Chapter 43: He Lied!
Harper’s POV
Nothing made sense.
I stared at the receptionist, convinced I’d misunderstood her. "There has to be some mistake," I said.
Her expression softened. "I’m sorry, miss."
"You don’t understand." My voice shook despite my efforts to steady it. "We were told everything was covered. The surgery, the medication, the follow-up appointments. All of it."
"I know," she said, looking genuinely uncomfortable. "I can see the payment on the account."
"Then why are you refusing to treat her?"
She glanced toward the offices behind her. "This is beyond my authority," she said quietly.
Behind me, Mom shifted in her wheelchair. "Harper?" Her voice was weak but warm. "Is everything okay?"
I forced a smile so quickly my cheeks hurt. "Everything’s fine, Mom." I crouched beside her and squeezed her hand. "I’m just asking them a few questions."
She searched my face for a second, clearly unconvinced, but she simply nodded. "Okay."
Emma looked between me and the reception desk, worry already creeping into her eyes. No. Not them too. I stood again before either of my siblings could ask questions.
Taking a slow breath, I faced the receptionist. "Okay. If this isn’t about the treatment itself, is it money? I can make another payment today." She opened her mouth to object but I kept talking. "If there’s a balance we somehow missed, I’ll pay a deposit right now. My insurance is still processing some claims. If there’s anything left afterward, I’ll figure it out. I always figure it out."
The receptionist slowly shook her head. "It isn’t a payment issue."
"Then what is it?"
"I’m sorry," she said again.
"Please stop saying you’re sorry and tell me what’s happening," I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could.
"I can’t," she replied. "It’s confidential."
Confidential. My stomach twisted. How could my mother’s treatment suddenly become confidential?
Beside me, Justin finally stepped forward. "What’s going on?" he asked, looking at me.
I looked at him helplessly. "They said they can’t treat Mom anymore." The words felt ridiculous even as I said them. "They said someone from management instructed them to stop all future treatment."
Silence. Justin frowned, looking from me to the receptionist. "But I already paid for everything," he said.
The world seemed to stop.
I blinked. "What?"
Justin’s eyes widened slightly, as though he’d only just realized what he’d admitted. I stared at him. "You," I said, my voice barely coming out. "You paid?"
He looked back at me for only a second. "That’s not important right now," he said.
Not important? Before I could process another thought, he turned back toward the receptionist. "I paid every invoice. Every projected follow-up. Every medication. So what exactly is going on?"
The receptionist swallowed hard. "I don’t know the details, sir."
"But someone does," Justin said, his jaw tightening. "If this hospital accepted payment and is now refusing treatment without medical justification, then somebody better explain why." His voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. There was a quiet authority to it that made everyone behind the desk straighten immediately. "I would rather not have lawyers involved," he continued evenly, "but if that’s where this is headed, I’d like to know now."
The receptionist’s composure cracked. "I’ll call the hospital manager," she said, looking around nervously.
"Please do," Justin replied.
She hurried away through the double doors. The moment she disappeared, I turned back to Justin. My heart was pounding.
"You paid?" I said again, because I needed to hear the answer one more time to believe it.
He sighed. "I was going to tell you."
"When?" I asked.
"When your mom was healthy enough that you wouldn’t spend the next six months worrying about how to repay me," he said simply.
"You shouldn’t have done that," I said.
His brows lifted. "No?"
"No. We would’ve found a way."
"I know you would have," he said, his answer coming so quickly it caught me off guard. "I never doubted that."
"Then why?" I asked.
He looked at me as though the answer was obvious. "Because you’re my girlfriend. You needed help. I had the means. So I helped." He shrugged one shoulder. "It’s really that simple."
"No," I shook my head. "It’s not. Justin, that’s..." I couldn’t even imagine how much he’d spent. "I can’t accept that."
"You already have," he said.
"I’ll pay you back," I said immediately. "I mean it. I’ll work extra shifts. I’ll save every scholarship refund. I’ll figure out a payment plan."
"Harper," he said, his voice softening. "No."
"I don’t like owing people," I said. "I don’t want to feel indebted. I’ve spent too much of my life depending on people who eventually reminded me what I owed them." The words escaped before I could stop them.
Justin’s expression changed immediately. The teasing disappeared. The confidence. Everything. "Is that what you think this is?" he asked quietly.
"I don’t know," I admitted.
He stepped closer until only a few inches separated us. "Look at me," he said. Reluctantly, I did. "Am I just anybody to you?"
My chest tightened. "No," I said.
"Then why are you talking like I’m a stranger keeping score?"
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
He reached for my hand. "I’m not helping you so that one day I can collect," he said. "I’m helping you because I care about you. Because seeing you carry everything by yourself hurts. Because if our positions were reversed, I know you’d do the exact same thing for me."
Tears stung my eyes. "I just," I started, "I don’t know how to let someone do this for me."
"I know," he said softly, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "And we’ll figure that out together too."
Before I could answer, footsteps echoed down the hallway. A man in a navy suit hurried toward the reception desk, adjusting his tie as he walked, the receptionist following closely behind him. He stopped the moment he saw Justin. Recognition flashed across his face, and his expression changed instantly.
"Oh." He blinked. "Mr. Hayes." He offered an awkward smile. "I didn’t realize you were personally involved in this matter."
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