Chapter 3: Collision Course

Sophie had always believed that rock bottom was a solid place—somewhere you hit and then began the long climb back up. She was beginning to realize that rock bottom was more like quicksand: the more you struggled, the deeper you sank.

She sat in the waiting room of Mercy General Hospital, surrounded by the familiar smell of disinfectant and despair, holding a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. Visiting hours were almost over, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. Not when leaving meant facing the stack of bills on her kitchen table, the eviction notice in her purse, and the growing certainty that she was failing the one person who had never failed her.

"Sophie?"

She looked up to find Dr. Patel approaching, his expression carefully neutral in the way that medical professionals perfected—revealing nothing while somehow conveying everything.

"How is he today?"

"Stable. The new medication seems to be helping with the confusion, but..." Dr. Patel sat down beside her, his scrubs wrinkled from what was clearly a long shift. "We need to talk about the payment situation."

Sophie's stomach clenched. "I know. I'm working on it."

"The hospital administration is putting pressure on all of us to resolve outstanding accounts. I've bought you as much time as I can, but if we don't see some movement soon..."

"You'll discharge him." Sophie finished the sentence he was too kind to speak.

"We'll have to transfer him to a county facility. The level of care won't be the same."

Sophie closed her eyes, fighting back the familiar sting of tears. She'd already cried enough for one day—for one lifetime, really. "How long do I have?"

"A week. Maybe two if I can make the case that his condition is too unstable for transfer."

A week. Sophie nodded, as if two weeks was a reasonable amount of time to come up with forty-three thousand dollars. "Thank you for everything you've done for him. For us."

Dr. Patel patted her shoulder gently. "Your father is a good man. He talks about you constantly—how proud he is, how you're going to change the world." He stood up, checking his watch. "Don't give up yet, Sophie. Sometimes help comes from unexpected places."

After he left, Sophie made her way to her father's room. James Chen was awake, staring out the window at the storm raging beyond the glass. At fifty-eight, he still had the broad shoulders and calloused hands of the construction worker he'd been for thirty years, but the illness had stolen some of his vitality, leaving him looking smaller somehow.

"Hey, Dad."

His face lit up when he saw her, the confusion that sometimes clouded his features clearing completely. "Sophie! I was just thinking about your mother. Do you remember how she used to dance in the rain?"

Sophie pulled a chair close to his bed, taking his weathered hand in hers. "I remember."

"She said rain was just the sky cleaning itself, getting ready for something beautiful." James squeezed her hand. "How was work today?"

Sophie hesitated. She hadn't told him about losing her job—hadn't wanted to add to his worries. But sitting there in the hospital room, surrounded by machines that were keeping him stable and bills that were destroying her, she found herself wanting to be honest.

"I lost my job today."

If she'd expected shock or disappointment, she was surprised by his reaction. James Chen smiled—actually smiled—and patted her hand.

"Good."

"Good? Dad, how is that good?"

"Because you were too smart for that place anyway. They never appreciated what they had." His eyes were clearer than she'd seen them in weeks. "Sometimes the universe has to push us off the path we think we're supposed to be on."

Sophie blinked, remembering Mrs. Martinez saying almost the same thing. "What if I can't find another path? What if I can't take care of you?"

"Sweet girl, you've been taking care of me since you were twelve years old. When your mother died, you became the adult in our house. You made sure I ate, made sure I got to work, helped me figure out how to be a single father." James's voice was soft but firm. "You've spent your whole life putting everyone else first. Maybe it's time you did something for yourself."

"Taking care of you isn't a burden, Dad. It's what family does."

"I know. But family also means wanting what's best for each other. And what's best for you isn't sitting in this hospital room worrying about an old man who's lived a full life."

Before Sophie could argue, her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:

Still interested in unconventional work? Meet me at Café Luna tomorrow at 10 AM. Ask for Elena. - Mrs. M

Sophie stared at the message, her heart racing. Mrs. Martinez had actually followed through on her cryptic offer. Whatever this unconventional work was, it felt like a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman.

"Everything okay?" her father asked, noticing her expression.

"Maybe." Sophie squeezed his hand. "Dad, if I had a chance to fix everything—all of it—but it meant doing something that might seem crazy, would you want me to take it?"

James Chen studied his daughter's face, seeing something there that reminded him of her mother—a fierce determination that could move mountains when properly motivated.

"Your mother used to say that sometimes the craziest thing you can do is play it safe." He smiled. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Sophie almost laughed. Given her current situation, the worst that could happen was that she'd end up exactly where she already was—broke, unemployed, and out of options. At least this way, she'd know she'd tried everything.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, sweet girl. Now go home and get some rest. Tomorrow might be the day everything changes."