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My name is Zhang Wei, I am 30 years old, I have been working for more than five years as a programmer in an Internet company. I had a very ordinary life, working 9 to 5 every day, and sometimes I had to work overtime. Although the work is stable, it is not a small pressure. I live in a small apartment in the city center, alone. My parents divorced five years ago, my mother is in my hometown, and my father remarried and lives with my stepmother.
It was Friday, I had just gotten off work, and I was about to go home when I suddenly got a phone call. It was my dad calling. In fact, he rarely took the initiative to call me, except for urgent matters. When I heard his voice, my heart immediately became alarmed.
"Hey, Dad, what's the matter?" I asked as I walked towards the subway station.
"Your mother is hospitalized and needs you to pay 20,000 yuan, so you quickly transfer the money to me. She's not doing well this time, and I'm with her. When he spoke, his voice was a little anxious.
I stopped, and my mind immediately began to spin. Mom is hospitalized? How is this possible? I was on the phone with her the other day and it sounded good. What's more, when my dad says "mom", he is obviously referring to my stepmother, not my biological mother.
"Dad, which mom are you talking about?" I asked tentatively.
"Your stepmother! She got sick, was admitted to the hospital, and is now in dire need of money for treatment. You're a son, how can you not help? Hurry up, I'll wait. His tone became a little impatient.
I was standing on the platform of a subway station, surrounded by people. I suddenly felt a wave of helplessness. After my parents divorced, I chose to live with my mother, while my father lived with his new wife. I didn't have much emotional connection with my stepmom, and she didn't even like me very much. Every time we met, she always complained about this and that. I knew in my heart that she had never treated me like her son.
"Dad, I'm near the company now, it's inconvenient for the time being, I'll contact you later." I wanted to stall for a moment and see what really happened.
"You kid, why are you so ignorant! It's your stepmom! Hurry up and turn the money over, you can't wait. There was a hint of anger in Dad's voice.
Hanging up, I was lost in thought. My stepmom is hospitalized, should I help? However, my heart tells me that I care more about my biological mother. So, I decided to call my mother first.
"Hey, Mom, are you okay?" I asked tentatively.
"That's good, why did you call all of a sudden? Can I help you? Mom's voice was as gentle as ever.
"Oh, nothing, just wanted to ask how you've been doing. Dad just called me and said that my stepmother was hospitalized and asked me to give me 20,000 yuan. I don't really understand what the hell is going on. I explained in as calm a tone as I could.
"Oh, yes, I've heard about it. They were admitted to the hospital last week. But your dad should have money, so you don't have to worry too much. Mom seemed a little indifferent.
I stood in the subway station and watched the crowd flow around me. I know that this cannot be easily passed. I need to figure out what the hell my father is up to. 20,000 yuan is not a small amount, and I don't want to give it away casually, especially considering the relationship between me and my stepmother.
"Mom, do you need any help lately? I can go over and see you. It occurred to me that since I wanted to help, I should help my real mother first.
"No, no, I'm fine. It's your dad's, you better go over and take a look, after all, it's your stepmother, she might really need help now. Mom's tone was still gentle, but I could tell she didn't want me to get involved with her and my dad.
After hanging up the phone, I decided to go home first and wait until the next day to make a decision. I knew in my heart that this call was just the beginning and that I had to handle it carefully. My stepmother was hospitalized and my father asked me to give money, so there must be a lot of stories waiting for me to uncover.
Back in the apartment, I threw my bag on the couch and slumped in my chair, still thinking about the phone call. I haven't had much contact with my father in the past few years, especially since he lived with his stepmother, and the relationship has become weaker and weaker. During the time when my parents divorced, I went through a very painful time. In order to avoid trouble, I chose to live with my mother, while my father went to another city and started his new life. While I know he's doing well, there seems to be less intimacy between us.
Just as I was thinking about it, my phone rang again, it was my dad calling. I took a deep breath and picked up the phone.
"Hey, Dad, what's wrong?"
"Haven't you turned the money over yet? Do you know how bad your stepmom is right now? The cost of the hospital is not cheap! There was a mixture of anxiety and anger in his voice.
"Dad, I'm on the road, things have to take your time. You're going to tell my stepmom what the hell happened, and I need to know where the money is going. I tried to stay as calm as I could, trying to get more information from him.
"She had a rare disease, and the doctor said that she would have to have surgery, plus the cost of follow-up treatment, it would definitely require a lot of money. You are her son and should not watch her suffer. Dad's voice was a little impatient.
"I'm not her son, I'm your son. I have to think about it. "I suddenly got a little emotional, and even though I knew I shouldn't be saying it at this time, I couldn't control it.
"How can you talk like that! She has always treated you as her own son, and it hurts her heart so much that you do this. He was a little angry, with a hint of reproach in his voice.
