Chapter 91:  I Want To Help

            “Harry!”  Ted called out his name with such cheerful convention as he was driving inside his car and heading back to his place from Pitts Mercy.

“Hi, Teddy,” Harold moaned.  He had just left his ex-wife and was standing outside the entrance of that hospital inside West Virginia.  He had his back leaned up against the building while conversing on his cell; and Ted detected the grogginess in the other man’s voice, and could tell from just that short greeting that Harry was in a really bad way.

“Are you all right, Harry?  You don’t sound like it.”

“I’m okay, Teddy; I just needed to hear your voice that’s all.”

“You’re not all right.  I can certainly tell that.  What’s wrong, Harry?”

“It’s nothing really, and besides I don’t want to burden you with my problems.”

“You don’t have to burden me, Harry; maybe I can help you.”

“You can’t.”

“Let me be the judge of that… will you?  What’s wrong, Harry?”

Harold started sniffing then, and Ted was sure then that he had been crying.  “I said it’s no big deal.”

“And, I offered you my help; and I KNOW it’s a big deal.  Now confine in me, Harold?  What’s been making you cry?  A grown man, especially as masculine as you… don’t cry so easily so…  Oh, my GOD… it’s your daughter isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s Roxy… but what can you do about it, Teddy?”

“Like I said, Harry, I can help.”

“No you can’t, Teddy.  Not unless you have a few millions stashed away somewhere.”  Harold kidded between sobs; he had just taken it for granted that Ted didn’t have a lot of money.

“I do.”

“What!”

“You’re kidding me, right, Harold?  That doesn’t really amaze you do it?  You’ve been inside my luxurious car and townhouse.  What did you think?  I acquired all that inside a raffle or something?  I got money, Harold… a helluva lot of it.  I’m the CFO in the company I work for.  Never mind my high 6-digit salary, but I could retire on my company’s stock options alone.”

“But I can’t ask you to do that for me, Teddy.  You and I haven’t been dating that long.”

“Hey!  We’re talking about your daughter’s life here, Harold.  No time for haughty pride.  I’m behind the wheel right this instant.  Tell me where you are and I’ll come to your now.  Let me help, Harry; if not for your sake then for your daughter’s?  I want to help.”