"The medicine I had last time didn't work."
"I know, Eliza. That's…that's where I'm…that's what I'm doing. I'm trying to find a way to get you better medicine."
"I…I don't think there is any, Daddy. I think sometimes, people just get sick and you can't fix them."
Rush's face contorts in agony. He turns away, head hanging, shoulders shaking. "I'll find a way, Lizzy-Lovey. I won't ever give up. Not ever."
"I know, Daddy. Oh, Mr. Nick wants to talk to you now. Bye, Daddy! I love you!"
I hear Dad's voice speaking to Eliza. "Can you go with Miss Cuddy? If you ask nicely, she might have candy for you. just don't tell anyone—she doesn't like to share." On the line, now. "Rush, you there?"
Rush clears his throat. "Yeah," he rasps, his voice wet and hoarse.
"You've got one hell of a brave girl on your hands, son. We caught up to them in a hotel outside Paris. The second she saw us break down the door, she crawled onto the floor between the beds and didn't make a sound. How, I don't fucking know, but she knew we were there for her."
"Did she see—" Rush can't finish.
"No," Dad interrupts. "She got down and stayed down with her hands over her ears and her eyes shut until I picked her up. Not a tear, man, not one. Steady as a rock."
"She shouldn't have had to be," Rush says. "But after what she’s been through medically, not much fazes her. She handles a blood draw better than I do."
"Rush, about that." Dad clears his throat. "I may have stepped out of line on this, but I, um, I made some calls."
"For what?" Rush asks, suspicious.
"Well, I only made one call. I'm sure Bryn's told you that Valentine Roth is like a brother to me."
“Yeah?" Still suspicious. "So what?"
"So Valentine got your girl into that program. He, uh, well, it's Valentine Roth, and he doesn't do anything by half measures. So he arranged it so she can receive the treatment from home. You don't have to go to the States. They're bringing everything to you. They’re getting everything together right now.”
"Fuck me, mate, that must've cost a fortune. I ain't got that kinda cash, Harris, and I never will."
"Exactly. Listen to me, okay? It's what he does. You can't stop Val when he decides to do something. Honestly, you're lucky he didn't just buy a whole hospital and put it in your name."
Rush looks at me. "Is he takin' the piss?"
"Like, is he joking?" I ask, and Rush nods. "No. That's how Uncle Val is. He takes the notion of philanthropy and…" I explode my fingers apart. "Goes nuts. You can't stop it, even if it's ridiculous."
"My wife, about three or four years ago, had an idea." Dad pauses, grunting, and I hear Eliza's laugh in the background. “Here we go, darlin'. Buckled? Alright. Hold on tight. You ever been on a helo before? No? Look out the window. And if you wanna go faster, just tell Captain Beth faster, faster."
I hear her tiny voice shouting "Faster! Faster!" And then whooping in childlike glee.
Dad's back on the line, then. "So anyway. My wife thought it would be a cool idea to host free swimming clinics in some select, um, urban areas of Miami. She heard about a spate of kids drowning because they never learned how to swim due to a lack of access to swimming safety education."
"Not to be rude, mate, but so fuckin' what? We're still on the ground, here."
"So, Val heard about this and created a billion-dollar foundation that installs public pools in inner city areas all over the US, with free swimming clinics every weekend, and they also hand out free life jackets and floaties. Layla was just thinking a single weekend event at a public pool, and Val went and spent a billion fucking dollars on it. That's my point. That was because his wife had a random idea. Your girl is sick—this is personal. He can bring the experimental drugs to you, so he did. It wouldn't happen for anyone else, but he probably made a massive grant to them or something, and now your girl is gonna get the treatment she needs in the comfort of her own home. And knowing him, he's probably not done."
"Jesus. I…" he covers his face. "I dunno know what to say."
"Well, when you meet him, start with thank you."
"Mr. Harris, sir." Rush swallows hard. "You and your crew. I…I owe you. All of you. You saved my girl. I'll never be able to thank you enough. Not ever."
"Son, when people involve kids in adult shit, we get pissed. And trust me when I say that these fuckers who took her weren't the end of it. We won't stop until every last sad sack of shit who was part of this thing is six feet under being eaten by worms." He clears his throat. "Sorry, sweetheart. Don't repeat any of that, yeah?" He laughs. "Sorry, man, forgot she was here for a second. Point is, I'll bring her home to her grandparents and post a crew to keep watch until we're sure shih—things are settled. The medical people will be meeting us there. I also took the liberty of arranging for repairs to your in-laws' home. These fuh—um, morons made a heck of a mess."
Rush tips his head back, sniffing hard. "God, what's happening to me? I'm all…ah, fuck." he scrubs his face, shakes his head like a bear stung by a bee, stomps a foot. "Thank you, Mr. Harris. Thank you."
