“You can come back when you’re ready to cancel that procedure and talk to me like a partner.”

“I’m not canceling the surgery.”

“If you want to go running to lawyers, you can figure out how to pay for that hospital room by yourself.”

He hung up.

The screen went dark in my hand.

I stood on the concrete step, staring at the motionless garage door.

I didn’t knock on the heavy wood.

I turned around, went back to my car and drove away from the house.