Then I realized I was still organizing my life around what strangers might think.

I spoke to mentors, visited both sites, asked about training, and reviewed the practical numbers.

I took the clinic position not because Chloe had requested it, but because I wanted the work and could finally afford to choose it.

On my first morning, a mother arrived with two children and apologized for being late.

The bus had broken down.

I told her she didn’t need to apologize, and then I asked what she was worried about.

She looked startled.