I sighed, knowing that continuing to argue with him would only complicate the situation. So I decided to approach it differently.
"Dad, I'll go to the hospital tomorrow to see you and my stepmother, okay? Let's talk in person, and I think it's better. I said.
"Okay, you come early, we'll wait for you. You know, this kind of thing can't be delayed. He hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, I felt a little helpless. My relationship with my stepmom has been delicate all these years, she was always critical of me and seemed unhappy with my presence. And I also know that she and my father are not doing very well, and the family has always been under great financial pressure. I remembered the last time I saw her, she had been complaining about all kinds of trivial things in life, and I was just listening to it and didn't dare to say anything.
Early the next morning, I took a taxi to the hospital. At the entrance of the hospital, I saw my father standing in the doorway smoking, he looked a little tired, and there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes. I walked over and he saw me and nodded.
"Dad, how's your stepmother?" I asked.
"Still in the operating room, the doctor said the operation was more complicated and could take several hours." He snuffed out the cigarette butt and sighed.
I nodded and followed him to the hospital. Walking into the ward area, I saw that my stepmother's bed was empty, and there were only a few nursing staff busy in the ward. My father and I found a place to sit and wait for the results of the surgery.
"Dad, how much did it cost to stay in the hospital? I need to know the specifics. I asked.
"Now it has cost almost 30,000 yuan, and the doctor said that follow-up treatment may need more. You know it's not easy to treat. He said.
I nodded, and began to count my savings. Although my monthly salary is not low, it is not easy to come up with tens of thousands of dollars at once. I thought about it and decided not to transfer money for the time being, until I saw the results of the surgery.
Just then, the door to the operating room opened, and a doctor walked out. He looked tired, but with a hint of a smile on his face.
"The operation was successful and the patient has now been transferred to the intensive care unit. This is followed by observation for a period of time, and if there are no complications, you can be transferred to a general ward. The doctor said.
I was relieved to hear the news. My father looked a little more relaxed, and he looked at me with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
"You go to the hospital now, pay the fee. I'm going to stay here and take care of her. He said.
I hesitated, but finally nodded and walked to the hospital's billing office. I knew in my heart that the cost of this hospitalization would definitely not be less, but I decided to pay part of the cost first and see what happens next. After all, I can't let my stepmother delay her treatment because of money.
I went to the hospital's toll office and saw a long queue to pay. There were all kinds of people in the crowd, some frowning, some whispering, obviously all here to go through the procedures for their loved ones to be hospitalized. I glanced at the people in front of me and knew it was going to be a long wait.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, it was finally my turn. I walked to the window and handed over the doctor's bill. The staff glanced at it and said, "The cost of this operation, plus hospitalization fees, medicine fees, and various nursing fees, is a total of 45,000 yuan." ”
My heart sank, it was more than I could have imagined. But now I can't help it, the surgery has been done, and the person is in the intensive care unit, so I can only pay hard. I handed over the bank card, the staff swiped the card on the machine, entered the password, and everything was done.
After paying the fee, I returned to the ward and saw my father still lingering at the door of the operating room. He saw me coming and asked, "All the money has been paid?" ”
"Handed over, a total of forty-five thousand." I nodded and asked him what to do next.
"Well, since we've paid the money, let's wait. The doctor said that he would be observed for a period of time, and if there were no problems, he could be transferred to a general ward. He said.
We sat on a bench in the hallway, surrounded by family members of other patients, all of whom were also waiting for the outcome of the surgery. After a while, my phone rang, it was my mom calling.
"Hey, Mom, I'm in the hospital." I picked up the phone.
"I know, your dad called me. How are you now? Is it still going well? Mom's voice sounded a little concerned.
"It's okay, my stepmother's operation was successful, and she is still in the intensive care unit, and she will be transferred to the general ward later." I said.
"Oh, that's good. Be careful, don't get too tired. After Mom finished speaking, I felt that she was a little hesitant, as if she had something to say.
"Mom, is there anything else you can do?" I asked.
"It's nothing, I just think your dad seems to be a little too anxious this time. I think you'd better be careful not to let them take your money away. Mom said a little worriedly.
"I know, Mom. I'll take notice. I comforted her.
Hanging up, I felt a hint of pressure. Mom's words made me a little nervous, and I began to wonder if Dad had other plans. I don't know how serious my stepmother's condition is or how much the treatment will cost.
At this moment, the door of the operating room opened again, and the doctor came out and said to us, "The patient can be transferred to the general ward, but it will take a period of observation and treatment, and you must be mentally prepared." ”
We followed the doctor to the general ward and saw my stepmother lying on the bed, pale and very weak. She still has an IV tube in her hand, and the smell of disinfectant water fills the room. Looking at her appearance, I feel a little sad in my heart, after all, she is also my family.
