When Victor was well enough to sit up, he asked to see her.
Elaine wheeled him into the courtyard, where Maria was tending to a garden bed she had started years ago — a hobby the hospital allowed her to keep.
He looked at her with genuine gratitude.
“You saved my life,” he said.
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a card. “If you ever want to return to medicine, I have a foundation. We’d be lucky to have you. Or if not… if you just want land to grow your garden, we’ll build you one.”
She shook her head gently. “Thank you. But I’m right where I belong.”
He looked puzzled.
Maria pointed to the bench nearby, where a young nurse was quietly crying after a tough shift. Maria nodded toward her. “Every day, someone in this hospital feels alone. Unseen. I talk to them. Listen to them. Sometimes that’s the best medicine of all.”
