Chapter 10 - THE LIFE WE CHOOSE
Two years later.
The trauma doors at Mercyrest Medical Center flew open on a warm June afternoon.
"Chief! We’ve got a multi-vehicle collision on I-91!" Jenna yelled, rolling a tray of sterile instruments toward Bay One. "Two patients incoming, one pediatric!"
I stepped up to the scrub sink, stepping on the pedal as hot water rushed over my hands. "Type and cross, prep OR 1 and 2, page pediatric surgery!"
I scrubbed my fingers with iodine foam, my mind clear, sharp, and instantly tuned to the rhythm of saving lives.
My phone, resting on the clean counter beside the sink, buzzed with an incoming text message.
I glanced down.
It was from Nathan:
Just picked up Ruth from the train station. She brought two blueberry pies from Vermont. We’re waiting for you on the patio whenever your shift ends. Take your time, Dr. Ulette. We’ll save you the biggest slice.
A soft, genuine smile broke across my face.
I pulled my hands from the water, dried them with a sterile towel, and snapped on a fresh pair of size-seven surgical gloves.
"Dr. Ulette," the senior resident called out from the bay. "Patient is in Bay One. We’re ready for you."
"I'm coming," I said.
I pulled open the double doors and walked into the bright, white light of the trauma bay.
I was no longer the quiet girl sitting on the floor of a dorm room wondering why her family didn't love her. I was no longer the daughter erasing herself to fit into someone else's photo frame.
I was a surgeon.
I was a wife.
May you like
I was a friend.
And as I took the scalpel into my steady, unshakeable hand, I knew that the family you build with truth will always stand stronger than the one you lose to a lie.