Dad was taking care of her and nodded slightly when he saw us coming in. I walked over and whispered, "Stepmother, how are you?" Did the surgery go well? ”
When she opened her eyes and saw me, she smiled reluctantly and said, "It's okay, the doctor said that the operation was successful, but I will have to stay in the hospital for a while, and I will not be discharged until I recover." ”
I nodded, sat down next to the bed, and chatted with her. At this time, my dad suddenly pulled me aside and said, "You can help me look at the list of hospitalization expenses, I think there is a problem." ”
I took the list of expenses he handed me and saw that there were all kinds of expenses listed, including surgery fees, hospitalization fees, medicine fees, and so on. I took a closer look and it did seem that some of the fees were a bit excessive, and I began to wonder if the hospital was charging a little indiscriminately.
"Dad, these fees seem a little wrong, do you want to ask the doctor?" I say.
"You can help me ask, I'm here to take care of her. You know, I don't know much about that. He said.
So, I took the list of expenses, went to the nurse's station, found a nurse, and asked her if the fees were reasonable. The nurse took a look at it and said, "These fees are all stipulated by the hospital, and some special drugs may be used during the operation, so the cost will be higher." ”
Hearing her say this, I didn't want to ask any further, so I could only nod and go back to the ward. My dad saw me come back and asked, "How is it?" Did you make it clear? ”
"The nurse said it was a normal cost, probably because of the special drugs used during the operation, so the cost would be higher." I explained.
He nodded, looking somewhat relieved. I sat next to the hospital bed, looked at my stepmother's face, and thought about what to do next. This hospitalization has cost a lot of money, but I may need more follow-up treatment, and I have to think about how to deal with this problem.
Just then, I heard a commotion coming from the other end of the hallway. Several people were surrounding the doctor, talking excitedly. The doctors kept reassuring them, but they were emotional, as if they were a little dissatisfied with the treatment process. My dad looked up, then lowered his head and continued to take care of my stepmother. He didn't seem interested in caring about other people's business, and I sensed that the atmosphere in the hospital was a little tense.
"Dad, I may only be able to help you pay part of the money for this hospitalization. After all, my financial situation is also limited. I said tentatively. I had to let him know that I wasn't an ATM and couldn't give him money endlessly.
He looked up at me with a slight look of disappointment on his face, but then nodded and said, "I know you won't be easy. Let's find a way to scrape together some money and see if we can borrow some. ”
"Well, I can ask a friend for you, but there's no guarantee that you'll be able to borrow it." I say.
As she spoke, a nurse walked into the room and told us that the stepmother needed to do a series of tests to determine how well she would recover after the surgery. She took out a list and said, "These are the tests that need to be done next, and the cost is about five thousand yuan." ”
I took the order and felt that the cost of this hospitalization had exceeded my expectations. My dad looked at the list, sighed, and said, "Why are there so many tests?" Is everything so expensive? ”
"This is a hospital regulation and in order to ensure the recovery of the patient, we need to carry out a detailed examination." The nurse patiently explained.
"Okay, let's do it then." My dad said.
I accompanied him to the hospital's billing office, and waited in line for a while before I paid for the examination. After paying the fee, we returned to the ward and saw that the stepmother had been wheeled into the examination room. My dad was standing in the hallway, looking a little tired. I walked over and stood with him.
"Dad, the cost this time is too high. We have to find a way to raise money, otherwise what will happen to the treatment later? I said.
"I know, I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it yet, we'll see what to do when she recovers. He said.
While we were discussing, my phone rang again. This time it was my mom calling. I picked up the phone and heard her voice a little anxious.
"Hey, Mom, what's wrong?"
"Your dad called me again, and he said he needed more help from you, and said that my stepmother was very sick and might need more money." She said.
"He's really annoying, I've already paid some money for him, why hasn't it been endless?" I said a little angrily.
"I don't know what he thinks, but you have to be careful not to get too pushed too hard by him. You still have your own lives, don't sacrifice too much for them. "Mom reminded me.
"I know, I'll be careful. Mom, don't worry, I won't let them embarrass me. I comforted her.
After hanging up the phone, I felt that the matter of this hospitalization was getting more and more complicated. My dad seemed to want me to help him share more of the costs, but I knew it wasn't a long-term solution. I have to find a way to solve this problem instead of just paying for it.
Just as I was thinking about it, my dad suddenly said, "Do you want to see your stepmother?" She may need your company. ”
I nodded, walked into the exam room, and saw my stepmother lying on the bed with a tired look on her face. I sat next to her and whispered, "Stepmother, are you okay?" How can I help? ”
She opened her eyes, looked at me, seemed a little surprised, and said, "Why are you still here?" Aren't you very busy? ”
"yes, but my dad said you need someone to take care of you, so I'll come over." I said.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, actually, I don't want to trouble you." I know you're busy at work, and I'm so happy to come and see me. ”
"It's okay, you're family, of course I'm going to come over and have a look. Don't worry, I'll help you and my dad solve the problem. I comforted her.
