A familiar car pulls in, and before she even steps out, I’m already smiling.I shouldn’t be this happy to see her, not when we’re supposed to be keeping things professional, but it’s impossible not to.
Amelia climbs out with her camera, a leather notebook and pen in hand, radiating confidence.She’s dressed in fitted black pants and a soft blue sweater that hugs her figure just right, the color making her eyes stand out.Her long brown hair with blonde tips is loose today, catching in the breeze as she walks toward me, and for a second, I just take her in, effortlessly put together and just as beautiful.
“Hey.”I hold out her coffee.“Thought you might need this.”
“You remembered.Thank you.”She accepts it with a small smile.Then walks toward the table and sits down, flipping open her notebook with slightly less urgency than usual.“Let’s get started,” she says, her voice softer than yesterday but still focused.“We’ll do the interview first, and then I’ll grab your picture.”
Something feels off today.As if something’s bothering her.
I lean forward slightly, covering her hand with mine.“Everything okay?”
She glances up.“Yeah, just… trying to stay professional.”
I nod, understanding exactly what she means, so I pull my hand away, and her grip on her pen shifts.
I watch as she pulls out her phone and sets it between us.“Mind if I record this?”Her finger hovers over the screen.
“Go ahead,” I say, waving to the phone.
The red dot appears, and suddenly, my story settles on me like stone, but I push through.“All right then.”I settle in.“Ask away.”
She nods, her expression unreadable, though I swear I catch the flicker of something… concern, maybe?
“Let’s start with the fundraiser.”
I glance down at my fingers, tapping against the coffee cup.My throat tightens.“I guess I should tell you why it meant so much to me.”The words feel heavier than they should.“My mom left when I was twelve.It was just me and my dad after that.”
Shifting in my chair, my grip tightens around the cup.The familiar ache spreads through my chest; it never gets easier talking about him.“He was my rock.The kind of man who worked hard, never complained, and always put me first.And then, a year ago, he passed away.”
Amelia doesn’t move, but I can feel her attention on me like a steady pulse.I clear my throat.“He had a massive heart attack.We were at home.I remember performing CPR, my hands pressing down on his chest, counting in my head, yelling at him to wake up.I don’t even remember calling the ambulance… just the feeling of helplessness.”
I can feel myself pulling inward, like I’m trying to protect myself from the memory as I’m sharing it.“It was like an out-of-body experience.When it’s someone you love, when you’re trained to save lives, and you still can’t do a damn thing...it destroys you.I had no medical equipment at home, and by the time the paramedics arrived, they told me to stop.But I couldn’t.I just… couldn’t.I kept going, even when they pulled me back.Even when I knew it was too late.”
The forest around us rustles, birds chirp, and branches sway in the breeze, but all I hear is the sound of my father’s last breaths.My throat tightens, and I have to force myself to breathe normally.
I close my eyes, trying to pull myself together, before I reopen them and speak.“From that moment on, I made it my mission to make sure no one else died in my hands.I know it’s stupid to think that way… I mean, death is inevitable, but I swore I’d do everything I could to stop it when I had the chance.”
Amelia’s focus is intense, but in the caught-off-guard kind of way.Like she’s truly taking in everything I have to say.I drag a hand through my hair, not caring that I’m messing it up for the photo.
“That’s why, when I was at my last job, I couldn’t accept the dismissal of a patient.They were deteriorating, and I wanted to try something… anything… but the orders from my senior said no.I wasn’t supposed to intervene.But I couldn’t just stand there and let them die.So I did something.”I can still see that patient’s face, still remember the way the monitors looked, the moment when I made the decision that would change everything.
A beat of silence.Then her soft voice asks, “What happened?”
The combination of my dad’s death, the patient, the lawsuit, everything crashes over me, and for a minute, I’m not sure I can get the words out.My throat feels raw.“I ordered extra tests, imaging, even tried new medication, but sadly, he died anyway.”
Her lips part slightly, but she doesn’t say anything.
“The board didn’t like that I went against orders.Six years of my life at that hospital meant nothing.The patient’s family called it negligence.They didn’t know… didn’t care that I was trying to give them a chance.They only saw a doctor who didn’t follow protocol.And I get it, but all I could think about was what that family must have felt, losing someone they loved just like I did.”I’ve never told anyone this, well, not the whole story, not like this.It doesn’t feel as terrifying as I thought it would.
I rub my jaw, staring down at the table.The frustration that’s been building for months finally spills over.“Nobody gets to tell me how to feel.Not when they still have their brothers, sisters, or parents.I have no one.So all my care goes into my patients.”
Amelia sits quietly, the conversation hanging between us.
“And do you think you’ve changed?”she asks softly.“Now that you’ve moved here?”
I think about it for a moment.Images flash through my mind—the fundraiser, the community coming together, the way people here actually seem to care about each other.It’s different from the isolation I felt at my last job, but the drive is still there.“Not in terms of wanting to help people.That will never change.But I’ve learned that this path isn’t easy.And it never will be.”
My fingers tighten around my coffee cup.“The CT scanner project bothers me because I know what a difference it could make.I became a doctor to save lives.And I’ll do everything in my power to help.That’s why I’m grateful to everyone who donated their time, their hard work, and their money to this.It will change lives.”
