Stolen Read Online Free PDF Page A

keyed in the numbers as I read them. More silence. More fingers tapping away, but this time I could hear Tate make a couple deep sighs—disconcerting, to say the least—immediately followed by yet more finger tapping. I imagined Tate was seated inside a cubicle somewhere. Maybe he had a plant on his desk. A picture of his girlfriend, perhaps. Did this stranger understand the importance of our conversation? Did he realize lives were at stake? Could he relate to me as more than just a health insurance account number on the other end of his headset?
    The answer, according to Ranker.com, left little doubt.
    “So, Mr. Bodine, I’ve pulled up your health-care policy, and I’m afraid there’s a problem with the coverage.”
    I felt the floor drop out from underneath me. “What do you mean, a problem? My payments are automatically deducted from my bank account,” I said.
    “This isn’t an issue with the status of your coverage. That’s not in question.”
    “Then what is?”
    A creeping sense of dread started at my toes and began to inch its way up through my body.
    “Your plan will not cover the cost of Verbilifide, because there’s a generic alternative available,” Tate said.
    My loud and relieved sigh made Ginger look, though Ruby, still buried beneath her many blankets, didn’t budge.
    “For a second there I thought we were going to have a real problem,” I said. “The generic drug for Verbilifide isn’t available,” I explained. “You can check that with Ruby’s doctor if you need confirmation.”
    “Yes, well . . .” Tate hesitated in a way I didn’t like one bit.
    “Yes, well, what?” I said.
    “The actual availability of the medication isn’t the issue as far as our policy is concerned. Technically, there is a generic alternative.”
    My pulse started jackhammering away, and I knew my voice would waver if I tried to speak. I felt my face flush as I attempted to swallow down a simmering rage.
    “It’s not available,” I said, speaking the words loudly, as if maybe that would aid his comprehension. “It’s out of stock.”
    “Yes, well, when it gets in, it will be covered—minus your deductible, of course.”
    “Minus my . . . when it gets in stock . . . What . . . what are you trying to say?”
    Thank goodness for cordless phones. Not wanting to wake Ruby, I left the bedroom, anticipating the volcanic eruption to come.
    “I’m sorry, but this is the policy. We don’t cover brand-name drugs if there is a generic alternative.”
    “It’s not available, Mr. Tate!” I shouted into the phone, squeezing the handset so hard that my fingers ached. “How can my wife take something she can’t get? Tell me, how is that possible?”
    “I understand that you’re upset,” Tate said.
    “Upset? Upset? No, upset doesn’t even begin to cover it. Are you telling me that my wife and I are on the hook for a three-hundred-thousand-dollar course of treatment?”
    “Unless you take the generic,” Tate said.
    “I can’t get the generic! I can’t get it! What part of ‘it is not available’ don’t you understand? How is this not getting through to you?”
    A steely bolt of anger revved inside me, threatening to explode in a vitriolic tirade unless I paced the room.
    “You elected to have the most inexpensive policy,” Tate said.
    “There are a number of constraints to your drug coverage.”
    “I elected to have the most inexpensive coverage because that’s all I could afford. The monthly premiums are already ridiculously high. For what? What in the hell am I paying you for?”
    I heard footsteps behind me and whirled at the sound. Ruby ambled out of the bedroom, wrapped in a snuggly blanket. Her hair stuck out at odd angles, and she seemed unsteady on her feet. I cupped the receiver with my hand.
    “What’s going on?” she croaked out.
    “Nothing, babe,” I said. “Just talking with our insurance company. Minor hiccup. I’ll get it all worked out.”
    “Well, keep your voice