We chatted for a while, and my stepmom seemed to be feeling better, but I knew that her condition would take time to recover. Next, I had to find a way to raise money to make sure her treatment went smoothly. I began to wonder what other friends I could help with, and how long I would be able to hold on to my own savings. Anyway, I'm going to have to make sure that this hospital stay is over smoothly and then I'm going to fix the other issues.
When I came out of the exam room, I kept thinking about how to deal with this huge expense. Not only does this hospitalization cost a lot of money, but it is not known what will happen next. My dad was waiting for me at the door of the ward, and he looked a little tired.
"Dad, I think we need to find a proper way to solve this problem. You can't just cramble like this every time. I said.
"You're right, but there's no way around it now, we can only take it one step at a time. Your stepmother's condition cannot be delayed, and doctors say she may need a longer recovery. "My dad looked a little helpless.
At this moment, I received a call from my friend Wang Lei. He was my college classmate and a pretty reliable person.
"Hey, Weizi, I heard that you have something at home, do you need help?" He asked straight to the point.
"Yes, my dad asked me to raise money for him, saying that my stepmother was hospitalized, and the cost was very high. I have a bit of a headache right now and don't know what to do. I sighed.
"That's it, I have some spare money on hand, so I'll lend you 20,000 yuan first, which can be regarded as helping you solve your urgent needs. You don't have to worry about repaying the money, and you'll pay me back when you have the ability. Wang Lei said very happily.
I said gratefully, "Thank you, Leizi, 20,000 yuan is too important to me." I will pay you back as soon as possible. ”
After hanging up the phone, I felt a little lighter, at least with some emergency funds. My dad was a little relieved when he heard me say that he had borrowed 20,000 yuan, but he began to worry about the follow-up treatment costs.
"Dad, 20,000 yuan should be able to help solve some of the expenses, but what will happen later? We can't always borrow money. I said.
"I know, I'll figure it out." He replied somewhat vaguely.
I know that there is nothing he can do, the family's financial situation has not been good, and my stepmother has no ability to work, so I rely on my dad to support the family alone. And my mother's side is not living well, so I can't reach out to her.
Just then, the doctor came again, he looked at my dad and said, "The patient's condition is stable for the time being, but he still needs to be observed for a few days." You need to be prepared that you may need more treatment in the future. ”
My dad nodded and asked, "Doctor, how long will the follow-up treatment take?" Will the cost be high? ”
The doctor shook his head and said, "It's hard to say, it depends on the patient's recovery." We try to keep the cost as low as possible, but the treatment has to be in place. ”
Hearing what the doctor said, I knew that the cost of this hospital stay would probably continue to increase. I chatted with my dad for a while and decided to see what happened next and then figure out how to fix it.
The next day, I received a call from the unit, and the leader asked me to go to the company for a meeting, saying that there was an important project that I needed to be responsible for. I had no choice but to leave the hospital first and rush to the company. After arriving at the company, I realized that this project is really important, and if it can be done well, it may bring me the opportunity for promotion. But I was still worried about my stepmother's hospitalization and worried about the situation at home.
Immediately after the meeting, I called my dad and asked how my stepmom was doing. He said that everything was normal, but the doctor said that some rehabilitation training may be needed in the future, and the cost will increase. I knew that this matter could not be delayed, so I decided to go home first and see if there was any way to solve the cost.
On the way, I started thinking that if I continued like this, my life would be difficult. I can't keep running on both sides, and I can't always empty my savings to solve problems. I thought about it and decided to have a good talk with my dad to see what he had planned.
Back at the hospital, I saw my stepmother lying in bed, looking slightly better. My dad was on the side to take care of her and it looked like it was hard. I walked over and whispered, "Dad, I think we need a plan, and we can't always deal with it like this. ”
He nodded, sighed, and said, "I know, but what now?" Hospital costs keep going up, and we simply can't do anything about it. ”
I thought about it for a moment and proposed, "Why don't we look for government assistance and see if we can apply for Medicaid." This way we can take some of the burden off our shoulders. ”
He looked at me with some skepticism and said, "Do you think this will work?" The hospital seems to be reluctant to accept the subsidy, and the procedures are very troublesome. ”
"We can give it a try, we can't just sit still." I said.
That's how I started helping my dad with the Medicaid application, hoping to alleviate some of the cost of treatment. I encountered a lot of difficulties during the process, but I knew that this matter was important to my dad and stepmother, and I couldn't give up. In the process, I gradually realized that the support and help between family members is the most important thing, and although we may not have a lot of money, as long as we work together, we can always find a solution to the problem.
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