at Michael with a puzzled expression.
Arthur: Your mother’s small life insurance trust? We used that money twenty years ago to pay for your first two years of pre-med tuition at university.
Dr. Michael: That wasn't all of it, Dad. Mom put a secondary clause in the trust agreement that you never looked at.
Arthur: What secondary clause?
Dr. Michael: She deposited thirty thousand dollars into a high-yield medical endowment account in both of our names. It was meant to cover healthcare costs for you when you retired.
Arthur stared at his son in complete shock, his eyes filling with fresh tears.
Arthur: She... she did that? Twenty years ago?
Dr. Michael: I set up auto-investments on that account when I got my first attending position. Right now, that account has over four hundred thousand dollars in it, Dad.
Arthur: Four... four hundred thousand dollars?! Michael, that’s a fortune!
Dr. Michael: That’s your healthcare fund, Dad. It’s been sitting there waiting for you. You never have to worry about a medical bill, a phone bill, or a mortgage payment ever again.