Page 18 of Deserving Ryleigh
“Do you know where Brick is?” he asked Alaska.
“I think he’s down at the hangar with Stone and Owl, discussing helicopter things. Why? What’s going on?”
“I got a letter from Tricare. I don’t know what’s happening, but something’s wrong. I need his advice.”
Ry’s blood ran cold. She wasn’t sure why, she had no reason to feel uneasy, and yet a cold breeze felt as if it ran down her spine at Tonka’s words.
“Maybe I can help? What’d the letter say?” Alaska asked.
Ry stepped closer to the desk, needing to hear Tonka’s response.
“They claim something’s wrong with my insurance. And that they aren’t going to pay for Elizabeth’s birthorHenley’s hospital stay. I don’t understand what’s gone wrong. I tried to call them, but of course there’s like a three-hour wait to talk to someone.”
“Don’t panic,” Alaska said firmly. “Let me call Drake and get him up here. He’ll know what to do.”
“Can I see it?” Ry asked, holding out a hand for the letter.
Both Alaska and Tonka turned to her in surprise, as if they’d forgotten she was there.
Tonka didn’t hesitate to hand her the letter. Ry read it quickly, realizing it was a form letter of sorts, informing Tonka that his medical benefits were in question because of “anomalies.”
Anomalies. Yeah, right. Deep down, Ry knew this was her dad’s work. This was how he operated. He was sneaky,dirty. Liked to poke at people, hurt them a little bit at a time until they were completely broken.
She’d wanted to think that ten cents was nothing, but her instincts had been right.
It was him. Testing the waters.
“I can fix this,” she told Tonka firmly, her mind already spinning with what she needed to do and her fingers itching to get to her computer.
Tonka’s expression cleared, some of the panic he’d been feeling literally fading away before her eyes. “You can?”
Ry nodded.
“I’m not sure Tricare will talk to you.”
Ry lifted an eyebrow slightly and met Tonka’s gaze head on. “I’m not going to call them.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes.
“But if you’re not comfortable with that, you can talk to Brick. I’m sure he’ll have some ideas about how to fix this.” Ry doubted that, but she had to make the offer.
“I trust you.”
Ry had to swallow hard so as not to burst into tears.
Tonka had no idea what those three little words meant to her. He knew some of what she was capable of—not all of it, because she hadn’t opened up to anyone about her past and the things she’d done, and what she couldstilldo. But enough that he was well aware she was going to use her computer skills to figure out what was going on with his insurance.
“Will you need my social security number? And Henley’s?”
Tonka was kind of cute in his naïveté. “No.”
“But you’ll need them to?—”
“I’m sure she can find them,” Alaska said, interrupting.
“Oh…yeah. Right. Okay, well…I’m going back to the cabin. Elizabeth is a little fussy this morning and Henley didn’t get much sleep last night. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come over. Okay?”
Ry had no idea what she’d done to deserve friends like this. Frankly, shedidn’tdeserve them. But she was doing her best to make up for her past sins. “Okay. I’ll come over when I’ve figured out what the issue is.”
