“I have to do something.” She groaned and looked at him with her blue eyes. Although bloodshot, they were still beautiful, and a little dopey. “I’m a hero, did you know that?”

He smiled. “I couldn’t tell by looking at you.”

“All heroes are gamblers. But they’re not all good gamblers. I found that out big time when I got hurt.” She sighed. “I know, you have no idea what I’m talking about. It doesn’t matter. I’ll try it, what the hell.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

The market was within walking distance but he drove to save the extra minutes. He was reluctant to prescribe a home remedy to someone in so much pain. But he knew what Kathy meant—the hospital would just cut out her gallbladder. Using this technique, his mother had avoided surgery for twenty years.

But the flush worked best if one prepared for it in advance. The malic acid in apples was effective at softening the stones. That way they moved through the bile duct easier—like marshmallows as opposed to rocks. His mother would drink a gallon of apple juice every day for two weeks before a flush. Matt vowed that if her stones didn’t move within a few hours of ingesting the lemon juice and oil, he was taking Kathy to the hospital, even if he had to drag her.

He wondered how she had been injured, and why she called herself a hero. She was drugged, though; he couldn’t take her seriously.

There was plenty of olive oil and lemons at the market. He was back in her apartment in less than twenty minutes. She had turned on the TV but did not seem to be watching it. The Percocet still percolated in her bloodstream. She seemed to be having trouble focusing. He juiced the lemons and put the olive oil in a glass. He had bought the extra-light virgin kind. He hoped she could keep it all down. When he returned to the living room, she had a worried look on her face.

“What if my guts explode?” she asked.

“I’ll clean up the mess.” He sat beside her on the couch. “It might be better if you go to the bedroom. Once you drink this stuff, you won’t be able to get up and walk around without feeling nauseous.”

She took his hand. “I don’t want to go in there. It’s dark in there.”

“I can turn on the light.”

“I want to stay out here with you. I can lie down on the couch.”