“They cost money,” Mathias answered.
“Money that doesn’t have to be spent if the medication works,” I reminded him. I addressed Birgitte again. “He put me on a new medication to see if that controls the headaches and seizures. If it does, then he can say with decent assuredness that both are from the simple partial seizures.”
“But wouldn’t the tests be good to have? What kind of tests?” she asked again, looking between us.
“A test that measures brain waves, Mor,” Mathias answered. “If she were to have a seizure during the test, it would be recorded and tell the doctor what part of the brain they’re originating in.”
“If,” I pointed out. “The chances are slim that I would have a seizure while doing the test. They don’t happen that often.”
“He also wants a CT scan to check for any changes in her brain since the last one,” Mathias added.
I groaned because of course he had to bring that up. “Do you remember when they were following that lesion on my brain and they thought it was linked to the hand issues?” Birgitte nodded. “He wants to do another scan now that it’s been over ten years.”
“But they told us it was stable after they monitored it for years. They said you didn’t have to worry about it anymore,” Mor fretted.
Mathias laid his hand on her shoulder. “Sometimes things change. He just wants to be sure.”
Birgitte crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin. I jumped up immediately. “No, Bi—”
“Theo! Honeybee needs you!”
“Don’t tell Theo,” I whispered, my body deflating.
Mathias snorted with laughter, and I elbowed him until he was quiet.
“Don’t bother Theo,” I insisted. “He must be working.”
Footsteps reached my ears, and I sighed. “Oh brother, now I’m in for it.”
Mathias shook his head, and I wanted to wipe the smug look off his face when he said, “You had to see this coming. I mean, how long did you live here?”
“How long did you live here?” I mimicked under my breath.
Birgitte grabbed her husband’s arm, and Theo noticed her distress immediately. “What’s going on, honeybee?”
I hugged the man who was the older version of his son. Handsome and regal with white hair at his temples and a spark in his eye just like Mathias. “Hi, Theo. Nothing is going on. I was telling Birgitte about seeing Dr. Newsome today, and she started overreacting,” I insisted, glaring at her.
“I am not overreacting.” She stomped her foot in a way only she could do. “Honey won’t have tests done on her brain because they’re too expensive.”
I sighed heavily, which I did a lot around this family. “No, that’s not why. They’re a waste of money when we can just give other things more time.”
Theo raised a brow and pinned a glare on his son. “You haven’t gotten her insurance yet? I thought we discussed this.”
“Last week, Far. We discussed it last week. I’m working on it with Gulliver. I want her to have the tests done. I told her I’d pay for them, but she’s being her usual stubborn self.”
“I am not being stubborn! I’m being realistic. The EEG isn’t going to show anything when they only do the test for one night. I have the seizures maybe once a week.”
“Seizures?” Theo asked, surprised. “What’s going on here?”
I sat down and rested my head in my hand while Mathias explained, again, what the doctor had said.
Theo sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder. “You got this from your good-for-nothing mother, right?”
“Theo!” Birgitte scolded, but I held up my hand to her.
“He’s not wrong, but this is minor, Theo. Please, don’t worry about me. You have enough to worry about right now.”
“I’d have less to worry about if you’d have the tests, honeybee. We’ll pay for them.”
