The Billionaire's $500,000 baby

Liora

er in the private cardiac wing and maintain her spot on the surgery list, we require a good-faith deposit of $50,000 by 9:00 AM tomorrow. Otherwise, we will have to move her to the county public ward." "The public ward?" My voice rose to a panicked pitch. "The nurse told me they don't have the same monitoring equipment there. She could have a stroke! She's stable, but she's fragile. You can't move her!" "Nine o'clock, Miss Hayes. If the payment isn't processed, the transfer order is automatic. Have a nice night." The line went dead. I stared at the phone. Half a million dollars. I didn't even have fifty dollars in my savings account. I had been skipping meals for two weeks just to pay for the bus pass to get to the hospital. "Liora! What did I say about the phone?" Joe was suddenly right behind me. He snatched the phone from my hand. "Are you on the clock or are you on a social call?" "Joe, please," I gasped, reaching for the phone. My eyes were stinging with hot, angry tears. "That was the hospital. My mom... they're going to move her. I need to make a call. I need to find a way...." "I don't care about your ways!" Joe yelled, his face turning a dark shade of purple. "I've got customers waiting, a floor that needs mopping, and you're standing here crying like a kid. You've been distracted for weeks. You're slow. You're depressing the customers. I'm done." He threw my phone onto the counter. It skidded across the laminate and hit the floor. "You're fired, Liora. Get your stuff and get out of here girl" "Joe, you can't," I pleaded, my voice breaking. "This job is all I have. I'll work the night shifts. I'll do the dishes. Please, just don't fire me." "I just did. Out! Before I call the cops for trespassing or something " I stood there, paralyzed. The man in the flannel shirt looked away, embarrassed by the scene. I slowly reached down and picked up my phone. The screen was cracked. A jagged line ran through the middle of the time, splitting the world in half. I walked to the back, grabbed my old, thin jacket, and stepped out the back door. The winter storm had arrived in full force. The rain was freezing, turning into slush the moment it hit the ground. I didn't have an umbrella. I didn't even have a scarf. I just had the thin polyester of my uniform and the crushing weig