“You gave her that today,” Rosa continued. “In front of everyone. No hiding. No qualifications. Justyou’re worth everything. Do you know how rare that is?”
Maggie’s eyes stung. “She’s worth it.”
“I know,” Rosa said. “And now she knows you know. That matters.”
That evening, after dinner, Evie dragged Maggie back out to the patio—the same spot where Rosa had cornered her the night before.
“I need to say something,” Evie said.
“Okay.”
“This morning—what you did—” Evie’s voice caught. “Nobody’s ever chosen me like that before. Not publicly. Not without hesitation. Just... completely.”
“You’re worth choosing completely,” Maggie said.
“I know that now,” Evie replied. “Because you showed me. And Maggie—I’m going to transfer to Cedar-Sinai. After I finish at Oakridge. I don’t want to be at separate hospitals. I want to work with you. Learn from you. Build something together.”
“You don’t have to decide that now?—”
“I’m not deciding,” Evie interrupted. “I’ve known since the second you told me what you were going to do. If you’re brave enough to leave Oakridge, I’m brave enough to follow you to Cedar-Sinai.”
Maggie pulled her close. “We’re really doing this.”
“We really are,” Evie confirmed.
They stood there in the cool December air, holding each other, both of them feeling the weight of impossible lifting.
“Two weeks,” Evie said. “Two weeks and you start at Cedar-Sinai.”
“Two weeks and we don’t have to hide anymore,” Maggie corrected.
“I can’t wait,” Evie whispered.
“Me neither.”
“I think this is the best Christmas ever. I’m not even joking,” Evie laughed.
“I think this is the happiest I’ve ever felt. I feel so much lighter. I feel alive again, and it’s all because you walked into my life and made me question everything. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
“It’s because it didn’t take me long to realise I loved you, and that you are worth the fight. Worth the thaw. Worth it all,” Evie replied before softly kissing Maggie’s lips.
“I love you too, so much, and I’ll do anything to make you happy,” Maggie said with the widest smile she’d felt on her face in a very long time.
EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
Six Months Later – Cedar-Sinai Medical Center
The morning sun cut through the Los Angeles smog in sharp, golden lines, painting the Cedar-Sinai cafeteria in warm light that made even hospital coffee look almost appetizing.
Maggie sat at their usual table—the one by the window overlooking the courtyard—with two cups of mediocre coffee and a patience she’d earned through six months of learning to wait for the good things.
She checked her watch. 7:47 AM.
Evie would be here in three minutes. She was always exactly five minutes late to their morning coffee ritual; a pattern Maggie had noticed after the first week and decided not to mention because some things were worth letting go.
Her phone buzzed. And she was surprised to see the name of her former Chief of Medicine.
