“Our health insurance has a three-thousand-dollar deductible before they pay a single cent of specialist imaging.”

He paused while a floor nurse rolled a blood pressure cart past us.

“I’m not letting this hospital run up thousands of dollars in unnecessary tests when she just needs rest,” he said.

“Who is this Dr.

Collins anyway?” Daniel added, cutting himself off halfway.

“Some emergency doctor trying to pad hospital admissions?”

“She doesn’t just need rest, Daniel,” I said.

“She has a mass the size of an orange.”