373 Guests from Idaho 3

~ Seattle, the Franciscan Medical Center ~

8:51 AM

In the main entry hall…

"Thank you for meeting with us, Liz…", Sabrina said while giving Liz a big hug.

"Don't worry about it, Rina."

Liz didn't want Sabrina to make a big deal out of this. Today is Liz's day in the lab, and she can take breaks anytime because her interns are proficient in dealing with minor tasks independently. Liz mostly gives them what to work on, and then checks on their progress later.

Sabrina introduced Liz to Adam, Cynthia, and Angela.

Liz helped Adam and Cynthia to connect with the right nurse who whisked them to their appointment, and then Liz went with Sabrina and Angela to her office.

"Is it OK for us to stay here?", Sabrina asked Liz while making herself comfortable on the sofa.

"Yes, don't worry about it. I don't have patients today. Would you like something to drink while we wait?"

Sabrina and Angela refused drinks. They had breakfast before coming to the hospital.

"So… first time in Seattle? What do you think?", Liz asked Angela who was looking through the window.

"First time.", Angela confirmed. "I haven't seen much, but so far it's good. I hope that Adam and Tia are done in time so that we can meet with Ash for lunch. I didn't get a chance to see a college campus before."

"Are you interested in sight-seeing, or are you considering enrolling?", Liz asked.

Angela's mood dropped by a few degrees. "Just sigh-seeing."

Liz saw that there is more, and she continued probing. "Are you sure?"

"I am not a genius like Ash to get a full scholarship, and we can't afford the cost."

Sabrina frowned, displeased by Angela's low self-esteem. "I am not a genius, yet I went to college." She wanted to give Liz as an example as well, but she gave up on that idea when she remembered Liz's history; it will only make Angela depressed to find out that she is surrounded with overachievers who are blessed with extra brain cells.

Sabrina focused on Angela. "For college, you need to study and prepare for exams. Some people need to study harder than others, but that does not make them less worthy. What matters is that you graduate, and no one will ask you about your GPS or how many all-nighters you had to pull through. As for the cost, many students work part-time to supplement their income while going to school."

Angela smiled sadly. "You are saying like it's easy."

"But it is easy…", Liz responded. "Anyone can enroll in college, but not everyone will finish it and take advantage of that education. What you need to do is ask yourself how bad you want it, and everything else can be sorted out."

Sabrina nodded in agreement with Liz's words and added: "For the money, maybe you don't get a scholarship, but you can always work part-time. Ashton did it. I am planning to expand my design studio soon, and I will need extra people, so if you are interested, we can do a trial for a few weeks and see if that works for you. I can't promise that you will be rich working for me, but we can agree on a flexible schedule that will allow you to attend your classes. And also, there are bank loans. As long as you are serious about college, I will be your loan co-signer and you can pay me off after you graduate. Another big thing is housing, but with your brother and sister-in-law", Sabrina gestured toward herself, "being in Seattle, you don't need to worry about it because we have a room you can use if you wish. When we go to the University, we can ask Ashton to take us to the administration and you can gather information about financing and courses…"

Angela's eyes lit up. She loves her family, but she does not see herself at the Grand Farm. She graduated from high-school two years ago and since then Angela wonders what she will do with her life. Leaving the farm without education sounds like a futile attempt to escape, and she does not dare to mention college to her parents because it's expensive. But it can't hurt to gather some information, right? And Sabrina and Liz are making it sound like it's achievable.

Angela started asking questions about college and Seattle, and Sabrina and Liz were happy to answer. They even opened the website of the University and checked available courses. With their chatter, more than one hour passed swiftly.

A nurse escorted Adam and Cynthia to Liz's office.

"Are you OK?", Angela asked Adam who was flushed.

"He is fine.", Cynthia responded. "A bit embarrassed and overwhelmed, but it's fine."

Based on Adam's expression and Cynthia's response, Angela assumed that they found out that Adam is the problem why they can't conceive a baby.

"Your tool is not working?", Angela asked her brother without a filter.

Adam frowned and Cynthia held his hand, to stop him from blowing up.

"We only had some tests, and we will hear results and discuss options tomorrow afternoon.", Cynthia explained.

"Why is Adam sulking then?", Angela was not willing to let it go.

"Because he needed to give a sample and…"

"Why are you talking like I'm not here?", Adam grumbled, interrupting Cynthia.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Because you are not saying anything."

"Maybe because I don't want to talk about it."

Adam didn't like that four women want to discuss him giving a sample. It is one thing when he checks lecherous magazines and pleasures himself in secrecy, but now he had to do it in a room while nurses waited in the hallway for him to finish!

Liz cleared her throat to stop the possible escalation and plastered her professional smile that is usually reserved for her patients. "Adam, you should know that if you go ahead with fertility treatments, you will need to provide many samples and there will be other tests that will include touching and… what I'm trying to say is that you should get used to it."

Adam's fighting spirit subsided. "It is one thing when a medical professional is discussing my private parts, but I don't want to talk about it with my little sister."

Angela wanted to say something, but she saw that Cynthia is glaring at her, so she lowered her head. "Sorry, Adam. I will not talk about it anymore…"

Adam smiled victoriously and his smile fell when he heard Angela mumbling: "In front of you."

Cynthia and Sabrina burst into a laugh. Angela is cheeky.

Liz also thought that it's funny, but as a medical professional, she learned to control her poker face.

"How are you guys holding on?", Liz asked Cynthia and Adam when the laugher subsided.

"It's nerve-wracking.", Cynthia admitted.

Liz nodded. "That is understandable. But try not to stress too much over things you can't control. You decided to get this checked and the first step is done. Now it's in the hands of the specialists to go through the results of your tests and to inform you about possible solutions. Tomorrow you will find out the results and you will be presented with options, but keep in mind that there is a chance results are not conclusive and that further tests will be needed. Until then, try to stay positive and distract yourself. How about I show you around?"

Cynthia and Adam glanced at Sabrina who told them that they have time. 

After a mini-tour of the hospital, they ended up in the cafeteria with a beverage each.

"Are you free for dinner tonight?", Sabrina asked Liz. "Maybe we can all go out."

Liz didn't want to reject right away, but agreeing was not an option. "I will need to talk to Max. We usually don't go out on weekdays. I'm flexible, but Max has set work hours and if he ends up being late or tired, it won't be good."

Sabrina made a face. "I see you made a man out of him."

Liz shook her head in disapproval. No one can diss Max, not even his sister. "Don't say that about your brother. He was a man before we met, but now he is taking his work seriously and I don't want to be an obstacle. We keep a steady schedule for the weekdays, but we are flexible on the weekends."

Sabrina smiled. She likes that Liz defended Max and she understood that Liz does not want to go out on the weekday. "Alright. We can plan to meet for dinner on Friday I will be in touch. While on the topic of tomorrow... how about a spa-day in the morning?"

Sabrina glanced at Cynthia and Angela whose eyes sparkled.

Adam wanted to ask, why are they talking like he is not there? But then he feared that Sabrina will drag him to the spa as well. He will rather stay in the apartment and watch television.

Liz agreed with the spa. You can never pamper yourself too much. "Call Mia, Bri, and Andrea and see if they want to join..."

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