Page 263

"I made the biggest mistake of my life."

Silence.

Gentle.

Patient.

Finally, she asks the only question that matters.

"What are you going to do about it?"

I look out the apartment window. Toward the fading sunset. Toward home.

A smile slowly finds its way onto my face.

"I'm going home."

***

Week Eight…

The final week of my rotation passes faster than I expect.

One last patient.

One last round of charts.

One last early morning cup of coffee in the therapists' lounge.

By Friday afternoon, the familiar routine already feels like a memory.

As I carry the last box from my apartment to the car, Dr. Lawson walks across the parking lot.

"So..."

He smiles.

"What's next?"

I glance toward the highway stretching beyond the hospital.

"I'm going home."

He studies my face for a moment.

"I had a feeling."

"You did?"

"You stopped talking about where you came from."

His smile widens. "You started calling it home again."

I hadn't even noticed.

He extends his hand. "They're lucky to have had you here."

I shake it.