Doctor Aris looked down at the liquid, then tapped his pen twice against the metal clip of his board.

“A full toxicology screening costs four hundred dollars,” he said, clearing his throat before giving the price.

“And our clinic requires payment up front before we begin any testing.”

I opened my purse and took out twenty twenty-dollar bills, counting them onto the slick surface one by one.

That four hundred dollars came straight out of my personal emergency fund, leaving me with almost nothing in my original savings account.

Doctor Aris picked up the money, opened a metal drawer, and lifted the plastic sample container by its cap.